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Old 05-23-2015, 09:17 AM   #1
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Cricket - 1983 GMC / Shorty

Yes - Diary for the bus - so far I had been using Facebook but my non-mechanic/hacker friends who see only the end result and can't just rejoice in the process are going to slowly loathe me more and more as problems are discovered, boggled and yelled at, knuckles are broken and progress is made. I can't help myself, I have to post this stuff somewhere.


I am calling the bus 'Cricket,' because it makes some -uncanny- cricket chirping noises when it is at highway speed. Coqui frogs come close but they are less familiar to me than crickets and I don't think I could tell the difference in a blind test ... I hope this is a fluke and doesn't represent some mechanical problem that is going to compel me to rename the bus later once it is isolated and fixed. Not building a sports-car here, I can listen to some chirping while I get from place to place. Plus it came equipped with a -really loud- stereo.

This is where it started - filled with someone elses campsite and no shortage of dust, mouse-nests and no doubt a 'healthy,' amount of hantavirus.

Overall on day-2 of work - after the demolition I'll probably have to relax for a while and either look for tools to borrow or wait for another payday ';) Just going to catch up really quick here...
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:23 AM   #2
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Bus Kludge #1

Bus Kludge #1


Removing the mid-chassis heater.

(re: it's worth saving, yeah - it is an awesome heater, but ..
I sleep better in the very very cold (no joke, I would rather use a down-blanket in -20 than sleep naked over 70, any day. Currently sleeping at 40 degrees in a thin cotton blanket and want to recover the floor-space.)


For some reason it didn't occur to me that these hoses were for fluid and not air. Duh. Lost and splashed myself with about a half of gallon of somewhat hot coolant before figuring out I could pipe the feeder hose back onto the return hose.

I'll move the refit under the hood later today I think - depending on air-temp and floor-scraping progress. No kidding about the dust and hantavirus, every piece of facade on the interior needs to be removed and cleaned thoroughly. Trying to borrow a power-washer.
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:23 AM   #3
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very cool little bus.
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:26 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rhoyerboat View Post
No kidding about the dust and hantavirus, every piece of facade on the interior needs to be removed and cleaned thoroughly. Trying to borrow a power-washer.
Ain't that the truth. I've been going through 11 years of kludge pulling the seats out of my bus.

And don't forget to check for leaks in the roof.
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:30 AM   #5
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Bus Kludge #2

Bus Kludge #2

... the back-door-open buzzer.

Who designed this buzzer? I am guessing it was a very old Beethoven because it is so grating you don't need any kind of functional hearing to understand that clearly, the back-door is open, the sky is falling and that you have gone completely insane. Also that it is time to wake up and you don't want to go to school and that a dentist is giving you a root-canal, right now!

I don't think this will ever get re-attached, bus has loud stereo and I would like to enjoy it outside with the back door open.

I would like to be able to attach the other buzzer (does this model have an air-buzzer? not sure what that is,) to engine-running only circuits - leaving that one for later. Dash re-assembly is scary but it is going to have to happen ..
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Old 05-23-2015, 12:41 PM   #6
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Be careful with the wires. Don't just cut them. Some have an ignition cutoff.
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:30 PM   #7
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For some reason it didn't occur to me that these hoses were for fluid and not air. Duh. Lost and splashed myself with about a half of gallon of somewhat hot coolant before figuring out I could pipe the feeder hose back onto the return hose.

That hot coolant is ANTIFREEZE and very appealing to animals and also very poisonous. If you have pets do whatever you can to soak up what may have gone to ground. Hosing down with water will not get rid of it.

While on the subject....the above has been discussed many times here, checking and reading first may have eliminated you having the mess.

If you are unsure about undertaking a project, read first & ask questions. Some things you do wrong could cause you major problems.

I have seen many people ask the same question over and over and over again, to the point that one person even said "Here we go again". But, you know what? As many times as the same question has been asked there always is someone willing to take time to answer.

That question and answer could possibly save your life.
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