Rusty 87 build thread

[joeblack5]

maybe also get that exhaust out of the way and let it go before the rear wheels. Save money space and future frustrations.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Attachment 38427

Anybody know where I can find replacement bits for the plastic around the lights here (the orange bit over the turn signal and the light gray bit around the headlight)? I have new headlights in the mail but I can't find these parts anywhere.

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Attachment 38429

I mangled the bases and the support arms with my angle grinder in the process of removing them, but if anybody wants these for the mirror part (they have cables for heating) you're welcome to them. @CMORGANSKOOL and @HazMatt, you guys mentioned needed one in the thread on this.

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I was finding I wasn't really use them when driving, and I kind of like the more open view from the cab now. Removing them also confirmed to me that they are indeed very ugly.

I think also I see the reason that the newer style of these things has a much wider flange to attach them to the hood. The bases on mine had basically carved out deep grooves in the hood just from the vibration.

The headlight trim piece is available online as is the turn signal lens.
https://jonesperformance.com/product...ezel-left-side

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

The headlight trim piece is available online as is the turn signal lens.
https://jonesperformance.com/product...ezel-left-side

Awesome, thank you! It occurs to me I should replace these after I paint the hood.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Awesome, thank you! It occurs to me I should replace these after I paint the hood.

Shop around, the link I provided was just a quick google result. They're much cheaper if you look around a bit. $15 per side IIRC.

[musigenesis]

I was looking at the hole in my floor and I realized I don't need the sunken part to cover this area completely; since I'll have cabinets on either side, I only need the center aisle part to be down the 3". Called my guy and he's on board. This will be simpler for him because he won't need to add the 3" extensions to stretch the wheel wells down. And I'll be left with just an 8'x4' (or so) open section in the middle, and I can build the floor section (sheet metal on the bottom, wooden framed with 2" 2X and foam board, then 3/4" ply on top) as a single unit and just drop it in.

Also ordered my step tub for this: https://www.campingworld.com/sit-in-...SABEgL83_D_BwE. Not sure how long it will take but I found a dimensioned drawing online so he can build the framing for it now.

Things are looking good. Hopefully the bus doesn't collapse in the meantime.

[farok]

It's been fun to watch so far! You've got some great ideas - keep up the good work!!

[musigenesis]

Rescued my bus from the clutches of the dude I hired to repair my floor yesterday, after the bus had been at his mom's house for a week. We had originally agreed on having him cut out the hole and then building and installing a replacement frame for the area, after which I would build a wooden floor section above it that would also incorporate the sheet metal to seal off the underside.

During the demo, he called me to come over and showed me the badly rusted section of exhaust pipe that ran over the rear axle. This spot is hard to reach and although the rear exhaust had been recently replaced, this was nearly rotted through, and he offered to fix it (for an additional price). With the floor up, this is the obvious time to fix it.





After he cut the floor out, I decided to make a slight change to the frame he was supposed to build. My original plan had called for side-to-side beams at the front and back of the section, the two front-to-back beams running between the side-to-side beams, attached underneath; this would allow me to build a complete wooden floor section flush with the original metal floor. But I realized I really only needed the center aisle section to be "sunken", so to simplify the frame we agreed to run the front-to-back beams on top.

We agreed (with drawings) that the frame would still include four short additional beams that were to run between the front-to-back beams and the sides of the bus, framing in the original wheel wells. What he ended up doing was just this:





I was expecting the beams to be attached to the outer walls, but they're just stuck under remaining bits of the original floor, like here:



And they have no padding between the beams and the chassis rails (despite me bringing up the need for this every time we spoke):



This new frame section is not attached to the bus in any way, it is basically just wedged in where it is, and can't be raised up because of a slight lip overhang of old floor.

[musigenesis]

After showing me this, I argued that the outside edges of the beams needed to be welded/attached to the walls, and that the beams also needed to be locked into the existing floor at the front and back of the section (and I mentioned the need for padding again) but he said he had talked to some engineer friend or something and that it was better for this section to be free-floating, essentially.

I should have ended things right here, but my bus was stuck at his mother's house (where he was working on it) and I thought (incorrectly, as it turns out) that I'd be unable to move it until he fixed the exhaust. Since I still needed the frame to be completed, and I also needed the corners of this new frame covered (the original plan had me doing this areas with my floor) I agreed to have him also cover the three corners with sheet metal, and also add the four additional short beams that we agreed on. There was an additional price agreed for this second phase of work.

He then started jerking me around for days, saying he'd be working on it each night "until late" etc., but every time I went over to check out the bus it was clear nothing at all had been done. So Friday morning I texted him and told him to forget about the corner sheet metal job, and that he should just finish the exhaust and I would pay him for that and get my bus back.

