"Thank you, Captain Obvious"

[jmar896]

Originally Posted by Scooternj

Jake, be glad you didn't get it. The Canadian bus company, that their agent was selling it on eBay for, never transferred the title out of the State of Wisconsin, to a Canadian title. Nor did they do the Customs entry paperwork bringing it *back* into the US legally. So, I had to go to the US Customs House to get the Entry Form, EPA statement, and NHTSA declarations stamped (really easy); now I have to get a court order stating I'm the bona fide owner because they never changed the title and because NJMVC won't do an "insufficient evidence" request for a "foreign" vehicle.

Check govdeals.com. I saw some pretty sweet buses for sale, relatively inexpensive, there.

Wow, glad I didnt get it then. The ebay seller didn't list those problems, If you have too much trouble then Id go back at him. Thats pretty bad.
Good luck
Jake

[Scooternj]

As for registration and titling, its now in the hands of the Atlantic County Superior Court; the papers were filed this week.

But I'm still working on her. Slowly pulling out the seats, lots of bolt heads to grind off, and sadly limited help with them. Pics this weekend.

I did swap out the rear brake & turn signal lights, and 3/4s of the flashers today with Maxxima 7" LED lights. My plan is to have the rear flasher lights tied into the brake and turn signals. They're held in with two screws each recycled from the old lights. I have more LED back up, tail and clearance lights coming next week, along with replacement LEDs for the front turn signals. The headlights to be replaced with Hella headlamp conversions.



I was thinking about ordering a couple of Tiger Foam DIY 200 board ft spray foam kits for the ceiling and walls, while using foamboard for the floor. I think the cost would equal out to about the same in foamboard insulation.

[orangepeel91]

You have to do something with that exhaust pipe! it obviously met a driveway that didn't like it. More importantly, smashed in that far it's choking your engine! Backpressure is your enemy! I know it's only a pickup, but when I junked my 3.5" factory exhaust for a 4" performance exhaust I gained 1.5mpg. You'll never gain that much in a bus but your engine will sure breathe easier if that exhaust pipe was round again.

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by orangepeel91

You have to do something with that exhaust pipe! it obviously met a driveway that didn't like it. More importantly, smashed in that far it's choking your engine! Backpressure is your enemy! I know it's only a pickup, but when I junked my 3.5" factory exhaust for a 4" performance exhaust I gained 1.5mpg. You'll never gain that much in a bus but your engine will sure breathe easier if that exhaust pipe was round again.

Its on the list. Along with new starter batteries, a full service on the engine, replacing another section of exhaust pipe from the turbo to the muffler, new undercoating, tires...

[Scooternj]

Forgot the "before" photos-


Looking aft from the front


Looking forward

Did a paint test today

Needs less white and more blue. Either my formula was wrong, or I screwed it up when I mixed up the paints. I was trying to go for "RAF Azure Blue"


Turned out to be more "Robins Egg" or Baby blue than azure.

And I finally settled on a floor plan, after going through and taking measurements for everything.

[bansil]

Nice BIG bus

I would keep rear escape hatch for ventilation in bed room, remember to insulate and thermally alienate the beds floor from engine surround, that can one huge heat sink

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by bansil

Nice BIG bus

I would keep rear escape hatch for ventilation in bed room, remember to insulate and thermally alienate the beds floor from engine surround, that can one huge heat sink

75 pax, 35-ish feet to play with inside. I may, however, tweak the floor plans as construction *actually* begins. Like we all do

[gizmoq]

Originally Posted by Scooternj

And I finally settled on a floor plan, after going through and taking measurements for everything.

Like the design, but where's the fridge?
Almost identical to my latest iteration, but I put the fridge beside the dinette.

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by gizmoq

Like the design, but where's the fridge?
Almost identical to my latest iteration, but I put the fridge beside the dinette.

II'll be tweaking the floor plan here and there, but I'll probably put a small fridge next to the stove. Ikea's got a really nice butcher block countertop that's a hair over 6' long.

[Scooternj]

Small fridge now near the stove. Which is too big, but unfortunately, Visio doesn't allow me to tweak the stove.

Some minor work done this week. Battery tray was pulled, scrubbed, Ospho'd, primed and covered inside and out with two coats of spray-on bedliner, along with its locking pin, which got a new stainless steel and nylon bolt, nut and washers. Swapped out the two dead batteries for a new 8D, but ran into a potential issue with the battery (see here). Just waiting for the retaining bar to dry (scrubbed and Ospho'd today) before hitting it with primer and bedliner. Did the same thing, save pulling it off, with the back bumper.

I do minor stuff on the bus during the week, and major on the weekends, because I don't have a key to the house where I'm keeping her, so I can't reset the circuit breaker if it pops while running the compressor.

[Scooternj]

Progress shots-

Decided to go IH blue on the retaining bar instead of with rattle can bedliner.


Its turning darker blue. Could almost pass for an old London Police Call Box


Intake's on the curb side, and will get a plastic back when I spray over there.


Fuel door was primed, and repainted. What looks like bubbles was a quick touch up and still wet when I shot the photo


Washer fluid reservoir door.

I'm planning on a BYOT Demo and Barbecue party in the next few weeks, and go to town on the interior.

[Tango]

Lookin' good --- just be sure to thoroughly prep the areas you want the bedliner on. A friend here coated his entire Toyota pickup (an old one) with it, but has had problems with it de-laminating due to poor prep. And once that starts, whole areas tend to shed in big sheets. Properly applied, it is great stuff.

[Scooternj]

Random gee-whiz question. How do you pull the fender skirts off? I want to get in there and attack the rust and exfoliating paint, so I can continue to repaint but I can't seem to find an easy way to do it.

[Timelord]

Originally Posted by Scooternj

Its turning darker blue. Could almost pass for an old London Police Call Box

I approve!

[pictureLOVE]

Originally Posted by Scooternj

And when we finally find our land yacht, I'll be able to revise and and plan out the undersides and electricals

We call Clementine the land yacht too... ;) ha!

[Scooternj]

Work yesterday-

Work on the gutting the innards; cable chases and front panel are off


SWMBO working on the rear panel, with the ceiling panel just before it off.

Yeah, I know seats and floor are usually out at this point, but she's short, so she needs someplace to sit on to reach.

Any suggestions on easily removing the ceiling insulation? I pulled off one section yesterday, and left fiberglass strands dangling from where it wouldn't release from the adhesive

[Scooternj]

After a 10 month break, work has commenced again on the bus-







Got back to gutting the interior...and discovering a lovely toxic goo between the seats and wall






Who needs seats?

[Scooternj]

Last year, I had taped over where the aft STOP arm hardware had been mounted, and removed with the holes just filled in with silicone. This 4x12 piece of primed and painted steel was taped on there with several pieces of 3M VHB tape. After almost a year of exposure, its still rather solidly attached to the body panel. Damned good stuff-





I also plan to do the front STOP arm and where the strobe light was mounted on the roof(also just filled in with silicone).

[bansil]

welcome back...long winter in Jersey? ;)

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by bansil

welcome back...long winter in Jersey? ;)

No. Just college, job hunting, moving, college, and warmer weather. I took over the place where we dropped the bus off last summer. Now all I have to do is roll out in the morning if I want to work on it instead of driving 45 minutes each way