the wild blue yonder

[atcc77]

I played around with the emergency windows and decided that maybe we would reuse them. I like the way they are hinged at the top and the whole window can be propped up, or just the top sash opens while driving. REALLY like the versatility of the stock piece.

[ol trunt]

Very nice job. How will you attach and seal the metal?

[atcc77]

I bought some very sticky white butyle tape from the camper store, so we'll seal with that, then rivet everything in place.
Used a similar sealant tape when I built teardrops to seal the windows, bought it at Home Depot in the plumbing dept, is used as insulating wrap for HVAC refer lines to prevent condesation. Haven't seen it there lately though, maybe just not looking hard enough.

[atcc77]

Got the second piece of sheet metal fitted in place today, I'll say this, widening the gap between the roof and wall above the window is not so easy.
After breaking 3 screwdrivers and ruining some chisels and old drywall knives, I finally went to Home Depot and picked up a floor chisel, it has a 3" head which is very thin, maybe a 1/16" or 1/8", anyway, its the thinnest thing I could find. Also got a new metal blade for the sawzall to cut through the tack welds above every other window. I am hoping these tools will make the difference since tomorrow's job is to place one piece of metal to cover 4 openings.

[ol trunt]

Where?

[TheRainbowBoxer]

I used an air hammer with chisel attachment. It is by far my favorite tool I have used on my bus. It cuts rivets easily, breaks spot welds like nothing, and spread the gap at the roof in seconds. I even used it to cut through some steel in areas where the cutoff wheel couldn't go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw0hvJF_ ... ture=g-upl

<----demonstration

[atcc77]

Don't know why I didn't think of an air chisel . I have two compressors and a wide assortment of nail guns,(being a carpenter and all), looks like another trip to the tool store is in my future !

Thanks for the tip!,

[atcc77]

This week was a busy one, I got the metal on over the window openings, but haven't been able to fasten them in yet. While not much physically happened, we did get a small upright freezer to convert to a refrigerator, played with paint colors- Suzy said she wanted metallic blue, so I mixed some of Ace's aluminum and blue together. Turns out this is going to be the cheapest way to do the paint. After seeing Benny's wheel wells, they are front on my mind this week, if I modify the wells, then I'll need to cut a new arch to weld in before paint. ....decisions...decisions....

[chev49]

metallic blue paint from paintforcars.com is something like 52 dollars a gallon. i bought that, and metallic silver and the cream colored paint from them. its good paint and far cheaper than the wholesale price at the car paint store.

[atcc77]

Chev49, the Ace rust paint is $30/gal, right now I have a 50/50 mix with aluminum and blue, its still a bit light for me, though Suzy likes it. The man at Ace said he wouldn't feel comfortable mixing color into the aluminum, so I bought two small sample cans and did it myself, nothing caught on fire or melted . I do think a 2:1 mix would be better.

[TygerCub]

Lowes sells metal flake in the home paint department. I bought the gold flake and that looks really nice mixed into a dark blue. Of course, that's mixed into dark blue latex paint, so your mileage may vary. But when the light catches on the walls it looks stunning.

[atcc77]

haven't finished exploring the idea of changing the wheel wells, if I could change the arch profile like is in the pic, then I could pick up 10" on the rear and 9" on the front. The challenge is making the outside look right.... still working it out

[atcc77]

Also heard from a aircraft mechanic buddy today, said he is procuring some aircraft sealant and some monel rivets as well as the rivet gun for me ! Lucky day!

[chev49]

you can mix any colors as long as they are the same base. rustoleum and the like are mineral spirits base of course, so you can mix anything like that. normal car paint like acrilic enamel or the basecoat stuff is not and you can mix lots of that stuff together even if the manufacturers say you cant. you can even mix clear coat into the car paint systems for a very deep gloss finish if ya do it right. however, of course, ya cant mix laquer paint and enamel bases.

i normally use mineral base paint on equipment, and the other on vehicles.

lowes does sell metal flakes now, but i havent bought any to put out in the sun to see how long they take to fade.. but i have thought about it.

[ol trunt]

Your idea about the wheel wells is exactly right. I've done this on several vehicles now and it isn't too hard. For me, getting the round curve right and then finding a way to reinforce it was always the hard part. I suggest you go to a junk yard with the diameter of your tire in hand and find a fender--any fender--that fits the measurement. Cut out as much of that fender as you need and paste it on your bus. This is an easy way to come up with a professional looking and strong repair. The tires on my SKOOLIE are 215/85/16 and that just happens to match up with the rear wheel opening on a Dodge or Plymouth PT Loser so that is what I'll use to resize the rear wheel well openings on my bus. Maybe that would be a start for you too.

[ol trunt]

FYI All metallic paint has aluminum in it--it is what makes the paint sparkle and has been so for over 50 years! This stuff has been shaken to mix for all those years with no ill effect. Maybe the person who told you this ate too many lead based paint chips when he was a kid and now has brain damage

[atcc77]

Thanks to all for the different ideas for metallic paint! there's a bunch of smart folks on this site. After some consideration I have decided to to use the ACE paint, mixing the aluminum paint into the color until we like it. My reasoning is that the metallic particles in the paint are super fine and allows the paint to dry smooth. The metal flakes from LOWES are not so fine and will leave a texture (the sales guy said he used some when painting a table and it looked cool, but was rough), and metallic automotive paint is just too expensive for me. I'm leaning towards spraying the color as I think rollers and brushes will leave marks.
I need to make a plan of action on the rear wheels before I can paint anyway, Ol Trunt's strategy seems the best way to go, so I'm looking at fenders on everything I see. The tanks also need to be hung and plumbed, so the past two nights I've been laying under the bus mocking them up. The plan is to build some belly bins around them to protect and maybe help with some drag (as well as provide storage). Hopefully there will be pics cominng soon.

[ol trunt]

You are doing all the right stuff. Keep on mocking stuff up as it gives you a real time feel for all your ideas. We'd all like to see pics but you do a good job with word pics so we can wait. Ain't it just too much fun

[atcc77]

here's some pics of a rib section for the belly bins.the 2x4 represents the floor of the bus, the angle pieces will go to the bottom of the skirt. Thinking of skinning it with some black treadright.

[chev49]

how many ribs go under each tank?