Rutgers tailgating bus

[RUskoolietailgater]

Ok, a question fellas. I got the windows out no problem. However, I realized that I will need either; 1. an air chisel to annihilate the rivets on the outside to get the flanges off 2. A heck of a lot of patience to slowly drill out each rivet and then try to punch it out with a pin punch.

For those of you who removed your rivets and then drilled pilot holes...How long did it take you to remove all the rivets necessary on each window and did you use metal drill bits? I'd like to know exactly what you used to get the stuff out and how long. I just want to remove the rivets and then rip off the flanges, scrape the excess glue off and then glue the sheet metal back to the metal with liquid nails and drill the sheet metal screws into the metal. I'd have to pre-drill before I guess. I can rip the windows out in a minute, but the drilling is what is stopping me right now. We're in a stone cold torrential down pour in NJ right now, but I think the sheet metal is okay for now since it's stuck under the lip of the metal over hang and then taped inside and outside around the seams.

[Wildcat]

Oh the rivets - they are a pain. I tried everything, air chisel and drilling (even with a special airplane tool), but I found the easiest for me was to grind the head off with a 4" grinder then clear the hole out with a punch or nail set. At first I thought I would be damaging the metal skin, but the head pops off before the grinder gets that far down. After the first two hundred rivets or so, I could remove one in about 30 seconds. Best of luck, and let us know what works for you.

[RUskoolietailgater]

Yeah, that's how I got 4 out last night. The only thing was I cut into the metal a little bit, obviously I can fix that with bondo but it seemed a little dangerous to me. I guess I can always do that as a last resort. I was trying to slice them off from the side. I guess I will try to remove them while trying to limit the damage. I will post pics of how it went when I am finished in a week or two.

[Wildcat]

I used a Zirconia Flap Disc wheel and set it right on top of the head of the rivit. The head pops off before getting to the metal and if not, because of the position of the grinder, the worst is taking the paint off. I didn't have any gouges. You can probably do the whole bus with two discs.

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

I used a Zirconia Flap Disc ...

Those things last forever and are worth their weight in gold when it comes to grinding down welds, rivets, etc...

[Wayward2]

RU
I bought some aerospace drill bits they are piloted bits or a step bit. used one larger than the rivet hole. Drilled the center out and the head just popped off.
e-bay Item number: 380140488225 Hope this helps worked for me.. Robert

[RUskoolietailgater]

We're not done yet, but I can't hold back the pictures I have.

We pryed the windows out with a crowbar. Some windows have a little old caulk or rubber sealant as you can see in the picture, but we lowered them halfway, stuck the crowbar in the sides and then wiggled them out.


Here is an example of us cutting off those pesky rivets!


You can see the old holes from where the rivets used to be. You can also see that we used liquid nails on the outside frames to secure the sheet metal more and to reduce rattling.


Sorry for the blur - a few wires popped out of the emergency exit windows. We cut them, capped them and wrapped them in black electrical tape.


We used some old scrap wood that I found at the curbs on garbage night. They will help give the sheet metal more support.


We pre-drill holes both outside and inside with titanium gold drill bits (4 broke so far and yes, we've been using oil to lubricate them). This is a shot of us drill in the sheet metal screws.


This side is finished.


We have one more sheet to cover on this side. The next two windows will be covered and then we'll be done.


Ta-da! Outside metal skins are completed. Time to build!

[Stuff]

looking good!

[RUskoolietailgater]

We have now cut and fit the furring strips/insulation and covered the walls with luan plywood.

Window insulation fits pretty snug.


We set strips 16" apart so the walls would have support. I also started using left-over red rosin paper but it was ticking me off so I ripped some of it off and didn't apply anymore. Make sure you pre-drill the holes first and then drill in sheet metal screws. We had an air drill that made it fun, but it's no picnic with a regular drill.


First wall up. We opted not to insulate by the heater. I am worried of a potential fire hazard, but the heater will eventually be surrounded by air vents. Also the bottom 6" of the floor wasn't covered because it will be covered by benches anyway.


Wall in the back is up. I started gluing cardboard beer signs on the side and back as a border.


We wanted it to look good on the passengers side, and this metal lip that attaches to the original seats was a hinderance. We used an air compressed angle grinder this time. It took some time but we cut what we needed.


Tightly framed and insulated. Strips were put in place every 16" (not shown).


Looks clean.

[RUskoolietailgater]

I'm excited to start working on our bunk beds today. My buddy and I are both stubborn on building materials and how to do certain things, but as you guys can see from the pictures, progress is coming along nicely. I hope to have the bunks done by the end of the week. It's just funny though, because you always run into small problems that you didn't forsee beforehand. I'm sure we'll run into some while working on the bunks. I wanted the beds 30" wide, he wanted them 24" wide, we might have a wrestle off in home depot, because no way in hell can I fit on a bed that's 2 feet wide, and some of my friends are larger than me lol. So if anyone sees two guys wrestling in the lumber section...just give me my 2 points when I have him in a headlock lol.

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by RUskoolietailgater

... I wanted the beds 30" wide, he wanted them 24" wide...

I for one would not want to try to 'pass out' on an elevated bed after an evening of 'wobbly pops' and junk food. I would make them 30" for sure. Even then, I would expect more than one person to take a dive from the top bunk now and then.

[Wildcat]

Your progress is looking good. We went with 30" wide bunks and they are skinny but bearable. A standard twin mattress is 39" wide for comparison purposes. What are you guys going to do for a mattress?

[RUskoolietailgater]

Originally Posted by jkindt

I for one would not want to try to 'pass out' on an elevated bed after an evening of 'wobbly pops' and junk food. I would make them 30" for sure. Even then, I would expect more than one person to take a dive from the top bunk now and then.

