Miss Euphegenia: 1999 AmTran RE - Page 2

busdriver_phil · 04-28-2010, 08:35 PM

Better than the spare buses we have at work, which is ironic since I drive for the same company I bought this from.

busdriver_phil · 04-30-2010, 06:14 PM

And now the inside pics:

Yes, that's an air driver's seat. Nice and quiet up front, you can hear enough of the engine to hear the whistling turbo and the fan kick in, but can carry on a conversation without yelling. The rear shelf by the emergency window looks like a great place to put a bed with storage underneath.

I figure just shy of 30 feet of usable space from the back of the driver's seat to the base of the rear shelf.

Redbear · 04-30-2010, 07:52 PM

I look at the shape of the rear shelf, and picture someone in a toga with gold trim reclining on cushions sitting on top, drinking wine and eating from a cluster of grapes!

jkindt · 04-30-2010, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redbear

I look at the shape of the rear shelf, and picture someone in a toga with gold trim reclining on cushions sitting on top, drinking wine and eating from a cluster of grapes!

Don't forget the half naked women around him feeding him the grapes. That's the best part of that imagery!!!

cheezypsnookle · 05-01-2010, 03:03 AM

HEDONISM..........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
or a Caligula camber....or same thing........

busdriver_phil · 05-02-2010, 03:59 PM

Took the bus out for a spin today, probably its last time on the road in yellow. Still runs better than some of the junk First Student pays me to drive with kids aboard. Jason drove it a few miles, he didn't get a chance last weekend when I brought it home.

We got a little work done - cleaned up the dash a bit and took out some of the seat bottoms to expose the hardware. Apparently Fairfield, CT specs lap belts in every seat on their buses. We're saving everything for now - some of the seat frames will be cannibalized for belt-equipped furniture (stealing the idea from Jake Von Slatt), and a local school district mechanic friend has called dibs on a few seats.

The other thing I did was install a slide-bolt latch to lock the front door from the inside. Eventually there will be some type of keyed lock on the outside, but I'm still trying to figure that part out. AmTran used a very thin frame for their doors with a lot of glass, so options are limited. Air pressure is released when the key is off, so for now we can latch it closed and go in and out the side door (which will soon have one of those surface-mounted locks on it). If anyone's trying to figure out how to latch a jacknife (bifold) door from the inside, here you go.

busdriver_phil · 05-02-2010, 07:01 PM

Little bits of work here and there. Finals are in a couple weeks, after which we'll have exponentially larger amounts of free time.

I'll get some pics of the removed seat bottoms tomorrow if you really want. They still look the same, they're just in a slightly different place.

The realization of the day: Desperately need roof vents. In keeping with the "still looks like a bus as much as possible" theme, we want roof hatches from an actual bus. Gonna check with the scrappers at the next auction and maybe have a friend in OH look at the big bus junkyards. We probably could have gotten more done if it weren't in the 80s...

timbuk · 05-02-2010, 11:02 PM

wow phill 900 bucks that same bus is for sale here with 350ks for 4500 YER IN!

busdriver_phil · 05-04-2010, 06:21 PM

The project has been officially blessed

busdriver_phil · 05-08-2010, 06:54 AM

Got a little more work done yesterday. It was getting dark and I was getting tired, but then I remembered Smitty was bugging me for pics so I snapped a few dark, blurry ones with my phone.

Pulled out some of the wiring and peripherals for the Child Checkmate and Zonar systems First Student uses. Probably a long shot, but since I work for the company I'll ask my boss if I can sell em to the shop for a few bucks.

Took out the front signbox door and frame. It'll make a nice upper window. Eventually there will be some type of storage cabinets on either side.

Signbox doors and the front frame. Mostly came out without any issues, but there were a couple sheet metal screws I had to drill out.

Rear shelf with the seat cushions removed. The black padding was optional upgraded insulation to reduce engine noise, which most drivers felt didn't help much. I'm leaving it for now but I'll probably end up pulling it out and putting something else in.

