| Author |
Message |
Fausto (205.188.208.39)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 05, 2003 - 10:55 am: | |
Has anyone ever rebuilt an Eagle bus using stainless steel tubing?
I don't know anything about metals, so please bare with me.
It seems that the high-end motorcoaches that are selling for 300k and up, are all built out of stainless steel tubing. Why? Does this stuff not rust? Is it more durable than regular steel tubing?
I've been thinking about rebuilding an Eagle bus using stainless steel tubing. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Regards,
Fausto Yturria
San Antonio, Texas |
two dogs (67.30.23.53)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 05, 2003 - 5:27 pm: | |
it would sure be better than the stuff they used origianly...I've got a 05 eagle & I think Earl Scheib had the metal contract for eagle...nope..it WILL NOT rust if you use stainless...but you would have to find somebody that could bend square tubeing acurately...really sounds like a big job...I sure wouldn't want to tackle it...average "conversion" takes 3 years...you are talking three years on the tubeing,most of us(OLD GUYS) will be dead by then |
Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary) (209.128.79.46)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 05, 2003 - 7:19 pm: | |
Stainless has many interesting properties, not the least of which is the resistance to rust.
I have a 56' Steel boat, that I am refitting. Some of the work is stainless, I do some heavier gauge stainless work (I'm not setup for TIG, which is necessary for light-gauge stainless)
Stainless as a rule is much more brittle than mild steel, so, not only is it prone to cracking but you can't form it in the same manner as mild steel. In many respects it is less durable.
I didn't realize that the high-end coaches had gone to SS Superstructures, but if they have you can be sure that they spent big bux for tooling.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but SS might be too much of a project--Oh yeah, I didn't mention the price of the material itself--For what the SS costs, you could do some really good undercoating that would protect you from the rust and be a noise insulation at the same time. And you would have money left over.
Gary |
Fausto (152.163.252.163)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 11:20 am: | |
I'm going to research this stainless stuff a little more, before I make a decision. When it comes to buses, I don't like cutting corners. It is either done the right way or I don't touch it. The steel tubing that Eagle used is completely out of the question. That stuff should have never been used. And the insulation they used was even worse...home type insulation...it absorbs water...not good for regular steel tubing.
Anyway guys, thanks for your input and suggestions.
Regards,
Fausto
San Antonio, Texas |
Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary) (64.134.135.55)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 12:39 pm: | |
You can order weldable-primed steel (Although I have never seen it in box-tube) that would virtually stop rust problems.
As for Insulation, I'm using rigid foam, like
Celotex, unless I discover something better.
Gary |
Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (24.196.191.70)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 3:04 pm: | |
In later years, Eagle changed to a steel alloy that was much less prone to rust. However, a good coat of undercoating or primer (POR-15 is great) on any tubing will solve any future rust problem. Eagle should have done that.
Richard |
Peter E (Sdibaja) (200.76.240.28)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 5:26 pm: | |
what about the rust on the inside?
I remember sometime about 1972 when I blasted (as fast as I could go... 80 plus) about 150 miles up into a mountian lake towing my father-in-law's ski boat. When I went to unhook I steped on the tongue of the trailer and it snapped in half, rusted from the inside out! excelent paint on the outside with not a spot of rust...
just telling war stories... Peter E |
two dogs (67.30.23.63)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 6:29 pm: | |
the Eagle metal was definitly inferior...I've got metal that's been sitting outside 30 years that is in better shape...the Eagle metal seems to FLAKE....somebody cut corners in the wrong place. |
Marc (63.156.148.106)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 4:04 pm: | |
I love questions like this. I'm a metalurginst, so when I read these answers, I'm saying to myself....here we go again. Did you know that when you specify stainless steel (SS) that's like saying something as generic as, "I want a car". Hmmmm, there are all kinds of stainless steels, and the reason there are so many types is because each has their own set of physical properties and therefore their own applications.
If you think about it, there are carbon steel bridges that have been standing the test of time. They are well preserved because of the coatings they receive. Carbon steel is good stuff, it just needs to be protected. |
two dogs (67.30.23.18)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 8:43 pm: | |
MARC..if you send me your address I'll send you some Eagle metal..there is something wrong with it..I'm not Qualified like you..but I have worked in a steel mill..they take a sample,then add different stuff to make it come up to standards..don't believe there were any standards, or somebody was getting a kickback. |