97 intersmashable Conversion

[Yukon Cornelius]

So got a bit more work done the weekend, the HSM was on deck to assist.
So the drivers area subfloor is installed, all that left for the entire its to install the cheater straps on the two access hatch (fuel probe & tranny) and then I'm ready for initial rows of the hardwood install, while I clean up the stairs.



I also installed a bunch more of that sound/insulation blanket, firewall, upper fore and aft nacelles/caps



the firewall will end up with husky liner type mat over it.
I also wasn't overly happy with the plywood walls, soooooo I made them pop a bit more. I think they standout just nicely now. Here's before and after direct comparison



And most of the wall



AND...........We stained the ceiling... now it will be almost impossible for you to see it, as the lighting conditions were less than stellar yesterday by the time we finished. But the HSM was concerned with how orange`y the main tone of the fir was, so after much discussion and many samples and tests..... we settled with a greyish/white'ish semi transparent alkyd stain. The process we used was I went down range with a roller in one hand and a brush in the other;
to roll the stain on lightly, and I would follow immediately with the brush pushing it into any of the imperfections and to spread it nice and lightly. Then the boss lady would follow behind, with a wax/oil applicator pad and smooth it all out.
the boards have thus far come out looking like hand-scraped aged boards. We will see how it looks once she has aged a bit, but here she is

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

So got a bit more work done the weekend, the HSM was on deck to assist.
So the drivers area subfloor is installed, all that left for the entire its to install the cheater straps on the two access hatch (fuel probe & tranny) and then I'm ready for initial rows of the hardwood install, while I clean up the stairs.



I also installed a bunch more of that sound/insulation blanket, firewall, upper fore and aft nacelles/caps



the firewall will end up with husky liner type mat over it.
I also wasn't overly happy with the plywood walls, soooooo I made them pop a bit more. I think they standout just nicely now. Here's before and after direct comparison



And most of the wall



AND...........We stained the ceiling... now it will be almost impossible for you to see it, as the lighting conditions were less than stellar yesterday by the time we finished. But the HSM was concerned with how orange`y the main tone of the fir was, so after much discussion and many samples and tests..... we settled with a greyish/white'ish semi transparent alkyd stain. The process we used was I went down range with a roller in one hand and a brush in the other;
to roll the stain on lightly, and I would follow immediately with the brush pushing it into any of the imperfections and to spread it nice and lightly. Then the boss lady would follow behind, with a wax/oil applicator pad and smooth it all out.
the boards have thus far come out looking like hand-scraped aged boards. We will see how it looks once she has aged a bit, but here she is

nice progress - looking GOOD

[Yukon Cornelius]

So I put down about half of the hardwood, I'm using an elastomeric glue that should have good tack and be able to flex while holding the bond.

We've been having a touch of a cluster at work lately so I haven't been able to knock out the rest
but this is what it looks like thus far

[Sleddgracer]

that is looking GREAT! - I'm impressed

[Yukon Cornelius]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

that is looking GREAT! - I'm impressed

Thanks man, I wish I had more time to get it all lay'd and urethane'd before I head into the training area... but such is life

[Yukon Cornelius]

So, the lil stint out to our austere training area was not without its own set of shenanigans. Weather and serviceable A/C became an issue but we got out there, and it was the smoothest spring opening I believe in the history of the camp.



Had to do some landing strip maintenance for our 2 austere strips at the site.



didn't get the large strip clear, we ran into a complication......

but wasn't a bad time.... I mean this is the view from the outhouse


And this is what 2330hrs looks like this time of the year....

[Yukon Cornelius]

With the dust and red dirt washed out of me kit, I turned to finishing the floor of the bus and fixing the small leak in the drivers window once and for all, the weather attempted to prevent this.....however I elected to make it work....


unfortunately that meant a complete pull of the window....lexel is amazing stuff.....unless you're trying to remove something sealed with it then its a




I found what I believe to the be the source issue, one of the screw heads for the box frame of the window has popped off, so I sealed all the way around it and wedged it back in, I will be fabricating a corner gusset with a rain trough tho as when the bus is off level the drivers window gutter spills back and end up dripping from underneath, about 2" from the edge causing it to land on the window and fill the window tracks..

Floor...............Aside from the 3 pieces left to do once I close the drivers wall back up and the stairwell, she is installed and looks outf@ck#nstanding if I do say so myself. the access hatches for the tranny and the fuel probe need some hardware and backer straps, but for the purposes of flooring they are good





It looks like an older ranch/farmhouse floor, a lil squish and some gaps, but I got the light and dark mixed up nice and once I throw the urethane on it, it should pop. I'm really pleased with the glue, its got good working time, strong tack, relatively easy cleanup and a good bond. I forgot to take a pic of it, but I have to glue up the subfloor in the stairwell tonight so I'll snap a pic then.
I did some other odds and ends while the boss lady was touching up the finish on the ceiling, covered over most the wheel well insulation with the remaining blanket I had,

[Sleddgracer]

Great progress - looking very nice

[EastCoastCB]

I dig it man. Nice pics.

