1983 GMC Ward 66 passenger (Bigasspimp Mobile)

[skoolz out]

If possible, I'd like to see some photos of how the previous owner installed that RV door. It looks like another nice piece of work that you don't have to fool with and I have to assume some metal work was done to make the bus doorway a bit smaller for a perfect fit.

Now I've seen RV doors in skoolies before but I've always questioned the legality and safety of having that tiny window, which is usually opaque glass. Makes for a big blind spot. Any plans to change out the door window for something larger and clear?

[bapos]

@ Henukaw.... just curious what engine do you have? I have not drove my bus on any kind of longer trips other than the drive home from the purchase... which was about 70 miles or so...and I was kind of shocked at how the gauge moved. But to be honest its a big OLD bus. Its not going to get 30 mpg. Not what type of cleaning it needs but heres a tip... If you have a lot of oil on the motor, spray it with some oven cleaner on a warmer day. The use a high pressure sprayer to hose it off. Does a very good job. Dont doubt your abilities. If you can do those simple things the more complex ones are nothing more than lots of simple ones. Engines are logical things. I think your right that flap is for fresh air intake.

@ skoolz out.... I can take some pic of the door install if you wish. I dont think its the best job in the world. The inside looks like a hack job in my opinion. The door has a bent hinge pin so Im going to have to fix so I dont have to list the door up to have it close. So if I cant fix it I will be doing another install and will document it. Let me know if you want to have them here or if you want me to send them to you privately? I dont really document things that was done previous but I have not problems showing others what has gone down. As more glass or view able area.. yeah at times I think it need it but the trade off is.. How safe is it? Since its far away from the driver I dont think its too much of an issue but thats me.

The previous owner put a KILLER set of semi truck side mirrors that give a good view of the side and blind spots. Which makes me think as long as the bus is maybe some observation camera on the side may be in order?

Let me know if I can help you guys out in any way.

[bapos]

Small update on the bus. I have started the process of whats needed to finish up the window skinning. The top of the sheet metal is too short to rivet it to the lip of the bus so my plan is to weld in some strap steel and weld it to the body so i can rivet the top of the skin so it cant flex. Heres what Im working with to start off with.




Here is a piece of the strap steel I am going to weld in.....






here is a quick look at whats going to be happening down the line






Ill post up some more when we weld up next weekend.

Thanks for looking.

[thommassey]

Appreciate the pics...

[bapos]

No issues. I plan on updating next weekend when we start welding up.

[skoolz out]

It might be worthwhile to post some pics of that door, even if it was a sloppy install. Someone here with experience might have suggestions on how to salvage it so you don't have to tear it off and start from scratch.

[Henukaw]

I have a 366 in my bus. We drove down to Arizona from Montana back in November, and along the drive I got anywhere from 3.5 - 8.5 mpg between fill-ups. It was a 1,100 mile trip. A few times it was very hilly with strong headwinds, and sometimes nice smooth roads losing altitude with the wind behind me, so the mpg varied pretty drastically. Overall, I'd say our bus gets about 6-7 mpg, unless road conditions are less than ideal. I really like going downhill, as this 366 surely is a dog. I'm sure it pulls great... just no balls.

I also got to keep the engine revved up (I have no tac, so no idea on the rpm's) and my sweet spot is right about 65 mph. I found that the governor kicks in at 75. My bus is an automatic, with the overdrive gear kicking in around at 45, so that last gear takes some time to get the bus moving along on the highway. Once at cruising speed the bus drives along pretty well.

I have that same flap under my drivers window, and for the life of me cannot figure out what it could be for.

[skoolz out]

I've always thought those air flaps were an intake scoop for a vent located by the driver. Could also be a fresh air intake for the front heaters, like what would normally be hidden under the cowl at the base of a car's windshield.

[bapos]

@ skoolz out Ill see what i can do to get some pics of the door up. It works ok. Just the upper hinge pin is bent so the door does not fit square. I have to lift it up to close it. Right now its not a huge deal cause I dont go in and out of it a lot but once we get it functional I will need to sort it out. From what I can see of the door they disassembled it and welded in some rectangular tubing for the framing. and used some self taping screws to get it to all come together. I may have to take one of the parts down to get to the back side and access the top hinge to see if I can get that pin out and bent it back so it will align properly. More on that as tackle that beast.