That's a great point that I will bring up when we go shopping this evening. He's a huge drinker too so that's very sensible.

Originally Posted by Wildcat

Your progress is looking good. We went with 30" wide bunks and they are skinny but bearable. A standard twin mattress is 39" wide for comparison purposes. What are you guys going to do for a mattress?

I was thinking that we could eventually get those thick foam pads that you put on top of a bed for comfort (I know it's not comfortable) or any old couch cushions we found, we could cut them to size and then stitch red felt over them to make them look nice and use those as a cushion. The beds won't be used too often. What would you suggest?

On a side note, a problem I am having is what to do with the back windows? I was thinking about just spray painting the back of them from the inside because I've seen on other conversions that it just looks like tint from the outside. Any other suggestions? I have no interest in knocking them out and covering them with sheet metal, and tinting seems like a pain in the butt. I feel like the spray paint is my best bet.

[RUskoolietailgater]

More insulation and framing


Total carnage in the bus!

[RUskoolietailgater]

Bunk beds were built quickly and nicely. We like the idea of each person having two windows to look out at night while still having their heads covered for some privacy. I think we'll install some curtains to hide the look of some of the wood from the outside or maybe put a window graphic up or even tint, not really sure right now. We used 2x3's to build the bunk and I'm glad we did. 2x4's seem too bulky and if you're looking to save a few bucks and pounds on the bus it's fine as long as you support everything well. We used 4" screws and 3" nails as well. Total cost to build the bunks came under $80.

First bunk installed, already resting

Second bunk was installed to the wall first

Bunks finished. I know you see the sweet ladder and the beer poster wall shaping up.

[RUskoolietailgater]

Yeah I'll basically be sleeping like that on the bottom, all I need is a flower in my hands.

[RUskoolietailgater]

After a week off from building, we got back to work and built our first closet. Never realized how intricate it is to install hinges, nobs, cut correct angles, etc. We used 1x2's and a piece of luan. Bought a few cheap wooden nobs and some small hinges. Sanded the outside of the doors as well.

Starting to seperate the closet from the bunks.


Sanding the pole for clothes.


Upclose view of how the hinges were installed.


Installing the magnet bumpers


How it looked finished


We already threw Rutgers gear in the clothes section of the closet. For now we have no idea what will go up top, but it's never a problem to have storage space in a skoolie. Next closet begins this week.

[RUskoolietailgater]

We have finished building the second closet this week and we're also halfway through on our sink installation. The total price to build the two closets came under $80. We used mostly 1x2's, a piece of luan, extra screws left over and we bought a sliding accordian door instead of building one. Pics are better than words, so here ya go.

Extra help for the sink


Finished closet #2


Closet #2 open


Front view of finished closets. The bottom half isn't covered because a bench is going there.


Sink cabinents weren't my best work - but whatever.


We bought vinyl tile to cover the top of the plywood sink. It was 68 cents p/ square foot. Not the easiest to cut because it's such brittle material, we used CUTCO scissors after breaking a few pieces. Then we caulked the holes. The sink we go on top so it will look clean once it's installed.

[RUskoolietailgater]

Okay, so I've been busy doing small things on the bus not worth posting about. I haven't even finished our benches yet, BUT...painting is now coming. I have already been asking questions on it, but today I decided for the heck of it to shop around for quotes. I went to an Earl Scheib and talked to the guy about what I wanted done. Basically I want the entire thing painted red. He said they would sand it down, prime it, prep with masking, then paint three coats with acrylic paint and wet shine it for $672. I saw the paint booth they had and I also saw a car that they just painted red with acrylic (it looked good). So I guess I'm asking you guys, what do you think? I know it's a pretty good deal. I am going to try to use that quote and leverage a few Maaco's into giving me something better, but I might not get it. I still think my buddy and I would need to possibly strip all the letters/lights off and bondo a few holes, but if that's the case, big deal.

Otherwise we were thinking of sanding the entire bus, priming the areas that needed primer, and painting it with acrylic or Urethene with about 3 gallons of paint and then wet sanding. It's a lot tougher out in a yard full of trucks though. Not to mention paintforcars isn't helping me because they can't pick up the phone. I'm going to sleep on it and keep getting opinions. I wasn't planning on it for 2 weeks anyway. Plus I'd need a temporary vehicle plate because the bus isn't registered right now.

[Locutus]

Originally Posted by RUskoolietailgater

Okay, so I've been busy doing small things on the bus not worth posting about. I haven't even finished our benches yet, BUT...painting is now coming. I have already been asking questions on it, but today I decided for the heck of it to shop around for quotes. I went to an Earl Scheib and talked to the guy about what I wanted done. Basically I want the entire thing painted red. He said they would sand it down, prime it, prep with masking, then paint three coats with acrylic paint and wet shine it for $672. I saw the paint booth they had and I also saw a car that they just painted red with acrylic (it looked good). So I guess I'm asking you guys, what do you think? I know it's a pretty good deal. I am going to try to use that quote and leverage a few Maaco's into giving me something better, but I might not get it. I still think my buddy and I would need to possibly strip all the letters/lights off and bondo a few holes, but if that's the case, big deal.

Otherwise we were thinking of sanding the entire bus, priming the areas that needed primer, and painting it with acrylic or Urethene with about 3 gallons of paint and then wet sanding. It's a lot tougher out in a yard full of trucks though. Not to mention paintforcars isn't helping me because they can't pick up the phone. I'm going to sleep on it and keep getting opinions. I wasn't planning on it for 2 weeks anyway. Plus I'd need a temporary vehicle plate because the bus isn't registered right now.

Make sure that whoever paints it will guarantee, in writing, that their paint job will never flake or peel as long as you own it.