~~ Succubus ~~ 2003 Bluebird 40' Talltop STFE 4800

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Man, I REALLY LOVE that paint job!

Thanks! but it's a just a copy of the Wander Lodge. I tried to come up with something new, but I have a soft spot for Wander Lodges.

Buses Diseños Jef / El Salvador is a cool spot for thinking about designs.

[Tango]

Outstanding job! And, like you, I'm a sucker for the old Wanderlodges. That paint job should get you into just about any campground or "Coach Resort".

Keep the pix coming.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Tango

That paint job should get you into just about any campground or "Coach Resort".

I'm not sure I'd want in any of the campgrounds that wouldn't let me in.
I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.
Sincerely yours,
Groucho Marx.

[45acp]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

I'm not sure I'd want in any of the campgrounds that wouldn't let me in.
I don’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.
Sincerely yours,
Groucho Marx.

Can you tell us where you got your paint.?

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by 45acp

Can you tell us where you got your paint.?

Lol. It's regular Rustoleum- I got it at Lowes. $31.99/gallon

Started with white as a base and added blue and yellow until happy.

Do not ask them to tint as their tints will not work. Do ask them to shake whatever you buy in that machine. Make way more than you need and you can paint your camping stuff to match your rig; chairs, table, propane tank...

[45acp]

Cool . Thanks.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by 45acp

Can you tell us where you got your paint.?

Me? Rust-Oleum from Ace Hardware. Home Depot can order it.

[Rusty]

Today I polished aluminum trim from windshield & grille. I had it already removed to paint and just couldn't put grungy trim on freshly painted vehicle.

Trim had old coating of clear coat on it, so that was removed with 600 grit sandpaper. Used sticky disc sand paper pieces wrapped on round pencil to match contour. Fingers are tired tried green scrubby, steel wool, but sandpaper worked best as also removed a small bit of material extrusion lines.

Then polished with big buffer and jewelers rouge. Screwed the pieces to a board for ease of clamping/safety. Came-out mirror finish, will coat with wax.

Took an entire Sunday to polish, but it's not like I watch NFL anymore.

Still have to clean-up pot metal finials, we'll see if they take a media blasting ok.




Weaponry Utilized






Comparison shot

[joeblack5]

Now that feeling, that is how you get a relationship with your bus.
It is amazing what spending time does .

What is nfl?

Later j

[Rusty]

more: Polishing the turd





Maybe enter it in Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Show....

That little buffer sure keeps your attention focused- gets all grabby if you daydream. Works wonders on aluminum rims, too. I wonder if I could polish my polisher.....

[Rusty]

Nothing sexy here....Just time-consuming details. I went overboard with the repaint: removed the bumpers & grill and all the bits n pieces. Tape never quite gets that clean-look.




Can I buy a vowel, Pat??? I need more letters to write something clever.





Since I had the bumpers already off, decided to clean/prime/paint the back part of the frame.


My son said: "Gee, Pops, why are you painting under there where nobody will see?"

I said: " Well, Beav, I really couldn't tell you why. It just seemed like the right time."

He said: "That's swell, Pops. If I help, can I have a nickel for a soda?"

[Rameses]

I don't think I've ever seen a buffer that's setup like a die grinder instead of an angle grinder.

That's really cool. I can definitely see how that would be slick as hell for polishing wheels!

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Rameses

I don't think I've ever seen a buffer that's setup like a die grinder instead of an angle grinder.

That's really cool. I can definitely see how that would be slick as hell for polishing wheels!

Was a yard-sale find- old Black & Decker. It did have a big stone on it and a guard originally. It's a predecessor to the angle grinder, I think. Generates a fair bit of power- I can lean-into it and doesn't bog. The buffer wheel I stole off my bench buffer from when I did jewelry making.

[cadillackid]

it looks almost like a die grinder maybe?

whatever it is.. you use it wel and things look pretty!!!
-Christopher

[ACamper]

Nice build. I love the paint job.. very inspiring.
I have been thinking of a simple plan roller job this spring, after seeing yours I am really thinking of attempting a spray job.

I will probably be taking my rear bumper off soon to build a porch/step. Everyone has been using the back door and the trailer hitch as a step, it just a painful accident waiting to happen.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by ACamper

Nice build. I love the paint job.. very inspiring.
I have been thinking of a simple plan roller job this spring, after seeing yours I am really thinking of attempting a spray job.

I will probably be taking my rear bumper off soon to build a porch/step. Everyone has been using the back door and the trailer hitch as a step, it just a painful accident waiting to happen.

Thanks guys.

Maybe you could make one of those hitch receiver steps so you could remove it and tow something???

If you have an air compressor, no reason not to spray. Worst part is cleaning gun, but you need to clean brushes/rollers, too.

[Tegra1027]

Looking good!!! Keep it up. I commend you on your diligence and taking time to to do things right.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Tegra1027

Looking good!!! Keep it up. I commend you on your diligence and taking time to to do things right.

Takes FOREVER. I wish I could yank the seats, throw-in a bed and be on the road in 4weeks likes some of the young ones.

[Rusty]

Bus kicked my ass today. I am beat.

I cut the bolts off the wheel chair lift and got that out and loaded in my pickemup truck- alone. Sucker is heavy. Looks brand new- I guess not much use on bookmobile.

Once I got the lift out and the last bit of carpet up, I was better able to assess the water damage from the E-door. I cut the old plywood out and found it pretty nasty under there. I will sand. ospho, prime and paint. Then replace ply.

Super interesting thing I noticed while cutting the plywood- it has aromatic red cedar in plywood. I was cutting and it smelled soooo nice. Rot resistant, too.




The metal is in great shape- just surface rust, luckily. The foam holds no water- looks great.

[Rusty]

They doubled-up on the ribs near the e-door. Stout.

The safety interlock was never wired. You could open the big e-door and deploy the lift while driving down the highway.




Entire bus was spray foamed- underside and wheelwells - from factory. Except just this one panel in the rear, had that crappy fiberglass. They were pretty liberal about cutting the foam for tail lights, so will be spot-filling.