The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

Penny · 07-30-2015, 11:11 PM

Goals:

Week 1:
Take all seats out. Difficult, but done. Cracked a window in the process.

Week 2:
Install battery: Easy peasy, done. Worse thing was the weight of the battery.
Paint over school bus signs: Decided to see how a paint scraper and a hair dryer would do. Slightly time consuming, but not so bad with some music. Done.
Tear out flooring: Realized a chisel and a hammer to pull up the vinyl was going to get old fast. Alright, plywood and vinyl at the same time. Got out the skilsaw, started with fairly straight cuts, realized the more tiny cuts there were the easier it was going to be on me. Used a pry bar to pull it all up in chunks. Sweaty work, but not so bad with some knee pads. And I felt like the She-Hulk. A+

Week 3:
Take it to get titled. Was feeling pretty accomplished up until this point... and is where I run into my first major issue...

Tonight I intended on moving her out of my yard. In the process, I had to go over some "curbs" at an angle. Realized I needed to move more stuff out of the way than when I put her in and kept her tilted and running while I moved stuff to give me maneuvering room.......

And she died. Figured being tilted made her an unhappy thing... that she possibly wasn't getting enough gas on a fairly low tank, added some gas, and killed my brand new battery from all that trying to start up. So, used a box truck to pull her into place, effectively knocking down a small tree on the way. She's hooked up to a battery charger right now. So fingers crossed in the morning being totally right side up over night with a charged battery will get her going. Pushing that titling goal out. My appointment was in the morning, but I don't have time for it if there's more wrong with her than me being a dummy. It's a comedy of errors at this point. Going to sleep on it and laugh about it tomorrow.

In the meantime, progress pics! 1: Seats out. 2: Letters off. 3: Partial floor up. 4: Floor all the way up. 5. The wedge my bus was stuck in.

So begins the Perils of Penelope Pitstop. Until next time.

EastCoastCB · 07-31-2015, 05:58 AM

Very cool bus and I love seeing folks REALLY tear into em!

c_hasbeen · 07-31-2015, 08:25 AM

good deal all of your accomplishments; It is odd that it just died like that.

when you try to start the bus again after the battery is charged when you first turn on the key see if you can hear an electric pump run, then when you crank the engine do not pump the gas pedal, listen to see if it sounds like it is firing at all, or if the starter is actually engaging and turning the engine over or is it just free spinning along.
gather all the info you can and bring it back here some one will be sure to know what step to follow next to get this running again!
Good Luck
Cliff

Tango · 07-31-2015, 08:59 AM

Welcome --- And great start. The only way to get'er done is to get'er done. Thanks for sharing and keep the pix coming.

Good luck with the starting issue and paperwork.

Penny · 07-31-2015, 10:32 AM

Hot dog! A little gas in the air filter and away she went. Must have run her lines dry when she was up on her side. So, success! I'm just a dummy.

Now, to make sure the oil is all fine and maybe I'll make it to that appointment after all. VIN verification and title papers, here we come! Thanks for the feedback and suggestions!

Penny · 08-04-2015, 08:36 PM

These are the plans I've been fiddling with since I got the bus. It flexes and changes... nothing major, just deciding where I want to save space, where I want to use space and what all I'll need to have space for. Gotta remember that I need a place for a bathroom towel and all that.

Penny · 08-09-2015, 11:25 PM

Extra dirty work day today, but I had help. We got the driver's seat out and the last little bit of floor left with it. Spent the day prepping the floors and pulling off bits and pieces.

Floor prep went: Sweep, wire wheel on all rust spots, sweep, hit the floor with 80 grit sandpaper (helped to get a lot of that grime up), sweep, vacuum up dust, wash and rinse floor to prep for rust reformer, dry. Spray with rust reformer. And dry. Once that was all ready, I spread silicone in all the holes and left to dry while I got assistance with grinding off the rivets on the side paneling. We got the side panels on the stair side out and pulled the ones near the back door off.

Fun discoveries of the day... nasty fiberglass, the pneumatic door opener, my cool dirt tan lines.

Hoping to get that other panel off tomorrow night, sweep and vacuum yet again and then put paint down on the floor so that it's finally ready for insulation.

Pics! 1:Back panels off 2:Rust reformer everywhere (about a can and a half) 3:Panels off 4: Silicone in the holes 5: Fiberglass out.

cullengw · 08-10-2015, 09:38 AM

crack window when removing seats.....took a tree down moving it.......

Are you sure you are prepared to handle this puppy?

please post pics of backing up into tight spaces You got this!

Penny · 08-10-2015, 09:49 AM

Not quite prepared, but my devil may care attitude and some elbow grease may just get me through it.

I think.

Math · 08-10-2015, 10:58 AM

Hi there! Good luck with your bus.

I've got nothing to add but that I like how you write, it's funny, instructive and entertaining... Keep the posts coming!

Also, I can't seem to see the pictures... Don't know if it's just me or what.

Penny · 08-10-2015, 11:22 AM

Thank you! I entertain myself a little, too. And I'm learning this whole way.

Oddly enough, I can't see the pictures either. I need to start hosting them somewhere, but I'm capital L lazy. Maybe it has something to do with the forum maintenance that is happening today?

SpudLime · 08-10-2015, 07:55 PM

Imgur.com is an easy hosting site.

M1031A1 · 08-10-2015, 08:56 PM

Pics are showing up now..... BTW, the floor looked a bit like Swiss Cheese for a sec.....

Penny · 08-11-2015, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M1031A1

Pics are showing up now..... BTW, the floor looked a bit like Swiss Cheese for a sec.....

Darn lucky it isn't.

roach711 · 08-12-2015, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penny

but I'm capital L lazy.

Sure you are.

scarygary · 08-12-2015, 08:42 PM

Looks good!

brbrerolling · 08-13-2015, 10:16 PM

I just jumped on the wagon(bus?) and am considering a skoolie or tiny house for myself - I'm eager to follow along with your progress, as I think I'd likely want a shorty for myself as well. Great progress!

Penny · 08-13-2015, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roach711

Sure you are.

Lazy in all the right ways!

Penny · 08-13-2015, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scarygary

Looks good!

Thanks! Hopefully it will look even better in about six months. Fingers crossed.

Penny · 08-13-2015, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brbrerolling

I just jumped on the wagon(bus?) and am considering a skoolie or tiny house for myself - I'm eager to follow along with your progress, as I think I'd likely want a shorty for myself as well. Great progress!

Good luck! I hope you find the bus of your dreams. And thanks for wanting to follow along.

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