Roof Raising

[Tom Y]

I may still have a R&M tabe on roof raises, I will send for the shipping if I can find it. Only 10.00 from them. Tom Y

[Kenny]

Jeremy, Got pictures? I'd like to see what you've done. Kenny

[luvrbus]

There are 3 types of a roof raises 1 the floor level below the windows, 2 the above the side windows and 3rd the roof line raise at the roof brows you need to decide on which meets your needs and let us know and we may have photos just hard to help not knowing what you are after

good luck

[Bob Belter]

Ahoy, BusFolk,

Not mentioned is the height of a roof-raised bus on a trailer and any attendant shipping costs if you have troubles.  My -01 Eagle has a listed height of 11' 3".  It came to me here in Carmel CA on a Landoll trailer as a standard load ~~20 years ago from Long Beach CA for $700.00.  A friend, (now expired) raised the roof on his GM 4501 Scenic Cruiser, and first time out, blew his engine over by Mohave CA.  With high load permits/costs, his haul back to Salinas, about 1/3 the distance, was $2200.00.  Scared the roof-raise right out of me.  I did drop the floor 3 1/2" in front, back to the drive axle framing.  Made quite a difference, (I'm 6' 2") and was quite easy to do.  Bedroom and bathroom, little is done back there standing up anyway.

Any other comments on hauling?  I never have been (bus) hauled, but I offer this tidbit for your consideration.  If you blow your engine/tranny big-time, the extra tow costs attendent to a roof raise are probably down in the noise level.   


Enjoy   /s/   Bob

[Jeremy]

Jeremy, Got pictures? I'd like to see what you've done. Kenny

In fact you asked that exact same question in the previous thread where this was discussed - it's here, with the photos:

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=19740.msg214969#msg214969


I did some more work on my scratch-built front cap a few weeks ago, and that is now at a stage where I can post some photos if anyone is interested

Jeremy

[Kenny]

Jeremy, Got more pictures of both the inside and outside. Really interested in the look from the outside. Kenny

[Jeremy]

Ok, here are some photos of the work on the front cap (and showing the roof-raise in general)

The first stage in scratch-building the front cap was to make a former from some scrap wood. This will all be discarded later. The former was in two parts as can be seen here:



Here is the former in place on top of the original (low) front roof. As can be seen I have designed the new front cap to cover the small upper-windscreen. Also in this picture you can see that 1/2" foam sheet has been laid over the 'flatish bits' of the wooden former:



Now the start of the process of creating the rest of the shape using blocks of foam that are carved and sanded into shape. The wooden former underneath guides the overall shape and keeps it symmetrical:



There's now at least a year's gap when nothing at all happened. Just a few weeks ago I spent another weekend on it and finished off the foam shaping, and got the first layer of 'glass on it. There's obviously more work to do, but you get the idea. Eventually the cap will be taken off the bus and cleaned up and 'glassed on the inside, at which point the wooden former will be discarded. Then the cap can be fastened back on permanently exactly as though it was a store-bought item costing hundreds of dollars

(By the way - in the photos below the roof raise starts at a point directly above the rear edge of the doorway. In front of that point is 'cap', whilst behind it you are seeing the fibreglass panels that cover the gap created when the roof was raised. The cap and these panels will eventually be fibreglassed into one continuous structure with no joints):






Jeremy

[chev49]

 speaking of fiberblass panels... i have bought lots of strips, cut-out's etc, from the guys who make the fiberglass boat cabins for fishing boats, etc in Portland, Ore... scrap for them, and very strong and cheap...