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Old 09-10-2018, 11:32 PM   #981
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Sweet bike indeed. I used to have a stock (but excellent condition) 1982 BMW R100 -- and miss it.
Thanks, I've owned this one since 1975. When I picked up my bus in Butte June 12 I waited 2 more days to see if I won 2 2007 BMW R1200RT-P's in OR. Went for a few hun more than I wanted to spend.

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Old 09-11-2018, 08:02 AM   #982
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Excellent (and classic) crotch rocket! Hope you have the chance to get it out and play with it from time to time.
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Old 09-11-2018, 08:21 AM   #983
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In other news....
Update on mysterious alternator noise.
It was not the alternator at all, but the belt. The belt was not very old, and I cannot see any fault with it, and the pulleys are nicely lined up -- but a new belt cured the noise.

This... after I took the alternator to an auto electric expert. He took one look at it and said "There's nothing wrong with this alternator -- it's your belt making that awful noise you describe". And I had to "force him" to accept a few bucks for the diagnosis.
The man has all my auto electric business for life.

Check the belt tensioner. It could be getting weak.
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Old 09-11-2018, 02:16 PM   #984
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How would I test it? There is no room to put a torque wrench on it.

Maybe try to compare it with a new one on the counter at NAPA Auto Parts? I could easily fabricate a tool for holding it -- a 2x4 and a couple lag bolts -- and then use a torque wrench.
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Old 09-16-2018, 12:39 PM   #985
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And the answer is...

... a five dollar throw-away film camera got the job done.







We noticed a substantial reduction in heat inside the bus -- compared with 2007 when we had the same tarp resting directly on the roof.
Hey!

Do you have a picture where I can see how you attach the tarp to the ground? I think to do the same thing because it's very hot in the bus..
Thanks !
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Old 09-16-2018, 01:13 PM   #986
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Nothing but poles and ratchet-straps touch the ground, and are anchored with 14" and 18" lag screws. The tarps are all horizontal.
(There was one year long ago when the tarps did angle to the ground on one side.)

In the photo you quote... we were in the middle of installing or removing the one huge tarp -- that's why it droops so loosely toward the ground.

We have since switched to many small tarps, and they are all horizontal.

As of this year, we have well over 4,000 square feet of shade, with Millicent in the middle.
There is one set of "rafters" and poles and tarps on each side of the bus.
On the driver side, the rafters are 31-foot trusses of steel tubing.
On the other three sides, the rafters are simply 20-foot steel tubes.

Most of the tarps are 10x20 feet, and one on each side is only 8 feet wide (because Millicent is only 8 feet wide, and the front and rear roof mounts are 1 foot in from Millicent's full length of 40 feet, so the total area is 78 feet x 59 feet).


In this photo, you also see some vertical shade cloth.
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Old 09-16-2018, 01:17 PM   #987
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This photo is from last year and shows the 31-foot trusses.
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Old 09-17-2018, 06:58 AM   #988
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As of this year, we have well over 4,000 square feet of shade, with Millicent in the middle.
Damn, you are hard core!!
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This photo is from last year and shows the 31-foot trusses.
Nice trusses too!!!

On a similar, slightly related (???) note, the company I work for had an All Hands lunch for us to listen to the executive staff yak at us only to find out later it wasn't a paid lunch. But anywho, the weather forecast was questionable so they had a huge tent set up. I was eyeballing it for bus stuff. It was probably bigger than yours. If I had to guess, it was 2 twenty foot panels wide and then probably 6 maybe 8 or more. They were set up with a peak (not horizontal) but I remember thinking my bus would fit under a single section with 2 long. I should have gone and talked to the caterers just to see if they knew what it cost.
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Old 12-06-2018, 01:57 AM   #989
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Quarterly report, or annual report, or some such.

Millicent had an unusually quiet year, but she made the critical trip to Black Rock City without missing a beat.
She has now traveled 65,710 miles in her 12 seasons with me.

One tire was discovered to have a nasty crack some time ago, and it was replaced with a brand new one before she went back on the road. Of course, the new one went on the front, and the one with 65,000 miles on it was rotated to the back.

