Skin, 11/28/01
Progress report#6 on my mc-8 roof raise, 11/28/01
All pictures will enlarge with just a click
The shop heater blowed straight into the bus with the front cap off.
Note lights,, I hung two light fixtures in the bus before enclosing
I framed in all the windows, and prepared the sides by cleaning and priming. The Front cap will have to be redone
for the 9 inch raise. I framed it in by putting the cap in place, with the rear laying on the raised roof, and the
front positioned about where I thought it should be, with a slight tilt forward. This will allow some of the raise
to be taken up in the additional tilt of the cap, and not make the front look as tall. By fixing the cap in the position
I wanted, I was able to frame in underneath it with square tubing. I curved three tubes to form the top portion, and
connected them with sides. I also had to extend the last tube on the sides to catch the siding on the top, front end.
Once this was tacked in place, I pushed the cap back on the roof out of the way, and welded, ground, and primed all the
tubing. Now I will be able to complete the side metal when I start. The front cap will set over the siding, and I
will form the extension in place.
I have cleaned under the roof edge on both sides. The sides should be ready to go on when I can get back on it.
The windows were framed back as original, with sq tubing.
See the bucking holes, there are about 1200 not counting roof line.
Skinning the window area has given me a chance to learn how do to do what I thought I knew. It is never as easy as it
seems, no matter how much you think you know. And this was the case here. I had determined that I wanted to use 20ga
Paint lock metal. I knew this because a friend had told me so. He also told me to have a lip bent on it so it would go
under the roof. I called a local sheet metal place, and told them I wanted 6 pieces 10ft long, and 2 pieces 5ft long,
42 inches wide, with a in inch lip bent at 7 degrees. I was not even sure what the stuff was, so I ask when I picked up
the material. He told me it was galvanized with a phosphorus coating to make paint stick. The full 4 x10 sheet weighed
65 pounds, so I guess the cut sheets would have been around 60#.
The sheet fit very good into the drivers window molding.
My wife counted 230 rivets in one sheet. Lot of drilling and riveting I know.
Starting from the rear, I used 2 pieces 10 ft, and the splices ended on an upright, then a 5ft, and ended with another
10ft in the front. The length came out perfect on both sides. The first piece started over the rear cap on the end,
and under it at the top. I used P&L polyurethane construction adhesive caulk in the big tubes, 28oz I think. It is a
tan in color.
This is the last sheet.
If you look very closly you will see the two angles supporting it.
I had drilled 1/2 inch holes in the tubing on the inside for the bucking bar. I had used a template I made from a piece
of drop off from the siding. One 6 foot, and one 10 foot, with 1 1/2 inch spacing, of 1/8 inch holes. I used 1 1/2
spacing on the bottom, 3 inch spacing up and down, and 6 inch spacing horizontally above and below window, and center
brace. So I had to drill 1/8 holes from the inside, each end of every series of holes, through the sheet, and take
the template and lay out the holes out on the outside to match, holding it in place with a screw through the 1/8 holes on
each end. I just drilled 1/8 holes through the template, and then
came back with 3/16 inch drill. The roof line holes would only require matching the existing holes in the roof.
I heated the building to 80 degrees, and used portable heaters to additionally heat the panels. To hold the panels
in place to start with, I used two 1 x1x 1 inch angle clips attached with self taping screws at the bottom. The hole
template required removing the clips in order to layout bottom holes, and then reinstall. It was necessary to start the
top part under the roof, and then sit the panel on the clips. I would then adjust the length position, and shim for up
and down. I had 3/16 brazier head rivets, in 3/8 and 1/2 inch length. I used the 3/8 in everything except the top line,
and over fiberglass where it was thicker. The book says the bucking bar for a 3/16 rivet should be 4 to 5 pounds. I
made one from an old 4# shop hammer without a handle, and a short length of 1/2 inch round rod.
First side finished.
The two pallet racks I used for scaffolding worked perfect.
The first sheet was the worst, as you can imagine trying to accomplish all that had to be done before the glue dried,
and the heaters shortened that time. The wife was holding the bucking bar, some times actually in the right hole. I had
to learn how much to hammer with the rivet gun. I let it damage a couple of rivets before I learned you have to be right
on the gun, not hanging off the scaffold, off handed. We were burning up in the building, while it was cool outside. The
glue was beginning to set by the time we got the first sheet on, and we were pretty much agreed on a divorce, and the
roof was still not riveted down. That was a pretty good job, just getting the roof down, and holding while riveting, while
the polyurethane was squeezing out on us, but we made it, and after a breath of cool fresh outside air we decided there
had to be an easier way.
My son is drilling the last holes in the template.
The Clecos are holding the sheet in place.
On the next sheet, we heated and predrilled all the holes. We used Clecos to hold panel in place as we ironed out the sheet
from the center each way. We then set the sheet off on the scaffold, and placed a bead of chalk on each member, except the
last or mating one, and then set the sheet back in place, and held it there by just pushing a few rivets in place. It
still took quita while, and we found it was smart to look in each hole to be sure the rivet was braded correctly, as it was
hard to tell when the bucking bar would slip off. We also learned it is easier to identify holes by poking a piece of wire
through, rather than trying to count etc.
With the last holes drilled.
the sheet is ready to set.
It took me a few time before I learned this, but No matter how careful, the polyurethane manages to get on your hands
and tools. And if you have never used this before,
it will not come off your hands,, PERIOD. There is nothing that will take it off. You will have to wear it off, or take
a layer of skin off. The last time, I finally managed to clean my hands for a funeral the next day, I wore gloves after
that. I found kitchen gloves worked pretty good.
The last sheet on the drivers side had to go behind the drivers window molding. I spread the fiberglass molding, and
ground the remnants of rivets with a thin disk. I caulked, slide the sheet in place, and riveted through the molding.
On the passenger side, I just let it end even with the lower metal. We finished the last sheet friday after Thanksgiving.
It snowed here today Wednesday, Nov 28. I am glad to be through with the sheeting. It would have been much harder to get
the temperature up.
Now to tackle the front cap.
A picture is worth at least a thousand words, and I have pictures,, I got a new Digital camera.
My bus progress page starts Here
Mallie Lennon/Eufaula, OK
918-452-3630
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Rev Nov.28, 2001
