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Old 05-19-2017, 12:34 PM   #61
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Originally Posted by CCurran88 View Post
My thought on the penny fix - if I were to plug up the holes with pennies, then cover up the floor with foam, subflooring, flooring, etc., with the hopes of never seeing that metal floor again, with my luck, one of those stupid pennies would pop loose, and forever rattle around like a loose rock somewhere in my bus. That would drive me nuts. And anyway, I need to practice my new welding skills with the welder my husband bought me for Valentine's Day. (He bought me a shop vac for Mother's Day, the big ol' romantic). So I'm welding those holes, and I have a few patches too.

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Old 05-19-2017, 12:41 PM   #62
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Yes the penny idea is somewhat controversial. You seem to have skipped one of the key points of "epoxying" the pennies to the floor. If you're leaving an air gap above your steel subfloor it certainly would be possible for things to rattle around down there. Honestly with all the other bus noise I think this may be like the Princess and the pea story.

How lucky are you anyway? Hubby gave you a welder and a shop vac. No mention of the face shield, gloves or a new roll of flux core wire? What a special guy, as he obviously wants to go somewhere in the bus. You can get that Kitchenaid mixer another time anyway. It seems to be working out for you guys. Now get out there and start playing with that new welder.

On the other hand $3 worth of pennies and about $6 worth of epoxy would take you a long way. Just be sure not to accidentally glue any of those $1,700,000 1943 copper pennies under your flooring.
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Old 05-21-2017, 05:47 PM   #63
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Problem solved!

Hey all...

So I finally figured out what I want to use to plug the holes in the floor. No, they're not as cheap as pennies, but they don't have potential issues, either. My bolt holes measure 3/8", so I think these should work just fine.

Elevator Bolts
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Old 05-21-2017, 06:19 PM   #64
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That's an interesting choice. Definitely more expensive than pennies.

Those are nice and flat on the top side. Do they get caulked in to prevent water from weeping into the floor?

Do you remember going to a construction site as a kid after the electricians had been there and picking up those quarter size slugs punched out of the electrical boxes? If you saved them, this would be the time to use them.
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Old 05-21-2017, 06:56 PM   #65
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We ended up using JB Weld Marine Glue. Or is it water weld? It is more like a putty. Even patched the hole in the roof from removing the strobe light.
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Old 05-21-2017, 07:23 PM   #66
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A note on welding up holes in the floor...

...when done, go under and put a quick shot of some kind of rust converter on the fresh welds. New welds rust fast and can kick start the metal around them.
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Old 05-21-2017, 07:54 PM   #67
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Those are nice and flat on the top side. Do they get caulked in to prevent water from weeping into the floor?

Do you remember going to a construction site as a kid after the electricians had been there and picking up those quarter size slugs punched out of the electrical boxes? If you saved them, this would be the time to use them.
They're essentially flat underneath as well (like the underside of a carriage bolt), which is another reason I think they'll work nicely. I'm planning on using some sort of adhesive, haven't figured out exactly what...Maybe Liquid Nails or somesuch. I'm caulking all the floor/wall joints, as well as the small screw holes, with Sikaflex 221-I might see if that works. Seems like with the subfloor/insulation on top holding it down, it should do ok. The stem of the bolt should keep them from being able to pop out, so it's not like it has to be glued down rock hard.
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Old 05-21-2017, 07:55 PM   #68
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A note on welding up holes in the floor...

...when done, go under and put a quick shot of some kind of rust converter on the fresh welds. New welds rust fast and can kick start the metal around them.

Good to know! I'll keep that in mind for the larger hole I need to patch!
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Old 06-02-2017, 05:23 PM   #69
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Just thought I'd add my idea for covering the holes in my floor.

I plan on using steel strapping that is used for securing a load to pallets. Here is a link:

https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

At my work, we have a couple hundred pounds worth of used banding that is in our scrap metal pile. Will cost me $0.00, only a little bit of time with the tin snips cutting them to a desirable size!
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Old 06-02-2017, 06:07 PM   #70
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Just thought I'd add my idea for covering the holes in my floor.

