BAAABS · Panel mounting concept

Reveal the connection Station tubes Panel skin Existing brace & roof beam Labels

Loading mounting concept…

Local bay cutaway: driver-side uprights C and D are 10.62 ft apart. The remainder of the sheep is omitted so the connection is visible.

What moves during removal?

There are two separable assemblies. First, the two sheets, shaped backing and rear frame detach together. Then the two lower triangular brackets and two upper arms unbolt from the stations. Each lower bracket carries its seat and outer retainer; none of those projecting pieces remain in the Stations only view. Compact station pads, welded-in sleeves and internal captive-nut cartridges remain.

Support each assembly before releasing its bolts. Tool access and clearance past neighboring regions still need design; the exploded view is not an approved removal sequence.

Follow the load

Panel → backing frame → lower seats and retaining bolts → braced outriggers → stations → chassis attachments

Existing stationsBlue uprights now have a 2×6-inch rectangular cross-section: 2 inches across the bus, 6 inches fore-and-aft, with a provisional ⅛-inch wall. They retain 6 mm clearance to the modeled rub rails. This candidate has not been load-rated. Front pads and full-depth sleeves with enclosed captive nuts form prepared docking points. The bus-facing tube surface stays flush; no rear nut cage or bolt tail projects into the windows. The station bolts can be released from outside without a rear holding wrench. The sleeves span the tube depth; cartridge retention, load transfer and local wall strength still need design.
Braced outriggersOrange arms bridge the space between bus and backing frame. Root flanges bolt onto the stations. Each lower arm, diagonal brace, seat and outer receiver is one removable bracket; each upper arm is a separate removable tie.
Two lower seatsThe region rests on ledges during installation. Those ledges leave with the lower brackets when the station bolts are removed.
Four retained connectionsTwo illustrative bolts at each outer flange retain the panel frame. Separate station bolts at the upper arm, lower arm and brace foot release the projecting steel from the station.
Removable backing frameTeal tubes and attachment tabs carry the two existing panels together. This is a proposed grouping, not a new panel split.
Isolation at interfacesPink pads indicate separation of steel and aluminum. Sleeves, drainage and movement allowance still need detailing.

Weight revealed by this concept

Removable region, including its two sheets…

Added mounting, excluding existing sheets…

Each removable lower bracket…

Calculated from the drawn trial sections: steel 7,850 kg/m³, aluminum 2,700 kg/m³; existing sheet weight includes 33% perforation. Excludes welds, coatings, manufacturing allowances and final hardware details.

This first layout is deliberately visible and has not been weight-optimized. Shared supports serving several regions may reduce duplication. Do not multiply this example by the number of panel regions.

Transport width still needs work

The donor body is specified as 96 in wide, excluding mirrors; this specific bus has not been measured. The current model adds approximate rub rails outside that body envelope. The posts now leave 6 mm to those rails, and span 102.9 in before pads. Mirrored docking pads bring that to approximately 103.3 in.

Washington’s standard outside-width limit is 102 in. Removing these arms alone therefore does not establish a road configuration. The permanent station design must meet the hard 102-inch project requirement; an oversize permit is not the design plan.

A zero-clearance fit to the modeled rails would still span 102.4 in before pads. The 6 mm gap is a study assumption, not a verified allowance for movement. Body width, rub-rail projection and chassis movement need field checks. Blue Bird width specification. The Stations only model is a local bay only; it does not assess the head, deck, equipment, height or whole-vehicle clearance. Washington outside-width rule.

Design limits

Panels B-D-033 and B-D-034 retain their current shape and position. Their skin lies approximately 0.86–1.27 m outside the upright centerline; the arms reach the nearer rear frame, with smaller members reaching the facets.

No member, weld, bolt or station connection is load-rated. Speaker loads stay on separate supports. Chassis twist, wind, road loads, thermal movement, panel pull-through and access remain to be resolved.

What the detail does and does not specify

The model uses illustrative 10 mm panel-frame bolts and 12 mm short station bolts, with holes and internal captive-nut sleeves. These are visual placeholders, not selected hardware. The pads, sleeves and internal captive-nut cartridges are shop-prepared stationary parts; the projecting arm flanges unbolt. The internal nut cartridges need a manufacturing and replacement-access design. Sleeve welds, hole weakening, bolt bearing and local upright-wall capacity are unverified. Panel screws are examples, not a fastening schedule. The lower seats and restrained upper connections express the intended load path.

Reference principles

Hollow tube through-bolts need local wall checks; internal sleeves can address wall distortion. Steel Tube Institute through-bolt guidance.

Building-cladding systems distinguish weight-bearing and movement-accommodating attachments; vehicle vibration and chassis twist require a separate design. Hilti substructure principles.

Steel/aluminum contact needs corrosion detailing. Aluminum Association automotive corrosion guidance.