My front shell roof sags, apparently due to once having snow load. The sag is mainly around and in front of the two center vent windows. Some structural members inside the roof are holding up the air conditioner, so the roof has its proper curve there. The sag makes the roof leak pretty badly in the rain - eternabond and caulk don't seem to be enough if you actually have a puddle forming on the roof. I want to fix this.
I also need a base for
this antenna with a big whip on top, only when stationary, so that I can get the ham radio on the air quickly. And some wifi and VHF/UHF antennas.
So, what I am planning to do is mount two 3" x 2.5" x 0.15" x 0.26" 6061-T6 aluminum i-beams 8 feet long along the roof edges so that they rest upon the front shell walls. These should be a stable platform for mounting almost anything, distributing the load across the entire wall, and I have 4 of them on hand so I can test with them now. On the sidewalk side this goes behind the shade and won't be visible, it will be more visible on the street side. I will then cross one or two aluminum I-beams between them, resting on top of them so 3" off of the roof, maybe smaller material than the side members, in front of or between the two center roof vents. From the center of these cross-members I will put a threaded shaft through the roof to a sheet-metal piece underneath. This will be tightened to pull the roof up.
The 3x2.5" by 8' beams weigh just 16.25 pounds each, so I think I can do this within the range left in my springs. I'll tape all of the pieces in place and adjust the roof before I do the work, just to make sure.
The Winegard Sensar won't work with this stuff in the way, so I'll be removing it. There are other antennas that would work.
Raising the Roof!
Threaded Mode