I plan on using steel strapping that is used for securing a load to pallets. Here is a link:

https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

At my work, we have a couple hundred pounds worth of used banding that is in our scrap metal pile. Will cost me $0.00, only a little bit of time with the tin snips cutting them to a desirable size!
Ooo! Also a cool idea! I may keep that in mind as well......
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Old 06-02-2017, 07:15 PM   #71
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Or you could take some tin snips and cut up a ceiling panel into whatever size you need.
I like the strapping idea, but that stuff rusts pretty fast. Still it would last a long time and it's definitely the right price.
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Old 06-02-2017, 07:17 PM   #72
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My 2c put some seam sealer in & around the holes with a piece of metal tape or small square of sheetmetal then insulate over it
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Old 06-02-2017, 08:45 PM   #73
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Or you could take some tin snips and cut up a ceiling panel into whatever size you need.
I like the strapping idea, but that stuff rusts pretty fast. Still it would last a long time and it's definitely the right price.
My ceiling panels are the same gauge as the outside skins. My hands would die cutting that into 100+ little pieces with tin snips.
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Old 06-02-2017, 08:51 PM   #74
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Harbor freight has some electric sheet metal sheers, cut through my ceiling panels like butter

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Old 06-02-2017, 10:45 PM   #75
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Yeah, that's why I like the $3 floor hole fix. A big pocket full of pennies, a tube of epoxy and voila.
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Old 06-08-2017, 12:25 AM   #76
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Or you could take some tin snips and cut up a ceiling panel into whatever size you need.
I like the strapping idea, but that stuff rusts pretty fast. Still it would last a long time and it's definitely the right price.
That may be true when it's left alone in the elements, but I suspect coating the bottom side of it with adhesive and painting overtop should prevent any moisture from getting in there. I just plugged all of the holes in my bus this morning and will be painting tomorrow or Friday after the adhesive is dry.
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Old 06-08-2017, 12:50 AM   #77
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Do the plugs HAVE to be made of metal? couldn't those plastic body plugs be used with a drop of sealant?

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Old 06-08-2017, 07:18 AM   #78
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Just thought I'd add my idea for covering the holes in my floor.

I plan on using steel strapping that is used for securing a load to pallets. Here is a link:

https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

At my work, we have a couple hundred pounds worth of used banding that is in our scrap metal pile. Will cost me $0.00, only a little bit of time with the tin snips cutting them to a desirable size!
And then what; weld them in place?

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Or you could take some tin snips and cut up a ceiling panel into whatever size you need.
Sounds like a whole lot of time welding. The seat bolts wouldn't be terrible since they are all the same size/location. You still have all the nail holes to contend with tho.

Quote:
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Do the plugs HAVE to be made of metal? couldn't those plastic body plugs be used with a drop of sealant?
Nope, can't be done. According to Iowa Title VIII, Chapter 321E, §321E.25...
Thou shalt NOT plug holes in school buses with any dissimilar material than the surrounding OEM material.

That's the code for Interstate Use in Iowa. No idea what is actually in it tho.

Your bus, your decision. There's no law against it. A pocket full of those plastic plugs are going to cost you. Maybe only a few dollars if you buy a hundred bulk off the internet but a few dollars none-the-less. Most people have the sheet metal already, the banding, bucket full of pennies, etc.
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Old 06-08-2017, 11:41 AM   #79
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"Thou shalt NOT plug holes in school buses with any dissimilar material"

That sounds like the 11th commandment. Yeah, that plastic might corrode from contact with the steel floor.

I've got a whole bunch of those plastic thingys to hold the plastics in place on my quad. They come in different sizes. I don't see any reason you couldn't use them for the bolt holes, but the screw holes are probably to small unless you want to drill them out first. Using plastic sounds good, and the plastic plugs aren't expensive in bulk.
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Old 06-08-2017, 12:29 PM   #80
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That sounds like the 11th commandment. Yeah, that plastic might corrode from contact with the steel floor.
I thought about writing it in legalese but I didn't want the kid to run off on a wild goose chase with a real statute number and a fake law,

Quote:
I've got a whole bunch of those plastic thingys to hold the plastics in place on my quad. They come in different sizes. I don't see any reason you couldn't use them for the bolt holes, but the screw holes are probably to small unless you want to drill them out first. Using plastic sounds good, and the plastic plugs aren't expensive in bulk.
If you've got them on hand then go for it. I've never bought more than a misc pack of 5 from Vato Zone and they damn sure aren't cheap that way. Buying 100 of a single size of the interwebbernetz is a different story but then I'd rather just weld them all shut if I'm going to go one by one on my hands and knees.
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