| Author |
Message |
Mark Radius (24.247.105.212)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - 8:07 pm: | |
I am going to mount 3 rooftop a/c units on top of my MC-9 and want to keep my two emergency hatches. Any suggestions, advice, wisdom, etc. about framing new openings for those units?
MR |
Jerry H. (Coachconversion) (65.2.65.246)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - 8:36 pm: | |
Just curious. Why do you want to keep them? Thinking of a rear bedroom area, the escape hatch and roof air pretty much consume the ceiling space. You installing new windows or keeping factory? If new, they'd provide means of egress. |
Ted Elder (207.12.173.89)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - 11:30 pm: | |
Hi Mark, I put 5 vents in the roof for roof airs & vents in my MC-8 and put a 26"x26" vent/escape hatch in the rear where the old escape hatch was. I have heard of others who used boat hatches for the escape hatch, but I could not find anything else large enough or affordable. To put in the framework for the vents I removed rivets where I wanted to cut the center beam and slid a piece of thick sheet metal between the alum roof and the beam. I then cut through the beam to the sheet metal without cutting the roof. Remove 17 1/4". Take two peices of 1 1/2" square tubing and form them to the roof from one side member to the other. You can curve them by cutting 3/4 through the tubing- bend the cut together and weld it back up. You can weld the center beam to this and you now have the center beam well supported to the sides. You just have to cut 2 peices 14 1/4" for the sides of the opening and you have a STRONG roof with an opening. Cut the roof skin out when your'e ready to use it. As far as needing an escape hatch- (heaven forbid)if the bus was laying on it's side, it wouldnt matter if the windows which were now 8'up opened or not. I could send you a couple pics if you want. Ted |
John Biundo (Jbiundo) (209.239.201.176)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 1:05 am: | |
Hi Ted,
I, for one, would love the pics. Am anticipating needing several openings in my MC 9 roof, and have been wanting to know about how others have done it. You could either send 'em to me, and with your permission I could post them to the Yahoo MCI board where others could also get them, or if you're already on that board, maybe you could upload 'em there yourself.
Thanks,
John |
CoryDane RTSII NE/IL (4.17.253.77)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 1:19 pm: | |
I have an RTSII Transit coach. GMC made this childsplay as the framework for escape hatches are already in each 5' section.
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I used 4 boat hatches from a marine salvage, picked them up new for supper cheap and they had all sizes you could imagine. I also installed 2 rooftop air con units, one front and one rear.
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The GMC framing is about 23x23 and I used wood to fine tune the sizing for the framework. Did'nt have to cut any framework at all keeping the bus original strenth integrity. Beleive me it turned out beautiful and when the hatches are open, there is great air flow through the coach. I did have the hatches tinted with a commercial grade tint to keep the heat from the sun out.
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The air cons sit on a 14x14 inch opening and I used the firing strips and plywood to build this up bolting to the frame structure, strong as can be. Very happy how this turned out.-cd |
Scott Whitney (63.151.69.220)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 10:38 pm: | |
In my Flxi transit, I cut thru my center rib and skin with a sawzall. Then welded up a new 14 x 14 inch frame of angle iron to go in its place. Two sides were welded to a steel rib and two had to be bolted to aluminum stiffening ribs. I tested it by walking all around the perimeter. It was stiffer than the original roof area so I mounted the AC unit.
Scott |