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Old 04-16-2008, 10:00 PM   #21
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Thanks for the advice, but the school district is picking most of them up. They're apparently in better shape than some of the seat cushions they already have. I'll save what I can.

Here are two more pictures. I have all the seats out except the first two! I decided to keep them for the time being until I figure out my next step.
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Old 04-18-2008, 09:54 AM   #22
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Two quick things...

First, I discovered that the transmission on this bus is NOT the 545, but the MT643! From all I can tell, that is a definite plus for me...

Second, they do not have a manual for this bus, and Blue Bird no longer supplies them. Does anyone know where I could find a service/operator's manual for this bus? Thanks in advance...
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Old 04-18-2008, 10:17 PM   #23
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Completely O/T, but check out this photo from the Traction Terminal in Indianapolis, circa 1943. Dig that crazy slider driver window on the foreground bus. That is some interesting engineering!

And here's the original link:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/3084?size=_original

Mods, If I blew the thread, I'm sorry. But this was just an exceptional photo. I thought it should be shared...
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Old 04-20-2008, 10:54 AM   #24
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Nice bus. You suck.

Now that THAT is out of the way...

Think light colors--dark will turn the bus into an oven in the summer. Mine is light gray with black trim & silver roof, and I wish I'd done the whole thing in white rather than gray.

Also, keep the rear heat...they will do nicely to warm the bus when driving in the cold weather, without burning generator fuel or propane. Also, they can act as an emergency cooling system boost if you start to run hot.
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Old 04-20-2008, 08:37 PM   #25
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Re: Bus #2... and posted floor plan (first draft)

It is noted- and logged- that I suck. I have been told this many times, so it must be true. ;)

I've been thinking colors a lot lately. I'm definitely gonna stick with the black exterior trim, but am open to any number of gray/silver colors for the body. Fortunately for me, I don't have to endure the summers that MOST of you do. The highs here rarely reach past 70, and actually, it's far more important for me to KEEP the heat, so a darker color really won't kill me. In fact, during the shoulder seasons, a darker body helps to retain heat when it's 40 or 45 outside, which it always is. On the other hand, if I get the urge to drive to Missouri in the middle of summer, then yes, that WOULD be a concern. I'm looking at popping an A/C on the roof where the exhaust fan currently resides. That would give me a bit of wiggle room. We'll see.

Listen, we get over 100 inches of rain here a year, so bright, sparkly, deadly heat is not my BIGGEST concern, if you get my drift. When it's gray, cold and rainy, you WANT the heat. And gray, cold and rainy is what I deal with probably 3/4 of the time, so my situation is a bit unique.

As for the rear heat, you have a good point, and I am seriously considering it. BUT... last night, it was about 35 outside, so I went and started the bus, turned on ONLY the little hair-dryer-shaped heater, and had the whole bus cooking at close to 70 degrees in less than a half hour. I'm leaning towards throwing out the rear heater and plumbing in a water heater with the existing coolant lines instead. I am also working on a wood-burning stove to put mid-cabin, and am trying to work out an acceptable chimney solution.

Anyway, that's where I am. A clean shell, lots of thinking while staring and drinking a few glasses of wine. I've worked up a quickie floor plan, which I'll attach to this post. This is ONLY a first draft, mind you...
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Old 04-23-2008, 09:16 PM   #26
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

I have 27' from the back of the driver's seat to the back door, and today, I started ripping up flooring.

I have wet plywood underneath, but not so bad as to make me nervous. I'm thinking that I'll let it sit for a few days and see what happens. I had pressure-washed the interior not that long ago, and I'm thinking this moisture is largely from that. I have a few high and low spots, but nothing really substantial.

The plywood itself seems fine, but the linoleum on top, and that stupid curved metal trim, was obviously blocking any drying action. So... after a few days, I should see if things start to buckle, move or warp. Does that sound like a reasonable course of action?

If things work out, I'll simply screw down the high spots, then put some kind of flooring on it. Carpet, perhaps?