The rear tires will now keep dying of age, sure as shooting, still with plentiful tread-depth. It is the nature of the beast. No complaints.

A while back, I installed a battery shut-off switch right thru the wall of the electrical center, so the knob is easy to reach with my left hand below my left knee.
This takes care of the seemingly inevitable small currents that drain the batteries when she is parked for a length of time.

I am itching to raise the roof another foot or more, then rearrange the floor plan and especially the bunks. But tons of other stuff going on in my life, except money, so... one of these days.

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Old 12-06-2018, 06:33 AM   #990
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Quarterly report, or annual report, or some such.
Lol

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Millicent had an unusually quiet year, but she made the critical trip to Black Rock City without missing a beat.
She has now traveled 65,710 miles in her 12 seasons with me.
That's 5500 miles a yr. Damn, impressive. I bet most buses don't see half of that.

Quote:
I am itching to raise the roof another foot or more, then rearrange the floor plan and especially the bunks.
Damn, how is that going to work? It's already raised. I can see cutting the ribs and bumping that up easy enough but what are you going to do about sheet metal; add a 1 foot band all the way around or scrap the old and add 3 or 4 (however much) as a signle sheet?



Quote:
But tons of other stuff going on in my life, except money, so... one of these days.
When you figure that out out how about reporting back to us?


Quote:


I need one too but mine will have to be at the rear. Batteries and engine are back there. I also want to at least ghetto rig the electric so I can plug my extension cord into the bus and have working outlets inside. I'm nowhere near ready to run real electric yet. I need to rivet the sides then foam before doing that.
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Old 12-06-2018, 07:27 AM   #991
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bob.. what a great security system... rig up the 120 volts before riveting and sealing up the sides.. no one will get in and steal your tools...
-Christopher
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Old 12-06-2018, 07:53 AM   #992
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bob.. what a great security system... rig up the 120 volts before riveting and sealing up the sides.. no one will get in and steal your tools...
-Christopher
I'm sensing sarcasm and/or a joke but I'm not getting it. I just want to be able to plug in the bus then plug in at the front, middle, rear of the bus for power tools.


As for security, I'm not too worried. The APG cops man the gate to the base. They are far more lax than the Marines used to be or the NSA cops but if you run the gate it will likely get their blood pressure up. Once on the base you need to the correct lot; there are 3 (?) of them. At the RV lot, you need the combo for the realtor box to get the key to open the gate. Once this far, you'll likely be able to pick my bus out. It is the only skoolie aside from the non-converted motor pool Blue Bird (yet a different lot). Then my skoolie has a lock on the front door. The E-door isn't currently locked and you could crawl thru the e-window if you're 10 feet tall and can reach it since the roof raise.


I do have a lot of money in tools out there and I do worry a bit but not like having roaming crackheads on a job site with an open pickup bed.
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Old 12-06-2018, 07:57 AM   #993
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yeah it was my attempt at humor.. dark humor.. ie having the bus electrified before its closed up.. when it rains in makes it dicey for thieves lolol
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Old 12-06-2018, 01:16 PM   #994
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yeah it was my attempt at humor.. dark humor.. ie having the bus electrified before its closed up.. when it rains in makes it dicey for thieves lolol
Ah gotcha. It's all good. I like it... as long as it isn't me getting zapped. You're closer to the truth than you know. right know I have an extension cord passing under the new sheet metal at the rear. It's a rather sharp edge and the cord ain't in the best of shapes anyway.


I am keeping an eye on it tho but if you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks, you might want to check the news.
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Old 12-06-2018, 11:59 PM   #995
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(Warning. Thread drift detected. Warning. Thread drift detected. Core breach in.... )

Millicent started out around ten feet tall, so she is only around 12 feet now (not counting the shade structure, which can be made to fold down).

13' 6" is legal in all states, and 14' in many.

By going to 13' 6", I could have "loft" bunks SAFELY ABOVE PEOPLE'S HEADS, which would allow bunks to run CROSSWISE, anywhere except the bathroom. That would be a major problem-solver.

That said... for me personally... I am becoming too old and creaky to play monkey, so I want to replace my "forecastle" bunk (above the driver's seat) with a floor-level one. (All right... about knee-height off the floor, ye smart-alecs.) That's more major "re-arranging of furniture".

