Space Below the Floor

[Tikvah]

As I'm finishing off the floors in my conversion I keep thinking about the 6" x 16" tunnel that runs most of the length of the coach.  Has anyone ever put a floor hatch in and used that space for storage?

Originally, I thought I would use that for running wires and water lines, but so far, all the mechanical stuff seems to be running through the bays, or along the wall conduits. 

What's your thoughts?

Dave

[Scott & Heather]

I just stuffed mine full of insulation. Keeps the floor of the walkway center aisle of the coach a tiny bit warmer.

[Joe Camper]

On a submarine every last inch of space is used. Somewhere I saw an older one and they had stored canned food stock below removable floor panels.

[buswarrior]

secure fire arm storage?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Jeremy]

I have a similar tunnel, although not quite as deep as yours by the sound of it. I've had three ideas for stuff which could go into that space, none of which are firm yet:

1) A ladder (just stored beneath a simple long hatch).

2) Some sort of device which folds up from the floor and converts the couch into a bed (or it could be an occasional table etc).

3) A fabric screen-divider thingy which would partition the bus into two sections on those occasions when guests were sleeping in the front couch-bed. This last idea came to me when I realised what an incredibly neat device the electric rear-window blind is in my BMW - and started me thinking of reasons to build a much bigger version.


Jeremy

[white-eagle]

secure fire arm storage?

And you, in Canada, would know about and be concerned about this why??   

My tunnel had stuff in it, so i left it alone.  We cut the boards so we could get to it, but still covered it with the carpet which we'll cut and make it accessible if we ever really do need to get into it.

[Kenny]

How about using it to store water in a long bladder tank using maybe fire hoses

Just a dumb thought

[gumpy]

I ended up keeping my bus a/c and heat and also tied my basement air into the tunnel, but I did some serious consideration on this subject. I thought of several
possibilities, most of which have been mentioned in previous responses to this thread. I thought it would make a great place to put freah water tanks, but decided
against that due to potential maintenance needs and not being able to access them again. Then, I considered storage. I thought you could make trays on wheels that
could be pulled or pushed along the tunnel and have two or more openings in the floor for access. You'd pull or push the trays to it to where you want. Maybe each tray
was 2-3 times the length of the opening. Even considered cutting access holes into the tunnel from the bays. Ultimately, it remained in place for air and heat usage.

[bevans6]

Maybe I am thinking of the wrong thing - the tunnel in my bus is chock full of AC freon lines, air lines, shifter and clutch rods, and that throttle cable...  Ain't no room for nothing!  Where is this tunnel that you all have and I don't?

Brian

[Jeremy]

Where is this tunnel that you all have and I don't?

I'm referring to the dropped centre aisle between the seats. It won't become a tunnel until a flat floor is built over the top of it.

My bus is different to everyone else's on here, but a centre aisle is commonplace - so trying to find a use for it post-conversion must be a fairly normal scenario


Jeremy

[Busted Knuckle]

I'm referring to the dropped centre aisle between the seats. It won't become a tunnel until a flat floor is built over the top of it.

My bus is different to everyone else's on here, but a centre aisle is commonplace - so trying to find a use for it post-conversion must be a fairly normal scenario
Jeremy

Jeremy your bus is like a Setra and there is a way to build your interior and eliminate this tunnel (or need for it) by widening it out toward the walls and building the furniture and cabinets on it so that no one but you will know it ever had a "drop aisle" and you'll have more head room to boot as well.
  BK 

[Jeremy]

Jeremy your bus is like a Setra and there is a way to build your interior and eliminate this tunnel (or need for it) by widening it out toward the walls and building the furniture and cabinets on it so that no one but you will know it ever had a "drop aisle" and you'll have more head room to boot as well.
  BK 

That's absolutely correct, and for a long time was my plan. In the end though I decided raising the roof was actually less work. For one thing I was worried about how substantial the sides of the centre aisle were - they're made up of two very chunky aluminium extrusions, and while I don't think they're structural they would none-the-less be tricky things to start fiddling with. Plus the fact that, because my bus is mid-engined, there's lots of pipework and wiring underneath the centre aisle which I didn't really want to disturb.

By comparison, cutting and re-welding the steel roof beams seemed like a job that I was much less likely to screw-up

Jeremy

[Bill 340]

Blow heat into it, cables shifters don't matter, its the early morning WARM floor that counts, hot air flows around anything in there.

[bevans6]

The tunnel in my MCI 5C is unfortunately bulkheaded every two feet or so, and blocked with expanding foam at each major bulkhead - no way to flow air in it!  It's a good idea though, and I am now jealous of those who have them!  I wondered how people ran things front to back with such ease, my bus has virtually no easy path from the front to the back for anything added.

Actually, come to thing of if, remove the "virtually"...  there is NO easy path front to back to add anything!

Brian

[gumpy]

Brian,

We're actually talking about the upper part of the tunnel composition which is used for return air to the bus heat and air conditioner. it sits above the mechanical portion
which houses hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical stuff.  On the MCI's, the slanted portion of the center isle at the front sat in this part of the tunnel and had vents on
either side. There were return air vents at the front and rear of the bus that came into this tunnel.

craig