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Old 04-24-2019, 06:59 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Watkins View Post
So heres some small-ass world stuff. I overheard you talking about this a few weeks ago when you were playing day laborer at Lawless. Im the guy with the yellow box. Ive been lurking here for a while as I wait for the perfect bus to show up in the general New England area.


That said, this thing is pretty damn cool!
Good luck finding a perfect bus in New England.

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Old 04-25-2019, 05:27 AM   #22
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Originally Posted by Squally the Trolley View Post
*So where are you at NOW..? (Part 2)

As I made progress on taking the walls apart, evaluating the damage (Which turns out to be EVERYTHING) I notice the floor was spongy... I crawl underneath, and it appears to be metal. How can that be?

*Deep sigh..*
*It was not metal...*

The floor was fiberglass. Above that, wood, and that - had become rotted as well. Spongy, water saturated, and moldy as can be. So it all came up. Which, involved a painstaking estimated 40+ hours of human-powered effort to remove every screw (there was over 300) filled with glue or rust, that needed to get removed.

Attachment 32080

Attachment 32079

At this point, I am down to the frame. The sub skeletal structure of the trolly body is welded to the frame, so I can't take it apart anymore... I think I finally removed all the rotting wood! Besides the ceiling, there are only a few pieces of wood left: the dash, and the instrument panel.

*Ha... Haha...*
*Crazy eyes, hands shaking, lots of sweat and bloody knuckles."

It should be mostly forward-ish progress from here.

The picture was taken today of my dad helping prep the frame for paint.

Attachment 32081
Looks amazing....and very intense. So great that Dad is able and willing to help with the project. We're all watching you in real time here.
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Old 04-25-2019, 08:38 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Watkins View Post
So heres some small-ass world stuff. I overheard you talking about this a few weeks ago when you were playing day laborer at Lawless. Im the guy with the yellow box.
Hah! That is amazing. I'm working a little bit of everywhere at the moment. I have around 6 part-time jobs right now and none of them are related besides for the common theme of: TEMPORARY. ha. That said, I believe I'll be around the shop next week. Come say hi!
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Old 04-25-2019, 09:01 PM   #24
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I have seen a few of these and taken a "trolley" tour a time or two. Neat to see one getting repurposed as a skoolie/tiny home.
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Old 04-29-2019, 06:09 PM   #25
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Wow. Been looking for a bus locally to transform into my dream skoolie and about 40 miles away from me, they are selling 3 2008-2009 American Heritage 28 foot trolleys. Allison 300 transmissions and I believe Cummins B5.9 engines. So I started researching the trolleys. Good part is most have Cummins and not Powerstrokes and they are full-on bus frames and coaches, 22.5" truck rims, etc... Ride height seems a bit low, but I could live with that, especially considering factory dual AC and potential to gain a few inches of 'lift' with airbags.
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Old 05-09-2019, 09:24 PM   #26
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It's been a rainy 2 weeks and trolley work has come to a screeching halt! A sudden shift from working day and night to not working on Squally at all- Quite harsh, but with the rain, a lot of work was accomplished to help financially fund this project.

Like this here SCUBA shark design I made

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Since I plan to drive this rig in search of deep powder to ski and ice to climb throughout the northeast and beyond - venturing up into notches and alpine passes - salt and sand are major concerns for the thin metal that makes up the trolley. With an intricate sub-skeletal structure and a low body height, I imagine salt will get stuck in all the crevices.

So I decided on taking the plunge into doing an undercoating of POR15.

Oh...... My....
*phew*

I finished the first coat and I am still questioning this decision ... as well as my overall sanity.

The prep work took many grueling days and the paint is in my hair, my mustache, all up my back, my hands, my ears and even in my mouth. It was a bad time.

But it sure does look purdy underneath- looks fresh off the assembly line.

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Old 05-09-2019, 10:47 PM   #27
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Tyvek Suits, $5.

I did the front grill to a lawn tractor a year or two ago with the POR15. Haven't put it back together, and the grill is on the floor, where it's been kicked, whacked with tools a few times, and generally not watched out for. There isn't a scratch on it.

I think it was a wise decision to do an undercoating of some sort. I feel like a lot of people talk about it, but very few actually /DO/ it.
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Old 05-09-2019, 11:28 PM   #28
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It took me 5 full days of painting (still not done) and I am nothing but impressed with how it has cured. I recoated a section and after scuffing it up hard with sandpaper it barely seemed to scratch the glossy diamond hard surface. But I suppose I won't know for sure until a few years have passed if it was worth it

Yes. Tyvek suit WITH hood $7... So necessary.

On the plus side, I am a rock climber- my gloves broke a few times causing my wrinkly thick callus hands to turn black and I feel like a gorilla. I am sure it's terrible for me. But when climbing I look at my fingers and feel like a monkey. So that's pretty dang cool.
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Old 05-10-2019, 01:02 AM   #29
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Paint of most any kind seems to work its way into EVERYTHING on a body. Some comes off easily, others must wear off. I suspect POR15 is of the latter type.
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Old 05-22-2019, 11:19 PM   #30
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Oodles of work got done over the past few weeks!

I made a little YouTube video you can check out here :


The biggest news is I cut, fitted and painted the entire new floor.
Galvanized metal - etched with muriatic acid, and painted with SEM Rust Shield.
Stoked.

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Old 05-23-2019, 02:39 AM   #31
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Thank you for the video! The POR5 on the frame looks GREAT! Stay Wild! (I know, that's your phrase!)
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Old 05-23-2019, 10:23 AM   #32
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Thank you Native! Stay wild!
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Old 06-08-2019, 06:45 AM   #33
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Today marks month 7.... Wow. I never anticipated this project turning into a frame-up restoration that could last over a year.... But if that what it takes! It's what it takes.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT: I now have floors again after 7 months.

Also, check out this WILD cabinet I found at a thrift store- someone must have just wanted it gone and nobody at the store wanted it either! Amazing.

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There is also an ornate chandelier piece that I found - it was built for candles but I am going to wire it up to hold LED candle lights.

This build is starting to get wacky. And I love it.
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Old 06-08-2019, 07:00 AM   #34
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It's taken 7 whole months before it started getting wacky? You must be very fortunate, or a slow learner... [emoji41]
Cool cabinet! D'ya suppose it held funerary urns in it's prior incarnation?
Which makes sense: earning more mummy for your sarcophagus.
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Old 06-08-2019, 07:09 AM   #35
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Hah! This isn't my first build. You should see my other van if you wanna see 'wacky'

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It has a climbing wall and holds all over it - flames and a massage table/guest bed. I'm not green to the realm of wacky
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Old 06-08-2019, 07:24 AM   #36
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Nawp! I'm picking up what you're laying down. Definitely not your first rodeo!
It occurred to me after I posted: you could rig your sarcophagus next to you while transiting, to illicitly use the HOV lane!
(Tho you might only get away with that trick in Egypt...)
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Old 06-08-2019, 07:26 AM   #37
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Nawp! I'm picking up what you're laying down. Definitely not your first rodeo!
It occurred to me after I posted: you could rig your sarcophagus next to you while transiting, to illicitly use the HOV lane!
(Tho you might only get away with that trick in Egypt...)
My friend Eddie, rest his soul, used to drive a 64 chevy rat rod pickup and he kept a full model of a skeleton in the passenger seat.
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