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Old 07-30-2015, 06:38 AM   #81
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Location: Tomball, TX
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I've been working on the bus more this week. I patched the last of the big holes with the tiger fuzz then bought some silicone to plug the little nail/bolt holes. Last night I sprayed a can of rubberized undercoating on one section of the floor. I'm gonna see how well it set tonight. If it all looks good I'll spray the rest of the floor.

As a little side note: PPE is important. I bought this little mask because I thought the fumes from the spray would be pretty bad. I couldn't smell any of the spray with the mask on.
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Silicone Pox.jpg   Tiger Fuzz.jpg   undercoating.jpg   Spray Floor.jpg   Walter White.JPG  


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Old 08-01-2015, 10:08 AM   #82
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I've been able to push up my schedule by postponing or eliminating things on my wish list. I decided not to tear out the interior sheet metal for now. I'm also gonna postpone the installation of tanks until the spring.
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Old 08-01-2015, 11:12 AM   #83
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A lot of times you have to re-plan and change directions, but you'll get there...keep up the good work.
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Old 08-01-2015, 12:48 PM   #84
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
IMO it's still hard to beat a four pound hammer and a long, 1 inch cold chisel with a hand guard to bust rivets.

Or a decent air hammer with a flat chisel.

On the rub rails I found the walls moved and flexed too much for the hammering. So I used a cobalt bit to drill the centers out of the rivets. Only a few seconds on each one.

Step bits are useless for this application. They would also be a waste, as you would only be wearing out the tip.

I had a steady hand so I had no need for the center punch until after the rivet head was drilled off.

I have a plasma, but would never use it for this application. Way to messy and dangerous. And I'm not a fan of breathing vaporized metal and paint.

Nat
If the rivet has a mandrel in the center you'll need a punch.
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Old 08-01-2015, 03:35 PM   #85
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
If the rivet has a mandrel in the center you'll need a punch.
Yes and no.

It fully depends on the drill being used, and the skill level of the user.

After some practice , I found myself no longer needing the punch.

Nat
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Old 08-03-2015, 06:20 AM   #86
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I made some more progress this weekend. I installed the insulation and flooring. I also ran a 2x4 stud horizontally along the walls at the floor. I framed around the wheel wells with 2x2s. I started framing the dining area, but it was toward the end of the day and I was tired. The warped 2x2s were frustrating so I decided to pack up and call it a day. I probably drank over a gallon of water/powerade yesterday. It was 100+ degrees (38 for the metrically inclined).
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Old 08-03-2015, 06:30 AM   #87
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Congratulations on getting that much finished. I sometimes think we should be considering safety when working on a bus alone in these temps. A friend once went out to an enclosed trailer used for storage to do inventory. He was late for break so someone checked on him and found him sitting on the doorway of the trailer, too weak from the heat.
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Old 08-03-2015, 06:45 AM   #88
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Agreed- I was at a junkyard impound lot stripping out an RV a couple months ago and I had to lie down in the shade between junk vehicles for a good 20 minutes. I almost passed out from heat/exhaustion. It was really scary.
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Old 08-03-2015, 06:46 AM   #89
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
Yes and no.

It fully depends on the drill being used, and the skill level of the user.

After some practice , I found myself no longer needing the punch.

Nat
The hardened steel mandrels in mine would eat your drill bits for breakfast.
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Old 08-03-2015, 11:16 AM   #90
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I just think using the punch to start is simple insurance. It only takes a second and I can punch a bunch in no time.
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Old 08-03-2015, 11:40 AM   #91
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EastCoastCB was recommending using something like a roll pin punch aka drift (a nail set actually worked well for me..) for popping the mandrel out of the center of blind aka pop rivets. It might not be necessary, but to me it seemed I could knock those mandrels out with a hammer faster than I could drill them out even with a fresh drill.
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:29 AM   #92
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I was having trouble uploading some pics yesterday, so here's what I've done. Don't worry about how ugly some of that looks near the wheel well. That's all gonna be covered up. There's only one seam of wood where the flooring is gonna go, and that's pretty and level.
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Old 08-10-2015, 11:54 AM   #93
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I didn't get too much done this weekend. I framed up the passenger seating area over the front passenger side wheel well. I had some leftover OSB from the floor and just threw it on there to see how sturdy it was. It's pretty sturdy. It seemed pretty stout with 280 pounds of me jumping on it.

It's framed in 2x2s using those little metal L-brackets I found in the hardware store. The screws attaching the vertical support studs to the horizontal studs on the floor are a bit longer than the 2x2 is wide, so they're also anchored to the floor. I'm considering adding a support anchored to the wall and running perpendicular to it in order to make it a little more rigid in that plane, but after jumping up and down on it, I'm not sure if it's necessary. It'll also be a bit more rigid in that plane once the wood is screwed to it.

The next steps are to install the air conditioner and start thinking about electrical. This week I'll probably order the electrical box and frame up the bedside table that's gonna hold the electrical box. Hopefully I can get some help with the A/C sometime soon.

