Buscapades

[FuzzWantsABus]

Originally Posted by Versatile

How come i can't see the photos?

As to the photos....I have no idea why they don't work. If you right click, and choose "open photo in a new tab," it seems to open just fine.

[FuzzWantsABus]

Originally Posted by WanderWoman

I saw that on Pinterest the other day, but can't find it... but I did find this blog, apparently written by a cat, LOL. And they have some ideas on there for a cat box place and other cool stuff. Bus Renovations: A Cat’s Purrrfect RV Litter Box | Technomadia

Sandi

This is awesome! I'm definitely going to keep this in mind. I had been thinking about the venting myself, so it's good to know that others have found ways to do it.

[FuzzWantsABus]

Gosh what a relief to be home. I didn't even mind having to shovel a foot of snow out of the driveway before I could get Buscapades into the yard. She fits better than I expected, and is now all settled in so that the real work can begin! So excited.

Also....Anyone know why the photos won't link? They're in Google photos. Too big, maybe?

Anyway, if you right click, and click "open in new tab," they seem to open fine.

[WanderWoman]

Glad you made it home safe!

[FuzzWantsABus]

Originally Posted by WanderWoman

Glad you made it home safe!

Me too! Thanks.

I had to work my real job today, but hopefully tomorrow if I get off on time, I'll take some overall pics of the bus, and some of the smaller issues I've found thus far.

[FuzzWantsABus]

It wasn't a big start, but it was a start. I got a bunch of photos taken today, mostly trying to document her overall condition, and things that will need to be fixed. Some small amounts of rust, nowhere important. Small dings, also nowhere important. All the cargo bays are locked, and can't be opened. I guess I'll have to drill out the locks?

I got all the benches out today before I ran out of light. Hopefully tomorrow I can get to grinding. I've never done it before, so hopefully it'll go ok. I'm a little concerned about how to get the bolts out of the chair rail, since they're down in a channel and harder to get at. We'll see!

All photos are here.

Some selections (I started using Photobucket, I hope this works):

[GreyCoyote]

We found the magic answer for getting those seat rail bolts out quickly is this: put a deep socket on an extension attached to an impact. With a big screwdriver have Friend pry back the seat foam from the wall and stick the socket/impact onto the rail bolt from the top. Now you crawl underneath and stick a combination wrench on the nut while holding it on with just a finger. Have Friend spin it with the impact from above. The combo wrench only turns until it hits the wall and then the nut unscrews. No muscle needed, just fingertip pressure to keep the combo wrench from dropping off the nut and the impact does the hard part. The whole thing just falls off when its done. Lather, rinse, repeat, eject seat.

[FuzzWantsABus]

Ha! Good to know! Alas, no friend. But I bet I can rig something up to do that myself, it'll only just take a little more time. My limited tools aren't really up to the ginormous task of the bus......All that means is I need to make a trip to HF!

[FuzzWantsABus]

So I went and got more toolz. Still don't have it quite right, but I'm getting closer. I'm still taking seats out. I decided to take some pics of stuff that I haven't really seen, but it's stuff that seems silly (but answers questions I asked myself before I got started).

How do the seats attach to the chair rail? Two bolts, in a u-channel, which means you need an extension on your socket wrench.


How do the seats attach to the floor? Two bolts on each of two legs at the aisle.


What does it look like when you take a seat out? Messy.


How long does it take one person to take a seat out? About 15 minutes. In an hour, two seats and the two front dividers. I hope that the right adapter for my hammer drill will cut that time in half.

[Rameses]

How had I not found this before now?!

You told me you were going to post about your trip back with it, but I never thought to look in this part of the forum. Haha.

Don't drill your locks out! If you look on the lock right next to where the key slides into the lock, there'll be a few numbers and letters which identify the key that goes to the lock. A little digging on the internet and most of the time you can procure a new key for around 10 bucks for those kind of locks.

You mentioned an adapter for a hammer drill... hopefully you're talking about an impact driver? (Impact drivers hammer in a rotational direction, while a hammer drill hammers in and out longitudinally while spinning at a constant speed. Hammer drills are great for drilling in concrete and other masonry, impact drivers are great for breaking loose and tightening nuts and bolts. A hammer drill won't do you much good with a socket attached to it though.)

Glad you got back home safely! That weather could've made things bad!