Bodywork Crack In 614D Minibus

[listerdiesel]

We thought that this was a deliberate cut, but it turns out to be a crack, almost completely through the main top body longitudinal cant rail.

Probably caused by the stresses from the electric door opener which is mounted on the bracket shown.



Hidden behind the trim, we probably wouldn't have noticed it.

Peter

[DVIII]

it must be a stresscrack , the profile steel is as always one piece to begin with , in every coachbuilders files there must be piles of complaints. on almost every subject. this is definite the reason the guarantee is limited . I remember when we had to transport a NEOPLAN bus to amsterdam for the truck and bus expo , the crew did not place the windscreen before it was on it's definite position. they told us with a plain face , no neoplan bus ever left the factory without a crack. compair that to a jonkheer. I say get the mig-welder out ! ( happy christmas also ! )

[Wim]

I would weld up this stress crack and add a doubler on top of that (after grinding the first weld flush) .
This would prevent a new crack developing in the future .

[listerdiesel]

We have an Oerlikon MIG and Oerlikon TIG welding machines, and a 2mm plate over the crack area with 'weld-through' holes in the face should do the job.

I'm leaning towards MIG welding it as we have only just got the TIG welder and we are not proficient with it yet.

Happy Christmas!

Peter

[DVIII]

happy xmas , make sure your workarea is clean of paint and conservation oil , and the weld will look like it's supposed to be there

[listerdiesel]

I'm starting to wonder if the crack is more involved than just the door mechanism.

The side of the body is cut away to insert a wide opening and entrance steps.

If that additional work has weakened the body shell in that corner, it may have given the extra stresses that caused the crack.

The entrance steps have been repaired many times, so we will need to look into that extra structure and perhaps add some longitudinal stiffening into the build.

Another self-build friend, Dan Carter has an almost identical vehicle of similar age, and he doesn't seem to have any cracking where ours is, but does have some down by the window cutout.

Peter

[DVIII]

thats what I ment , the coachbuilders only have two goals , to realize the offered accomodation , and to live up to the limited warranty . in your case and ofcourse other custom build vehicles , the door was a minimum meet to the clients expectations , and after some years , five or six the vehicle at best destroys itself so the manufacturer can make new ones.
I have a firebrigade command centre van with a seven foot wide window on the right side , so many reinforcements must have being crossed (cutted away) . before the vehicle can be sold , I have to restore at least fifty percent of that structural reinforcement .(most users want to fit a roofrack) in your minicoach the construction is also in the glued window at each side , as long as the glass is in one piece the van will stay conform its original shape , but one must beware of the condition of the glass sidings .

[Arno Z]

Bore a crack stop hole at the end of the crack before welding. Weld that file shut after all other welding has completed.

[listerdiesel]

Fortunately, the original side frame and roof supports are all present and correct, just the cut-outs for the bonded windows have been made.

The new windows will be bonded also, but with perhaps a little more care and after we have restored the rusted panelwork that the windows fit to.

Peter