All of the seat bottoms stacked up until I find somewhere in the shed to put them. I went to Lowe's yesterday and bought a $30 angle grinder and a cutoff wheel. I started to try a seat floor bolt, but I was wearing shorts and the shower of sparks made me think twice.

jkindt · 05-08-2010, 09:37 AM

You were very smart to stop using the angle grinder. Sparks and shorts and bits of broken cut-off wheel do not mix. It could have been a traumatic vasectomy!

Don't forget the eye protection as well when you go to cut the bolts off. Keep up the good work, and don't forget the camera. We all like pics...

busdriver_phil · 05-08-2010, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkindt

You were very smart to stop using the angle grinder. Sparks and shorts and bits of broken cut-off wheel do not mix. It could have been a traumatic vasectomy!

Don't forget the eye protection as well when you go to cut the bolts off. Keep up the good work, and don't forget the camera. We all like pics...

I have the eye protection - I bought one of those full face shields like I saw on (I believe) your thread. I didn't plan on doing anything with the grinder last night, but it was a new tool so of course I had to test it. Next time I'll be fully prepared.

busdriver_phil · 05-18-2010, 06:13 PM

Question: What's the traditional skoolie ritual to celebrate the removal of the first seat?

crazycal · 05-18-2010, 06:24 PM

Six pack of beer.

busdriver_phil · 05-18-2010, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazycal

Six pack of beer.

Works for me.

bus-bro · 05-18-2010, 07:08 PM

One traditional celebration is to dribble your blood inside the bus. The bus needs to be blessed by your blood, because the bus gods demand it. An angle grinder is more than happy to help you do this.

busdriver_phil · 05-18-2010, 07:21 PM

Does bleeding from wiping my forehead without realizing I had metal shavings on my hand from drilling out a sheet metal screw count?

I saw some pics of what angle grinders can do, so I used protection. I wore the welding gloves and apron I bought at Harbor Freight to go with the welder I just got (which will probably stay in an unopened box for a couple more weeks, but hey, it was on sale!)

jkindt · 05-18-2010, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busdriver_phil

Does bleeding from wiping my forehead without realizing I had metal shavings on my hand from drilling out a sheet metal screw count?

Funny you mention that. I did that exact thing a couple days ago. Drilling pilot holes for installing the roof vent and then wiped my arm across my forehead with a load of metal shavings. Not fun!!

bus-bro · 05-19-2010, 10:06 PM

The blessing requires human blood (yours) and pain. That is why the angle grinder is soo handy--it doth give much pain.

busdriver_phil · 05-23-2010, 08:07 PM

Got some more work done today. 2/3 of the seats are now out, should have the rest out in a couple days, excluding the first row. I have some friends coming up next weekend and we're gonna take it out for a spin since I got my plates last week.

I'm planning to reuse some of the seat covers and foam for upholstery. After that, I'll see if I can make a few bucks selling any good ones that are left to the company I work for. They're stacked up in the bus for now, but once I get all the frames in the shed I'll pile the light stuff on top.

Another important step - got started with painting. It's registered as gray, and I want it mostly gray before I take it on the road next weekend. Roof will be white, window posts black, primary color below the windows will be silver (decided today on Rustoleum Aluminum), and various TBD stripes will be a darker gray and a bright blue. I want to get the silver below the windows done this week.

I rolled on the Rustoleum. I thinned it 50/50 with mineral spirits, and used a high-density foam roller. I was amazed how smooth it came out. I've sprayed with an HVLP gun before, but with nowhere to spray inside and a neighbor who would call EPA, I didn't have much choice. I was hoping to at least get it looking good from 10+ feet away, but I was pretty impressed with the lack of texture. There are a couple panels that look uneven, like I didn't mix the paint enough, but I'll add another coat when I do the next section. The other nice thing about rolling is that it's much easier to re-do small sections, so I can paint it now without having all the bodywork done and the holes cut yet.

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