Any ideas or suggestions gladly accepted...
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Old 04-24-2008, 09:22 PM   #27
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

So here's the final result after tearing everything apart...

I see one piece of plywood that absolutely HAS to be replaced, the rest look good to marginal.

Thoughts, anyone?
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Old 04-24-2008, 09:35 PM   #28
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Looks like a decent starting point on the floor plan, but do you REALLY want to step over the toilet bowl every time you go to the shower?
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Old 04-25-2008, 10:51 PM   #29
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

The plywood seems to be drying out quite nicely, and I'm not sure if it was from my pressure-washing or long-term moisture, but it seems to be OK. I still have one 4' X 38" section that is completely shot, so that lends credence to the theory that my pressure-washing wasn't the culprit. I think a few corners had some moisture for a VERY long time. Oh the plus side, my pressure-washing introduced enough moisture to make the flooring easy to pull up!

And... since it's way too cold and wet to paint, and I've already done the nasty, grungy work, I decided to start tinting windows today. I took this shot right after sunset... it should show the the black to mirror gradient film I chose. I picked the 5% (near black out) film, and am starting to think I went to dark. Ah, well, time will tell. I bought this stuff on eBay, and it seems to be a very quality product. I got 60' X 30" for $89.

Incidentally, if there is ANY job out there that makes you feel like a moron first time around, it's window tinting. Geez almightly!!! There is NO learning curve with this stuff!
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Old 04-26-2008, 11:06 PM   #30
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

I am not at all pleased with the tint thus far. Too much light is blocked out, and while that might be a bonus in Phoenix, it most definitely is not here.

Back to the drawing board, as usual. Why didn't you guys warn me that you change your mind a lot working on these machines? ;)
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Old 04-26-2008, 11:10 PM   #31
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

The windows turned out nice. I'd really think twice about pulling out that plywood. Imagine installing your furniture only to discover that your wood needs to be removed? Ugh. I pulled mine out and coated the floor with rust proofer then did the felt paper, insulation and new osb.
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Old 04-27-2008, 05:27 AM   #32
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

How long do you wanna keep this bus? Only a couple years? Then i would say forget about the plywood and just put something on top. However if this is going to be a bus that should stay with you for 10 years (10 years inst really that long) or more I would pull out the boards and do something with the metal floor. Like painting with rostoleum or Por-15 or so.
I'm sure under those boards it looks similar to what we found.


Also judging by the pictures of your inside walls I would guess that most of your windows are leaking, not visible to you but if you pull the inside panels away i make a bet that your yellow insulation is all wet and moist. And once that stuff is wet it will stay wet.
Not to discourage you but if you want it to last prep work is the most important.
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Old 04-27-2008, 10:06 PM   #33
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Woot...another Washingtonian! Yea for green slime! Nice bus...good specs; do they have any more?

Now that you've gotten a floorplan out of your head and onto paper you need to do some investigation. Print that puppy out and crawl under the bus with a tape and start figuring out what's in the way...or not.

For starters you've got the kitchen sink on the right side but the shower and bath sink on the left side. How is water going to get from the water tank to each side of the bus? How many grey water tanks are you going to have? If one, how does the waste water get from one side of the bus to the other? Is there room under the bus for the black water tank directly under (or darn close) to where the toilet is? Where are the wheelwells in relationship to the interior layout?

If someone is working in the galley is there enough room to bend over to open the oven or get into the cabinets? Is there enough room for someone to pass to get to the bathroom?

These are not critisisms at all but just thoughts and something to ponder. There are always compromises; you just have to find the ones that work for you. Have fun!
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Old 04-29-2008, 03:24 PM   #34
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Thanks to all for the great advice and thoughts. I DEFINITELY take them all to heart and am thinking things through. Unfortunately, the weather here has been so rotten, it's impossible to work on the outside, and it's so cold and wet, even working on the inside has been a pain.

