Oh Hello Rustness my old friend! Help

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Could you just move the bus when its rinse time and return when dry? dunno.

Rustoleum salesman sounds cool, as long as they are informed. I hate push salespeople, but I was in retail long ago and have ways to get them to leave me alone very quickly.

I wast at Lowes the other day and spotted an unusual gallon can of FLAT black rusotleum for $10 on clearance. I went to buy it and the checkout lady (who was a mgr) said it's illegal for me to buy it. Message on computer would not let her sell it to me. I told her to ring it as semi-gloss, she refused. Sign of things to come- everything is going to crappy water-based paint. I sure hope they dismantle that EPA soon.

I think I found enough old coins when I stripped the bus, to fill all the holes.

Doing mine differently though because the OE plywood is so good it is staying in. I'll just squeeze sealant down every hole. Probably the only place on the bus I might use silicone, because it's cheap and it seals holes nicely.

[tobeamiss]

Originally Posted by annvp89

I’ve heard of Coke before for bicycles but never thought of it for the bus! Looks like I’m going to detour to the supermarket before I get there!! I’ll give you an Update!

Do you think I should wash it with kk first and then put the coke? Or put the coke and then wash that off with KK


What is henry’s crystal clear?

I'd start straight off with the coke.
Henrys 212 Crystal Clear sealant. It comes in a blue tube and I got it at Home Depot. Definitely give us an update!





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[annvp89]

Update!

There was no water connection for me to wash the bus so took a few days to find somewhere.

Coke: It’s awesome! I sprayed it around with a pump gardening spray, left it on for an hour and then the big bad rust came of at the hit of a hammer or two!

I’d defo advise people to start with that to make the grinding easier!

I just washed it with KK and it looks better and a lot less scarier!

Today I’ll get the nails out and grind (it was yesterday’s job but someone broke in the bus and stole the wire brush and angle grinder, lesson learned, take everything home) while my mother takes the wall panels out and then clean again and Corroseal.

Any lock tips for the bus?

Best wire brush for the grinding that I can find at homedepot?

I was thinking since I already got the loctite would it be worth me putting on now and rince before grinding? Would that help?

For the nails, any tips? I was planing on using a crowbar and hammer?

Holes I’m thinking Henry’s clear and then waterproofing tape to be on the safe side.

Any recommendation for rigid insulation? 1 inch max preferably with a higher R value than 3 (it’ll be in the uk for a while and heat is a bit of a unicorn out there)

A friend of mine mentioned that if estetic wasn’t too important I could always just get 1/2 marine plywood and that can be my base and my floor. Put that on top of the insulation and some 2x4, what do you guys think?

[EastCoastCB]

You don't need to convert rust before grinding it. You do that once you're done.
You don't need to use corroseal AND that loctite stuff. Just use one.

[annvp89]

Ah ok! I thought loctite was different! It says dissolver on the bottle so I figure since I already had both I might as well us it to help with before the grinding! But it wouldn’t make a difference you say?

I started grinding yesterday after all screws and the box on the heater was removed to find someone had already gotten rid of the heater ( I had planned ok keeping it for extra warmth but oh well!)

How far should I grind? Is this enough or should I go further? The picture is the front part near the holes and I feel like I’m going to go through! 4th photo is what the rust looks like in most of the bus before grinding.

As any one got a welder they recommend in Miami to fix the square by the steps that is completely ruined? LIf I jumped on it I’d go through no doubt!

The guys in the boat workshop next door said it might be worth sandblasting or baking soda blasting? How much would that be? And I can’t even imagine what a pain the clean up must be!

Also found a small baggy of drugs in the bus yesterday morning so I’m now sure someone is using it for shelter which would be totally ok if it wasn’t for the fact that they knicked all the “valuable” stuff 2 days ago and I keep getting images of the bus going up in flames!

Any advice for a locking system?


Thank you so much guys! The support on this forum is incredible! I don’t know what I’d do without it!

[Tango]

Soda blasting is a bad idea. Paint shops have discovered that the clean up you mention is impossible. The remaining soda causes big problems and in fact encourages rust because it soaks up moisture and holds it in the worst places...tiny gaps and crevices where panels meet.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Tango

Soda blasting is a bad idea. Paint shops have discovered that the clean up you mention is impossible. The remaining soda causes big problems and in fact encourages rust because it soaks up moisture and holds it in the worst places...tiny gaps and crevices where panels meet.

I totally agree.

[annvp89]

That’s what I thought! Is sand the same issue with clean up? Any other method that could help? I spent over an hour grinding yesterday and got pretty much to the photo but for less than like 1/12 of the bus!

Should I continue grinding further than what I have on the photo if I go the grinding route? I worried about over grinding!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by annvp89

That’s what I thought! Is sand the same issue with clean up? Any other method that could help? I spent over an hour grinding yesterday and got pretty much to the photo but for less than like 1/12 of the bus!

Should I continue grinding further than what I have on the photo if I go the grinding route? I worried about over grinding!