I'm having a little trouble uploading a picture of the passenger seat. I'll try again later.
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Old 08-11-2015, 12:16 PM   #94
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I had some trouble uploading the picture yesterday. Here's what I've got for the passenger seat platform.
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Old 08-17-2015, 06:34 AM   #95
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Last week I added a bedside table that'll hold my electrical box. I may get that ordered this week and start running electrical. I need to find a good place to put my battery. I was pretty impressed with how stout that table is. I've been using a lot of those L-brackets.
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Old 08-31-2015, 07:07 AM   #96
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I did a little more work this weekend. My sister came on friday to help me build the dining area. I was pretty impressed with how sturdy the 2x2s are. I built a little hatch for the seat that's over the wheel well. That's some pretty substantial storage. I suppose I'll use it for bus stuff (fluids/tools/etc). my wife came on sunday and helped me construct a drawer for under one of the dining benches. We got a lot of the drawer built, but I underestimated the amount of material I'd need, so we decided to call it a day.

The dining area seats make pretty good sawhorses.

Also, working from sunrise until noon is pretty nice. Maybe even a little chilly for late August in Texas.

Labor day weekend I'm planning on getting some people together to help me install my air conditioner. I also think that under the dining table would be a good place to put the electrical box. There's a bit of dead space behind the drawer that's a little too small for a hatch, but just about the right size for the electrical box. I'm gonna go this week to see if I can find a box at the local RV parts store. Depending on price, I may just order one online.
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Old 08-31-2015, 07:15 AM   #97
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You don't have to use things made for an RV, which are generally made of plastic and more expensive than an equivalent home construction item. Especially if you are shopping at an "RV" store.
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Old 09-06-2015, 10:34 AM   #98
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On Thursday I went to the RV store and Lowe's to pick up some goodies. I got a 30A cord, an adapter so I could plug into the 20A circuit I'll be plugged in to this winter. I also got a plastic cable feed through and a city water connection. I priced the Dometic 310, but amazon had it cheaper with free shipping. They wouldn't price match. They didn't have any hot water heaters or electrical boxes in stock either. After the RV store I went to Lowe's and picked up a small household circuit breaker box. I decided that'd be easier for now and I don't have to worry about the converter/battery/fuses yet. I decided to go with 12 gauge wire on all the 120V, so I bought 100' of that. The box came with three 20A breakers. I picked up another few 15A breakers. I also picked up a GFCI socket and an outdoor socket for my GFCI circuit I'll run in the bathroom/kitchen/outside.

Friday I went to the ReStore and found some pretty awesome stuff. I picked up two sets of drawers that'll be perfect for bedside tables. I also picked up some boards that'll make some good drawers for under the dining area. There were some drawers that looked like they'd go well under the bed, so I picked them up too. ReStore is nice. I should buy more stuff there. They've got a shower pan that may fit well. I'll probably get a bathroom sink there too. I'm not sure if I should buy the electrical stuff new, but they've got a lot of 15A outlets for cheap.

Friday night my father-in-law came over and we started working on getting the air conditioner hole cut. We borrowed the forklift from our storage unit and he hoisted me on to the roof to draw the outline of the 14.25" +/- 0.125" square opening. We decided that it's probably better to put it in the front of the bus and use a fan to push the air to the back of the bus if we need to. I might get a portable A/C for the bedroom if that isn't enough. Friday night we were able to drill the corners out of the hole before it got dark. We decided to save the rest of the hole for saturday.

On Saturday we stopped off and bought some acetone and aluminum tape before heading over to the bus. My father-in-law had some 2” steel square tubing that he brought to put between the roof and ceiling to keep the A/C from deforming it. We cut the rest of the hole out. One of us was underneath with a piece of wood applying pressure to keep things steady while the other cut it with the sawsall. We cut down the square tubing so it’d fit between the roof and ceiling then we riveted them into place. We ran the wiring between the ceiling and roof to the nearest window. I’ll run the wire down a channel between the windows. We left enough slack that it’ll reach just about anywhere in the bus. I’m not too sure where I’ll be putting the electrical box yet. Around that time my wife showed up and we started taping the opening with aluminum tape. I’m glad I bought 100’ because we used a lot of tape. Me and my wife set the A/C on the roof and with a little bit of dimensional readjustment to the opening with a hammer it fit perfectly. We attached the bottom part of the air conditioner so the gasket would seal then decided to call it a day. We’ll have to wire it up and install the plastic control panel later.

I guess now I’ve got to get the toilet ordered. I’ll build the bed soonish. My sister may come help with that next week. I’ll have to start doing the rough plumbing and electrical too. I’m not sure where I’m gonna put the electrical box. I’ll have to figure that out soon.
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Old 09-06-2015, 10:38 AM   #99
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Here are some of the pictures from our air conditioning adventure:
Attached Thumbnails
acbox.JPG   forklift.JPG   bar.jpg   brace.jpg   holebrace.JPG  

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Old 09-06-2015, 10:39 AM   #100
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Working on a bus indoors.

No fair.

Keep the pics coming.

Nat
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