Brian's 1991 International Thomas In Progress...

MountainPreacher · 03-05-2012, 09:18 PM

Ok so I've replaced the door with an interior wooden slab door... No windows yet but they are coming.

Finally a couple of plexiglass windows cut in with double pain layers. Later when I'm rich I'll replace this door with a steel exterior door with the window already in it.

Overlay the floor with 3/4 inch plywood screwed to the floor with self tappers.

Glue down the indoor outdoor carpet. (still need to work the seams.)

Drilled hole and fed the 50 amp power cord through from the outside.

Fastening 2x4 wood to the walls with self tappers so that later panels and other things can be added and anchored to them.

All wires were run in this low space so that later screws can be driver up higher with confidence and no risk of hitting the wires.

Panels install in progress

Looking more finished all the time. Still need to hook up all the outlet boxes and mount them solid.

Bonus photo of all the guys telling me, "I wouldn't have done it that way"

chev49 · 03-07-2012, 10:40 AM

looks good.. i thought a 541 number was for oregon only..
Caldwell idaho..
You can go up the hill and preach at the Naz church...

MountainPreacher · 03-07-2012, 12:54 PM

Totally.... 541 is Oregon, I was Pastoring a Church over in Oregon for the past 3 years. Recently asked to step down. We're in Caldwell now waiting to see what The Lord has next. I'd love to preach at the Naz church on the hill. I used to be a Naz Pastor. Having left the fold, I don't think the door would be open for me to fill in up there though. Great folks up there though, I know many of them. Thanks for the reply! Here's one more photo from yesterday's work.

So I managed to get some curtains hung today. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find enough of the right size of only 1 color of curtain in a Wal Mart! They had 3 packages of this color and 4 of that one, but nothing in the correct amount of any color I could live with. The best I could do was to get some that were way too long and I had to cut them in half... Hopefully later I can find someone who can put a hem in the bottom of these. Back to Wal Mart soon for something to cover the rear and the front windows. I'd love to hear of a great way to mount the front window curtains that allows for ease of driving and ease of privacy.

More to come soon I hope.

chev49 · 03-07-2012, 02:19 PM

If i didnt have some small dogs, i wouldn't use curtains in my bus. I would put in those window shades from wal mart that are the blinds, and can be pulled up out of the way and the cord tied. I did all my windows in my last bus that way. Even put them behind the windshields, and they worked really great. In my house, the dogs get up on a chair, and stick their heads between the blinds to look out......
As far as curtain rods, i use round rods. I have also used the long spring coiled wire in places in some of my older busses.
You might be able to get some of the stick together velcro rolls either at wal mart or the fabric shop.
As far as sewing... i went and bought a used machine at good will and learned how to sew (which doesnt take much time at all) If you do something like that, buy an really old singer machine that sews good as they have metal gears, and all they can sew is forward and back.. (I now have 5 of those gear drive machines) Sewing is way easier than all the heavy work one has to do..
hope that helps

Bullwhacker007 · 03-07-2012, 10:17 PM

If you haven't I would paint the wood door with a sealer very good and exterior pint oil base on it; if it gets wet it is going to come apart.

browncrown · 03-08-2012, 08:16 PM

"Bonus photo of all the guys telling me, "I wouldn't have done it that way"

I've heard that before too

Enjoy your build and have lot's of fun!

MikeyBskunk · 03-08-2012, 11:27 PM

Nice progress! looks cozy already haha

MountainPreacher · 03-09-2012, 05:33 PM

any electricians in the group? Does this look ok so far?

Ok, so here's the story... I went to an RV furnature store a month ago and was quoted 75$ for this used seat. I went back a couple of days ago and was quoted 25$ I pulled out my wallet and showed the sales man that I had 8$ or could use a credit card. He took the 8$ Not too bad! It reclines and slides and has arm rests! Way cool!

itsme1738 · 03-09-2012, 06:16 PM

score!!!!

gbstewart · 03-09-2012, 07:29 PM

double score!!

