Newbie questions about my build!

[PowerDaniels]

Originally Posted by pictureLOVE

Ospho for canucks here: http://www.caswellcanada.ca/

Thanks pictureLOVE, that's actually where I ended up ordering from because I couldn't find anywhere else online in Canada. I've had it for about a week now, but still working on rust removal first.

[PowerDaniels]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Get a angle grinder and a knotted wire wheel for it. Not some little $20 4.5 inch junk, get a real brand, 5 or 7 inch. You will do the whole floor in a few hours.

You can't convert a bus without a angle grinder.

Nat

Thanks again Nat, been using an angle grinder already for removal of bolts and whatnot, but not with a knotted wire wheel for rust removal, so I will definitely look into this.

[pictureLOVE]

I'm right behind you on rust removal. Clementine/Milkshake passed inspection so we know (or have been led to believe) that she's structurally intact but it isn't rocket science to see we have our work cut out. The mechanic who was working on the electrical this week said it looked like someone had stored her underwater for a year. Did I miss the pics of the rust you're tackling somewhere in this thread? I'd like to know what we're up against, comparatively speaking lol

[PowerDaniels]

Originally Posted by pictureLOVE

I'm right behind you on rust removal. Clementine/Milkshake passed inspection so we know (or have been led to believe) that she's structurally intact but it isn't rocket science to see we have our work cut out. The mechanic who was working on the electrical this week said it looked like someone had stored her underwater for a year. Did I miss the pics of the rust you're tackling somewhere in this thread? I'd like to know what we're up against, comparatively speaking lol

I've been lazy/busy and was out of town for 9 days, so I keep promising I'll start an actual topic for my build, but haven't done it yet. Hopefully over this weekend I'll get around to showing off what the bus looks like and start an official topic! I'll be sure to follow your adventure too! haha

[wmkbailey]

Originally Posted by PowerDaniels

Thanks again Nat, been using an angle grinder already for removal of bolts and whatnot, but not with a knotted wire wheel for rust removal, so I will definitely look into this.

Dam, I have to agree with nat again. It made quick work of my floor rust too.

[HolyBus]

Thanks for the detailed info below! I am seriously considering the Privy 500 kit or 501 kit by Separett. It is a urin diverter type of seat kit.
Anyone have input on this model? I spent the afternoon searching and reading up on it. It looks like the only kit that exists for diverting urin and with a flap to close off the bucket from the seat.

Originally Posted by nat_ster

5 gallon pail with a seat, and lid, kitty litter, and some shopping bags is the cheapest way to take a $hit and not smell it after.

Here is how it works, you remove the lid from the pail, install a shopping bag, add two hands full of kitty litter. Take you $hit, wipe, ect. Now add one more handfull of kitty litter, and tie up the bag. Leave the bag in the pail, remove the seat, and reinstall the lid.

Keep doing this till the pail is full, or you can dump it in the trash.

Nat

[EastCoastCB]

Ive been using an angle with wire wheel too. But the expensive Gator discs are even better!

[PowerDaniels]

Hey everyone, I'm back after a long absence and a late start to the bus this summer! Thanks for everyone's help last year, even though I've been slacking off to get to where I wanted to haha.

Going to wash the floor and try to Ospho it finally. Just finished grinding off the excess rust today.

Does all of the putty/glue stuff along the walls and between some floor panels need to be completely removed? it's kind of annoying, but I don't know if I should be stripping it all or what.

[PowerDaniels]

Those plans changed, as we still didn't remove the inner wall panels and realized we should tackle that first. Does anyone know if we need to remove the windows first to pull off that inner skin below the windows? It seems like it's attached, even though have all of the rivets out.

[Scooternj]

Originally Posted by PowerDaniels

Those plans changed, as we still didn't remove the inner wall panels and realized we should tackle that first. Does anyone know if we need to remove the windows first to pull off that inner skin below the windows? It seems like it's attached, even though have all of the rivets out.

Pull the windows. You'll find it tack welded at the sill. Air chisel or cold chisel and hammer will break them.

[PowerDaniels]

Thanks Scooternj, will try saturday morning.

[PowerDaniels]

Originally Posted by Scooternj

Pull the windows. You'll find it tack welded at the sill. Air chisel or cold chisel and hammer will break them.

Got all the windows out a couple of weeks ago, but haven't pulled off that inner skin below the windows yet. On our bus it's riveted underneath the rub rails on the exterior of the bus. We're thinking of angle grinding the interior panels now instead of messing with removing the rub rail rivets on the exterior.

Does anyone have a better suggestion or is angle grinding off the interior skin my best option?

[EastCoastCB]

Air chisel makes less mess and dust. will shear right through it. they're cheap and handy to have, too.
Check out my thread Roll Your Own for pics of removing it.

[The Nebuchadnezzar]

That's how I did it, just take your time so you don't cut into stuff you don't want to.

[PowerDaniels]

Hey everyone, the wall panelling that runs along the floor seems to be welded onto the skeleton or something. Should it not have come right off after removing the rivets? It's solidly attached to the vertical steel. Here are a couple of photos of what I mean.

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

[family wagon]

There's some info about how the chair rail is attached to the floor, and why not to remove it, on the Abominable Snowbus thread. (nat_ster's sketch, and a few posts down a photo I took from my bus)

[EastCoastCB]

I'm into the demolition stuff. I love it.
That said- I'd leave the rail in place.

[PowerDaniels]

alright, so it's called a chair rail, my bad haha, well we really don't want it, or the lip of it to affect our build. especially since some parts of it are actually corroded and rusted through. we've already removed all of the rivets too, which we don't want to have to deal with… so now i'm not sure what to do. any ideas?

[EastCoastCB]

Someone's removed them before... I can't remember who but look around a bit. I came across it when considering my own options.

[Tango]

On most buses the chair rail is an integral part of the floor/wall structure and you don't want to go chopping it out without verifying what else it is attached to.

Also, when you construct your inner walls, that area is a great place to run plumbing, electrical, and all sorts of things.

Best check it out first.