The Busted Flush

[plfking]

Mounted my sample awning yesterday.....had a 1 1/2 hour downpour this pm, and it worked great......rain was blowing sideways and it still didn't make it inside the bus. Ordered 5 more this morning, which will reach the length of the bus on both sides.

Two of my paddle latches didn't work, nor did the fuel door lock.....so I ordered some t-handle cam locks from Ebay. They have a nice finish and work very smoothly. Made my generator and battery doors out of metal plate, but didn't like the look of them, so I'll re-do them in wood tomorrow, which I should have done to start with, but never thought of it.

[plfking]

Got my wooden doors made and mounted. They'll go well with the accent pieces I have planned. Threw some red and black paint on just to see the contrast.

Moved the ribs from the new door area to the other side of the bus......really like the way they look. Still need to grind on them a little, but I'll do that when I do my final prep for paint.....leaning towards the burgundy color closest to the rear wheel.

[desertfather]

Nice job with the doors. Are you planning to add other accents to make it look like an old-school "woody"?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by desertfather

Nice job with the doors. Are you planning to add other accents to make it look like an old-school "woody"?

I like that idea!

[plfking]

Originally Posted by desertfather

Nice job with the doors. Are you planning to add other accents to make it look like an old-school "woody"?

Yes......will be adding a 4" wide wood strip just under the windows which will run all the way around the bus body, and a 2" wood strip about 2 ft below that that will just run the length of the sides.

Also in the process of making/designing a wood hood scoop....got about halfway done with the first one, then set it on the bus and realized that its' curves (think late 60s Firebird grill) didn't look good at all with the blockiness of the hood, so I'm starting over. It's going to be functional as well.....Hybuzz put one on his bus and says it really moves the hot air out from under the hood and away from the firewall....I'm all for that.

I like wood on vehicles....here's a 75 Blazer I did years ago because I didn't want to spend the $$$ to replace rusted quarterpanels.....it quickly got out of hand, but I had a ton of fun with that truck. I'll curb my enthusiasm with this bus build.

[joeblack5]

Wow, that looks cool, I wish I had that king of patience with wood, sure looks nice.


Later J

[desertfather]

That truck is an incredible piece of work! Can't wait to see what you do with the accents you're describing on the bus.

[plfking]

Thank you gentlemen.

[plfking]

Embarrassed to say that yesterday was the first time I washed my bus...it is now Kentucky dirt-free. I empathize with y'all that own the long buses....took my almost 3 hours to do mine, and didn't even touch the roof or wheels. I then attacked it with every color-combo I thought I'd like....will go with burgundy with silver and black ribs....haven't finalized which ribs will be which color.

Got my awnings painted...will paint above my windows tomorrow morning, then bolt and seal these bad boys in place tomorrow pm.....then start sanding and prepping the rest of the bus.

Since day one I've been trying to figure a way to use my flashing lights fore-and-aft as openings to let fresh air through the interior while driving.....haven't figured it out, so will cut 6" x 36" openings in the front and rear caps, frame the opening, then build two tempered- and tinted- windows to fit. The windows will fold up and back inside the bus while traveling....should keep the interior a lot cooler while rolling.....will have to make sure the paper towels and toilet paper are securely locked away.

[plfking]

Got the awnings mounted and top side painted. I used 3/8" rubber weatherstripping all along the top edges and sides, and compressed it down to about 1/8" by using about 12 tek screws on each panel. The awnings really aren't as noticeable as I thought they might be.....I like the way they turned out. I already know they'll keep sideways rain out, and with the approx. 6 1/2" overhang they'll keep at least a couple more hours of midday sun from directly shining inside.

To be on the safe side, I bolted the 3 awnings on each side together, so if the screws fail, they're gonna have to ALL fail for this thing to become a guided missile into someone's windshield.

Went for a ride to check everything out.....no noticeable vibrations or movements at 55 mph. MPGs actually increased about 20%.....I must be getting some lift from them, which will also mean less wear on my tires.

[plfking]

RED LETTER DAY! Finally started putting some color on this bus. I know it looks like an Iowa State tailgate bus right now, but that will change.

Probably going to take 3 weekends to get it like I want......definitely two coats, and maybe three.

[WanderWoman]

Love that red!!! And the awnings! I actually want to install an RV awning on both sides.

[plfking]

Thanks! I still plan on one small awning on the door side.....maybe 12 x 10. That will be next year, though, after I build my deck.

[EastCoastCB]

Glad to see you're keeping momentum with the project, man!

[plfking]

Got my rub rails and grille painted this morning......still pondering whether or not to add another color or two to the rails. Will paint the roof silver this weekend, do my touch-ups, then it's on to the exterior woodwork.

[Mark_In_MA]

That looks great!

I'd wait and see how it looks with the wood.
Simpler might be better - let the colors, grain, and patterns show in the wood. Don't let the rub rails and bus colors become a distraction.

[plfking]

Originally Posted by Mark_In_MA

That looks great!

I'd wait and see how it looks with the wood.
Simpler might be better - let the colors, grain, and patterns show in the wood. Don't let the rub rails and bus colors become a distraction.

Thank you sir.

And you're right about keeping it simple.......my constant battle with myself is to make sure the whole thing doesn't become too 'busy'. Trying hard to convince myself not to add wooden fender skirts.

[plfking]

Beautiful day for working outside....low 80s, 30% RH, 13-14 MPH wind. Got two coats of Rustoleum Aluminum on the roof and side mirror brackets. Hadn't been on my roof since painting it white, and was crawling around on my hands and knees, not even thinking about how cool or hot the white was......until I put my forearm down on the red border.....ouch! Amazing difference in the heat retention of the two colors.

Found some really nice looking metal gutter screen at Lowes, which will be trimmed down and become the bug screens for my front- and rear-cap windows.

[Jibbs]

Originally Posted by plfking

They're out there. You just have to look at every site you can think of and hit the nationwide CL every day or two.....I got lucky in that mine was listed late on a Sunday night and I saw it about two hours later, and I called the guy early Monday a.m.

Patience is the key. Can't tell you how many times I almost pulled the trigger on something less than I wanted out of sheer frustration. And like everyone here says....another bus comes up for sale every day.


Don

Thanks for this, saw it exactly when I needed to see it. That bus is my dream size and a nice engine to boot.


Ahhh, I just want to start building!

[plfking]

You just gotta keep the faith, brutha.

Seriously.....the good folks here were very helpful in keeping me focused during my search (I'm not the most patient guy in the crowd).

You'll find yours, it may just take a little longer than you want. But that just gives you more time to read and learn even more.