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Old 11-10-2007, 09:46 PM   #1
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Year: 1985
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Finally Starting to get to work

Hey all.

Had my bus for about a month now, but been busy with family and things so no real headway made, but now things are slowing down so more time to spend.

She is a 1985 IH S1800 with a 9 liter with AT545. Mechanically in great shape, but body is needing a little care. All seats are out, and floor is about 3/4 removed with very little rust there. There is some rust on the steps, but wire brushed it, painted with Rustoleum, and going to fab me some new steps out of some flat sheet I've got laying around and weld in tomorrow. Also going ot weld in the rear upper flashers and bondo them out smooth.

Got a question, did most of you replace all your insulation? The wall stuff is going for sure, but since for the first year or so this will be a camping "home" wasn't sure on replacing the ceiling insulation. We've got land in Missouri so will be going out there for the summer to clear and work it and staying in the bus under a large tarp, so should I go ahead and pull the panels and replace everything?

After I finish the floor, going to tint and then body work and paint.

Then sit down with the wife and figure out what we want to do next.

Oh, any ideas on where I can get some new window weather stripping, the stuff the keeps the glass from rattling and leaking? Is carpenter the best place or is there an after-market somewhere.

Thanks for all the info

Joseph




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Old 11-11-2007, 04:53 PM   #2
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph97297

Got a question, did most of you replace all your insulation? The wall stuff is going for sure, but since for the first year or so this will be a camping "home" wasn't sure on replacing the ceiling insulation. We've got land in Missouri so will be going out there for the summer to clear and work it and staying in the bus under a large tarp, so should I go ahead and pull the panels and replace everything?

After I finish the floor, going to tint and then body work and paint.

Then sit down with the wife and figure out what we want to do next.
It's good that you're planning on doing the foundation type work first. I found it to be the least pleasurable and the most menial of the work I did, but it made everything else go so much smoother and I know it is going to last.

As for insulation...I left mine alone as I don't do any winter camping and during the summer I don't spend that much time IN the bus. I did insulate my floor, however. My ceiling panels were not coming off by any normal human effort and they used phillips head screws. Your mileage may vary, but please document how you do it to help others out along the way.

For the lower part of the walls up to the windows I think you could just frame it out an inch and a half or so (the width of the seat rail) and use rigid foam insulation in there. No, it might not be the MOST complete way to do it, but it should work just fine and it will leave you with a nice surface to panel or whatever. I furred my wall out like that to the level of the seat rail and made panels for it behind which I run my wiring and plumbing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph97297
Oh, any ideas on where I can get some new window weather stripping, the stuff the keeps the glass from rattling and leaking? Is carpenter the best place or is there an after-market somewhere.
Good question! Mine leak just a little too above the driver's window in front, but it doesn't bother me much. Carpenter isn't going to do you much good because they are now defunct. I know Crown by Carpenter used the old Carpenter tooling for the most part. Maybe the stuff is pretty generic and any medium duty truck or auto parts place can help you out? Let us know.
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Old 11-11-2007, 07:35 PM   #3
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Well, got a little more done today, the front right has been painted with the first coat and took down the rear roof panel to take a look. It was held on with about a hundred or so "Tee-Star" Torx screws. Wasn't that bad as the cordless took care of most of them, same with the back panel access. Going to cut out some square panels then tack and weld them over those holes. Thought about placing spotlights or something another in there, but decided to just cover them over. Any ideas on that or is that what most of you did or are planning to do?

Insulation was fine, and still debating as to replace it with the new double sided stuff, then foam board or just leave it be. I'll be musing over that tonight. Had to get access to work on a dent on right rear upper roof (you can see if forming right before the brace in the picture and heads down over the flashers.


Well, had to run to my dad's to pick up my welder he borrowed and that took most of the day sitting around there, so not much work was done as far as the fab and welds. But got my metal and brake ready so I can just bend and go. We'll be anchoring down some wood later on in the process, so just covering it to shore it up a little.

Gotta get busy on it this week but will have plenty of time next week since the kids and wife are out of school for Turkey time.

Here is a shot of the painted area, and I know, should clean up some, but that is what down time is for.



Well, off to bed, going to get up early tomorrow for daughter fun day (going to the library to get something to fill in the time...)

Joseph
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Old 11-11-2007, 08:22 PM   #4
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Your tools > My tools

Yep, I'm jealous of anyone that has a REAL welder and a brake. The brake is what really gets me.

You've just earned some high expectations for this project.
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Old 11-12-2007, 11:23 AM   #5
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Hey Joseph, on my Carpenter, the main source of the rattles was my emergency windows. I used some regular foam tape from Home Depot to tighten them up. I'm rattle free now!
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Old 11-12-2007, 02:12 PM   #6
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

The rattle isn't that bad, just wanted to replace the seal around them after I tinted them. Figured that since I was having them out anyway, was going to kill two birds with the one stone. Looking for that rectangle piece of solid strip (like a U channel) but no luck, anybody have ideas or just put the old stuff back on and quite nit picking?

