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Old 03-01-2012, 05:26 AM   #1
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2012... The Year of Renewal

Cheezy title, but it's true. I just brought my second bus home --(but that's a story I'll tell when I have more time)--, and I'm ready to do this again!

Just a quick rundown... it drove great! Kept a steady 60 mph on the interstate at about 2200 - 2300 rpm. Was easy to drive - well, except for the air ride chair, but I'll get to that later. It was rainy, dark, and a little scary. But we're here, and I'm very glad to be home.



Now it's off to work... more later!

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Old 03-01-2012, 07:35 AM   #2
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Good job, well done.
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Old 03-01-2012, 09:35 AM   #3
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

I have had several air ride chairs over the last 20 yrs. For me, only the really expensive ones worked as well as i liked. That being said, my 91 Thomas one aint near as good as my last one...but its way better than nothing, given the driver's seating of the pusher busses.
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Old 03-01-2012, 02:26 PM   #4
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Congratulations!
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Old 03-01-2012, 08:17 PM   #5
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

SO… ANYWAY… Here is a better shot of the bus parked next to the house, annoying the neighbors.


This afternoon I built a couple of wheel rests for it to park on from 8ft – 2?x12?. The boards were super heavy when I bought them, but now that they’ve dried out they’re a little lighter. Considering how heavy the bus is, I decided to run back to the lumber store and pick up 8 more 8ft – 2?x8? boards to help support the bus. There were two 14ft 2?x6? boards hanging in the garage rafters that have been there for years. I finally found a use for them!


Each wheel will rest on a 4? pad of wood spreading the load out over a 2ft x 8ft area. Each pad is made of layers: two 2?x12? over two 2?x8? boards with a 2?x6? in the center.

Simple diagram showing how the tire platform is constructed.

This should allow the boards to flex a little yet still spread the weight of the bus over a larger surface so it doesn’t sink the the soft ground. If this was a drought year, it wouldn’t matter. But we’ve been blessed with rain, so I have to be thankful and work around the softer ground.

I do realize the piece of wood spanning the distance between each platform will probably break as soon as I drive over it. But that’s not a big deal. The main purpose of the longer wood is to maintain each platform’s distance so they don’t scoot forward as I’m driving over it. I’ll also secure it to the earth with a large 1/2?x 12? nail at the front of each platform.

If I’m lucky, this will all be good and I’ll be able to reuse the platforms when it’s time to move the bus fully into the back yard. Until then, it will just have to do.
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Old 03-01-2012, 09:24 PM   #6
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

i will be watching...congrats
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Old 03-01-2012, 10:45 PM   #7
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Haha i know how that goes with the neighbors haha, anyways ya! keep us posted
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Old 03-02-2012, 06:13 PM   #8
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Aurg! Rain and More Rain! I truly hope tomorrow afternoon clears off. I must get this beast parked beside the house. The neighbors are tactfully looking the other way right now, but they are also definitely not talking to me either (which could be good... and could be bad).

Maybe I'll just be brave and back the beast up far enough to move the boards in place, then drive it over them whether it's raining or not. Then I can get inside and start taking measurements and drawing up floor plans.
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Old 03-03-2012, 09:59 AM   #9
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

The neighbors now realize that to, "keep up the the Jonne'ses" they have to go out and buy a bus...
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Old 03-03-2012, 01:04 PM   #10
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Even though it was still raining a little this morning, I decided to go ahead and try to back the bus out of the current muck. This would give me enough room to drag the tire platforms into place so I could finish the build (they're too heavy for me otherwise).

The bus cranked right up sweet as could be! And he backed up pretty nicely too. I felt super optimistic and got right to work finishing the platforms.

A couple of hours later I was done. The boards were in place, the rain was holding off a bit longer, and I was ready to move the bus into place.

First attempt... not so good. I kept getting stuck at the rut in the driveway. Backing the bus up once more, I climbed out and threw another block of cement in the mud, then tried again, going a bit faster this time. The beast moved forward confidently... then slid sideways a bit... I about had a heart attack as the house loomed inches from the driver's window... then we settled back into the rut... and STOPPED.