He texted back and said that it would only take him 30 minutes more to finish the sheet metal job. I texted that if he had already done the work I would pay him for it, but that he had told me earlier he would even be starting on it until the following day. He texted me back asking if I wanted him to cut out what he had already welded in.

I drove over to the bus to see what he had done, and he had done nothing at all (which I took pics of, of course). I texted him back and said I had just been at the bus and nothing had been done, so what stuff to cut out was he talking about? He then made up some nonsense about him having actually turned the welding job over to a friend of his, who had supposedly taken the money and split without doing it. He said he finish the exhaust and get me my bus back that night. I of course didn't hear from, and Saturday morning I texted him that I was coming to get the bus and I would fix the exhaust myself.

He agreed and it actually went smoothly. He had already hooked up the batteries and put all my materials (which I had paid for) in the bus ready to go. It might have helped that I brought my 6'7" 300 pound brother with me, who kind of trumped the two relatively small buddies this guys had waiting at his mom's house.

The drive back to my lot was only mildly dieselly, and I didn't even have any of the back windows open - the bus is so well-ventilated now it's not a big problem.

[JDSquared]

These pictures don't do justice to your bus. It's cool I got to see it before reading through your build thread lol. You're coming long awesome.

Here's to hoping that my wheel wells aren't quite that bad though lol

[musigenesis]

Built a simple wooden frame in my center section to hold up the old plywood covers so I don't break my pelvis falling off the chassis rails. The new step tub showed up in the mail today (I was surprised by the free shipping but although it's large it's very light) so I took it over for a test-fitting.

It fits into that opening very well, and I'll have enough room to get 2" of insulation all around it. The only problem is going to be fitting the step part of it (along with a layer of insulation), which I'll have to deal with by notching the wheel well and possibly raising the tub a couple of inches above where I'd planned. I've been thinking about cutting part of the step off the tub but I'm not sure I want to go that route and risk leaks.

Standing in it feels fine, plenty of foot room.

[musigenesis]

So, I've heard that a folk remedy for arthritis (in the hands) is to rub your hands and arms in stinging nettle and then once the pain subsides your hands will feel better than before for a few days. I am inadvertently trying this as an experiment tonight, since I did this getting the shots of the underside of my tub.

[Native]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

So, I've heard that a folk remedy for arthritis (in the hands) is to rub your hands and arms in stinging nettle and then once the pain subsides your hands will feel better than before for a few days. I am inadvertently trying this as an experiment tonight, since I did this getting the shots of the underside of my tub.

That is not something you would do voluntarily, to be sure. Let us know how well it works agaist the arthritis.

[Yukon Cornelius]

Keep on cracking on, loving this build

[banman]

For your next coffee break...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48E0H-WBuBY

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by banman

For your next coffee break...

Ha, those are exactly the noises I was making. I didn't even think I could do falsetto any more.

FWIW my hands feel great today.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

Keep on cracking on, loving this build

Thank you. I'm looking forward to the day I can post something not related to rust remediation.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

So, I've heard that a folk remedy for arthritis (in the hands) is to rub your hands and arms in stinging nettle and then once the pain subsides your hands will feel better than before for a few days. I am inadvertently trying this as an experiment tonight, since I did this getting the shots of the underside of my tub.

Take a big hammer and smash your big toe, you won't think about your arthritic hands for days.

[banman]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Ha, those are exactly the noises I was making. I didn't even think I could do falsetto any more.

FWIW my hands feel great today.

Wait, so you're saying the excessive nerve sensation of the nettles yesterday actually IS alleviating some of your normal arthritis pain today?

That's a really interesting tradeoff -- I'll have to look more into that.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by banman

Wait, so you're saying the excessive nerve sensation of the nettles yesterday actually IS alleviating some of your normal arthritis pain today?

That's a really interesting tradeoff -- I'll have to look more into that.

I've found that adrenaline does wonders for loosening up arthritic joints

[musigenesis]

Went to install my new headlights but found out the housings and adjustment screws were rusted out. Driver's side was bad but passenger side was basically all rust. New housings and screws on the way.







Starting to clean up and ospho the chassis underneath the cut-out area. My plan for today is to finish treating the existing ends of the exhaust and the bracket and then paint them with POR-15. Once that dries I'm going to install my piece of 4" flex pipe so I can drive my bus to a car wash and give the chassis here a good cleaning.











Once this area is treated, I plan to paint everything with POR-15 and then Rustoleum enamel before continuing to fit and weld on the new frame.

More bondo on the hood: