The Black Plague II (The new Jacuzzi Bus)

lapeer20m · 05-11-2005, 10:02 AM

Well....I did it. I bought another "new" bus. This is the same year as my current bus. 1991 International with DT 360/AT545 ~180K miles. Hydraulic brakes, Fair tires. gvw 28,080. 5.38 gear ratio.
I don't actually own it yet. It's 11:00 am and i'm supposed to go pick it up at noon. The money order is in my pocket, and i just finished reading through all the service records.

I think someone else on this site once said a fellow asked him why he has two buses....his response was "because i haven't found a third one yet" .....or something like that.

I already have a new (used) 8 person jacuzzi for this bus that i just recently aquired.

My plan at this time (all plans subject to change without notice) is to use my current bus to party in while i work at building this new bus during the summer months. summer is my busy time when it comes to bus events.

Near the middle or end of summer i'd like to auction off my current bus on Ebay. That should get me enough money to finish the new one. The current (old) bus has about 280,000 miles on it.

The old bus is just fine for local events or cruising around the state, but it is not a good over the road vehicle. I'd like to drive the new bus to burningman 2005.

Everything on the new bus should be nearly identicle to the old bus when the conversion is complete.

There are only 115 days until the man burns! I better get to work!

Eric von Kleist · 05-11-2005, 09:25 PM

You da man! I can't imagine what my landlord would do if I showed up with 2 busses.

You are going to have a blast!! And only 120 days to burning man? Time to get cracking. There's sanding, painting, flooring, cutting, drilling, sawing, wiring, plumbing. A busload of fun!!!

Congratulations!

lapeer20m · 05-12-2005, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckie321

Congrats! Does the DT360 have quite a bit more power than the 6.6L?

Brian

I only drove about 30 miles or so, but it seems that both motors are very comparable. The 6.6 liter is actually rated @ 180hp, where the DT360 is rated @ 170. The new bus has a tachometer, something i was lacking with the older one. The international (the new bus) cruises just under 60 mph @ ~2,300 rpm. I plan to increase the rpm's to 2,700. That should give me a decent cruising speed on the highway.

6.6 Liters is about 400 cibic inches, making it larger than the 360 ci DT motor. Both motors can be "turned up" rather easily, however the issue of engine longevity after the hp increase is unknown.

While i'm at it, I think i'll increase the RPM's on the Ford motor also. Both the ford and the DT engines have the same injector pump. I don't have a tachometer on the ford, so it's more of a guessing game. I might be taking a busload of college cheerleaders to Chicago next week for a few days. I would appreaicate an extra 5mph or so.

I got all the seats out yesterday, swept, and then used the garden hose to spray out the inside of the bus. By the way...the international is a Thomas built body. Thomas built seats were way easier to get out than the other bus. The Ford/Ward bus used grade 8 bolts, where the new bus used grade 5.

dammitAndy · 05-12-2005, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

I got all the seats out yesterday, swept, and then used the garden hose to spray out the inside of the bus. By the way...the international is a Thomas built body. Thomas built seats were way easier to get out than the other bus. The Ford/Ward bus used grade 8 bolts, where the new bus used grade 5.

Guess that probly makes a big difference in crash ratings

I'm pumped, be sure to take more photos this time of your progress. I love your (old) bus now, can't wait to watch the new one as it gets built.

lapeer20m · 05-12-2005, 05:14 PM

I turned up the govenor on the new bus today. Now she'll run just shy of 65 mph @ 2,700 rpm's. It took all of about 15 minutes to perform the operation. Why didn't I do this to my other bus years ago?

Increasing the rpm's also increased the idle speed, but a little adjustment of the idle screw fixed that.

In the future, i'll probably turn up the HP also, but i need to get a pyrometer installed first.

Removed all the lettering from the bus today. I had intended to use a heat gun, but the wire wheel on the angle grinder worked great. After i finished with the grinder, i went back over them with the palm sander, cleaned the surface then put a coat of spray paint on to keep it from rusting.

I did a lot of measureing today too.

If i have the $$ I'll paint the outside next week.

Hopefully i'll also cut the hole in the roof and have the jacuzzi installed by the end of next week.