@Henukaw thanks for the info on the 366. I think its a dog of a motor also but it does have its good points. It does torque up well to get a big bus going. I dont think its suppose to be a neck snapping motor or any type of a speed demon. I have been reading and I dont think there is a lot we can do to improve on it. I have considered maybe a tall deck 427 out of a medium truck maybe but that all depends on price. I expect about 6 to 8 mpg also. I am considering a 2 speed rear end to try and get the revs down but thats a later project. Hooking up a take is VERY simple on these motors. If you need help Id be glad to help you. I am a gauge freak so I like to know whats going on. The only thing I dont have that I will install will be a trans temp gauge.

Not sure what that flap does but all of what has been said makes sense. I think a fresh air intake is the ticket.

.
Thought I would fling this out and see what you guys think.... Once I get the strap steet welded in and it all riveted up. I am considering spraying some lizard skin on the skinning (from the inside) to seal it up? Here is a link to the product. http://www.lizardskin.com/ What i want to make sure is there will be no way that any water can come in to the walls. Not sure if there is a better product to do this or not. But if I seal it up and hit it with the polyiso I dont think it will be a huge need for more than that to quieten down the road noise but want to make sure the water STAYS OUT!

Let me know what you think

[Tango]

Hey Bapos --- check your friendly neighborhood auto paint supply house for "Seam Sealer". Good stuff. It goes on from a caulk gun, fills well and stays flexible. Then do some mixed thermal & acoustic insulation on the inside. I plan on coating just about my whole bus, inside & out, with a couple of coats of Hy-Tech thermal insulating beads (in paint), then some acoustic barrier materials. Without some sound deadening, a bus can easily turn into one big diesel powered speaker.

http://www.hytechsales.com/

[bapos]

Tango

Thats a good idea on the seam sealer. I have used it in car restoration in the past. When you said do a mix of thermal and acoustical ..... are you meaning to use the hytec product? I think its a good one from what I read. As said I was going to seal that up and pack the pocket full of polyiso rigid insulation to muffle any vibrations and sound as well as keep the hot and cold in their proper places. I am planning on using that product on the roof for sure to keep the heat off the top of the roof.

When I did drive it back from the purchase it was like a floor full of silverware vibrating at level 11. It was horrible but the skins were not very well riveted but Ive removed that as a problem.

Thanks for your input.

[Tango]

Hey Bapos --- Having seen (and felt) the HyTech beads in action during August here in Houston, I've decided to paint a layer on the inside of all the skin I can reach, then also add it to my primer on the outside. The top will get yet another coat mixed into some roof sealer. But the HyTech beads function only as a thermal barrier. Once the inner panels have it on I will lay on some sound attenuating material to minimize the vibration of the sheet metal. My old 40' Blue Bird never got anything added and all the surface area resonated horribly. Due in part to the DD 6v53 "Screamer" that pulled it, but I don't want to live inside a giant speaker box ever again.

[bapos]

Tango

Your plan pretty much sounds like mine. I know your going to use beads on the inside and outside but what are you going to use for a paint on the inside? A primer or what? Thats what Im curious about. I think using something that will can be used as a vapor barrier would be best in my case. Thats why the lizard skin looks like a very good product for this as it is used as a sound control and it seals up?

Let me know your thoughts.

[Tango]

Hey Bapos --- my understanding is that Lizard Skin is simply a pre-mixed paint product that contains the same or similar ceramic beads as the HyTech material. I do know that Lizard Skin is water based so it's likely some form of acrylic paint, but no idea what the bead content might be. I also know that it is very pricey. Several times what mixing your own costs. HyTech also offers a variety of pre-mixed paints with the beads for various applications and their aluminized radiant barrier product is what I plan on using on the inside and possibly as a base for the roof. It's about half the price of the Lizard Skin. I already have several pounds of the beads for mixing with roof sealer.

