Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-13-2015, 07:42 AM   #61
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon View Post
Now I'm at the black-stuff-on-ceiling problem that Vlad and EastCostCB lamented about not too long ago. Thanks to them for mentioning that spray foam didn't stick to it very well; now I know I need to deal with it before embarking on the foam. But how? I tried rubbing a small area with a naphtha-soaked paper towel and found that it does dissolve the coating, but that could take a really long time. I've thought about using the paint sprayer to apply repeated coats of naphtha and let it soak a bit, hoping to turn the coating into a gel than can be wiped off.
I scrape the black stuff with a thick putty knife or chisel, then go at it with a stripper disc on the end of a drill or angle grinder. I'll update my thread in a day or two. Mine had a ton of surface rust under there. Damn leaky roof hatches!

EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 09:08 AM   #62
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
As long as there is no rust under that tar, why remove it?

Just spray the spray foam directly onto it.

Even if the spray foam delaminates from the ceiling, it won't matter after the ceiling is finished.

Nat
__________________
"Don't argue with stupid people. They will just drag you down to their level, and beat you up with experience."

Patently waiting for the apocalypses to level the playing field in this physiological game of life commonly known as Civilization
nat_ster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 11:14 AM   #63
Almost There
 
maggiemae's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: CO
Posts: 91
Year: 1975
Coachwork: Ward
Engine: Ford 391 V8
Rated Cap: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I scrape the black stuff with a thick putty knife or chisel, then go at it with a stripper disc on the end of a drill or angle grinder. I'll update my thread in a day or two. Mine had a ton of surface rust under there. Damn leaky roof hatches!
Hallelujah, we're finally at this point, too!
So you have to Remove this stuff to see if there is rust underneath? Won't the rust just visibly come through?

I'm guessing this stuff is some type of sealant?
__________________
Cheers!
-Kelsey and Justin
Thewolfbus.com
maggiemae is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 11:36 AM   #64
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Posts: 1,635
Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
Quote:
Originally Posted by maggiemae View Post
Hallelujah, we're finally at this point, too!
So you have to Remove this stuff to see if there is rust underneath? Won't the rust just visibly come through?

I'm guessing this stuff is some type of sealant?
The stuff on mine is tar-like. It's still a little soft and pliable even after all these years, which is why I didn't really consider sanding to remove it (thinking the paper would just clog with this stuff). It is not applied very evenly -- some places are very thin and dried before they could grab the fiberglass at all; other places are thicker and have a lot of fiberglass stuck in them (another reason not to sand). My guess is that its purpose is to absorb sound, but not very well, and to adhere the fiberglass in place.

As thin as it is I would think any rust would show through. I'm planning to clean up the middle area of each section and not worry about the edges with the hope that foam will adhere well enough to keep itself in place. We'll see how that goes.
family wagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 12:27 PM   #65
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Here is mine.






once all the asphalt/tar and rust are gone, I apply ospho then Rusty Metal Primer by Rustoleum.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 01:00 PM   #66
Almost There
 
maggiemae's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: CO
Posts: 91
Year: 1975
Coachwork: Ward
Engine: Ford 391 V8
Rated Cap: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon View Post
As thin as it is I would think any rust would show through. I'm planning to clean up the middle area of each section and not worry about the edges with the hope that foam will adhere well enough to keep itself in place. We'll see how that goes.
Ah I see!


And the rusty tar is definitely noticeable, good to see that picture for comparison!
maggiemae is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 03:22 PM   #67
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 258
Gross. Does a heat gun soften it at all?
taskswap is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 03:31 PM   #68
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Yeah. but I don't think softening it is the way to go. When its soft it gums up the chisel or scraper too easily. Left in its "solid" state it sometimes comes off in strips if you get a good method going.
Its brutal getting this stuff out.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 03:37 PM   #69
Bus Geek
 
bansil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
we used to use dry ice to remove the 1/8 thick rubber crap on floor boards in cars, it would make it hard and then hit with a hammer and pop it up with screwdrivers into big pcs

not sure if working overhead with dry ice is a good thing tho'
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
bansil is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2015, 11:12 PM   #70
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Posts: 1,635
Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
I sent a piece of the wall hat channel to that sheet metal shop this morning. I was surprised to get a call back not even four hours later saying the new channel was ready to be picked up! The fit is fantastic. I have one less excuse for dragging my feet about it..
family wagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2015, 08:50 AM   #71
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
I'm glad you chose the hat Chanel vs tubing.

Looking forward to more pics.

Nat
__________________
"Don't argue with stupid people. They will just drag you down to their level, and beat you up with experience."