[Yukon Cornelius]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

Great progress - looking very nice

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I dig it man. Nice pics.

Thanks Fellas, its getting there. Hoping to have the floor urethane'd before the week is out.

[Yukon Cornelius]

So... I remembered to take a pic of the glue last night, it's the Home Hardware house brand stuff. Called Home-Bond



I did a partial leak check on my window, as the lexel isn't fully cured yet so I didn't want to hit it with any pressure and screw myself. Seems to be good to go, so I pressed on with boxing in the stairwell with ply.



So the remaining hardwood will be in the stairwell, I will urethane it before I install it. The HSM had a shift cancelled on her so I didn't work super hard last night we had some Caesar's and a BBQ....I may have gotten into the Caesar's before I finished the stairs



I'll be fitting the drivers wall, and the two fwd sections of the walls to close that all up tonight. I will also start scuffing the floor and cut my templates for the fwd and aft nacelle faces to permit concurrent work while the urethane cures and off gases.

[Yukon Cornelius]

So I finished up the sanding for the floor, and I applied two coats of urethane on the floor.

Coat number



Coat number two




My applicator was subpar....it left way more lint than it should have. But I'll see how she looks in the morning and whether or not I want to do anything else for it.

[HazMatt]

I think it looks really good from here..!
Nice and shiny.

[Sleddgracer]

I'm impressed

[Yukon Cornelius]

Thanks Fellas

It cured/dried in not bad shape, I'm going to hit it with some 220 on my 1/4 sheet sander and the likely apply one more generous coat. there is a few spots that are almost the consistency of 100 grit sand paper... but I have about a 1/3 of the can left after 2 coats.... so once I do the pieces I have left for the stairs I may need another pint to ensure I have enough for the main floor.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Yukon Cornelius

Thanks Fellas

It cured/dried in not bad shape, I'm going to hit it with some 220 on my 1/4 sheet sander and the likely apply one more generous coat. there is a few spots that are almost the consistency of 100 grit sand paper... but I have about a 1/3 of the can left after 2 coats.... so once I do the pieces I have left for the stairs I may need another pint to ensure I have enough for the main floor.

I've always been a fan of high gloss clear coat on floors, cupboards, and woodwork, but damn, it shows every spec of dust, every finger mark or foot print - it does look sharp though

[HazMatt]

Same here! Finishing my cabinetry with multi coats of hi gloss polyurethane. Shiny!!!
And, yes it does show every speck of dirt, water stain, and fingerprint, but my solution is equitable and easy:
I'm a give-a-sh1t slob...

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by HazMatt

Same here! Finishing my cabinetry with multi coats of hi gloss polyurethane. Shiny!!!
And, yes it does show every speck of dirt, water stain, and fingerprint, but my solution is equitable and easy:
I'm a give-a-sh1t slob...

I did a paint job for an Italian in Trail BC one time - he wanted a top quality, hand brushed job done in semi gloss on all walls - 4 coats, no less! - in the hallway, the available light came from both ends of the hallway, so the light shone down the length of the hallway, highlighting imperfections in the wall - lots of hand sanding the existing paint and tac cloth to remove any lingering dust, sanding with fine grain sandpaper between each coat, the job came out beautifully, I thought - but the Italian claimed he could see imperfections and wanted another coat - when that was finished he claimed it looked even worse - I was getting annoyed because the job looked factory - turned out what he was seeing was the wave of the drywall between the studs - the smoother the finish the higher the gloss - 'what are you going to do about that' he asked - 'ROLL A FU---NG COAT OF PAINT ON IT!' was my answer, so the 6th coat of paint was rolled on and the customer was happy!! - lol

[BlackJohn]

YC, that has to be the nicest floor I have ever seen in a moving van.
Now one question..that bowling alley of a roof...how do you plan on keeping the balls and pins attached to the ceiling?


When is moving day? Are you passing through this area to see Pops?

We should meet up.


John

[HazMatt]

Too funny!

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I did a paint job for an Italian in Trail BC one time - he wanted a top quality, hand brushed job done in semi gloss on all walls - 4 coats, no less! - in the hallway, the available light came from both ends of the hallway, so the light shone down the length of the hallway, highlighting imperfections in the wall - lots of hand sanding the existing paint and tac cloth to remove any lingering dust, sanding with fine grain sandpaper between each coat, the job came out beautifully, I thought - but the Italian claimed he could see imperfections and wanted another coat - when that was finished he claimed it looked even worse - I was getting annoyed because the job looked factory - turned out what he was seeing was the wave of the drywall between the studs - the smoother the finish the higher the gloss - 'what are you going to do about that' he asked - 'ROLL A FU---NG COAT OF PAINT ON IT!' was my answer, so the 6th coat of paint was rolled on and the customer was happy!! - lol

Hey, yeah! Thats what I'll do- blame the flaws on poorly installed drywall!!!
Oh, wait... there is no drywall in my bus.
And if there were, I'd've been the one to've done the pizz-poor install...[emoji848]
nevermind