School buses as a standard use 12ga steel (most cars use 16ga steel). Also in conjunction with bus manufacturers, I used steel double-blind pop rivets to avoid corrosion due to dissimilar metals. My local welding supplier was very resourceful and was able to provide the steel sheets at a reasonable price. I bought 10 and ended up transporting them using the bus to my work area. Cold rolled steel comes standard in 4’ x 8’ sheets and required some preparation before I would be willing to add it onto the bus. In a similar treatment to the bus floor, I washed the steel with Trisodium Phosphate to clean off any machining oils and then applied two coats of Rustoleum Rust Reformer.

My local welding supply company also had a list of local welders who did freelance work at reasonable prices. I found one who was willing to be creative and assist me with some of my potential issues. He came by to look at the bus and agreed to help me with the walls… and my eventual roof rack. (More on that in the next blog post). the next Saturday morning, I brought my roommate out to the bus and the two of us lifted the unwieldy pieces of steel into place under the rain rail for my welder to tack weld into place. The rain rail is a critical fold of metal that acts as a gutter of sort on the bus. It provides a channel for water to flow while driving and also prevents it from reaching the window seals. By jamming them under the rain rail, the rail retained it’s functionality and also acted as wedge to keep the metal tightly in place.