MountainPreacher · 03-09-2012, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chev49

If i didnt have some small dogs, i wouldn't use curtains in my bus. I would put in those window shades from wal mart that are the blinds, and can be pulled up out of the way and the cord tied. I did all my windows in my last bus that way. Even put them behind the windshields, and they worked really great. In my house, the dogs get up on a chair, and stick their heads between the blinds to look out......
As far as curtain rods, i use round rods. I have also used the long spring coiled wire in places in some of my older busses.
You might be able to get some of the stick together velcro rolls either at wal mart or the fabric shop.
As far as sewing... i went and bought a used machine at good will and learned how to sew (which doesnt take much time at all) If you do something like that, buy an really old singer machine that sews good as they have metal gears, and all they can sew is forward and back.. (I now have 5 of those gear drive machines) Sewing is way easier than all the heavy work one has to do..
hope that helps

y.
Yep, I think that's right... Blinds are definately cool. Only one problem... You've got small dogs, I've got small kids. They have ruined the blinds in every place that we've lived that has had blinds. Soooooo for the time being, we'll be much better off with curtains. I really need to learn how to run a sewing machine for sure. That's one of those skills that keep popping up now and then with a need. and I definately like the part about sewing being easier... I spent a bunch of time under the bus (no pun intended) drilling holes up through the frame mounting a home made plywood box to contain the power RV cord today. No thanks to all the metal shavings and dirt that fell on my face and tried to get to my eyes, I now have 1 box mostly built with the opening in the end rather than the outside. Later when I get a great idea for the doors on the exterior I'll add them and box in the opening I have on one end.

chev49 · 03-10-2012, 09:04 AM

doors... yeah... i must have 20 outside small doors, windows, couple of frig's, furnaces, water heaters, cabinet doors, on and on.. that will probably get scrapped instead of sold. I have scrapped 5 RV's in the last year. Maybe i should run an ad on CL.. maybe not, being the lazy guy that i am...

thommassey · 03-10-2012, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainPreacher

any electricians in the group? Does this look ok so far?

Be sure and bring that 12/2 romex you have coming up (bottom of panel) in the K.O. thru some type of romex connector. Also, the more insulation (outside jacket) you peel back off the cable inside your panel, the easier to work with it when it gets crowded in there. Good to see you using 12/2.

Don't forget to double ck all your grounding... Safety first!

thommassey · 03-10-2012, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chev49

doors... yeah... i must have 20 outside small doors, windows, couple of frig's, furnaces, water heaters, cabinet doors, on and on.. that will probably get scrapped instead of sold. I have scrapped 5 RV's in the last year. Maybe i should run an ad on CL.. maybe not, being the lazy guy that i am...

If you are in OR, I would like to help you get rid of some of that...

MountainPreacher · 03-13-2012, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thommassey

Quote:

Originally Posted by MountainPreacher

any electricians in the group? Does this look ok so far?

Be sure and bring that 12/2 romex you have coming up (bottom of panel) in the K.O. thru some type of romex connector. Also, the more insulation (outside jacket) you peel back off the cable inside your panel, the easier to work with it when it gets crowded in there. Good to see you using 12/2.

Don't forget to double ck all your grounding... Safety first!

Thank you! I definately went for some of the bigger wire on everything. What a pain that stuff is to work with thought. Very tought trying to get each wire to wrap around the screws on the receptical outlets. Of course the shallow boxes that I'm using didn't help matters any. Note to self, if I ever do this again, buy larger outlet boxes and wire a pigtale to the outlet instead of trying to hook up all 5 wires on a tiny box with that super stiff stufff.

chev49 · 03-19-2012, 01:52 PM

Klein has some great special tools like that.. they are a bit spendy, but are great qualtiy. I have used specialty tools from them since about 1982, when i did hvac work.

pipopak · 03-19-2012, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pied Typer

Get yourself one of these for bending those ends on the 12-2:

They're made by Klein Tools, the little wire nibbon that comes out of the handle near the shank is for bending the ends of wires into that perfect screw shaped hook... It may be an expensive screwdriver ($6-$9) but once you use one you'll think it was worth every penny!

Looks to me like the wire loop is not properly formed. Has a piece of insulation that will be caught under the screw head. If that is the case you will have a terminal with a possible intermittent contact, and this could be a real P.I.T.A. Don't ask.... IMHO is better to strip a longer piece and then cut off the excess from the "exit" side until you learn to eyeball them.

MountainPreacher · 03-19-2012, 08:51 PM

Genius Idea!

usmcbay · 03-19-2012, 09:50 PM

Great Thread... keep up the Photos.

MountainPreacher · 03-22-2012, 02:25 PM

Hi folks..... Got a few pieces of furnature put in today...

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