Any suggestions where to get entrance door modified?

[Busted Knuckle]

I really don't want to keep the current door mechanism if at all possible.  Yes, maybe I can get adjusted to work (for a while), but it is not ideal for RV use.  It requires the bus electrical to be on and there be more than 80 PSI of air in the system to operate.  Yes, I could rewire the selenoid to use the house batteries, but I still need a source of air.

I didn't realize how much of a problem the entrance door was going to be when I bought this particular bus.  I really, really like the torsion suspension and I'm not sure I would want a bus with air bags. 

Brian Elfert

Brian, Mark is planing to make it a hinged set up, but with a curved hinge assembly simular to what my door has and just make it simply swing out instead of all the little up/down and forward and back stuff! And also it would be operated manually! It's the best way he's figured out how to do it with out tearing it all out and building a new door and frame! Which he says he can do if that's what ya want, he's just trying to save ya $! He said shoot if ya wanna throw $ at it and make it super cool he can make it an automated tri-fold gull wing door! (tri-fold so you don't smack the $#!% out of everything that parks next to ya!) BK 

PS. He said to tell ya he can do what ever it is you want, just how much $ do ya wanna spend? LOL ! He's just kidd'n, but at the same time he's serious too! There is nothing this ol' boy can't do giv'n the time and materials, and compensation when done! Like I said he's wanting to do a swing out style hinge simular to what we already have, but instead of the tie rod style connection at the door itself make it solid where the door swings out 90* instead of swing out and slide! Give us a little time to work it out! If needed we'll go borrow one of Bobby's Dina's for him to use for designing his set up! BK 

[Len Silva]

If I were designing a new door from scratch, I'd also try to make it easilly removable so as to have maximum entry room for furniture and appliances.  Just a thought FWIW.
Len

[captain ron]

Brian for all the money you have in that bus and all the money your still going to have to spend to finish it I believe I would  get the door adjusted properly and then use an auxilary onboard small compressor that you can buy for about $100 so you can air up every thing without even starting the bus. after looking at your door at BK's I believe you could get it working at a fractoin of the cost of modifying it. JMHO Captain Ron

[TVDAD]

Two months ago in MAC mag the centerfold is a Neoplan the same or simular door. I notoice that he had hinged his I have yet to contact him if we can find him to  find out how he did it I believe we will be the winner.( I have a Neoplan Cityliner and am tying to the same)

[Lee Bradley]

Beat me to the punch.

Was Miss August, 1992 Neoplan Cityliner. He used a piano hinge on the lower half of the door. I am looking at trying the same on both doors of my '91 Cityliner.

[Lee Bradley]

TVDAD,
What year? Where are you? Any photos?

Neoplan owners (well one anyway) everywhere want to know.

[belfert]

Beat me to the punch.

Was Miss August, 1992 Neoplan Cityliner. He used a piano hinge on the lower half of the door. I am looking at trying the same on both doors of my '91 Cityliner.

My Dina angles in slightly at the bottom of the windows.  Thus, the door is not flat.  It would be real easy to throw on a piano hinge if the door was flat.

I've only seen one Neoplan up close and I don't recall if the sides are perfectly straight or not.

Brian Elfert

[belfert]

PS. He said to tell ya he can do what ever it is you want, just how much $ do ya wanna spend? LOL ! He's just kidd'n, but at the same time he's serious too! There is nothing this ol' boy can't do giv'n the time and materials, and compensation when done! Like I said he's wanting to do a swing out style hinge simular to what we already have, but instead of the tie rod style connection at the door itself make it solid where the door swings out 90* instead of swing out and slide! Give us a little time to work it out! If needed we'll go borrow one of Bobby's Dina's for him to use for designing his set up! BK 

I would really like to use the existing door if possible to save on $.  I know a new fabricated door would not be cheap.

I was going to suggest that Mark look at one of Bobby's Dinas, but you covered that.  If I find someone locally, I will try to get this done now.  If I have to travel, I'll probably wait until spring.

Brian Ekfert

[Ross]

Brian...Using the original door may not save you any money.  There's not really enough door around the glass to attach a hinge.  Making a new door may be less time consuming than trying to build a hinge system for your existing door.  You would have to hinge it below the window which means an elaborate latch system to pull in the top of the door when closed since there won't be any hinge there.

The reason the door is going out of adjustment is because the actuator arms are slipping on the motor shaft.  You need to get it adusted then drill and pin those actuator arms so they can't slip.  Properly adjusted, your door will work fine.  You could also just convert the air motor to electric.  There are a couple of ways that could be done.

Ross

[Busted Knuckle]

Brian...Using the original door may not save you any money.  There's not really enough door around the glass to attach a hinge.  Making a new door may be less time consuming than trying to build a hinge system for your existing door.  You would have to hinge it below the window which means an elaborate latch system to pull in the top of the door when closed since there won't be any hinge there. Ross

Ross you've hit the nail on the head which is exactly why Mark coudn't use the hnges he had ! Not enough area, and also the door is built so flimsy it wouldn't have enough strength. Mark said he thinks it would probably be easier & cheaper to start over since the existing door is built to be light weight and has the wedge lock/latches which hold it closed tightly when closed. Like you also pointed out by the time he modified it to where it would close tight at the top, and hinge also he probably could start from scratch and do a better job cheaper! BK 
PS. He said the name of his shop ain't Burger King, but he'll still do it your way if that's what ya want ! As long as he gets paid in the end, he'll do it your way somebody elses way or the right way ( LOL supposedly his way).

[Ace]

Something to consider when thinking about keeping the top of the door latched is a vertical pin that comes out of the top of the door and into the door frame. My H3 is that way and I'm sure it could be done similar. It could be made where as the side latch closes it pushes the pin upward at the same time and holds the upper part of the door closed tightly. Mine is air/electric but probably could be adapted to be manual and work the same way!

Ace

[belfert]

I want to get this done right, which may mean a new door.  The estimates for a new door from places I've been so far are $5,000 and up.

It looks like I will be fixing the current door and mechanism instead of getting a new door made.  A trip to Chicago to the MCI service center might be in my future although I really don't want to spend another dime on the current door and mechanism.  The first thing I will need to do is rebuild the air motor that moves the door in/out as the seals are shot.

MCI/Dina readily admit the door design is bad.  The F3500 that is also a Dina design used a smaller door to reduce problems.  I'm hoping if I can get the door adjusted to work just once that it will be easier to keep adjusted.  The door has never work as long as I've had the bus.

Brian Elfert