Wedg1e
They call me Mr. Bodge-angles
- Messages
- 7,735
- Location
- Teesside, England
OK, OK, I know it's a really stupid pointless idea with bottomless moneypit potential, but with (semi) retirement round the corner I can already feel the need for something to do.
I spotted some Renault Master low floor buses and thought they'd be a good , if not very elegant, starting point - the coachbuilt body is slightly wider than a normal van-derived minibus. Digging around it appears the low-loader version of the Master has what looks to be a monococque load bed, with the top of it lower then the top of the rear tyres, rather than higher up as a chassis-cab would be. The bed is almost as wide as the cab and the top is more or less flat, albeit ribbed - you see a lot of Lutons built on it.
Looking into the MOT history of a couple for sale though, it looks as though the (presumably structural) sills of the monococque would be a nightmare to repair as they're hidden by the coachwork.
Of course all the difficult bits are done; windows are easier to mask off for privacy than cut holes and insert glass, powered access door in the side, lights and heating all in, air suspension... even a wheelchair ramp for the lightweight trials bike
This is the base chassis:
...and here's an example of what I'd seen:
I spotted some Renault Master low floor buses and thought they'd be a good , if not very elegant, starting point - the coachbuilt body is slightly wider than a normal van-derived minibus. Digging around it appears the low-loader version of the Master has what looks to be a monococque load bed, with the top of it lower then the top of the rear tyres, rather than higher up as a chassis-cab would be. The bed is almost as wide as the cab and the top is more or less flat, albeit ribbed - you see a lot of Lutons built on it.
Looking into the MOT history of a couple for sale though, it looks as though the (presumably structural) sills of the monococque would be a nightmare to repair as they're hidden by the coachwork.
Of course all the difficult bits are done; windows are easier to mask off for privacy than cut holes and insert glass, powered access door in the side, lights and heating all in, air suspension... even a wheelchair ramp for the lightweight trials bike
This is the base chassis:
...and here's an example of what I'd seen: