baadpuppy's bus... unleashed - Page 3

TygerCub · 07-20-2009, 07:37 PM

Congratulations on your engagement! May you both live long, happy lives together!

NewSkewlHauler · 07-20-2009, 10:25 PM

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage...I just got married...it's tons of fun adjusting to married life and whatnot. The best of luck to you both! Good luck with your conversion too!!! I'm thinking of taking a page from your book with having a "Stowaway" bus too...But life keeps getting in the way of that little project. Anyway, best of luck and congratulations to you both!

Ben.

baadpuppy · 07-23-2009, 08:44 PM

Thanks for the congrats everyone. I appreciate it.

Not much progress on the bus side of things, but finally some progress on the motorhome demolition side of things.

Today, I removed the interior A/C components, the last 2 light fixtures, the interior parts of the skylights, and all the windows and doors except the two windshield sections.

I also got a lot of the extraneous wiring removed. and got all the tools out of the vehicle. It is basically exposed to the elements at this point, so I had to make sure there was nothing left inside that I cared about getting wet.

Some pictures are located at http://gallery.giffords.net/v/cobra/remodel/teardown/.

Here are the pictures:

hopefully I'll have more to post tomorrow.

jim

ezbme · 07-23-2009, 08:50 PM

Wow... was that the first stab at an RV? That is a parts goldmine! What does that side door measure...hehehe...
That is great to have access to all those goodies! I am jealous!

baadpuppy · 07-23-2009, 08:56 PM

I measured the hole the side door came out of, and the hole is 26.5" wide by 76" tall. It wouldn't be a good fit for either of my busses, or our summer kitchen, which was a bummer.

When removing the door, I accidentally ripped the bottom of the frame loose from the rest of the frame. I'm going to see if someone that can weld aluminum can weld it back together. Then I can see if I can find a buyer.

Mom and dad plan to use some of the windows, so I don't know yet what will be available.

jim

ezbme · 07-23-2009, 09:11 PM

Let me know about the door & will remeasure... that might work for me...
Might need a bigger window tho...

baadpuppy · 07-23-2009, 09:34 PM

that door has a frosted glass window, and would be a poor choice to put in place of a front door in my opinion. However, a midships door location would be fine.

jim

baadpuppy · 08-08-2009, 06:27 PM

Finally, some more progress. Today was entirely a cleanup day, and I still have plenty left to do.

Today I needed to move the 2 busses so that the grass underneath them could get cut. So, while they were out in the large parking area of the yard, I backed The Stowaway up to the side of unleashed, put the ramp between the two emergency exits, and finished moving the last of the extra stuff that was stored in unleashed into The Stowaway. My 12yr old niece helped me with this, which is impressive given the weight of some of the UPS battery backup units.

Once everything that needed to go into The Stowaway was loaded into it, I parked it in its new home behind the pool. I then backed unleashed in between the back of The Stowaway and my apartment, leaving just enough room to pull my pickup truck around to the emergency exit of unleashed.

While I've had the bus, I've been collecting miscellaneous metal, with an eye to perhaps being able to reuse some of it. I figured anything I couldn't use would sell as scrap. Of course, this started when the price of scrap was higher, so really I should've cashed it out back then. In any case, most of the metal was in the form of computers, and I finally decided I wouldn't use any of them at all in this project. Also, things like an old ironing board, part of a vacuum cleaner, and some other misc metal junk.

I kept all the aluminum separate. I'm still hanging onto my aluminum for now.

So, I pitched all the non-aluminum metal junk into the back of the pickup truck:

All ready for a trip to the scrap yard next week.

After that, there was still some misc stuff that needed to be unloaded and put up. I got all that done, then took a few pics of the interior of the bus:

Still left for me to do is to toss the old RV chairs which really aren't worth saving, get all the tools out, remove the sleeping back that is on the driver's seat, and remove the rest of the junk. After that, I can pressure wash the interior to get rid of all the bird poop and sevin dust and the traces of bird mites.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a nice enough day and I can get all of that done.

jim

baadpuppy · 08-09-2009, 11:28 AM

It's been rather hot here too. Not like seattle the other week, but still hard to work in. I live less than 150 miles north of TygerCub, and I'm amazed at how much she's getting done in this horrid heat.

Weather Underground says it is currently 86.1F at 69% humidity, with a heat index of 95F. The thermostat on the wall says it is 97F, and the RH is closer to 75%.

When I moved my bus yesterday, I opened all the windows, and parked under a large sweetgum tree for shade. I also waited until later in the day when it was cooling off for yet another rain shower, and yet I still sweated a few gallons out.

On the negative side, my bus definitely has some leaky windows. Good thing I plan to pitch them all anyway.

Between my trip to Oregon and the weather (extremely hot or extremely stormy), and having to keep the full time day job, I've been very disappointed in my progress on the conversion. I was really hoping to finish the roof raise this summer, and now I'm thinking I'll be lucky to finish it by the end of winter.

