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Old 05-02-2016, 02:23 PM   #61
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Valley - Arizona
Posts: 644
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freight-shaker (Freightliner)
Engine: Cat 3126b 250 HP
Rated Cap: Only 1 seat
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Originally Posted by jbohall001 View Post
Thanks Doc! I noticed your name...... are you pretty handy with the old oil cooled bikes? Cause I'm having issues with mine haha.

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PM me on those issues!

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Old 05-04-2016, 01:18 AM   #62
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: shreveport, la
Posts: 100
Got all the seats and overhead racks removed. Pressure washed the engine and under the front end too. Pics of that soon.

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Old 05-04-2016, 06:42 AM   #63
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Danglebury, Tejas
Posts: 310
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466E
Rated Cap: 72 passenger
Looking good! Its officially a Skoolie now!

Hey: I think every bus owner goes through a cycle: first comes the adrenaline of the bidding war. Next comes the excitement of pick-up. Then the uncertainty of the drive-home. Then that moment when you go "oh sh*t what have I done!". Next up is the "rattle and hum" stage where you take-out the seats in a blind orgy to show yourself some progress. Then things tend to stop for a bit.

When you get to the pause point, get a sixer of beer and a lawn chair and a pad of paper. Sit. Drink. Get up occasionally to poke at something on the bus. Write down ideas that come to you. Do this sagely and with a calm deliberation. You are waiting for "help" to arrive.

No joke: buses are magnets. Somebody will show-up, swap stories, and soon you realize you are talking to a retired trucker/farmer/mechanic who had that very same engine in his dump/grain/fleet truck. Next thing you know he tells you what parts you need and where to get them at a discount. Then it turns-out his brother-in-law owns a wrecker service (first dibs on working used parts and discount towing to boot!). And he goes to church with a guy who works at a tire dealer....

You cant make this stuff up. Its EXACTLY what happened to me.

Lawnchairs and beer. Try it. And if nobody shows-up, you'll still be better for the period of quiet introspection and bonding with your new bus. ))
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Old 05-04-2016, 07:34 AM   #64
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
GC has some sage advice, although I've gotten very little in the way of help.
NO ONE wants to mess with the tar, even for MONEY!
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Old 05-04-2016, 08:24 AM   #65
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: EHT New Jersey
Posts: 1,134
Year: 2003
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: International 3000RE
Engine: T444E/AT545
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GC has some sage advice, although I've gotten very little in the way of help
Same here, even after trying to bribe them with barbecue. At the start of this semester, I was even asked by one of my classmates if the bus was done and he wanted to borrow it for a roadtrip over summer break.
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Old 05-04-2016, 10:00 AM   #66
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
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Originally Posted by Scooternj View Post
Same here, even after trying to bribe them with barbecue. At the start of this semester, I was even asked by one of my classmates if the bus was done and he wanted to borrow it for a roadtrip over summer break.
Oh man, wow!


The worst part is when people do show up to "help" they usually just get tired after five minutes and stand aside drinking beers saying "you really don't need to remove all this tar" or "why do you wanna raise the roof"...
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Old 05-04-2016, 11:00 AM   #67
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Danglebury, Tejas
Posts: 310
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466E
Rated Cap: 72 passenger
Its all in hiw you sell it!

See Tom Sawyer - "How To Whitewash A Fence"
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Old 05-04-2016, 05:05 PM   #68
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You cant make this stuff up. Its EXACTLY what happened to me.
Good to hear somebody else say it! My vanity tags are YMCTSU. In my family it's pronounced "yakamatsu" and we tell people it's an old Japanese tradition.
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Old 05-04-2016, 09:49 PM   #69
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: shreveport, la
Posts: 100
Took metal from seats to the scrap yard today, got $60 lol. Used it to buy 1.25" square tubing for roof raise. Got all the windows pulled. Me and bros went to town on the 6838364648383 rivets holding the ceiling skin up. Managed to get 3 panels down. Then the lady arrived and productivity slowed down. The boys left, and I was ordered to take a picture of her holding a hammer so it would appear she's helping when in fact........ well you guys know the story I'm sure haha.


