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04-05-2011, 06:52 AM
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#1
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 575
Coachwork: Thomas
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Moving right along there!
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04-05-2011, 07:08 AM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Andrews,Indiana
Posts: 2,430
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: AARE
Engine: 3116 Cat 250hp
Rated Cap: Just the two of us.
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Quote:
we will leave the city for good
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The best day of your life.
Keep up the bus pictures.
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04-17-2011, 05:07 PM
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#3
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Skoolie
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Tarheel State
Posts: 102
Coachwork: - Still Shopping -
Chassis: - Going Medium/Large -
Engine: - DT466 Desired -
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Glad it missed ya on it's way through .. they all tore up a bunch of stuff along the way though .. the one last week missed us by only a few miles .. we've had a few to many already this year ..
edit .. the one that went into Raleigh was really bad (like there is such a thing as a not-so-bad one) .. worst one in years ..
__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind. - L Pasteur
Luck is the residue of good planning. - B. Rickey
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness ... - M. Twain
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04-18-2011, 12:53 AM
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#4
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 14
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
What a fantastic looking bus you have there! Looks to be a 2003 model year, ex Virginia bus? Those buses handle great, and offer an extremely quiet ride!
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06-10-2011, 09:48 AM
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#5
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,485
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
its alive!!
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06-12-2011, 02:58 PM
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#6
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New Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 2
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Wow this looks like this is going to be a cool bus. Out of curiosity where a bouts are y'all in NC? Western tip or so is my stomping grounds. Can't wait to see more of this bus.
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06-15-2011, 09:32 AM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pueblo Co
Posts: 310
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Safe T Liner
Engine: 3208 turbo
Rated Cap: 84
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Always an exciting moment when the bus is finally completely empty. They're sure are a lot of great projects going on.
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06-15-2011, 10:23 PM
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#8
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 30
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC 2000 FE
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
If you don't mind me asking, where did you get your metal and what did it set you back?
What type and sizes did you get?
Thanks
Tharon
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06-16-2011, 06:18 PM
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#9
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Hey Guys --- great unit and a great start. Wanted to pass along some info that came from Blue Bird years back. I was doing a 19" roof raise on a 40' All American and happened to move to Georgia where I met an engineer from the Bird plant. When I queried him about the planned raise, he recommended staggering the actual cut locations on each rib to prevent creating a "weak line". Hadn't thought about it, but made sense, so I cut every other rib at a different height. Only used two measures, just alternated them. One near the top of one window side, the next near the bottom. Used the same jack and tube insert idea but I did order several complete BB roof ribs and cut patch sections from them. Learned that BB does not (did not at that time, at least) even sell a "repair section. If a rib was damaged, they insisted on replacing the whole thing to insure 100% structural integrity. I slipped a floor to ceiling square tube inside each cut rib, tacked it in place, then added the patch segment over the difference and then welded it all together. In theory it should be every bit as strong as the original, one piece rib that is unique to the Bird approach. Turned out very solid with no evidence of body flex whatsoever. Just thought I'd pass it along.
Keep up the good work, and keep up the pix!
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06-16-2011, 08:30 PM
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#10
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 30
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC 2000 FE
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Thanks for the reply. That's about what I've figured.
I bought my bus for $1500. My estimate so far is that I will spend at least that much on the metal required for the roof raise. I'm looking forward to following your build.
Tango: Thanks for your comments. Where did you buy your ribs? I was thinking of doing the same thing, but more so that my rivets would line up like the original.
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06-18-2011, 10:21 AM
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#11
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Hi Guys --- on mine, the square tube inserts ran from the floor up to just above the top of the windows (right where the curve begins) and he still recommended the stagger. All I can say is that it turned out to be very stout with no evidence of any flexing issues. One more thing...when you do get ready to start cutting the top loose, make sure to run several crossbraces from side to side, both above and below the cut line. Otherwise, both the freed top and the body sides can torque out of shape. The ribs are under a lot of loaded stress from the tension in the riveted sheet metal. I used about six lengths of 1-1/2 square tubes with 6x6 plates welded to each end so they could be clamped securely in place. I have also seen a couple of folks tack weld them directly then cut them loose once the top was re-attached. Bit of a pain to work around, but without them the whole bus can twist way out of alignment making the top difficult if not impossible to ever get back in proper position and straight.
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06-18-2011, 02:07 PM
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#12
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 119
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
One thing I would do BEFORE cutting the roof is jack the bus up from the chassis to relieve the weight from the suspension, make sure it is straight and level and then make the cuts. Probably the factory does something like that when building the body in order to remove stress points and make sure everything is nice straight and level. If your bus is sitting on uneven floor the body is twisted already. Ditto for unevenly inflated tires. Or unevenly worn tires. Or.... whatever else.
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06-19-2011, 09:30 PM
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#13
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 119
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Hey!. You guys look like slaves in the Roman empire rowing the Emperor's boat!. (sorry, couldn't resist).
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06-20-2011, 08:58 AM
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#14
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pueblo Co
Posts: 310
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Safe T Liner
Engine: 3208 turbo
Rated Cap: 84
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Bravo - good job - it will be a feature project here at the skoolie website - great pics
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06-20-2011, 04:10 PM
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#15
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 119
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Just thinking aloud: May it be worthwhile to replace those two gigantic air ducts in the back with electric fans mounted on grilles where the side access doors are?. Here in Broward County we have a fleet of brand new NewFlyer articulated buses that have a big electric fan and 4 or 5 smaller ones filling the entire grille opening on the left rear corner facing the street. It would free a lot of space in the rear.
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06-20-2011, 05:17 PM
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#16
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 14
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
You really don't want to mess with the cooling systems on those RE buses. Maybe add additional cooling, but I would not remove what's there and modify too much.
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06-20-2011, 08:25 PM
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#17
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,485
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
up up and away!
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06-21-2011, 06:54 AM
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#18
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 119
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
Well, it is just an idea. This is the way the world progresses. Somebody comes up with something; if it gets implemented it might work.... or end on a screw-up of epic proportions!.
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06-22-2011, 09:52 PM
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#19
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 60
Coachwork: flatnosed
Chassis: amtran/bluebird/thomas
Engine: diesel
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
do you plan to remove the chair mount along the bottom of the wall?
__________________
The sun is the same, in a relative way, but you're older; shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
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06-23-2011, 11:22 AM
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#20
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New Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2
Year: 1996
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International
Engine: 7.3L Diesel International
Rated Cap: 36
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Re: Sara & Andy's Bus
I used a plasma cutter to cut off the rail and and a grinder to clean the edge. I finished the whole bus in a couple of hours.
Ben
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