As far as the tools go, my dad is a machinist at Georgia Pacific and so when all of their tools come up for replacement, I am always there at the guard gate slipping a 20 to Jonas so he can check the back of the building for what they have. Gotten my diesel gen/welder, tons of scrap tubing and angle iron, stainless, and about everything else you can think of. Air tools, boxes, etc they let it all go. Once it is off Don's manifest and inventory list, me and my dad load it up for the trip home. Don does ask that around this time of the year I fry him two turkeys but a small price to pay. Besides, I will always go back to my roots and use a 2x4 with a piece of flat bar for a perfect metal shaper if it is easier.

Hopefully tonight I'll get to bend and weld, and finish up the floor with the paint. Then will be looking to weld up the flashers, front and rear and bondo them. Going to pressure wash my rims and put some paint on them this week, so I can at least tell the wife I have started painting the exterior....

Take it easy
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Old 11-12-2007, 07:59 PM   #7
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Well, didn't get to weld tonight, but did fab out my parts and will get pictures in the daylight for you all tomorrow. Managed to take off 5 more roof panels. Sat down and decided to replace the insulation and this allows me to get a look at the roof from the belly and see any problems. So far, none to report, looks to be in good shape. Will get a better look tomorrow in the sunlight.

Took out 127 screws per panel (my son helped out on that part) then the insulation. Don't know if we will be putting the panels back up or hoisting some wood in place and possible use the panels for some fab on the underbelly storage. Also looked at skinning a few of the windows in the rear where the "beds" will go.

Didn't get to paint either due to a late start. Probably will hold off on the painting until this Saturday when I have some daylight and can do other things after laying down the heavy coat.

Well, off to bed for me. Early morning tomorrow again. Going to pick up a tiller for the wife and have to run by the library, yeah, supposed to go that way today, but forgot about the holiday.

Take it easy

joseph
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Old 11-12-2007, 08:51 PM   #8
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Oh nooooooo!!!! Don't skin those windows! Just paint them black from the inside and put up your wall on the other side. Put some insulation in between. That's just a personal preference though. I'm not crazy about the skinned over window look. I tinted some of my windows and painted some. I used 20% tint. Looking at the bus from the outside, you can't tell which ones are tinted and which ones are painted. See the picture below.

What kind of welder do you have? I bought a Lincoln Weld Pak 175HD earlier this year for my school bus project. So far, all I have used it for was to modify my drivers seat mount so that I could attach a Bonneville seat! It's a 220V wire feed welder. I bought it at the Home Depot. I'm very pleased with it. I will be using it for a lot of other stuff once I get busy building on the inside of the bus.
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Old 11-14-2007, 07:38 PM   #9
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Well, starting taking down the rest of the roof panels and the sides. Decided to take it down to complete nothing and will spray the inside, roof, walls and floor with the rustoleum. Glad that I started removing the side panels, the insulation was wet, not much, just the lower portion, the rest was rather dry and in good shape for it being 22 years old or so. Got a question, is there anyway to remove the lower 6-8 inches of the wall panels?

Will I gain anything by removing this other than the fact that I can just run wood straight up the wall in one piece? Is this a structural design? Can I just sawzall or grind it out? Has anyone else removed this or am I just being anal?

Also, I am wondering if I should leave the 12 volt wires, the large black set that ran back to the flashers in order to utilize it or just remove it and run new lines? I personally like to reuse anything I can, just the way I was brought up. Any suggestions?

Will post some pictures tomorrow. Wanted to get out there and snap some today but the wee little one had a fever and boy was she grumpy. SO we stayed inside mostly, but I did learn what Blue's favorite book is.....(don't ask).

Going to remove the front "coolant" heater and do away with it. I just figured that I'd be better off replacing it with a new one before I go building around it and then have it burst or just up and quit. Right now, don't really plan to do much camping or traveling in the old girl until middle of next year, so I'm going to take my time and break her down to the bare shell and rebuild it from there.

Any ideas on rather to replace the metal sides with wood (due to the metal on metal facts) or should I put the metal back on then just screw my wood to them?

As far as the windows, going to leave them as is, put the darkest tint on the rear 5, then lighter on the rest.

As you can see, going to be a long project, but am certainly enjoying every minute of it. Sold my 1966 Fury 3 a few months ago, then got the bus, so this is my new ride to play with.

Thanks to all who offer advice, because I really need it. SO let me have those ideas, plus the wife is thinking of a name, so as soon as she tells me what to call the old bus, I'll post it here.

Pictures will be up tomorrow, maybe in the evening, but they will be here.

Many Thanks

Joseph
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Old 11-14-2007, 08:49 PM   #10
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

I don't have my bus here to look at, but the metal down by the floor looked difficult to remove if I remember correctly. I'm leaving it all in the bus. It will all be covered eventually. Best I could tell, it was only there to support the seats. I'm leaving mine in the bus and then putting wood on top of that.

I removed the rear coolant heater. I will probably remove the front one eventually too. But I'm going to wait until I get an alternate source of heat in the bus.