<sigh>

Crawling out, I looked at where we landed. The bus actually made it over the first platform with no problem. But when the rear wheel hit that stupid rut, the front tires just didn't have the traction on the wet wood to keep moving forward and we stopped cold. I tried rocking it out of the rut once, but it was a no-go. We were SO Close! Only 10 foot more would have put it right where I wanted it.

But it's all good. The bus is much farther in the "side-yard" and I now have plenty of space to park my truck in the driveway too.

And that's enough adventure for one day!
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Old 03-04-2012, 07:53 PM   #11
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Cut the tree down and moved the cable line farther up on the house. So now, theoretically, the bus can drive into the back yard unobstructed!

Well... it could it the back yard wasn't still a mud pit that would swallow it to the axles!

More details in the blog for anyone interested.
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Old 03-06-2012, 05:32 AM   #12
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

I know it was foolish, but I tried to get insurance through my normal company, State Farm. My agent is super nice and with the right amount of coaching could possibly be turned to the skoolie side. But no dice. She said she would continue to work on it for me, but because it was a former school bus, it was considered unsafe and "too top heavy". WTF? We transport our CHILDREN in these things to school on a daily basis because they are one of the SAFEST vehicles to do so! Just a sorry excuse by SF to avoid something different.

So on Friday I called our favorite ... GMAC ... received a quote, then was told at the last minute that, "Oh, wait, we have a new process and your bus will have to be approved by our underwriters before I can finalize this. It shouldn't take long. I'll call you back in an hour." So I waited. And the end of the day turned into the weekend. So yesterday I finally called them back. It appears the bus actually was approved Friday. Yay! After one more little moment of suspense as the other agent tried to get the VIN into the system, we finally prevailed and the bus is officially paid up for 6 months of liability insurance (apparently the only kind they will sell to a non-professionally converted skoolie).

So today is DMV day! All I can say is, I'm bringing a book.
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Old 03-06-2012, 09:12 AM   #13
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Gmac got my vin number wrong three times...Took about three months for them to finally get it right so that the numbers matched up with the state records.
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Old 03-06-2012, 06:22 PM   #14
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

thats weird, I have State Farm
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Old 03-06-2012, 06:53 PM   #15
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

... and the bus is now officially MINE. Got to the DMV before they closed (by 10 minutes!) and was able to pay for my "title, taxes & tags". Happy Dance ensues.

Tomorrow's chore either picking up insulation, or the beginning of the interior deconstruction. Just depends on if HD will deliver the insulation to my local store, or if I have to go through the bridge-tunnel to get it on the 'south side'.

Quote:
Originally Posted by putterspitt
thats weird, I have State Farm
That is very strange! Maybe it has to do with location? I don't know. But I would have been happy to have the 2-vehicle discount!
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Old 03-06-2012, 08:06 PM   #16
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

And... here are some more photos from the inside of the bus.

Inside by the back door, looking forward.


Standing on the doghouse looking forward.










See... I have Plenty of Space to add insulation to the floor and ceiling!


Some of the RV windows that came with the bus (THANKS KARL!)



and the funny decal that was on one of them


More to come...
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Old 03-06-2012, 08:08 PM   #17
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

PAINT... This is the paint that was originally used. Can anyone make out the company name? Is it Falspar?


And THIS is the color I eventually want the beast. A nice deep blue with black and gold accents.
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Old 03-06-2012, 08:38 PM   #18
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

I'm guessin' "Valspar" on the paint.

http://www.valsparpaint.com/en/index.html
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Old 03-07-2012, 06:22 PM   #19
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Got a little bit deconstructed today. Just the bench and the seat on the far wall. Took longer than I thought. But it's all good because it's progress.


My supervisor, Daphne, was eager to help, but I had to keep reminding her of Union rules against canines using tools.

The padlock also arrived today and i tried to visualize where it would go. There appears to be plenty of room on the door frame to install it, but I'll have to add about a 1/4" of material on the wall to bring the latch flush to the bolts.

What kind of hole saw did you guys use to cut the 1" circle through the metal? I'm afraid to start on it until I am sure I have the right tool.
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Old 03-07-2012, 06:31 PM   #20
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Re: 2012... The Year of Renewal

Quote:
Originally Posted by TygerCub
What kind of hole saw did you guys use to cut the 1" circle through the metal? I'm afraid to start on it until I am sure I have the right tool.
Heavy bi-metal hole saw from Home Depot. Ours are all white.
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