I plan to leave the walls and windows in place. I think it'l lbe cool to have the ceiling open up (with remote keyless of coarse!) above the jacuzzi. I've often thought it woudl be neat to look at the stars while sitting in the bus. It's also a lot of fun to sit in a jacuzzi while it's snowing on your head. It'll be tricky to build the doors since it's a curved surface. Lucky for me my roomate is a metal fab guy.

I bought my first bus during the month of december, and it took so long to do everythihg because the weather was so cold here in michigan.

lapeer20m · 05-14-2005, 11:05 PM

for the floor, i think i'm going to use Rustoleam Epoxi Shield Garage floor coating

I read a lot of reviews about the stuff, and everyone seems to like the product. The corporation seems to be real good about reimbursing unhappy customers too!

sounds like it's slippery when the standard stuff is applied, but some sand mixed into the epoxy seems to solve that issue.

I plan to do the entire bus floor from front to back.

Now i just have to decide what to use as a subfloor.....either the stock marine grade plywood floor, or a floor that slopes toward the center to help water drain faster. The directions say that the epoxy can be applied to any previously painted surface, so you're not just limited to cement.

Eric von Kleist · 05-15-2005, 12:56 PM

I like the idea of a remote opening skylight over the jacuzzi. That reminds me of the Disney movie, Swiss Family Robinson, where the tree house had a counterweighted skylight in the parents' bedroom.

lapeer20m · 05-16-2005, 07:46 AM

I sanded the entire bus, removed all the lights, and taped all the windows ect, and applied the primer yesterday.

I had a quart of gloss black tractor paint from TSC. It's called Best Paint Sold. Someone else on the forum used it for their bus. I sprayed about half of the back of the bus, and was not happy with the way my paint sprayer applied the stuff.

Today i'll try some restoleam and see if i like that better.

lapeer20m · 05-22-2005, 11:24 AM

GRRRRRRRRR!

It has rained almost every day since i bought my new bus. Makes it difficult to get her painted. I only work 2 days per week, and it seems that the sun is shining and it's beautiful outside when i'm working, and mother nature just refuses to cooperate on my days off.

I painted the bus this morning. The weather report said that there was a 30% chance of showers after 3pm. I figured i'd be finished well before noon, giving the paint time to at least dry to the touch before the rain started falling.

To my dismay, water began falling from the sky just about the time i was finished spraying the roof, which i had saved for last.

The entire paint job might be ruined, i guess i'll just have to wait and see. This time around i used rustoleam professional paint by the gallon. I would have been a lot better off if i would have used the same paint i used on my first bus. That was quick dry enamel that was dry to the touch in about 15 minutes.

Here's an oddity......
I was at wal-mart early in the morning buying some masking tape and other vairous things. I also purchased 2 gallons of paint, and 2 gallons of acetone to thin the rustoleam. The girl at the checkout said that the computer restricts customers to only one gallon of acetone. WE're not sure why, but I assume it's a homeland security thing. She was unable to ring up 2 gallons. I had to go to a 2nd checkout line to buy the other gallon. I just thought that was a bit strange.

lapeer20m · 05-22-2005, 05:33 PM

who owns this bus?

I think i'm going to capitolize off of this guys idea and paint my roof yellow with some flames at the bottom of the roofline.

by the way, the new black paint on my bus seems to have survived the rainstorm with only some minor spots that are in need of a little touch-up.

Rick78EFI460 · 05-22-2005, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

GRRRRRRRRR!

snip
Here's an oddity......
I was at wal-mart early in the morning buying some masking tape and other vairous things. I also purchased 2 gallons of paint, and 2 gallons of acetone to thin the rustoleam. The girl at the checkout said that the computer restricts customers to only one gallon of acetone. WE're not sure why, but I assume it's a homeland security thing. She was unable to ring up 2 gallons. I had to go to a 2nd checkout line to buy the other gallon. I just thought that was a bit strange.

I think its a drug thing , if I remember right its used when making crystal meth. its one of the ingredients us parents are told to watch out for along with cough syrup and lithium ion batteries.....

dammitAndy · 05-23-2005, 09:43 AM

Ya, thats a pretty cool paint job to copy. The BPS Tractor paint should look nice when you're done, the black at least. I just shot my black this weekend and its looking pretty good. Except for the spots i messed up on and slightly missed cause of poor lighting. It was my first paint job ever though. I'll post some pictures soon.

