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Old 04-30-2019, 02:32 PM   #41
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It should be a tree branch in the hand.
“ Real roads real fast real men dodge tree bark. “

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Old 05-01-2019, 02:26 AM   #42
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Wow, that's one sweet welding rig!
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Old 05-01-2019, 07:55 AM   #43
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Oh yeah, the skeleton hand will be the hood ornament as soon as I find the appropriate wrench to weld in.

You need one of those mystical metric-only adjustable crescent wrenches
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Old 05-01-2019, 11:31 PM   #44
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You need one of those mystical metric-only adjustable crescent wrenches

... or a sonic screwdriver!
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Old 05-02-2019, 09:21 AM   #45
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... or a sonic screwdriver!

Do I use 3m automotive sealant or PL Premium for that crack i the universe?
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Old 05-02-2019, 09:53 AM   #46
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It can only be stitched.

Otherwise time will be messed up
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Old 05-20-2019, 01:03 PM   #47
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Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Claremont, NH
Posts: 480
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
A few more updates - worked on the sliding door between the workshop and living areas. I also installed the clear lenses for the rear lights. The wiring is easy to trace since they all have unique numbers on them.


New clear lenses for the rear spot lights.



Sliding door between the workshop and living quarters.


Sliding door, open.
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Old 05-28-2019, 05:51 AM   #48
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Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Claremont, NH
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Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
We made great progress over the weekend. Our son came over one day and my brother was here another day so we managed to get most of the 110v wiring run, some 12v lighting connected and installed the solar panels. We are now off the grid!

The folding couch/bed is almost done so once we put the floor down that go in. Then we need to finish up the cabinets and deal with the plumbing system.

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Old 06-04-2019, 08:23 AM   #49
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Chassis: International 3800
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Well, I changed the oil on the rig this past weekend. Easy to do, but next time I will remember to crank the wheels all the way left beforehand. This will give me better access to the oil filter.
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Old 06-11-2019, 07:30 AM   #50
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Location: Claremont, NH
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Year: 2003
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
Made progress on the plumbing drain system (sink, shower, urine line from composting toilet and wash-up sink in the workshop). This coming weekend we should get the water heater installed (on-demand propane) and the supply side of the plumbing done. My wife is also working on getting the curtains cut and sewn for the windows.
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Old 06-26-2019, 06:42 PM   #51
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Location: Claremont, NH
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Year: 2003
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
Will try to get some updated pictures soon. The supply side for the plumbing is in as is the water heater. Had lots of fun drilling a 4.5" hole in the roof for the vent.... The wood floor is in too. Hoping to take it up north (in NH) for a rallysprint in a week so we should have all the major systems operational by then.

Fortunately our summer jobs are less demanding (time-wise) than during the school year so we have some extra hours each day to throw at the bus.
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Old 07-11-2019, 11:22 AM   #52
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Location: Claremont, NH
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Year: 2003
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
Made our first real trip with the bus this past weekend. Went up through Franconia Notch with it and stayed the night in a Wal Mart parking lot. It was for a rallysprint up in Dalton, NH but everything worked fine. We have the state title inspection scheduled for the 24th so hopefully we can get rid of the commercial plates then.
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Old 07-11-2019, 11:29 AM   #53
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Made our first real trip with the bus this past weekend. Went up through Franconia Notch with it and stayed the night in a Wal Mart parking lot. It was for a rallysprint up in Dalton, NH but everything worked fine. We have the state title inspection scheduled for the 24th so hopefully we can get rid of the commercial plates then.
Congrats on a successful shake down cruise!
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Old 07-11-2019, 12:59 PM   #54
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Made our first real trip with the bus this past weekend. Went up through Franconia Notch with it and stayed the night in a Wal Mart parking lot. It was for a rallysprint up in Dalton, NH but everything worked fine. We have the state title inspection scheduled for the 24th so hopefully we can get rid of the commercial plates then.
Oh yeah, actual going and getting there.
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Old 07-16-2019, 06:21 PM   #55
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Pictures!

Here is some of the work that has occupied our lives for the last few weeks:





We still need to finish up the propane plumbing which will give us hot water. The bathroom needs more than a curtain for a door and we plan to pop up a wall behind the driver/passenger seats. I also have to build the benches in the workshop.
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Old 07-24-2019, 03:45 PM   #56
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Location: Claremont, NH
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT466E (195hp, 520tq)
We had our appointment for title re-assignment this morning. The process involved handing over my licence and title form to the inspector and a quick walk around the bus to make sure all the markings and upper lights were gone. He then hopped up into the bus, said it looks like we did a lot of work on it, commented on the wood ceiling and said everything looks fine. That's it....! We plan to get it registered next week with a GVW of 25.9k and regular passenger plates. Glad that process is over!
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Old 07-24-2019, 03:57 PM   #57
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Year: 1990
Coachwork: Thomas 4 window w/lift
Chassis: G30~Chevy cutaway
Engine: 5.7/350 Chevy Vortec
Rated Cap: Just me and my "stuff"?
Congrats on the DMV business! It can be stressful and expensive if one is not fully prepared for the conversion work necessary to get through the process.
Did they assign a new VIN/decal, or simply use the existing factory VIN?

What stove/oven combo are you using? From the pics, it seems to be just about the right size for my bus when I get to that point in the build...
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Old 07-24-2019, 04:06 PM   #58
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Congrats on the DMV business! It can be stressful and expensive if not fully prepared for the conversion work necessary to get through the process.
Did they assign a new VIN/decal, or simply use the existing factory VIN?

What stove/oven combo are you using? From the pics, it seems to be just about the right size for my bus when I get to that point in the build...
We keep the International VIN with a model number of 3800.

The stove/oven is a Camp Chef. We bought it from our local Runnings store, but they are available elsewhere. Even though it has 'outdoor use only' all over it, we figure with CO and smoke detectors and maybe making sure a window or two is open, it should be fine.

https://www.runnings.com/camp-chef-d...l?v=2019.05.20
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Old 07-24-2019, 04:34 PM   #59
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Year: 1990
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Chassis: G30~Chevy cutaway
Engine: 5.7/350 Chevy Vortec
Rated Cap: Just me and my "stuff"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ermracing View Post
We keep the International VIN with a model number of 3800.

The stove/oven is a Camp Chef. We bought it from our local Runnings store, but they are available elsewhere. Even though it has 'outdoor use only' all over it, we figure with CO and smoke detectors and maybe making sure a window or two is open, it should be fine.

https://www.runnings.com/camp-chef-d...l?v=2019.05.20
Thanks Dave.
That looks perfect, and it's compact size should fit neatly in my shorty!
Where is Runnings? I'm sure I could order it from them online if too far to visit in person...
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Old 07-24-2019, 06:25 PM   #60
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the most important thing for controlling the amount of heat, or the length of time a fire burns, is the draft - for best control of the draft you need a cast iron door with a threaded draft control - the door opening should be framed with sturdy steel plate on it's edge - the cast iron door is hinged off the plate and closes onto the edge of the plate - both the heavy plate on edge and the cast iron door are to prevent warping from the heat the tight seal of the door and the threaded draft control, if working properly could actually put the fire out ) even a chimney fire can be extinguished ) by shutting the draft down completely - in my own stove, I can get 12 hours of burn from 2 sticks of firewood which gives off enough heat to take the chill out of my house during fall weather - an arm full of wood will give me an 8 hour burn on a snowy winter day - if the door of the wood burning heater is not cast iron and the draft is not a screw type, the stove will be inefficient
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