I can't comment on how the Lizard Skin performs but I have seen the HyTech in action. Fellow here in Houston mixed the beads (not sure what rate) with cheapo HD latex house paint and put two coats on the inside of the corrugated metal roof on his house...a converted 1920's steel framed industrial tin building. It was well above a hundred that day but when I put my hand onto the inside of the roof it was almost cool to the touch. No other insulation. Sold me on the spot.

And while Lizard Skin does claim some acoustical dampening properties, I have to question that aspect. The only proven way to bring down the kind of resonant frequencies (aka; noise) associated with vibrating sheet metal is to add mass. There are a number of different products available that do a pretty good job but the best seem to be those that employ barium loaded vinyl and have a mass of about 1 pound per sq. ft. It is available in thicknesses from about an eighth of an inch to over an inch. I used the thick variety on the inside of the doghouse of my Blue Bird and it made a big difference but I never got around to adding any to the rest of the sheet metal. On my Shorty I will do just about the whole bus. Under the hood, both sides of the firewall, the floor and everything else I can get to. The little Cummins diesel I'm installing is affectionately known as the "paint shaker" for good reason and I want to minimize the resonating effect on the sheet metal as much as possible.

You can check out HyTech's stuff here... http://www.hytechsales.com/

[Shadoll]

Interesting: Hy-Tech Bus Kote #2150
Bus & Recreational Vehicle Coating

Bus-Kote is a bight white, acrylic elastomeric, insulating ceramic, waterproof coating designed specifically for Buses and recreational vehicles. This high build rubber like coating waterproofs, insulates, soundproofs, beautifies and protects with a ceramic shield that expands and contracts with varying hot and cold temperatures plus resists thermal shock. Bus-Kote offers superior mildew resistance and ultraviolet ray reflectivity.

Originally designed as an insulating, reflective coating for school districts to use on the roofs of school buses to lower the interior bus temperature. This energy saving coating will reduce interior temperatures when hot and make interior temperatures more constant when cold due to ceramic insulation. formulated to resist over 100 m.p.h. wind driven rains. Hy-Tech offers a 5 Year Limited Warranty when applied according to our specifications.
This easy to apply maintenance free coating will provide years and years of durable, insulating protection and outstanding beauty. ( For the ultimate in roof coating protection we recommend a top coating of Flexi-Clear, an elastomeric crystal clear coating that is designed for protecting paint finishes.
Flexi-Clear is completely non-yellowing, highly resistant to water, road salt, tar, oily grime and its natural hydrophobic film is easy to clean and maintain.)
Bus Kote Coverage: 125-150 square feet per gallon.
Available in 1 Gal, 5 Gal, and 55 Gal drums
$39.50 Per Gallon...5 Gallon$197.50

My question was one gallon would do the roof? hmmm.. mine would be approx 255 sq ft. so 2 gal.? Additive for 1 gal is $13.95.

[bapos]

isnt the Hy-Tech Bus Kote suppose to be used for exterior use?

[somewhereinusa]

Originally Posted by bapos

isnt the Hy-Tech Bus Kote suppose to be used for exterior use?

That is my understanding, I think the main property is reflective. I see there are people have used it inside of their whole bus. To me this seems
quite expensive. Anyone who has done this have any thoughts?

[Jerry Campbell]

We have been using bus-kote for about 10 years. It works great. We have 2 coats on the ceiling and 4 coats on the roof. AND the beads are mixed the the exterior silver paint. It has the feel of sandpaper.
One thing to remember is that you must use the clear coat when using it on the roof. It is very chalky and will run and streak down the side of the bus. Even the unclearcoated edge of the bus-coat where the tape was. The next time I paint the roof I will paint the bus-kote, take off the masking tape and retape it to make sure the edges of the bus-kote are painted with the clear coat.
Good Luck
Jerry

[bapos]

I'd like to spray what ever compound I use to ensure a good even coating to seal it up. I have a paint sprayer....paint gun and a 80 gallon compressor.. or will get whoever bus needed to spray it. Let us know what you used to seal it up on the inside

[somewhereinusa]

I don't think you'll get it through a air spray gun. I used a HF airless. Nozzle plugs often, just turn it around with the lever and blow the clog out.