| Author |
Message |
Michael Malloy (Busnut06)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 9:26 pm: | |
Planning a roof raise and skinning for our model 15 eagle. I am looking for your opinions and why to go aluminum or fiberglass. we will be closing in three windows each side.
Michael |
Eric Lake (Dc_bus_nut)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 - 11:46 pm: | |
Check with Bruce Knee. He just raised his MC-9 and chose to go with the Fiberglass. Fiberglass can allow you the option of 1 piece...it can be custom made in your particular width x any length. As far as the downsides, flexing, buckling, etc - we'll let the road driving, grizzled vets check in about that.
Eric |
Arthur J Griffith
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 12:06 pm: | |
MICHAEL: What I did was use 18ga steel on my
Mo15. I used 252 Sikaflex to glue it on. NO
Rivets, NO welds, NO screws Only Sikaflex. This
will allow movement when it heats up, avoiding
wrinkles/buckles. It will never come off if done
properly. It would take a jack hammer to get it off. I also did three windows on each side. At
first I didn't think I was going to be able to find the size that I needed (not a stock size).
Ordered thru a local supplier from their wholesale supplier which cut it to the exact size
that I needed. The instalation was done by the wife and I with tha aid of a jig/frame hinged at
the window sill bus frame which would flip down
allowing us to place the metal on the frame and
then flip it up into the exact position. Worked
Great. There are a lot of other details but it sure worked for us. If I want to see wrinkles I
just go to a mirror. Good Luck but remember to always do it the way it works for you.
ARTHUR |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 9:09 am: | |
"I used 252 Sikaflex to glue it on. NO
Rivets, NO welds, NO screws Only Sikaflex. "
I certainly don't want to start any arguments here, but unless
I'm mistaken, Sikaflex recommends using fasteners at the
corners and edge, if a large sheet of metal or other material
is to be hung (suspended) in that manner. |
Arthur J Griffith
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 12:29 pm: | |
JOHN- On the Mo 15 Eagle there is trim/gutter on
the top and bottom, and you have a window on each end of the sheet. The trim/gutter and the windows overlap the metal on all sides but allows
for any thermal expansion movement in the metal.
The screws used in the trim do not pass thru the the sheet of metal. The industry (bus, truck
trailer and others have been using it for a long
time without fasteners with success. John I guess
I'm just a gambler at heart. But I did do some
experimenting in my shop and literally had to
destroy some sheet metal to seperate from a frame. That stuff really works if used according
to directions. Maybee in ten or fifteen years from now I won't feel the same. As of now I really believe in this method. Thanks for responding. ARTHUR |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 24, 2006 - 8:09 pm: | |
Great on the trim adding to the overall support of the metal!
I know Sika recommended some sort of fastners, and it
sounds like what you have fills the bill.
That stuff is amazing, for what it can do... |
Steve Padgett
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 27, 2006 - 10:52 am: | |
John MC9,
This is Steve from Sika. You're kinda right and kinda mistaken. Fasteners in the corners are not necessary for strength, however, especially for busnuts who might not have jigs and a bunch of people to apply the skin, popping in a couple of rivets in the corners may help for ease of assembly. Much of the time, these screws are removed after cure
I just did some quick math and made a few assumptions. It would take about 700,000 lbs to pull the skin off a 40' bus. To prevent gravitational creep over time, the skin would need to weigh about 22,000 lbs.
Also, the critical aspect with any adhesive system is surface preparation. A cleaning/priming process is nearly always recommended. |
Arthur J Griffith
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 27, 2006 - 3:01 pm: | |
WOW- I can finally get a good nights sleep.
ARTHUR |
Michael Malloy (Busnut06)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 - 8:33 pm: | |
Thanks for your input. No question that I will use sikaflex. I only wish I did not have to work and could spend a lot of time on what I want to be working on.
Michael |