Patently waiting for the apocalypses to level the playing field in this physiological game of life commonly known as Civilization
nat_ster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2015, 06:55 AM   #72
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 584
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: I.H.
Engine: DT360
Wow, that place did a great job.

Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon View Post
I sent a piece of the wall hat channel to that sheet metal shop this morning. I was surprised to get a call back not even four hours later saying the new channel was ready to be picked up! The fit is fantastic. I have one less excuse for dragging my feet about it..
HolyBus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2015, 07:13 AM   #73
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
If anyone in my area needs any hat channel, hit me up. I'm going to be ordering a bunch from the local fab shop. Will most likely go with 14ga Galvaneal.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2015, 07:08 PM   #74
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Posts: 1,635
Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
My brother came out to work on the bus with me yesterday. The fiberglass cap (?) that covers the whole rear end kicked our butts. We got the window out and took the hood/door off, but I don't think we got any of the rivets out. We drilled many of them but then couldn't get the remaining body of the rivet to push out through the back. It is glued all the way around too, and I haven't figured out how I'll break that without damaging the fiberglass. So we let that be for now and moved to something else: the rub rail between the doors on the right side. Got that off and then we were so excited we pushed on and removed the front three lower side panels.

Check out that rib between the two windows -- it is filled in! Here is a close-up:

The hat channel has a piece of.. something.. welded inside it. I don't know yet whether it's a closed tube, or an open C or U shape. In any case I'm now even more happy to have picked the "make more hat channel" route -- if not for that, I'd have a stack of square tube and a broken plan for using it.

I guess these might be done this way because of the large windows -- the bus has only half its ribs actually reaching the floor, and each of these has to carry its own weight plus half the weight on the ribs above the windows too. I'll stick to the original plan of extending the hat channel only, and not extend this surprise inner section. Since I'll be adding new full-height ribs in what used to be the middle of most of the windows, I think it should be fine.
family wagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2015, 09:24 AM   #75
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
If anyone in my area needs any hat channel, hit me up. I'm going to be ordering a bunch from the local fab shop. Will most likely go with 14ga Galvaneal.
Ribs on a Blue Bird Bus are 12 ga, not 14.

Nat
__________________
"Don't argue with stupid people. They will just drag you down to their level, and beat you up with experience."

Patently waiting for the apocalypses to level the playing field in this physiological game of life commonly known as Civilization
nat_ster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2015, 09:33 AM   #76
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
I don't have a blue bird, but will build them out of whatever is on my bus. 10, 12, 14... whatever it is.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2015, 09:51 AM   #77
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Posts: 1,635
Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
Per the chart at Engineering Toolbox the thickness of 12 ga galvanized is 0.108 inch. With my calipers I didn't find any point so thick as that (thin edges standing up around punches and cuts excepted). IIRC mine measured from 0.074 to 0.085. It's just the average $10 digital caliper, but drills and such whose shank size is known are measured accurately enough with it, so I figured this range of measurements pointed toward 14 ga for mine. Certainly won't hurt anything to go thicker where there's space for that, of course. It wouldn't surprise me to find that the design changed over the years.
family wagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2015, 10:14 AM   #78
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
I figured 14ga from more than a decade of cutting the stuff in a steel shop. I just felt it with my fingers. I'll cut a section out, take it to the shop and buy the steel accordingly.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2015, 12:42 PM   #79
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Good point it may change over the years, and per manufacture.

Also our Canadian buses may be built thicker to give longer life before rust out?

Nat
__________________
"Don't argue with stupid people. They will just drag you down to their level, and beat you up with experience."

Patently waiting for the apocalypses to level the playing field in this physiological game of life commonly known as Civilization
nat_ster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2015, 08:37 PM   #80
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Posts: 1,635
Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
Trying to figure out how to break the sealant/adhesive that is between this fiberglass rear cap and the sheet metal -- with minimal damage to the fiberglass so it can be re-used.

A friend suggested... oh, what did he call it... a "buzzy cutter," I think. Also known as "oscillating multi-tool." Maybe that vibrating blade could slide between the metal and fiberglass..? Surely it would shave some fiberglass off the back side, but maybe not too much... Any thoughts about this or another approach?
family wagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Covered Wagon travelinwithus Everything Else | General Skoolie Discussions 9 08-06-2013 07:53 PM
Covered Wagon Roof oilitright Skoolie Conversion Projects 17 12-31-2011 03:39 PM
the Waste-Not Wagon - an intro. waste-not wagon Skoolie Conversion Projects 2 07-29-2009 09:01 AM
Whoa Cheese Wagon!!! (BRAKES) JesuitLarson Conversion General Discussions 6 01-18-2009 10:54 AM
Hawg wagon project. timbuk Skoolie Conversion Projects 16 11-29-2008 09:46 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:32 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.