Roll your own

[EastCoastCB]

I decided to completely fix the slight amount of rust in the battery compartment. stripped the rust and coated the whole thing and all metal parts in it with Rustoleum rust converter. Tomorrow I'll be spraying it with some "Appliance Epoxy" that I got on sale.
Feels so good to be making steady progress so far.

[mtunderwood]

Nice to hear about your progress! I wanna come out and see your bus sometime soon

[EastCoastCB]

Any time, Mike. Its gonna be sitting out there in the ag zone between zellwood and Sorrento for the next several months.
Still pondering many aspects of this whole project. I've never enjoyed one so much!
I'm hopefully finishing up my battery box restoration mini project today. I could have done it yesterday no problem, but I wanted to let the coats of Rustoleum dry between different coatings. It looks brand new in there now.
And again- If anyone needs batteries hit up the Rural King. 70 bucks for a group 31!

[EastCoastCB]

Disconnected that alarm buzzer for the exits and doors. And put my new batteries in my freshly rust-proofed battery compartment.
Making progress steadily!

[Tango]

Another great finish for the inside of battery boxes is rattle can Rubberized Truck Bed Liner. Surprisingly tough stuff that shakes off acid.

[EastCoastCB]

I'm going to use that stuff under the wheel wells.
Not much rust at all on this bus but since I have a gallon of it, I'm going to use Rusty Metal Primer from Rustoleum for a lot of the upcoming paint prep.
For the battery compartment I used Rust Converter then Rust Metal Primer, then topped it off with the Appliance Epoxy. The back bottom corners behind the batteries were the rustiest part of the bus and they were still solid. Surface rust only.

[EastCoastCB]

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[EastCoastCB]

[jazty]

Oh, you lucky guy! Where's all the snow? I've been slogging through the damn stuff since the beginning of November. It came early and thick this year.

[EastCoastCB]

Yeah we got a light dusting of snow about a hundred miles north of here... in 1988.
Its a blistering 64f out today. I may wear a sweater!

[mtunderwood]

Hey Charles it's looking good man! It's funny you started with the rivets on the walls and I started with my ceiling panels. I just finished removing all my ceiling panels yesterday and am going to start on the walls tomorrow. I'll have to come see your bus sometime soon. I'm interested to see the differences between different makes. I have another friend here in town that has an International bus so it'll be fun to compare both of yours with my Blue Bird.

PS - I couldn't help but think "no open toed shoes!!!" when I saw your pics I know it's hard because we're in Florida... but put on some shoes buddy!

[EastCoastCB]

Nope, I NEVER wear "shoes".
I'll wear my steel toed Red Wings if welding or cutting, but there really isn't a need for them quite yet, although I appreciate the concern for safety. I have a medical reason why I rarely wear shoes. That and the hippie dna.

We really should get together sometime soon. I'd love to check out the Bluebird. I may be picking up a Bluebird to resell pretty soon. I met a guy last month who drove down in a Bluebird/GMC from Michigan. He lives in it full time in the Ocala Nat'l Forest.
I started on the ceilings today. They seem easier than those bloody side panels so far. I also started stripping the wheel wells and underside for painting and undercoating. We had fun today driving the bus around the "farm" for an hour or so. I love the weekends cause I get to hang out with friends AND work on the bus.

[EastCoastCB]

Trying to upload more pics

[HolyBus]

We should set aside time to gather the buses together. I am in Kissimmee.

[EastCoastCB]

Absolutely.
Mines fully driveable it just isn't tagged yet. I've been broke and too lazy to get on that yet! ;)
We should all meetup sometime soon though!

[sojourner]

Just read your entire thread. Way to go!! I'm in Sc and have almost the same bus! Love the AmTrans. Mines a DT408 though (with MT643). What kind of gears do you have? If you have the VIN you can get the build sheet from an international dealer. That spec sheet will tell you what the gear ratio is. I'm curious because I have 4.78 gears and am looking to change the ratio for something more highway suitable. My little 210Hp 408 did a fine job at maintaining 55-60 but with the gears really likes around 52. I'd love to be able to get 65 at around 1900 rpms. By the way I averaged around 11 mpg on my way home from Plainview, TX. The key to getting good mileage is find the "sweet spot" where the engine isn't laboring excessively and just leave it alone no matter what the speed. Looking forward to seeing what you do. Keep up the good work!!

[MuddaEarth]

Look out.......A cow!!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by sojourner

Just read your entire thread. Way to go!! I'm in Sc and have almost the same bus! Love the AmTrans. Mines a DT408 though (with MT643). What kind of gears do you have? If you have the VIN you can get the build sheet from an international dealer. That spec sheet will tell you what the gear ratio is. I'm curious because I have 4.78 gears and am looking to change the ratio for something more highway suitable. My little 210Hp 408 did a fine job at maintaining 55-60 but with the gears really likes around 52. I'd love to be able to get 65 at around 1900 rpms. By the way I averaged around 11 mpg on my way home from Plainview, TX. The key to getting good mileage is find the "sweet spot" where the engine isn't laboring excessively and just leave it alone no matter what the speed. Looking forward to seeing what you do. Keep up the good work!!

The sweet spot for mine is at around 55-60 for cruising.
Gears are 4.44.
My Ward only has the 195 hp version of the dt466.
I'm toying with the idea of tuning up the fuel, advancing the timing, and maybe adding a small intercooler. Maybe...
But I'm happy enough to leave all that alone and worry about the motorhome conversion for now.
The only mechanical stuff I'm worrying with anytime soon will be replacing the rear air bags and getting two tires replaced. And addressing a leaky rear axle seal. I also plan on replacing some of the maintenance stuff in the braking system.

On another note- I may end up raising part of the roof. I'm thinking of going up 10" from the second rib to the second to last. Sort of between the wheels but a little longer. May trade a motorcycle I've had for a number of years to a fabricating friend for a roof raise and some other welding. We'll see. I'm still not 100% on that.

[sojourner]

I'm also thinking of turning up the fuel (I'm a semi retired marine mechanic (includes diesel)). I too need to do the rear wheel seals (am hoping to put it off till I get another differential) and the brakes. It doesn't move out of the place for right now while I've got it apart. Keeping the insurance on it though at $26.00/month I can't afford to let it go and try to find another.

[sojourner]

Sure wish I had rear air ride. That would be very nice!!