Schoolbus bodywork

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Schoolbus bodywork

Home > Discussion Forum > Bus Conversions - School

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All Messages in Thread	Author	Date
Schoolbus bodywork	Arashi	4-23-02
Hello! i have a huge chevy/superior shoolbus, and i want to raise the roof in the front end so i don't have to bend over all the time. i am a welder and sculptor and i want to put a little energy into making it look real cool. so, how much of the ceiling in the front can i remove without compromising the structure? should i take it off the back? will front or back make a difference in fuel efficiency? anyone have any awesome ideas for ceiling add-ons? i'm a good welder, so the sky's the limit here.
Re: schoolbus bodywork	Nic	4-23-02
:Chop that body..customize da bus. You can chop out roof sections but you need to be careful becuase you will effect the structural integrity. The bus is basical a bunch of built in roll bars at each window..structural aircraft steel..with a skin over it that adds lateral and x-sectional structure. The bus is the safest vehicle on the road becuase of it. It also keeps it from flexing as you drive..the bus is long and wide with a high center of gravity so a little road uneveness translates to a lot of bouncing around and cross flexing. If youi cut panels out keep it to a couple of cells and carry the reworked structure thru in the same layout. I suggest the rear and have a wedge shpe leading to it to aid the aerodynamics..ie..gas milage. a blunt front end is a wind stop. a smooth sleek one will help. Hints.. a 24"x24" wood opening skylight from Home Depot fits perfect in most cells between the windows, and you can weatherproof them, open them, screens...cool stuff. Also there is a lot of plexiglass/acrilic bubbles and all on the hot rod parts companies. The best..most creative ones are the junkyard cut and paste...wield artists. A good one is a Mazda rx7 rear top, window and inshield cut above the doors..and it has an opening hatchback..Others incorporate the roof job with a top deck..kind of looks like a boat. Remember to get the wieght low..a top heavy bus is hard to drive and bad on gas. Construction hints..cut the skin panels with a skill saw and metal bldes, the roll bar is hard steel and requires titanium bits in the drills and waterproof the hell out of everything Happy trails Nic
Re: schoolbus bodywork	Arashi	4-23-02
Wow, thanks! i can't believe how fast this answer came. i'm so excited! i plan on doing this work very soon! you said, " If you cut panels out keep it to a couple of cells and carry the reworked structure thru in the same layout." could you expand a little? if the roll bars were pipe, should i cut the the old roll bars and butt weld a new pipe in the shape of the new roof? i want to raise about 30% of the length, so i guess i really need to stay beefy... i want it to be really safe, possibly transport day care kids... thanks so much for your help! you rock!
Re: details	Nic	4-26-02
:PS your next responce is correct..if you carry outsiders be careful of the liability. A school bus is the safest vehicle on the road..even without seatbelts, becuase they were designed as a giant roll bar box to protect our kids.They (National Transportation Engineers) have actualy t-boned busses with atrain and found that the only predicted deaths were at the point of impact, the bus body actauly is designed to separate from the frame and travel as a protected container. School busses have one of the lowest fatility rates per number of people miles traveled than other vehicles...Back to the subject. A cell is the section between windows surrounded by structural frame and surfaced with the sheet metal skin. The structure to the cell...and bus is based on the frame for horizontal and verticle stresses, basicaly up and down, and side to side direct forces, the skin acts as the crisscross structure, think of it as a house frame with diagonal beams and the plywood skin is the shear structure. The bus gets direct horizontal and verticle forces forces from wieght, gravity the wind, velocity and momentum when they act at a 90 degree angle to the surface..thus the frame takes the force. But when you take corners and the road is rough shifting you back and forth, the diagonal and cross angular forces take over. These can be extremely strong for short periods of time and include G-forces and centrifugal rotational forces. The skin works with the frame to counteract those forces. So when you raise the roof you are cutting into the interaty of that system. By only doin a few select cells, you do less damge to the system as a whole, unlike removing them all. By the way it is possible but needs to be done correctly. First, the bus roll frame is usauly made from aircraft quality steel..very hard and strong but has a little bit of flex and resilience yet retains its stength. When you cut into those, you want to extend with the same materials(might reuse the roof section and only put in the extended stud wall)that you coulkd salvage fronm a wrecking yard bus...use the same stock..my bus uses a W-Beam shaped like a garden fence post, Plan on weilding like an overlay of 6" to 1'whick should be stronger than a butt weild. The but weild unless perfect could act as a hindge point under stress, but you might insert a rod in the hollow window columb x-section 6" each wayto create a support. Auto body shops have all that stuff for rebuilding cars and trucks check em out.Also, a weild is stonger if the same material and thickness is used so don't try too many new things. Also think about using a already made structural roof like off anoughther vehicle. Most roofs are a preety strong structure and if cut below the doorline will offer some strenght. They also are designed to handle the cross stress found in driving. Good luck Nicolas
Re: schoolbus bodywork	Mark O.	4-25-02
If you plan to transport anyone besides family or friends, do not change the structure. If you should ever be involved in an accident and someone were to be hurt, even if the injury had nothing to do with the changes, you will be held liable and someone else will then own your home and income for the rest of your life. If you are going to transport people and the ceiling is too low, find another bus that has the requirements you want. It will be to your advantage. Mark O.