Skoolie Roof Raise - Part 4

Skoolie Roof Raise Part 4

Step 7 - 9 

Hopefully you already saw PART 1 , PART 2 , and PART 3 of the roof raise blog. In those, we covered everything from the spreader jacks and the actual raise to how to do the front transition and choose the sheet metal.

That was Step 1-6. Let's move on to step 7 and talk about the rear transition. 

Step 7. Preparing the Rear Transition:

Like the front transition, the rear transition would call for bent metal. We were able to bend 3" Flat Bar in our vice to the curve of the roof. We then welded it into place so that we would have a strong point that would stand up to anything that it encountered. We didn't want the cut points in the ceiling to be weak points. We wanted them to be as strong if not stronger than they had even been. 

Once welded into place, it was time to make a flush mounting point for the rear transition sheet metal panel. We used 1"x 1" steel angle and made enough Kerf slices so that it would bend to the curve of the roof. We did this so that we could get a flat surface to squeeze our sheet metal panel to. Once bent to the proper shape, we welded and riveted our new border into place. After that, It was time to make our template for the sheet metal.

Step 8. Getting the Sheet Metal Ready:

Like any good template, we started with Butcher paper and made the basic shape of the sheet metal fill piece. We wanted this to be absolutely perfect so we transferred the paper template to wood. When we had the plywood cut to the template specs, we did a test fit with more butcher paper and a staple gun at the ready.  From there, we used the paper and the staple gun to fill in the gaps. This would insure that we had the perfect fit.

It was time to transfer our updated measurements and template to the steel that would sit in this hole. It was beautiful to see this come together. It was simple from there. We laid the template face down on the steel and sprayed around the border with spray paint. It would be fitting for a school bus that I could only find yellow spray paint around the barn! All that was left to do was to cut around the inside edge of the yellow paint to reveal our perfect sheet metal panel for the rear transition. It was time to install!

Step 9. Installing the Sheet Metal:

We lathered our border with the glue that we had come to know and love called M-1 by Chemlink. Fortunately, the sheet metal was exactly the perfect size so it sat right where it was supposed to sit in the glue while we began to drill and rivet.

Once, glued and riveted into place, we went around the inside and outside with the M-1 and put a very generous sealer coat. We didn't want any water to come in. Once fully cured, the rear transition was air tight and water tight and ready for life on the road. 

Side note: The glue that we used was a flexible construction adhesive with hardly any VOC emission if that is important to you.

If you want to see the transitions, feel free to check them out on our Bussedamove YouTube Channel. We have a roof raise playlist with very detailed conversation on the topic.

If you have any questions, I would love to hear from you. Reach out any time.

Bus Love,

William 

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