Thomas roof raise

[RolesvilleMarina]

wow

this all looks extremely difficult and a lot of maths

I can weld though, but thank god we are short people :biggrin::biggrin:

 

[StatTarget]

^^ that (and some of his other roof raise) video should help explain the process. You can see one bracket @ 2:08 into the video.

The corner brackets using all-thread for fine tuning of each corner make things "easy"...ok, easier. But the math/work is relatively straightforward.

 

[waxman]

just few youtube videos on roof raises like transcend existence and dzl freek. I guess I should of documented mine better than a few pics. not exactly sure what you mean by cut into the cab. im guessing your asking about the front cap? on mine the fiberglass front cap was screwed in and not a continuous piece of fiberglass from the cab so all I had to do was remove the screws and punch out 3-4 on the corner above the first window. once I did that I knocked in some wood shims to separate the front cap from the bus so I could cut the two hat channels and metal plates on each side without cutting the fiberglass. hope that makes a little sense. I you want I could take a video n walk you through it

 

[Bus'n it]

Thanks for the link Waxman. I am debating on doing a roof raise, but not sure about the added cost. My wife and I do fit in the bus but if we insulate the floor and add some wood finish to the ceiling that may change.

 

[waxman]

yea a roof raise was kinda always in the cards for me the only place I could stand up straight was under the roof hatch and that was with no shoes on a bare metal floor. I need a shower for going to festivals n dune trips and there was just no way it was going to happen without the raise. a good thing about shortie roof raises is they should cost 1/2 of what a big bus does. I reached out to wes originally but he blew me off due to being too busy. but to my knowledge he charges 6-10k so I did it myself with the help of my buddy who runs a small fabrication shop. paid him his full rate even though I could of gotten a discount (I believe in paying full price to support your friends business') and still saved a few thousand dollars. the few thousand might scare some people off but I feel its totally worth it in the grand scheme of things. lots of people spend thousands on way more questionable decisions than a roof raise. like the 1k everyone spends to poop in a bucket

 

[Bus'n it]

yea a roof raise was kinda always in the cards for me the only place I could stand up straight was under the roof hatch and that was with no shoes on a bare metal floor. I need a shower for going to festivals n dune trips and there was just no way it was going to happen without the raise. a good thing about shortie roof raises is they should cost 1/2 of what a big bus does. I reached out to wes originally but he blew me off due to being too busy. but to my knowledge he charges 6-10k so I did it myself with the help of my buddy who runs a small fabrication shop. paid him his full rate even though I could of gotten a discount (I believe in paying full price to support your friends business') and still saved a few thousand dollars. the few thousand might scare some people off but I feel its totally worth it in the grand scheme of things. lots of people spend thousands on way more questionable decisions than a roof raise. like the 1k everyone spends to poop in a bucket

Like I have always said.... It's only money. And here my priorities are all confogulated since I am looking into that $3500 ass burner toilet! LOL. I would love to raise my roof about 10" for interior aesthetics more than anything.

 

[NovaTRON]

I wouldn't go below unless you plan to keep the original windows.

 

[NovaTRON]

I raised the top section. Allowed me to put in 36" tall windows with out having to cut into the rub rail.

 

[NovaTRON]

wow

this all looks extremely difficult and a lot of maths

I can weld though, but thank god we are short people :biggrin::biggrin:

The only math I used was 18", the length of my hat channel extenders.
Was not difficult, i would do it again.

 

[Bigbadbus]

I pulled it off. you can see pics on instagram @our_bus_is_named_harriot

 

[Buslover]

How was it sealed?

Hello, When I get my bus I'm thinking about a roof raise also. My question is the metal transitions from the old roof to the new one...how did you seal it up? Did you weld it or was there some kind of caulking and rivets? Also are there any closeup pictures of what you did?

 

[NovaTRON]

Hello, When I get my bus I'm thinking about a roof raise also. My question is the metal transitions from the old roof to the new one...how did you seal it up? Did you weld it or was there some kind of caulking and rivets? Also are there any closeup pictures of what you did?

Usually takes 3 pieces to make the transition, i used 5. To connect these pieces I riveted and caulked, but across the main seams i welded from one side to the other then bondo/ seal.

 

[Kevin1-SKO]

Good day,

If anyone needs the measurements of the hat channels used for the structure of a Thomas safe-t liner, please message me and I will send you them.

Take care.