get these seats out!!

Lea · 05-26-2005, 07:56 PM

Just bought a beautiful 1990 International. I hope to get started on the seats this weekend. Things are pretty rusty but it looks like a clear shot to the bolts from underneath. Got any tips and what supplies should I have.
-lea

Roasting8 · 05-27-2005, 07:00 AM

Besides having WD40 and the proper wrenches, I would also recommend having a grinder just in case your bolts don't come out. In fact, I would probably go with the grinder if the bolts don't come out easily.

Chfsfn2 · 05-27-2005, 07:03 AM

We just removed the seats from our 1992 Ward.

We hit the undersides with WD-40 first, then from inside the bus we used a strong drill with a socket while someone held a wrench on the nut under the bus. Some came loose, some snapped, seemed to work pretty well & quick.

A couple absolutely would not budge, so I cut the heads off of the bolt with a grinder and cutting disc and punched them through with a screwdriver.

frey2 · 05-27-2005, 02:54 PM

i found that grinding the heads off was the easiest. Other than drilling new holes and mounting the seats back in it was the worst part of our conversion

Lea · 05-29-2005, 08:33 AM

we are starting out today on the seats. i have an air compressor with a socket attachment. i am going to try that first on her underside. i will need to do some prep to uncover the nuts under the mud and rust. i'll let you all know how it goes.
-lea

captainkf · 05-29-2005, 04:04 PM

Go with a grinder!!! They are fast and only take one person (for some a necessity

)

-Richard

Eric von Kleist · 05-29-2005, 04:55 PM

If your seat vinyl is in good condition, save it. I'm fixing to make curtains out of mine. You could make tool bags or other things from it, too.

SeanF · 05-31-2005, 09:48 AM

If you decide to use a grinder, please use some sort of lung protection. The metal dust is not good for your lungs or sinuses. (Sinii?)

Lea · 05-31-2005, 02:01 PM

after 7 hours of trying to undo the bolts my dad was finally willing to let me try the dreaded grinder. a tool he deems the most dangerous. and we were able to get 7 seats out in 30 minutes.

i told him you all said the grinder but he thought it was crazy. oh well, now we know. the grinder is a bit intense. i have a full face mask and i will get a mask for the dust.
pulled up all the rubber under the removed seats to find some pretty wet rotted plywood. so i guess once all the seats are out i will be putting new plywood down, and then flooring. is there anything i should know about taking the flooring up? what about all those holes? oh, i also have two heaters i have heard mixed discussion about removing them. what do you all think?
-lea and my "big girl"

Steve · 05-31-2005, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lea

oh, i also have two heaters i have heard mixed discussion about removing them. what do you all think?

If you live where it snow keep them! The heater in these buses work very well, especially when you have filled up your bus with walls, beds, and junk.

I have propane, electric, and the origninal engine water waters on my bus. The propane works well and will heat it up in a hurry, but if you are going to be driving or running the engine for power anyways, it makes sense to use those nice engine water heaters.

In my experience the electric heaters are good for maintaining temperature, they don't seem to heat the bus up as well and require a LOT of power.

Griff · 05-31-2005, 03:15 PM

I also have propane, electric & original bus heaters and agree with Steve: if you live in a climate that needs heat, the bus heaters work very well. I almost removed mine, but was glad I decided to keep it.

Eric von Kleist · 05-31-2005, 06:53 PM

Flooring tip: DO NOT USE SELF-STICK VINYL TILE!!!!!

The sun heats it up in an instant, and it expands, forcing the edges of the tile against each other, which causes them to buckle up like crazy all over the place.

If you go with vinyl, use sheet vinyl.

If you go to the Paradigm Shift Gallery (page 8 of the Skoolie.net gallery), you can see what I did for flooring. I put down 3/4" foam, and then put 3/4" plywood. I also installed 120' of CPVC hot water pipe for a radiant heat system that will connect either to the bus's heater system or to a solar collector.

....of course, after I put the vinyl tile down, I read the instructions which said, "do not use with radiant floor heat systems that heat the floor to temperatures higher than 85 degrees Fahrenheit"!

lapeer20m · 06-02-2005, 06:24 AM

I had good results from peel and stick tile....as long as it was on the floor. I didn't have much luck getting it to stick to the wall however.

I used the tile in my bus for more than a year with high traffic and a lot of spilled jacuzzi water. It looks nice too. I live in michigan, so it's not as hot here as some other states. Perhaps living down south would make for less desirable results with the tile. Make sure you put down nice new clean luan for the peel and stick tile.

I am not a big fan of carpet. I find it much much easier to clean a hard surface. I had originally put carpet in my bus, but quickly decided that it was not the best solution.

dammitAndy · 06-02-2005, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric von Kleist

The sun heats it up in an instant, and it expands, forcing the edges of the tile against each other, which causes them to buckle up like crazy all over the place.

If you go with vinyl, use sheet vinyl.

I totally agree, I did the same thing and got the same result. It's not that bad for the time being, but I will replace it before I start on my interior construction...

I am also replacing it becuase It got pretty messed up from window construction... I didnt put anything down to protect it from scratches, my bad.

pangaia · 06-11-2005, 07:02 PM

If your floor is warped, replace the whole floor. Its my experience right now that if I'd just removed all the floor, I'd been working on the kitchen now not trying to pull up the flooring up.

However, if the wood floor is in fairly good condition I would advice only removing that yucky rubber. I'm glad I am doing so as what's under it definately needs replacing.

Also I agree with the others about keeping the heater if you are in cold weather. Don't be shy to tear those suckers out if you don't want them nor can't stand that noise. Both these reasons plus I own a Hudson blanket (never get cold w/ that!) is why I tore the heater out. Plus I get that extra space for my bedroom which is the last 8 feet of TCD.

Have fun and all hail the grinder!

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