Of course, the budget keeps shrinking too, which does not help. And I still haven't bought the steel I'll need for the roof raise.

Oh well, I can't let that get me down. I just have to keep going out there for 5 to 15 minutes at a time, then come cool off in the A/C for 30-45 minutes at a time, and at least make *some* progress where I can.

jim

ezbme · 08-09-2009, 12:52 PM

Howdy Jim! Good to see yer still around! Yea, I think most anywhere on the east coast is sweltering... including Florida. Just gotta get yourself out & do it. :lol

We are slowly running out of time to move so I have no choice but to finish up what needs to be done on the bus. I wish I had a large sweetgum tree to park under!

baadpuppy · 08-09-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezbme

I wish I had a large sweetgum tree to park under!

no, you don't. NEVER wish for a sweetgum tree!

These things produce about a million spiky balls every year. I might be on the low side with that number.

The gumballs as they are called like to put holes in the bottoms of bare feet. Underneath of shoes, they like to roll like ball bearings, even on grass. When wet they are at least as slick as wet grass. They're the perfect size to block up the pool vacuum. They make insanely loud noises when they land on the roof. They like to get embedded in the ground when vehicles drive over them, and then pop up randomly to attack some poor unsuspecting pedestrian.

If it weren't for the shade this old tree provides, we woulda cut it down ages ago. If anyone knows a way to neuter it other than chopping it down, we're all ears.

Our plan is to take the tree down and plant some better fast growing shade trees near where it is, so that the pool will still have enough shade, but not have gumballs clogging up the plumbing.

Each spring we use a yard sweeper and leaf blower and rakes to get as many up as we can, put them in a pile, and burn them. About 20% of them retain structure even after hours of burning. Then we let the embers cool and bag them up and dispose of them elsewhere. The pile from this spring hasn't been burned yet.

Anyway, I'm still making progress in between A/C breaks.

jim

ezbme · 08-09-2009, 02:06 PM

Wow...I guess I must admit I have never seen a sweetgum tree but will take your advice... I guess I should'a written, I wish there was a nice big Live Oak tree to park under! My poor bus is in the sun all day & if I don't get up at 5am (sometimes it happens) I may as well work in the dark cause it is too friggen hot these days! I kinda remember you mentioning having the lay under the bus fighting of the balls of torture!

Can you neuter a tree?? I will have the ask my biologist wife....

zamfir · 08-09-2009, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baadpuppy

NEVER wish for a sweetgum tree!
If anyone knows a way to neuter it other than chopping it down, we're all ears.
jim

Here ya go: http://www.treehelp.com/ItemDesc.asp?IC=LG-4100 Some years ago, I worked for a tree-poisoning company, and we discussed using this stuff on sweetgums. Unfortunately, I quit before I ever learned how well it worked. It appears that timing is critical, and it's already too late to use it this year, but it might be worth a shot next year.

TygerCub · 08-09-2009, 02:28 PM

Hey Badpuppy... Don't sweat the lack of work. Everything I've been doing is the easy stuff... tearing up and throwing out.

The only reason I could get anything done is because I get there as early in the morning as I can, only work an hour or three at most, and I don't have a way to go into the A/C to take breaks! Of course, I feel like I've been hit by a Mac truck the next day.

Hang in there buddy! Cooler weather is on the way! If I can get BOB running again and have a spare weekend, I'd be happy to come up, say HI and work with you one Saturday. Maybe in late September or early October? Or with the way the weather's staying so blasted warm late in the year, maybe even in November?

And I completely agree with your gumball assessment. Those things are insidious! But they are great climbing trees. And an armfull of those things are excellent misiles to throw at neighborhood pests (little boys, rival girls, noisy dogs, birds in the garden, etc...) !

baadpuppy · 08-09-2009, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TygerCub

Hey Badpuppy... Don't sweat the lack of work. Everything I've been doing is the easy stuff... tearing up and throwing out.

The only reason I could get anything done is because I get there as early in the morning as I can, only work an hour or three at most, and I don't have a way to go into the A/C to take breaks! Of course, I feel like I've been hit by a Mac truck the next day.

Hang in there buddy! Cooler weather is on the way! If I can get BOB running again and have a spare weekend, I'd be happy to come up, say HI and work with you one Saturday. Maybe in late September or early October? Or with the way the weather's staying so blasted warm late in the year, maybe even in November?

And I completely agree with your gumball assessment. Those things are insidious! But they are great climbing trees. And an armfull of those things are excellent misiles to throw at neighborhood pests (little boys, rival girls, noisy dogs, birds in the garden, etc...) !

Believe it or not, 2 years ago when I was working on the RV, I was out in a t-shirt working on it in November and even on Christmas day. If only I had started with a bus instead of a junker RV... Come to think of it, it was 2 years ago this month that I bought that old RV, so I guess by that scale, I've made a lot of progress. I now have 2 busses and only 3/4ths of an RV.

