 Not only is the roof
badly rusted but the structural design was not sufficient to support the weight or stress
of opening the large display doors. Some of the "Paraders" recall needing up to
10 men to close the doors because the roof sagged and threw things out of alignment.
GM-Design person Paul Jankowiak
will redesign the roof structure for the Futurliner. Due to rust, the old roof is so
deteriorated that a new one must to be constructed. In addition, conversations with
"Paraders" on the Parade of Progress in the 1950's revealed that the roof was
weak and when all the doors were raised and the lighting fin was raised the roof sagged.
The sag was so great that often the doors could only be latched with the help of many
"Paraders" pushing on the sides. The people that restored the Canadian
Futurliner (FIDO) have already experienced problems with their roof sagging and latching
the large 16' doors. The redesign will allow us to correct this condition.
With a new design-drawing of the roof, we will be able to
ask a fabricator to build us a new one. Hopefully, we can find a business to sponsor this
effort or a fabricator to do it at cost. |
