skinning over windows

[Scott & Heather]

I've said this before and I'm happy to say it again. Thicker in this case is better. I skinned our coach with 1/8th thick aluminum sheet. That's thick. And guess what? No heating....and no warpage. Our sides look great. My only regret? Doing 10 foot pieces instead of a full 35 foot length. Someday, when I grow up, I'm going to go full length aluminum sheet. Anyway, 20 gauge is thin and will be wavy. But most converted coaches/s&s motorhomes are wavy...so it's not going to stick out. Here's a pick of ours..the only dimple you see in the upper panels (the lower ones are original) is where I tagged a tree partway down the  middle of the coach:

[Oonrahnjay]

I've said this before and I'm happy to say it again. Thicker in this case is better. I skinned our coach with 1/8th thick aluminum sheet (snip)

       Yes, that's thick, about .125".   My bus is designed with individual aluminum panels (if we can say "designed" from the "Land Where Engineering Schools Don't Teach About Bi-metallic Corrosion") that are about 5'x2'.  When I have to modify or replace a panel, I use about 65-70 thou pre-coated from the tractor-trailer supply house.  The material is specification SH-One-T but the finish is really good (it's fine as it is or it's a great base to paint over); the only real problem is that it doesn't like to be bent but we don't need much bending anyway. 

       The 70 thou stuff seems fine for the smaller panels I need; it's likely that the larger areas that N. American buses need would benefit from thicker material.