That is wierd about the Acetone, I got mine at Lowes, but only got a gallon. I wish i would have got 2 just to see;)

lapeer20m · 05-23-2005, 02:46 PM

I expieremented with a quart of BPS, but my paint sprayer did not like that paint. I tried to make it work, i thinned it, then thinned it more, then heated it up, nothing seemed to make it spray properly out of my sprayer.

the rustoleam with about 1 pint acetone per gallon sprayed very nicely, so that's what i used. I set the gallon of paint on top of the air compressor to be heated for about an hour while i shoot the primer. I read somewhere that paint sprayes better when it's warm. Obviously you wouldn't want to heat too much.....I usually try for about 80-90 degrees i guess. I haven't actually used a thermometer, but the can is warm to the touch, not too hot to hold though.

IF it ever stopps raining i'm going to get the flames all tapped off so i can finish up the paint job.

Eric von Kleist · 05-24-2005, 12:26 AM

I used the BPS "Tractor and Implement Enamel" on my bus, but I rolled it on. It was easy to work with on a roller. I have no clue about spraying, so I can't say. I thinned the paint with the maximum recommended amount of mineral spirits (8 ounces per gallon, IIRC) just to make it flow more easily.

lapeer20m · 05-25-2005, 04:23 PM

I've been on a painting marathon....UGGGGGg. I really really don't like masking stuff. I've been taping windows and everything else for what seems like forever.

I painted both the new and the old bus. Tapped off all of the flames, and painted those as well.

I've done more sanding, cleaning, masking, and painting in the past few days than i really care for.....but both buses are looking fantastic! I didn't realize just how bad the paint had faded on my old bus.

One thing i found about rustoleam is that acetone works much much better for thinning than mineral spirits, but it's about 5 times as expensive per gallon.

When i get a chance i'll post photos. Right now i'm waiting for the flames to dry so i can remove the masking.

Steve · 05-25-2005, 04:30 PM

You can paint my bus next!

lapeer20m · 05-25-2005, 04:34 PM

if you do all the masking, i'll do the spraying!

It takes about 4 hours for me working steady to mask one side of the bus for the flames. That does not include the time spent removing all of the lights/lenses and masking the windows.

It only takes about 15 minutes to actually spray the flames once the masking is complete.

I looked at some clear coat. There auto paint store had 2 different kinds that are compatible with my rustoleam. One is $55/gallon, the other is $110/gallon. I'm not yet sure if i'm gonna spray the clear coat, but it's an option. I'm tired of painting my bus every spring.

lapeer20m · 06-12-2005, 09:19 PM

Why do things always move so slow??

I have done nothing the past couple weeks to the bus. I need to get working on it, burningman is just around the corner

Looks like the first major project will be cutting the hole in the roof, and getting the new roof flaps to open and close properly

Then i plan to paint the ceiling

Then i want to install:

Flooring
Jacuzzi
Glass Block
Electrical stuff
Mirrored walls
Shower
Bathroom

and finish up the other small details

THE MAN BURNS IN 83 DAYS! (that's only 74 days until i leave)

lapeer20m · 06-24-2005, 09:06 AM

I still have made zero progress since my last post......

THE MAN BURNS IN 71 DAYS!

lapeer20m · 07-01-2005, 07:05 AM

I'm knee deep in bus stuff right now! I just finished with a 3 day bus construction marathon. Thank goodness i have to work today, i can use the rest.

I cut a hole in the roof the width of the bus, and two windows long. It's appproximately 48" X 88". Set the jacuzzi inside with almost no problem at all. Those photo's are on film, i still have to develope them. Had to use a tall forklift.

Got tittle, insurance, and registration/plates so now she's legal to drive. Progressive has no trouble insuring my vehicle....it's a 1991 International and they didn't ask any questions. Ins is $200 for six months, Registration was a whopping $21.00.

Finished painting flames. Until now only the passenger side was painted. I also sprayed clear coat on everything from the windows down. I ran out of time to do the roof, it'll have to wait till sat. Very pleased with the clearcoat. Here is an example of clearcoat verses no clear coat.

For the flooring I used plywood, painted with oil base paint, then rust oleam epoxi-shield garage floor coating (with sand mixed in for traction on wet floor) Waiting for that to dry.........

I also ran across another 200 feet x 5 feet of brand new black velvet type material. Everything that you sit on in the bus gets covered in this beautiful fabric.

The man burns in 64 days

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