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Old 12-04-2004, 11:49 AM   #1
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Blanking out windows--you really need to read this!

I just got back from a visit to my friend, Bill Barney. He has a converted Greyhound that is really nice. One thing that came out of the discussion was blanking out the windows with sheet metal. Bill says that it is best to heat the sheet metal with infra red heaters or similar before you attatch it to the side of the bus. This will make the metal expand. Attach it while it is still hot. When it cools it will shrink and be tight without waves in the metal. Makes sense.

Oh yes, As you can see, I have the Utah "SKOOLIE" license plate. Anyone else have their state's one and only plate like this?

Herb in Utah

90 Blue Bird flat nose--it will be a "work in progress" again if the weather warms up.

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Old 12-04-2004, 10:41 PM   #2
Ron
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Hey Bobb, tell me more about your 90 BB flatnose, it sounds a lot like our "Parson Express". Check out our website http://www.elysianfield.com to see a few pictures.

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Old 12-05-2004, 09:10 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron
Hey Bobb, tell me more about your 90 BB flatnose, it sounds a lot like our "Parson Express". Check out our website http://www.elysianfield.com to see a few pictures.

Ron
Hi Ron,

Neat site; we're dog lovers here. We've got two ACD (Austalian Cattle Dogs, aka Blue Heelers) and a Bassett Hound at the moment (and two cats just for good measure!). I've also had a Papillion which I saw a reference to on your site and was owned by two Jack Russell terriers that I adored. Those Parsons look really good; congrats.
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Old 12-05-2004, 05:51 PM   #4
Ron
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Thanks for appreciating the site Les, it is Margaret's baby and I have no idea how much time she's spent on it. The dogs are pretty much a full time hobby for us and the main reason we decided on a skoolie. We've had several people come over to our campsite while travelling to dog shows and say what a great idea it is. One guy said he was being pressured big time by his wife to buy a fancy motorhome. He was fighting it big time because he was going to have to tear out the bedroom to make a place for the dogs. Our conversion is pretty basic and ongoing. I'm adding things as we go, but it's saved us all sorts of problems - have you ever tried to travel with 5 or 6 dogs in a Windstar and stay in hotels? Not a pretty picture and expensive as all getout. Now we travel with the whole gang - 20 Parsons and an old Golden Retriever (no cats) and stay at the show sites where everyone has dogs and we all expect to be wakened by barking dogs at 6:00 AM. Life is good.
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Old 07-02-2010, 11:36 AM   #5
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Re: Blanking out windows--you really need to read this!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skoolie BOBB
... it is best to heat the sheet metal with infra red heaters or similar before you attach it to the side of the bus. This will make the metal expand. Attach it while it is still hot. When it cools it will shrink and be tight without waves in the metal...
Okay, you guys didn't know this? It's pretty much standard on the coach forums. You crank up the fan forced Reddy heater and place the metal sheets in front and heat until you can just barely stand to touch them (wear gloves... the metal will get really hot). And then you slap the metal up on the window as fast as you can and rivet the suckers in place. Some converters would leave the metal out in the summer sun and they would get really hot as well (wear gloves you will get blistered). Speed is of the essence once they get hot. Not so much during the summer if you are outside working in the sun but in winter it's pretty much a race. Heating the metal so that it expands prevents the "oil caning" that occurs when the metal sheets ripple after installation (like when you installed "cold" metal and you thought it was tight... but it wasn't "pre-expanded").
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Old 07-02-2010, 02:57 PM   #6
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Re: Blanking out windows--you really need to read this!

OR, use a little thicker sheet metal. I was going to use 16 Ga. as that is what the local dealer had in stock. I ended up using 18 ga. which was still thicker than the original sheet metal. Put it up in the winter. Has now sat out in the hot days sun and the cold evenings (high desert) without any deforming or rippling. 20 Ga. ot thinner, I would suspect, would be a different issue.
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