one piece entry door

[van]

Hi again, any suggestions on the route I shoukd take to fabing a 1 piece entry door for my eagle .My first thought was to utilize the existing frame halves and weld together ,reskin and re use the original glass stripes(upper2and lower 2),or fabricate a new frame.also would it be practical to reuse one of the air cyls to open/close the door or have it free swing(manual open)have not had a chance to get out and see some of the converted bus idea's already being used
tanks
Van.

[Dreamscape]

Van,

Talk with Clifford about this. He has a fix for making a one piece door. I think he is home now.

A PO had redid the two piece door to one piece on our Eagle. One feature I really like is he used one of the narrow glass and added it in the bottom of the door. Makes for seeing what or who is beside you really nice. Also he removed the air and made it a manual open and close, with a lock from Bargman.

Paul

[white-eagle]

i've got a one piece door that was framed and skinned.  looks solid but actually over time has become warped due to the large amount pull on the door as you go down the road.  a lot of air noise.  i have a large piano hinge that holds the door on and i think i'm going to have to pull the door, take it apart and flatten it back out.

another issue: we have a "seat belt" that fastens to the door halfway down just below the window that fills the top half and to the front brace on the cupboard fire extinguisher compartment.  the door is a wind catcher.  i think part of the warp in the door is from the lack of another belt at the bottom.  i've got a gap at the bottom, fits tight at the top.  i've forgotten to lock the door and it occasionally has blown open while going down the road.  refreshes your memory real quick.

if i had to do it over again (which i will have to do ), i would consider a more secure method to hold the door.  also, i saw a prevost with airlocks that would set a dead bolt in about 3 places on the door which held it securely closed while going down the road, so less noise.

just a couple suggestions from real experience.

[van]

thanks paul,manasst manual works fine for us.May be able to use the 2 spare air cyls for some other crazy idea yet to be thought up,how about air lift engine compartment door ?  SWEEEEET!

[rusty]

  Tom If you know anything else about the prevost lock please post it. That is one bad thing about the one piece door especially with a raised roof. It is a long way between the hinges and the top of the door. I but a camover lock on my 05 to help keep it shut and help with the noise. I thought about a remote trunk latch but why reinvent the wheel if it is arleady being done
                                                   Thank You Wayne

[white-eagle]

Rusty, first off, please don't tell me you have an Eagle also.  i just know toooo many busnuts that would have to make fun of you.

The Prevost i saw was a well-modified 45ft with a big slide owned by gile cote'.  he had a toggle, i think, on the dash so that when the door closed, he could hit the switch and 4 air operated bolts would slide in.  i'm assuming they would stay in until you opened the relay, even if it aired down.  don't know if he had one, but i'd have put in a duplicate switch in a side panel outside in a locked door.  there was no room for that door to wiggle going down the road.  it was quiet and well built.


if and when i take mine apart, i'm going to do something like that.

[Chariotdriver]

thanks paul,manasst manual works fine for us.May be able to use the 2 spare air cyls for some other crazy idea yet to be thought up,how about air lift engine compartment door ?  SWEEEEET!

How about deploying a flat screen with the air cyls?

[NJT5047]

  Tom If you know anything else about the prevost lock please post it. That is one bad thing about the one piece door especially with a raised roof. It is a long way between the hinges and the top of the door. I but a camover lock on my 05 to help keep it shut and help with the noise. I thought about a remote trunk latch but why reinvent the wheel if it is arleady being done
                                                   Thank You Wayne

I use a 40 lb remote trunk latch solenoid attached to a BearClaw automotive door latch.  I figured it would be constant trouble, so I also added a 'hardwire' method of gaining access if the latch fails...or the batteries are completely discharged.
The latch has worked flawlessly for 6 years. 
There is one minor issue with the latch....there ain't no sneaking out, or into, the bus late at night.  The latch is a little noisy.  I makes a pretty good "thunk" every time it's activated. 
I don't have a door handle, just a button.   Same on the inside.  Just a momentary marine switch.
Use an NOS Suzuki GT750 ignition switch, which is a nice looking item, for a lock switch.  Turn it on...the key will pull out, and the latch is functional.  Turn if off and the bus is very well locked up. 
If you want a door latch, Jack Conrad has a nice looking and functional mechanical door latch setup...and I believe he'll turn you onto one of the latches.  Don't tell him I said so, but he can be talked into installing it too....just organize a bus rally and call the latch install a 'seminar.'  I know it works...seen it with my good eye! 
Don't know about Eagles, but MCIs need the air-lock for pulling the door tightly shut when traveling.  The door jamb just isn't up to holding the 200 lb plus door...especially if involved in a bump-up. 
May I suggest that whenever installing doors and latches, you leave some means of gaining access into the bus...window open, roof hatch...you get the picture.  Chances are good that the door will jam, or the latch just isn't quite right yet...then, BAM,  you're locked out.  Bummer! 

JR

[Blacksheep]

Tom, what your describing is exactly what Prevost has in Our H model. There is a toggle on the dash that operates the door. It's air and electric. There is also a toggle just outside the door located in it's own fuel type door compartment for when your outside.
It appears the door is operated via air solenoids and when the metal latch touches the frame of the bus when it closes, it activates and pulls itself IN and makes an air tight seal! Hitting the toggle one way breaks the ground and unlatches the lock and air opens the door.

Not only is the door pulled in by the latch in the middle section of the door, there is a large pin that comes OUT of the top of the door and goes INTO the top of the door frame to keep the door evenly pulled in at all times!

There is also an air valve on the outside in another compartment under the driver window that can be turned to de-activate the whole thing in case you lock yourself out!

It really is a simple operation ONCE you get everything working which I recently did by finding a faulty valve under the dash!

Once I got it working the right way, I lost all air noise from outside! What a pleasure it is to NOT have the door POP open when your going about 60 mph!  The problem was I plumbed the "norgren" air valve backwards after following the French Canadian directions! Instead of pulling itself IN when it was grounded, it OPENED when grounded! Hard to explain but it works GOOD now!

Ace

[white-eagle]

ace,

now that i think of it, i think gile said it's what's on the new ones, but wasn't on his model, so he added it. 

also, some of  those "babes" are going to be causing issues.  fran says she's gonna get you for that slam on another thread, and susan probably doesn't know about the "s" at the end of babe, as jack pointed out to you on another thread.  watch it, paula and fran will be calling susan.

thanks for the explanation on the door.  i've got to get mine off, straigtened and locked up for a quiet ride.

[makemineatwostroke]

I have a model 15 Eagle with a 8 in raised roof and had trouble with the door at the top moving when in high wind I took the advice of another Eagle owner and bought the magnetic lock from Access Control in Houston they come in all sizes and pull force from 1200# to 300# they work on 12 or 24 volt hook them up direct and you don't need the transformer cost from $175.00 down stopped my problem and only 1 power source needed you turn the key on they are locked turn it off unlocked works for me. I believe their web site is Door King the number is 877-688-4283  have a great day