Windows for roof raise

[Thetireddad]

Hello everyone,
I have some basic roof raise window questions. I have looked around and not found complete beginner answers. If I am going to raise the roof and replace the windows am I essentially just securing in sheet metal and then placing the window within the cut? How am I securing the window to the steel? Are there typically holes or trim material that allows you to affix it? Besides junkyards has anyone found any good places to acquire windows? Last question what is the technical name for the Column which holds the window in( the channel that is being cut)? I know it’s basic stuff but I appreciate the help.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

Hat channel

 

[o1marc]

Yes, you are basically removing the windows, skinning the sides and cut in the new windows. RV windows normally have a trim ring on the inside that sandwiches the window to the wall. I prefer to add steel tubing to frame the new windows and not hang them just on sheet metal.
I've had good luck sourcing windows and other RV parts from this eBay seller"
https://www.ebay.com/sch/madisonctrwhsl/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

 

[Frogpondfoug]

Heres how I did it

Or here's how I'm doing it. My project is called 1998 international

 

[Gdog 5651]

the roof raise entails removing widows cutting hat channels they are spaced about 2 ft apart depending on MFGR lifting roof welding or bolting in fillers some folks used custom hat channels I used 1 1/4 " tubing on mine then I cut openings where needed framed the openings with 1 1/4" tubing skinned the sides cut the openings to fit the windows butyl taped the windows and riveted them to the 1 1/4" framing I can't imagine attaching them just to the sheet metal as wind whip and vibration surely would be their demise also if you insulate the sides of your bus unless you buy custom windows the supplie trim rings will be of no value as the walls will be to thick. Gene

 

[o1marc]

Poor planning cutting the hole, should have cut the radius in the corners. Now there's 4 repairs to make.

 

[musigenesis]

Or here's how I'm doing it. My project is called 1998 international

That opening looks like a dangerous loss of structural integrity, thanks to the two cut (and removed) hat channels and no sort of header above the window to compensate. And it's right behind the driver's seat.

 

[o1marc]

That opening looks like a dangerous loss of structural integrity, thanks to the two cut (and removed) hat channels and no sort of header above the window to compensate. And it's right behind the driver's seat.

It is all framed in 1' tube and bars where the hat channels were removed. If it were me, I would have run the horizontals out to the next set of channels. That's a long window and surely less structural integrity, but enough to worry about, nobody knows.

 

[Frogpondfoug]

Those who wonder the two hats cut out have extentions the window square I turn becomes part of the structure.its 100% stronger then then factory roof

 

[EastCoastCB]

Those who wonder the two hats cut out have extentions the window square I turn becomes part of the structure.its 100% stronger then then factory roof

Removing a rib or two isn't the end of the world.

 

[musigenesis]

Removing a rib or two isn't the end of the world.

"Isn't the end of the world" and "100% stronger than the factory roof" are not exactly identical claims for the safety of this modification.

FWIW my bus has a side emergency exit - this opening removed only a single rib (as opposed to two) yet has a very elaborate header structure above the door to transfer the weight supported by the cut rib to the ribs next to it (as well as to preserve the wall stiffness lost by the cut in the chair rail below it). There's no way an opening that spans two cut ribs yet has no header or stiffening elements (1" horizontal tube will not function as a header) is going to be even as strong as the original uncut wall (let alone even stronger!).

 

[EastCoastCB]

"Isn't the end of the world" and "100% stronger than the factory roof" are not exactly identical claims for the safety of this modification.

Bluebird commercial buses have half the ribs of their school bus line. But I do see your point.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

You don't say?

Removing a rib or two isn't the end of the world.

Just ask the allegorical Adam what happened to his world, resulting from that one rib removal... [emoji41]

 

[EastCoastCB]

You don't say?Just ask the allegorical Adam what happened to his world, resulting from that one rib removal... [emoji41]

He finally got some action?:whistling:

His world sounded pretty boring before!

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

Well, yuh! That too...

He finally got some action?:whistling:

His world sounded pretty boring before!

That wound wound up in scoring him a pass to PT Barnum's fabled, "This Way To See The Egress," from the Garden. End of a world, yanno...
You're right, tho- Paradise sounded kinda stagnant.
Good girls (& boys) go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere!

 

[gclarkv]

I haven't gotten to the point of installing windows yet, so take this for what it's worth, but: When framing a house you don't just cut a hole in the wall and pop in a window. You build an entire structure - consisting of king studs, cripple studs and header - to offset the loss of structural integrity caused by the opening. I have cringed while watching youtube videos of people simply attaching windows to the skin of their buses, with no additional supportive framing. There's a best way to do this, and that ain't it.

 

[o1marc]

I haven't gotten to the point of installing windows yet, so take this for what it's worth, but: When framing a house you don't just cut a hole in the wall and pop in a window. You build an entire structure - consisting of king studs, cripple studs and header - to offset the loss of structural integrity caused by the opening. I have cringed while watching youtube videos of people simply attaching windows to the skin of their buses, with no additional supportive framing. There's a best way to do this, and that ain't it.

We're not framing a house. If a window fits between 2 ribs, or even if you cut one rib out, mounting windows sandwiched between the outer skin, insulation and inner skin will be fine and not cause any structural issue. The framing in a house is different because the stresses are different. Your house windows need to open and if the structure shifted or settled it can make opening/closing difficult with the weight of a house above it.

 

[Bon Voyage]

I attached my windows right to the 18 ga skin of the bus with a wood frame strictly around the window edges for the inner ring to compress against. I also removed 2 ribs for a window and 1 rib for another with no problems at all; it’s still very solid and the windows aren’t going anywhere. It may not be as strong as a tank but it is still 20x stronger than my old class A motorhome. If you want a tank you can use 1 ga steel siding and attach your window to that.

For the roof raise I used custom made hat channel to “hug” the original channel the full length between the top of the window area and the bottom. then bolted it together. The riveted sheet metal to the hat channel also adds to the strength of the build.