And a pic of the now clean engine. I used this stuff from home depot. Zep Purple. SSSSUUUUUPPPEEEERRRR retarded strong. Must dilute. And wear a mask. But buddy let me tell you. It works!

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Old 05-04-2016, 09:53 PM   #70
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: shreveport, la
Posts: 100
As far as being a magnet..... boy are you right. I have had friends messaging me in droves. Everyone wants to help! And sure enough, one of them has a mother who works at Gateway Tire! And can get me discount. Another's older brother turns out is a diesel mechanic!!!

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Old 05-04-2016, 10:31 PM   #71
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
You won't have any trouble getting help with your bus if you network like that. These people that want to help are folks that would also like to have a bus.

That engine looks clean enough to eat off of. Actually the squirrels do seem to eat on my engine.
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Old 05-04-2016, 10:32 PM   #72
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Oh yeah, your wife did and excellent job stripping out the interior of that bus. Kudos.
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Old 05-05-2016, 05:57 AM   #73
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,753
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
that project rocks!! have you nailed down the source of the oil leaks you had driving it back home? that engine looks so clean like it never leaked a drop of oil in its life!..

whats really wierd.. is perhaps my attitude and excitement have changed about a bus.. but when I acquired one years ago it seemed like none of my friends , family, etc had any interest.. and told me im crazy.. hence why that bus spent pretty much its whole time in the garage... but yet the new one that im getting everyone is into it..friends, coworkers, baristas at the local coffee shops I write code at, people on my facebook, family members, etc.. all the sudden this time Everyone is totally pumped.. including me..

I think its great!! take pictures, tell everyone about your cool project.. and let it roll!! you are moving along quite nicely!!

-Christopher
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Old 05-05-2016, 10:23 PM   #74
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: North of Seattle, WA
Posts: 56
Year: 1994
Chassis: Blue Bird TC2000
Engine: Cummins 5.9 12V
Rated Cap: ??...It's 28' long
How did you find your shop space? Looks great. A tight squeeze on the sides but at least you are under cover.
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Old 05-05-2016, 10:47 PM   #75
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: shreveport, la
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How did you find your shop space? Looks great. A tight squeeze on the sides but at least you are under cover.
I got on Google and typed in "rv and boat storage" in my city. 30 minutes later I had a 13x20x60 for $150 a month

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Old 05-05-2016, 11:47 PM   #76
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: shreveport, la
Posts: 100
Was flying solo today. Developed a little system for removing all the damned rivets. I'd say it takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes to remove a roof panel by myself now. Kinda sucks but, it's working. If the rivets wouldn't spin, it would probably take me 10 minutes. So frustrating.

I start off by taking my air hammer with a pointed chisel and knocming the centers out. Then I proceed to drill out the rivets with these Dewalt bits with fancy little tips on the end, they cut VERY well. Pretty much every single rivets spins so I use a metal panel popper and tap it under the metal with a hammer to put tension on the rivet while I drill. Then repeat for the next one, so on and so forth.

I took this pic with a potato, apparently.






I did however notice that 4 of my posts on the drivers side are different from all the rest. No clue what that's about.

I began to remove side panels as well, got one pulled back and discovered inside the panels are just as clean and rust free, and insulation just as dry as the cieling. So I'm considering not even removing the interior panels. Opinions on that?

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Old 05-06-2016, 05:56 AM   #77
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Remove them to properly insulate.
Try shearing off the rivet head instead of drilling.
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Old 05-06-2016, 09:45 AM   #78
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
If it's going to be a winter time bus at all, insulate. If you're going to be in hot summer conditions, insulate. If it's just a weekend bus or trip bus, don't worry about it.
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Old 05-06-2016, 09:49 AM   #79
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: shreveport, la
Posts: 100
No its definitely gonna be a full timer. I graduate in a year and I plan of living in it full time travelling for a year maybe more. I'll just go ahead and take it all off

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Old 05-06-2016, 10:32 AM   #80
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Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
Well you're from a fairly warm location anyway. Lot's of people of the southern persuasion don't insulate, unless they plan on traveling to colder locations. Any Alaska trips planned?
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