Incidentally, the District has another bus for sale. It's a flat nose 1983 Blue Bird, 81 passenger cap., with a Cat 3208 and Allison 643 tranny. I've only looked at the outside, but this one definitely looks clean and nice! I was told it has under 200,000 miles. I believe they're looking at getting $3-4000 for it. If anyone is interested, let me know.
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Old 05-01-2008, 11:02 AM   #35
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Uhhh.... Houston, we have a problem.

I managed to clear this out using only my fingers and a screwdriver. Time for some new plywood, I think. On the plus side, the metal floor underneath is spotless- no rust, just nice, shiny, original paint.

And thanks again for all the suggestions, everyone. I think what I'm going to do for now is just finish the sides and floor, then worry about the walls/dividers/etc. So... some nice wood trim up to the windows, then some carpet on the floor. That should give me a chance to get a better perspective about things.
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Old 05-03-2008, 11:41 PM   #36
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Given that my climate is a lot cooler than most anyone else, and the fact that "simple is better," I'm going with a black exterior with gray/silver trim.

I've looked through the gallery a lot, and I think that black is the way to go... if you can get away with it climate-wise (and I can).

Any feedback?
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Old 05-04-2008, 03:24 AM   #37
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

I'm either doing a a deep dark blue or black as well.
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Old 05-04-2008, 03:30 AM   #38
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

Quote:
Originally Posted by wccawa
Uhhh.... Houston, we have a problem.

I managed to clear this out using only my fingers and a screwdriver. Time for some new plywood, I think. On the plus side, the metal floor underneath is spotless- no rust, just nice, shiny, original paint.

And thanks again for all the suggestions, everyone. I think what I'm going to do for now is just finish the sides and floor, then worry about the walls/dividers/etc. So... some nice wood trim up to the windows, then some carpet on the floor. That should give me a chance to get a better perspective about things.
Ahh yes, the dreaded rusty floor. I remember it well....
I used a wire wheel on my angle grinder to really get some of the rust up as well as sanding discs for it too, whew, what a mess it made! Wear goggles, eyes protection and ear plugs if you have sensitive ears. It had to look funny seeing a cloud of rust dust flowing out of my rig when I was in there. lol
Sweep and or shop vac it up afterwards and use some good anti rust paint, you may need 2 coats. I put 30# felt paper over my metal floor followed by insulation and then osb board.

Good luck!
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Old 05-06-2008, 08:19 PM   #39
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

I've pulled up the worst piece of plywood, and danged if it wasn't in pretty good shape!

One corner was rotted out, for sure, but the rest of it was in amazing condition. And looking under, I see a bit of rust, but it appears that is due to the bolts and nails going through the floor. In fact, the floor under the rotted corner had absolutely no rust whatever. Just a freshly painted surface.

Once I got the rest of it cleaned up, voila! A nice (mostly) painted surface with very little rust. So... the rest of the plywood stays. I'll replace the one bad sheet and call it good.

What is this metal under here, anyway? It looks like either tin or stainless. It look almost immaculate!
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Old 05-07-2008, 12:42 AM   #40
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Re: Bus #2... saved and with a new home

So after a year of ownership i began removing the floor--using wccawa as my inspiration (now you say you only had a bad piece of plywood and the rest of the floor is good?)

Which brings me to the question of floor removal. It's much harder work than removing the seats. I started by removing the rubber from the plywood behind the rear wheels, under the assumption that I would then remove the screws from the plywood and easily lift it up. It's a bitch to scrape the rubber up (used heat gun and chisel). Plywood was not screwed it was nailed. Screw the rubber, found a 6 foot wreccking bar and pryed up the plywood and rubber together--much quicker, though 55 year-old back has a differnt opinion.

Now throughout this operation I debated the question of to remove the floor or just get on with the conversion. My conclusion is screw the floor and get to the fun stuff. How long are you going to use the bus?

On my bus there was signifcant rust and wet plywood, though it would of worked fine for 5 plus years.

Next stop--the dump.
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