I had an old Trans Am that I sold. I was never going to fix that thing up. The bus is a lot more interesting project and it will serve a purpose eventually!
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Old 11-15-2007, 04:30 PM   #11
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Here are some pics of our work








As you can see, that insulation isn't the best in the world.

Going to run a wire brush with vacuum over it to remove the fine stuff, then get ready to spray.

Gotta run, going to pick up a stainless steel sink off of freecycle for the bus.

Going to take some pictures this weekend and photoshop them to get an idea of color scheme, right now looking at an orange/sand color scheme.

Thanks

Joseph
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Old 11-15-2007, 09:32 PM   #12
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

While you have all of those ceiling panels off, you should remove all of the unnecessary wiring. I did this in my bus. Maybe even run some conduit so you can run wires later. I removed the wires to the speakers, flashers, and the emergency window and door buzzers. It sure simplified all of the crap in that little control box. I'm going to totally rebuild my drivers area from the ground up. Should be interesting!
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Old 11-16-2007, 09:41 AM   #13
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

So would it be better to just run new 12 volt line, since the old stuff is over 20 years old? Or just re-use that existing wire? Still have a few more panels on roof and side to take off, taking a while because I let my son take out as many as he can before he gives out, gotta get him interested in something.

My bus doesn't have the emergency window but yeah, I will be disconnecting that back door buzzer. Saw a post on here about modifying a lock for the back, anybody done that recently? Any ideas?

so tonight we start looking at removing the heater up front. Any advice on that? From what I have read and looked at, I'll turn off the valve up front then start disassembling the heater. Going to save most of it, probably for use doing something else but is there anything in particular I should look out for? Got a 6 gallon shop-vac so hopefully I don't lose more than that on coolant.

Then depending on how long that takes, finish the removal of panels and insulation stripping. Knowing me, it'll take all evening to remove the heater, cause that is how it always runs.

My son wants to try his hand at spraying and since he is off this week, thought about removing the rub rails that I can, the ones not riveted on but screwed, having him paint them in the shop. Our plan is for a two tone scheme with the rails a tone lighter to help break up that much of one paint color. Using rustoleum limits our color choice but from what I understand it is pretty durable for the price. Any ides on to clear coat or not?

Well, off to the parts place, my run around truck is acting up and I think the alternator is heading south, but only sporadically. Crank it up, pull the negative cable (shade tree quick exam) and it runs fine, so maybe the voltage reg (83 Nissan pickup). Aahh, what would life be like without problems? Probably a whole lot more fun....

Cheers, Joseph
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Old 11-16-2007, 12:53 PM   #14
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

I saved all of the wire I pulled out of my bus. I figure it will come in handy later. I'm going to rig up a new stereo system. I have about 150 feet of speaker wire. But if you don't need flashing lights on the back, then you can remove those wires.
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Old 11-20-2007, 03:08 PM   #15
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Hello to all.

Finally a little down time. My Honey Do list seems to grow longer per second, so not much time to breath, or so it seems.

Doing a little work on the bus and will get pictures up later tonight.

Quick question, any difference in the Rustoleum professional versus the "Stop Rust" standard? Wife likes one of the "regular" colors better, but unsure if the professional will be more durable or is it the same general stuff?

Thanks
Joseph
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Old 11-21-2007, 08:55 PM   #16
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Keep us posted
My bus is a 12 window, 87 IH, so I am really digging your pictures and your progress.
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Old 11-22-2007, 04:23 PM   #17
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Well, got some more pics here. Haven't really had time to do a lot since wife and kids were on vacation...but will be heading out there tonight, if that turkey sandwich stops calling my name.



Side view of panels removed. Started painting the floor a while ago, but decided that once we remove all the insulation, going to spray the whole interior with the rustoleum.



Drivers area, got seat out and have to figure out what to do with that heater body. Any ideas? Removed the long blower that went down the drive side.



My primary two helpers....yah, I guess I can call them that. William, the oldest and then Wesley.



Color scheme, or it was. Wife didn't like it and now that I see it in person, neither do I. Wanted a two tone and these two don't mix. Looked better on paper...that's why you buy the little cans first....told my wife that we could just paint a little section like this every time that she found colors she liked and pretty soon, the bus would be painted. But now looking at a light, bright blue to go with the sand (rail) color. Once again, any difference in the professional rustoleum versus the "Stops Rust"?

Well, off to see what I can cross off my Honey DO list.

Take it easy
Joseph
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Old 11-22-2007, 08:02 PM   #18
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Hey I like that color scheme, I think it could be great. I need to paint mine too.
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Old 11-23-2007, 07:17 AM   #19
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

i kinda like the orange. sure wouldn't have any trouble finding it in the parking lot at the mall.
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Old 11-23-2007, 07:51 AM   #20
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Re: Finally Starting to get to work

Quote:
Originally Posted by pete c
i kinda like the orange. sure wouldn't have any trouble finding it in the parking lot at the mall.
The orange would look OK, but I'm sorry, it would remind me of driving a UHaul truck. I worked for them for a while and the last thing I want to remember is working for them.

Robert
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