I would add new skin without wasting any of the old. I no longer work in trucking, so I cannot expect free materials this time.

Well, nothing will happen for a while. Plenty other irons dropping on my toes.
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Old 12-07-2018, 06:55 AM   #996
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and 14' in many.
Didn't know that.

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which would allow bunks to run CROSSWISE, anywhere except the bathroom. That would be a major problem-solver.
damn, how people are you carting around? I know you do the shop stuff at the bus gathering. I assume you're already pulling a trailer for that? If not, might want to consider an empty shell of a bus or trailer with nothing but bunks?

Quote:
That said... for me personally... I am becoming too old and creaky to play monkey, so I want to replace my "forecastle" bunk (above the driver's seat)
Change the angle of the ladder or make steps? Could get fancy even and make it bleacher steps where they fold up completely.

Quote:
I would add new skin without wasting any of the old. I no longer work in trucking, so I cannot expect free materials this time.
Free is good!! I haven't found free yet. I'm definitely in the wrong industry.

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Well, nothing will happen for a while. Plenty other irons dropping on my toes.
Anything "new" with the Albatross? New= 6~9 months.
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Old 12-07-2018, 11:26 AM   #997
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Regarding the number of bunks needed.... That number is actually shrinking and the average approaching one. But we once had a dozen or so people overnight at an event, with most on the cargo floor -- possibly because of rain flooding their tents.
Methinks it is simply common sense that a beast like this should have "plenty" of bunks, and the cargo compartment may be full of Stuff.

For example... it looks like I will be making a rare winter trip in January, to join a "work weekend" where dozens of people are being invited. Word is, there is enough space in the house, but what if ALL the invitees show up?!

Regarding a trailer....




Regarding the climbing of ladders.... I am glad you are still young and have two good knees.

No work on the Albatross project in a year. My partner in that project dropped out, so it will happen on a slower schedule. I am actively getting rid of other projects to eventually concentrate on Albatross.

One tidbit of progress though... thanks to a researcher in Scotland, I now know with close to certainty which airplane I have -- that is, the serial number and history. Originally, I had confused two different systems of numbering the planes, and this gentleman set me straight.
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Old 02-17-2019, 05:35 AM   #998
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Anybody following this thread use this guys method of raising the roof? Also, to the OP, did you end up selling your lift system to someone following this thread? Wish you'd captured the whole process on camera
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Old 02-17-2019, 09:53 AM   #999
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I am doing something similar but only a 10" raise. Link: http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/pn...tml#post267633
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Old 02-17-2019, 11:44 PM   #1000
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Hey there, Adic27! Welcome to the party.

I still have the four guide-assemblies. The jacks... I gave to a friend for a permanent installation, but those are easy enough to replace. In fact, six or eight buddies could do the lifting just fine.

And in case you missed it... I intend to lift Millicent's roof again! Sure wish I had taken it all the way up the first time.

By all the way... I mean close up under 13' 6". Many states allow 14', but 13' 6" would be safe anywhere in the US except a few low bridges here and there ("half of them" in Chicago).

Looks to me like all the photos I posted of the original roof-raising in spring 2007 (if I remember right) are still appearing in this thread. Possibly, this forum did something clever to save the photos. But fundamentally... PhotoBucket can be expected to throw them all away any time now.

True... they backpedaled on the $400-a-year for hosting, down to half or even less of that. Still, after all those years of paying $12.95 or some such a year, I am now using Imgur instead.

And I DID save all the photos I have/had on PhotoBucket. But I would have to reassemble the whole job and post it anew.

PNW Steve is indeed doing it in a manner similar to mine (or did it, by now). Main difference is that I included the rear cap in the raise.

When I raise it the rest of the way, I may use bolts instead of welding. This would involve anti-crush tubes and other "real engineering" to keep the bolts from ever vibrating loose.

I might even remove all the old welds and do it neatly with one bolted extension per window-post -- rather than drive around knowing I am driving a hodge-podge of different methods on top of each other. One has pride, even inside.

Then comes raising and merging Albatross' roof. Bwuahahahah.

As always, nothing is certain until after it has been done.
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