Can I cut out floor beams MCI?

Scott & Heather · April 30, 2015, 02:28:31 PM

If, hypothetically, we wanted to cut out on one side of the luggage bay, the floor beams, is this bad? Possible? The ones with the cables for the luggage bay door are what I'm asking about:

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TedCalvert · May 01, 2015, 02:21:09 PM

Don't know, but look long and hard at cutting any "beams", or you may get a bus which bends in the middle!

Surely, there's some MCI-knowledgeable people here. Not me. Just common sense. Good luck.

Ted.

grantgoold · May 01, 2015, 04:06:53 PM

Looking at the parts diagrams, I can't image that would be a good idea at all! Not an engineer but sure looks like they all tie together to ensure stability. Think long and hard before you go this route.

Grant

gumpy · May 01, 2015, 04:22:59 PM

You're talking about the tube with the door spring in it, right?

What are you planning to do that requires removal of those tubes?

Scott & Heather · May 01, 2015, 04:49:01 PM

Yes. Bay bedroom. If it's structurally a no go, that's fine, just was hoping for a larger hatch door opening.

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gumpy · May 02, 2015, 04:16:01 AM

Those tubes had a couple purposes. One, they old the springs for the door cables. If you remove them, you'll have to do something different for the doors. The doors are
very heavy and without the spring are very difficult to open. Second, they were there primarily to hold the seat rails and screw the floor down to.

They are not so much structural and I don't think removing a section would necessarily compromise the structural integrity of the coach, but the spring issue is definitely
something you should consider.

There's more detail in the photos here: http://www.gumpydog.com/Bus/MC9_WIP/Structural/Floor_Removal/floor_removal.htm

daveola · May 03, 2015, 06:25:32 AM

I'm not so convinced that they're not structural. As I understand, any of the heavy framing elements are required to hold the entire bus body together, but again, you'd be better off talking to a bus body expert or a structural/mechanical engineer.

The gumpydog bus page, while fascinating, doesn't seem to remove any structural elements (at least without replacing them).

Scott & Heather · May 03, 2015, 06:42:43 AM

Jury is still out on the structural aspect, but Craig, I did want to mention that the particular bay I'm considering hacking, already has broken springs. I have to manually lift the door right now. Yes, I know, I'm buff

if this were a bay bedroom, I would no longer use said doors. I would only cut the side that has the inoperable door. They are hollow and the metal doesn't appear to be thick so maybe they aren't under the "structurally mandatory" category.

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gumpy · May 03, 2015, 03:19:05 PM

I would caution you HEAVILY against using a bay for a bedroom unless you are planning to install some type of egress in the bay other than the hole in the floor.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

Scott & Heather · May 03, 2015, 04:12:54 PM

Point taken....and respected. My thoughts on this are all preliminary. Asking questions, getting data points...so I appreciate you saying this...egress is an important issue...I guess, a swingout door opened from the inside would be an idea...

sledhead · May 03, 2015, 05:09:05 PM

some of the moose cabins that I have seen on this site had a basement bedroom in them . looked nice ,had a window in the door .not sure how they would keep the door locked when moving ?

dave

JT4SC · May 03, 2015, 08:04:49 PM

I'll take some pics of how my basement bedroom was done as far as the hatch into the coach is concerned. Its been awesome for my kids to have a little room for themselves and for the wife and I to get time alone time as well...

I would definitely keep the bay door operable to the outside, it's really nice to be able to climb right in from the outside if you want to take a nap, and it's been very useful if I need to get in to the locked bus without having the key on me.

Tony LEE · May 03, 2015, 10:03:52 PM

"I would definitely keep the bay door operable to the outside, it's really nice to be able to climb right in from the outside if you want to take a nap, and it's been very useful if I need to get in to the locked bus without having the key on me. "

Trouble is the existing arrangement is too heavy to be able to be opened by children from either side so at least one door would have to be completely changed. For safety, I guess you might need emergency egress from either side.

You could say that every bit of metal in the MCI is part of the monocoque construction, but in the case of that spring tube, its contribution could easily be replaced by a deeper thinner box section or even a bit of heavy angle

daveola · May 03, 2015, 10:05:32 PM

I think I am a bit confused about what you want to cut out - are you talking about cutting out the wall between bays, the strut between the bay doors, or a strut that goes along the floor to the other side?

bottomacher · May 04, 2015, 04:17:45 AM

Hinging the door at the bottom, with an easily operated inside latch, would add a great safety factor, especially in case of fire. A heavy piano hinge would work; the latch needs a bit of thought. Removing the 'beam' doesn't appear to be a problem, since it primarily holds the seat track. Securing the plywood well around a new hatch opening would likely provide the support that the 'beam' now does, especially if the hatch dimensions are not excessive. I'm not an engineer, but my son is. We discussed this at length during my conversion.