If you raised your roof, how much did you raise it?
If you had it done by somebody else, how much did it cost you?
If you just answered question #2, did that cost include windows?
Most roof raises are 8 inches and if someone does it for you with the new caps you are going to be in 7 to 8 grand range with out windows that price is on a Eagle the easy one to raise good luck
If doing a 96A3 or a 102A3, only raise 6 ", you already have more headroom to start with and a 4' wide sheet will work on the side. If you raise 8" you will have to purchase 5" stock and cut off 10". I was told this by Fred Hobe, one of the best at raising roofs. Jack
I just raised the roof of an MCI 102-A3 8 inches. It went smoothly and I did all of the work myself. It can be done at home quite easily. you do not even need a helper.
I raised mine 7" and wished I'd gone slightly higher - but it entirely depends on what you're starting with of course
Jeremy
12" on two buses, did it myself, easy, and I would have been unhappy with less...
I raised my MCI 9 8", me and my dad did it and it wasn't that bad, I don't remember what I had in $ for material but it wasn't to bad, It was well worth it to raise the roof and put every thing up in the ceiling and still have Lot's of headroom. Jason
30 years ago I raised the roof on my skoolie 12". Does that count? ;D It was easy and I did it alone. I used a drywall jack on each end and brazed in struts to hold it all in place till I could properly weld in new framing. Of course that old Ford wasn't a monocoque construct, either, but in retrospect, I think that 292 V8 thought it was a DD LOL.
Will
ok there are pop outs, but is it possible to do a pop up on a bus?? not talking about working with clothe wither
I wouldn't recommend a full popup on a traditional MCI or similar bus because the roof framing is directly tied into the side and engine framing and provides structural stability. If you do a popup, you will probably have to cut the roof free from the sides, and would therefore lose that integrity.
Now, it might be possible to do a modified popup where the center section(s) of the roof can be engineered to be raised up. I considered trying something like this to put in a sleeping area above the driver, but ultimately decided against it. Would be an interesting project, though.
craig
Would that be an MCI Vanagon or Westfalia?
If U want to do it yourself here is how I raised mine..
http://users.cwnet.com/~thall/gene_lewis.htm
There are also notes by Fred Hobe on this site as well
Good luck.
Pack
I raised my Prevost 9", which is what the factory MH is over the OTR bus. It was not hard, I did it myself without help. When I first started thinking about it, I was very worried. While the worry made we think about the process, which was good, in retrospect, the worry should not have been done as it wasn't tough. I used the following Bryce Robson website for inspiration, http://www.collinburnell.com/thebus/index.htm
I cut mine in such a way so that I did not have to buy new caps, infact the factory caps are still in place. Way, way less work/cost and time.
I used a modification of Gene's idea for making the extensions off his site mentioned above.
Rob
91 LeMirage XL
Missouri
Gene, You did a very good job at detailing the method you used, a great read. If I had read that when I bought our Eagle 01 I might have done it. But then again I'm happy with the way it is.
~Paul~
The Eagles model 10,15 and 20 you can raise the roof with out buying new caps, even easier on the model 10 if you are using the 15 windshields good luck
I don't quite follow Gene's process as listed on the website. It appears he jacked up the whole roof without having it attached in any way to the rest of the bus. I thought most people use threaded rod or similar to keep the roof connected to the rest of the bus during the process?
I'm seriously thinking about raising my roof in 2010 depending on the schedule of my bus trips. I would love to find a building to do the work in over the winter, but I don't think that will happen. I'm probably not using the bus this year until end of September, but no money to do the work this summer. I am guessing at a total cost of around $3,500 to $4,000 by the time I buy steel, alcuobond for the sides, fiberglassing supplies for the caps, and new low profile air conditioners. The amount of raise I would ideally like to do would push my standard roof A/C units above 13' 6".
I didn't think the Dina was a good candidate for a roof raise, but the couple would had their Dina roof raised has inspired me. I would really like to lift mine enough to have a totally flat ceiling inside, but that may not be practical. A 10" to 12" raise might alter the aerodynamics enough to killl my MPG so I may have to go for something more like 8".
8" or 10" or 12"...
never mind about fuel economy, you won't be measuring the difference between these three options with a gas station hose and your odometer. You already have a 12 foot by 8.5 foot brick. If you're worried about it, lay the giant forehead back by a bit of an angle, or round it off, have a look at the new style D model MCI for inspiration... maybe that roof cap can be had for price....
Raise the roof the height that makes sense for the space you want, positioned against the fear you desire trying to stuff it under trees, bridges and garage doors.
happy coaching!
buswarrior