So ive decided to go ahead and raise my roof...

[ilyafish]

i called the local place around here that has steel inquiring about sheet metal to blank out the windows and stuff, and basically their sheets are 4 ft by 8ft and being the window area is like 2.75 ft or so, there would be alot of waste when making those cuts, so basically, i did the math and i figure since im paying for 4x8 sheets, i might as well use a little more of them and do a 12 inch roof raise.

so my question is, i was just planning on cutting the frame, raising it, and welding in new pieces.  now with that being done, should i weld pieces horizontally as well for additional strength and support or is that not really a big deal?

also, what guage should the frame tubing be?

[NJT 5573]

I had my windows professonially done. I was told that I would have rattles without the horizontal bars welded into the window holes. My skin was ordered (aluminum), cut to fit, except for some corner trimming from a large metals specialty business. I think anything .095 or heavier should be adequate as strength is not a big deal, just reinforcement.

[Busted Knuckle]

You should really check out Gumpy, Hobes and some of the others sites about roof raises they all have quite abit of good knowledge there! Also before doing the roof raise I would make a trip to Elkart, IN or Bootrangers or an RV surplus outlet and get you some RV style windows. That wayyou'll have them and can frame for them and trim your metal for tham at the same time you raise the roof! It'll take care of 3 jobs at once while saving you the most time & $ at the same time! FWIW   BK 

[Jeremy]

Just as an alternative idea for you to think about: the sides of my bus (Plaxton Paramount) are curved, so I couldn't easily raise my roof by cutting the window posts and welding in inserts in the usual way. Instead I left the side walls untouched and did the raise by cutting the roof beams just inboard of where they meet the sides. As well as the benefits of not affecting the windows or side skin in any way I suspect this was technically also a better solution as the 'cut' was made in a very strong corner area of the body structure where there is lots of steel and it was easily to reinforce the 'insert' by triangulating it in three directions, rather than just two that are available if the insert is placed in the flat side of the bus.

Just an idea for you; if you are going to be replacing the windows and skin anyway then the advantages of my method are much reduced

Jeremy

[youknowwho]

I think 12 to inches might be too high. I was at first going to go with a 12 inch roof raise and ended up with an eight inch instead. Unless you have pretty good fab experience and tools and facility I would not tackle that job by your self. You may want to find someone else to at least do the cutting and framing then you take over from there.

[Busted Knuckle]

I think 12 to inches might be too high. I was at first going to go with a 12 inch roof raise and ended up with an eight inch instead. Unless you have pretty good fab experience and tools and facility I would not tackle that job by your self. You may want to find someone else to at least do the cutting and framing then you take over from there.

And you can take this GREAT advice from the guy who did what everybody said couldn't be done with very limited time, help & equipment! And did a dang good job of it too! AND I AIN'T talking about the BANDIT either! LOL! (from the theme song of "SMOKEY & THE BANDIT!"

FWIW   BK 

[zubzub]

I know nothing about raising roofs but a little about ordering steel.  You should be  to special order a size that is less wasteful and pay pretty much the same $/SQ.' OR PRICE/LB or however the yard is selling it.  Added bonus have it all cut exacly to size for little to no extra cost.

[John316]

We raised our DL3 eight inches. I'm not sure how tall your bus is. I think that you will want to stay under 13', including roof airs (we have Dometic low profiles, nine and a half inches from the roof, I think). The biggest thing that you will face is, not bridges or low wires (which can be a big issue), but hitting tree branches, which can be brutal. Just think about where you will be going (campgrounds with lots of low trees, etc), and make you decision based on that. My thought would be to raise your roof as much as you can, while staying under 13'. You will find the extra space inside to be tremendous.

Also, I'm not sure if you have any welding experience, but those welds on your roof raise could make or break your bus. They are crucial!!!

JMHO, and my .00002

God bless,

John

[Paladin]

Mine is raised 9 inches and I'm not sure I'd want it more than that, especially if you plan to add roof air units and/or Sat dome. I'm not going with roof air but I do plan on sat.
I didn't do the raise on mine, thank God it was done for me by the P.O because he told me what was involved, much more than I could have done here.
He replaced everything between the floor and the roof with the 9" raise. He also put on the R&M stuff including both caps and walls which I'm glad I didn't have to do but it seems like the best way to go imho.
I'm sure glad it was done but I'm probably more glad that I didn't have to do it. Huge job!

Make sure your frame is square and welds are right.

[Stormcloud]

I did our 8" roof raise myself (with a few extra hands) in an unheated barn in March in Manitoba, after lots and lots of reading.
Real good advice to buy your windows first, then frame for them as you progress, rather than order them after.
You can save a pile of cash making 'the hole fit the window' rather than vice versa.

Best regards.

Mark

[Jeremy]

I raised my roof 7" and now wish I had gone a couple of inches higher. I wanted to keep the bus looking as 'standard' as possible as I think high roof raises can ruin the appearance of a bus - and with mine being a short bus the effect would have been magnified. In retrospect though, another couple of inches would have given me a bit more latitude with the ceiling and flooring treatment.

It does all depend of course upon how much height you have to start with, and how tall you are.

I raised my roof singlehanded, and found it a fairly stress-free operation - but with the way I did there was no danger of the body sagging as I wasn't cutting the sidewalls. By cutting the roof beams I did find the walls tried to move sideways from the roof very slightly, but only by 1/8" or so at most, and it was easy to pull them together again with clamps

Jeremy

[bottomacher]

I skinned my mc9 with 3'x10' sheets of Galvalume or paint grip or whatever the name brand is, 18 gage, and it involved almost no cutting. It is a stock size and very inexpensive (less than $50 per sheet.) The job took seven sheets, and the scrap would fit in my pocket.