One nice thing about a bus, you can toss things out the windows. Of course, you then have to walk around and pick them up, but it does save a lot of running back and forth.

I don't see a problem with you coming over to work. I'll make room under the sweetgum tree for BOB, and make sure there's a good extension cord available.

Between all the air compressors and other power tools, we should be able to accomplish a lot.

Whenever I get ready for my roof raise, I have a friend from GA planning to come up and help out. I expect it'll be a fun weekend when that happens. I really can't wait.

At some point I really have to take unleashed to a mechanic, or have one come to it. I suspect the engine isn't working optimally, and want to have that checked. It could just be that my expectations aren't working properly.

I'd also love to find someone that could convert my rear end into a 2 speed model. I think that'd really help the old girl out. The rear end housing is an Eaton, and has a plate where a 2 speed shifter would go so I think it would just be a matter of finding the right gear set for it. Of course, first I'd need to know the current gearing.

I'd also like to have a diesel person educate me on just how this engine works and what I need to keep an eye on. Hopefully if I find a good mechanic that'll help. I can identify most of the parts, but I really don't know much beyond that. There's something I believe is a fuel/water separator with 2 petcock valves on it, that I don't know what to do with. It appears to have a lot of a clear liquid within it. I don't want to screw anything up, so I've avoided just turning things or tweaking things without knowing what I'm doing. The last thing I want is a 10.4 liter paperweight. lol

I'm still making some progress today, tossing things out of the bus. I have to figure out how I'm going to clean up my tools. A crescent wrench, socket set, a few screwdrivers, and misc other tools. Basically, metal stuff that shouldn't get wet. I'm thinking of laying them out on the garage apron and pressure washing them, then dousing them liberally with WD40 to displace the water, then putting them away properly. However, I'm not sure if that's the best idea. The tools have a lot of bird poop and sevin dust caked on them.

Ah well, enough rambling for now.

jim

ezbme · 08-09-2009, 03:26 PM

Can't nueter a tree...but could maybe genetically engineer one to not seed. There is actually a beautiful sweetgum on my neighbors property and yes, wifey says "ouch" on bare feet!

baadpuppy · 08-09-2009, 07:56 PM

Another day of cleanup progress. Yay!

In spite of the heat and humidity, I did manage to make some progress today. Eventually the heat faded a bit, then the mosquitos woke up hungry. Later this evening it cooled off enough to get up most of what was tossed out of the bus today.

I got all the tools together, put into the toolbox, ready to be cleaned up. I still haven't figured out what approach to take to get all the caked on bird poop and sevin dust off the tools without making them rusty, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Now that there's nothing of value to get ruined by rain, I decided to leave the windows open and let the bus air out and stay cooler.

I had 3 RV seats I had tried to mount in a jury rigged fashion last summer that needed to go. The fabric and padding is rotten and disgusting. The mechanisms are in bad shape. Rather than try to recover them, I'm just going to toss it all.

The wood I had used to build their bases also went out the side door.

I have some heavy gauge metal strapping that is often used to anchor mobile homes that I decided to hang on to. Combined with good brackets, it can make great tank mounting straps. I still have the slotted bolts and nuts for tightening them as well.

There's still some misc trash in the bus, as well as a lot of junk wiring. I'm probably going to throw out most of the wiring (speaker wiring) and save the good stuff.

I still need to scoop out the nest from the back window, and remove the cover over that area.

The exterior trim for the bus as well as all the original lights got moved over to The Stowaway.

There's a pile of junk that needs to be taken to the dump, including the RV seats.

It doesn't sound like much, and really, it isn't much. However, considering the heat and humidity, I'm pleased with the progress. Almost ready for washing.

Pictures:

jim

baadpuppy · 08-09-2009, 08:45 PM

I've had lots of questions about my plans, and finally sat down and did a very very rough "before" and "after" hand sketch of what I'm planning.

Before:

After:

Very very rough. Also, not yet set in stone (steel?). I didn't draw any windows in "after" because I'm just not sure where they will go yet. Scale is all screwed up. But, the basic concepts are there.

Oh, that funky stairstep in the bottom left corner is the engine space.

jim

Sojakai · 08-10-2009, 03:30 AM

Here is a grouping of plans that I have made, you might find them interesting. The site is free to use, you just have to sigh up so you can save your plans.

http://www.floorplanner.com//project...st_pass=yvhpnx

Fare warning, almost nothing in my plans are accurate or overly to scale. If its square, its probably 26inchs, and the bed is sized as a full sized twin.

ezbme · 08-10-2009, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sojakai

Here is a grouping of plans that I have made, you might find them interesting. The site is free to use, you just have to sigh up so you can save your plans.

http://www.floorplanner.com//project...st_pass=yvhpnx

Fare warning, almost nothing in my plans are accurate or overly to scale. If its square, its probably 26inchs, and the bed is sized as a full sized twin.

Great link & thanks!

Jonathan

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