Hi every1,

Im from portugal and Im into a problem with a recently acquired routemaster. It hasnt got the hight I thought it would. When you step inside and go on the first floor, there is a small step that takes away about 7.8 inches. Can one remove this step?

Please add me on msn since87@hotmail.com or email me to reicosmo@gmail.com . I am willing to phone some1 that can help me with this. I need the modification done till 20th June :S

Hope to hear from you,

Reinaldo Costa

Hi Reinaldo
I think you will find this very difficult. The step in the floor from the platform to the lower saloon is an integral part of the body structure. Beneath it is the rear suspension subframe, so even if you were to strip out the floor, the subframe would still be at a similar height. Further along the floor is the gearbox, brake pump, fuel tank, air tank, propshafts etc which are all bolted to the underbody of the bus and would near lowering to compensate for the lower floor. You do not say way the step is a problem for you, do you need the extra headroom? Is the bus for service use or is it converted for some other purpose? You may be able to construct a ramp from the edge of the platform to the floor level, but i'm afraid that lowering the floor to remove the step, if that is what you are aiming to do, will be almost impossible.
You may have to resort to another type of bus. Which bus number do you own, and where abouts in Portugal are you?

My bus number (if any): RM531

Steve

I'm sure you were being polite by saying "you will find this very difficult" but as you and I both know its just not possible to lower the lower saloon floor on an RM and for all the reasons that you state.

Its not just a case of removing the step, the whoile of the floor is built at that height and just cannot be changed. If interior height is an important consideration, then a low floor bus is the only answer.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RML 2667, RM 1585, RMC 1458 and 14 RTs

Brian, you are of course 100% correct that I was being polite. But I do not know the owner, nor the bus, nor the amount of money available....I have seen some pretty amazing and shocking things done to routemasters where enough money has been thrown at a project, such as removing the lower deck ceiling/upper deck floor of an RML.....anything is possible with enough money and if you have no love for the bus or no idea of its integral constuction and body structure. To lower the entire floor would "technically" be possible, although not practically or economically feasible, not least for the construction of some form of "roll cage" or spaceframe which would have to be built within the bus to compensate for the lack of main body members which would need to be removed to achieve it!
Would it be possible to raise the ceiling? technically yes, but of course not without serious modification to the structure which, like the other ideas, would ruin the bus forever.

My bus number (if any): RM531

Actually Steve raising the lower saloon ceiling would be more feasible than lowering the floor, provided that the top deck is not going to be used!! I don't know too much about Portugal but if its like Rrance the norm for height is 4 metres so that could create another problem, unless they take the roof off. The lower saloon ceiling could in theory be jacked up and inserts put into all the pillars with blocks like those of the repair scheme to the No 7 O/S pillar, to secure the joins but not by 20 June though!!

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RML 2667, RM 1585, RMC 1458 and 14 RTs