If I'm you, I'd aggressively wire wheel/grind the rust then treat it with the loctite stuff. Then I'd roll a coat of rustoleum primer over it and call it done.
If the rust is super bad with holes and major rot, cut that part out and have new metal welded in.

[Tango]

What ECCB said. Wire brush, patch, rust treat, paint.

[Robin97396]

So your unauthorized tenant left you a little gift, huh? Can you imagine needing to sleep in a cold bus? Out of curiosity do you know how they got into your bus? Top hatch?

It does sound like you may be grinding to much, and definitely stressing to much over the rust. It's easier than that. Brush off the loose rust using coke or whatever you want, clean it, seal it and paint it. Don't paint yourself into a corner.

Most of the screws can either be pulled out like a nail or hammered through the floor like a nail. Some just break off. As you've probably read already there are numerous ways to plug the holes in the floor. Some people glue pennies over the holes, others us rivets and caulk and a few have used tape like you mentioned. Personally I don't trust tape enough to believe it will seal the holes and prevent water from seeping under your new floor over the years. My tape experience is that it lets go by the first winter.

Think of this project as somewhat of an athletic event.

[EastCoastCB]

I had the same thing happen. A junkie was staying in my bus while it was parked at a semi yard. he'd practically moved in.

[Rusty]

Hang-in there, ann.

Do the best you can, don't stress the rest. You need to just get the loose-stuff and the converter will do the remainder.

Rinse that coke good, as it's sugar juice and ants.

Try to keep sight of the fact that you are not making it a showpiece, just preserve the steel so it stays warm and dry.

Welder: Call and ask these guys for referral, explain your situation. Be specific: I have a bus, need a 2x2 square of 16 Ga cold rolled patch tacked-in. (Or just rivet it yourself.)

http://turnertech.dadeschools.net/

Technical College in Miami Florida | FEI

Patch has to be larger and extend to good metal. Welding rusty metal doesn't work so well, so they have to grind back to shiny, if it''s rusted thin= no go.

Drugs: Hopefully you found stimulants.

You need to address this or they will burn/destroy your bus- they will think it's theirs.

[Robin97396]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I had the same thing happen. A junkie was staying in my bus while it was parked at a semi yard. he'd practically moved in.

Did your tenant pay his rent by leaving drugs too?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Did your tenant pay his rent by leaving drugs too?

No just left a filthy stink.

[annvp89]

Hahahaha 😂 sadly there wasn’t left enough for me to accept as rent or figure out if it was a stimulant... looks like I’ve got myself a stingy tenant sadly!

Tomorrow I’m going to drill a hole in the handle and padlock it into a metal bar I found and then front will be a rotating post safety hasp with another padlock. Not very pretty but should be a decent temporary solution! Also going to get a blink RT a cheap smartphone wifi motion alarm and some cheap motion activated lights. Might be going overboard but I won’t be able to check on her myself for 3 month and it gives me some piece of mind. Also putting a barel bolt on the backdoor so it can be locked on the inside.

I just want to give them or anyone else a bit of a scare now so they don’t come back. Cause if they get accomstummed I can imagine once the bus is in actual living condition I might have some permenant tenants! Better to give them a scare when the comfort isn’t there!

[Robin97396]

A piece of twine will tie the back door and or wheelchair door handles so they can't be opened.

I have a deadbolt to put in my back door but it keeps getting put behind other projects.

This bus has a key lock on the service door, but on previous buses I drilled holes in the door to put in two eyebolts allowing me to use a short chain to lock the door. A latch and hasp is ok, but keep in mind that children can close the hasp and put a stick in the latch.

[annvp89]

Oh yeah!! I thought about that I saw someone putting a coke bottle in the wheelchair access. I’ve got plenty of those 😂

Something just came to mind. If I manage to get the wall in cieling out before I go (I’m praying to the skoolie gods), would that make the windows easy to take out from the outside? I haven’t check how to take the window’s out as I’m keeping them as is!

[Robin97396]

Most windows have to be installed/removed from inside the bus.

[annvp89]

Hey guys!!!! Today is welding and finish grinding day! (Wishful for the grinding) I wasn’t able to go yesterday sadly😩

Here’s a few photo Update

For the lock I got this door stop at home depot and tada!!!
Rust. In forgot to put photos of Rust Oleum Vs Loctite overnight (i know they’re not meant to but the timing was accidental!)
My buddy had some left over spray gel (sadly I didn’t have the good one everyone recommends and money is getting tight)

The rust oleum seemed a lot more aggresive but not in a good way I think. It seems to have been almost like eating up the metal. Both of them made grinding easier. I did decide to go the grind the loose stuff and then coroseal and rust oleum paint route like most recommended though! Just figure a few test patch for future references wouldn’t hurt!

Left and 1st close up photo is Rust Oleum Right and 2nd is Loctite. I forgot to take a photo of it grinded! I’ll do that today. Last photo is the only photo I have of what it looked like before and the loctite and rust are placed not respectively to where they were put! Left for rust right for loctite!