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Old 04-28-2010, 04:38 PM   #61
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Well, weather, family, and IRS have all conspired to keep me from getting much sanding or painting done, but we tested a small section to see if we liked the colors. The middle color is a bit too light, and I am not convinced I like the grey band at the bottom, but the chocolate color is good. I will be sanding it down and spraying it when we get serious about it, this was brushed on full strength, and it leaves ripples and stuff. Not a huge deal, but we will borrowed a sweet airless sprayer from my father in law, and when we can afford the rest of the paint, and have time to sand and mask, that's the way we will be going.
I am pretty sure we are going to bring the chocolate color down another five or six inches, but the contour is remaining the same. We think. Dunno.

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Old 04-28-2010, 05:57 PM   #62
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

I like the design artwork you are testing there. Brown looks good on skoolies too (although I am a little biased) Mine has been described as being the color of soft serve ice cream, and also some other shades I can't repeat here Bottom line is do it the way you want and that will make you smile when its all done.
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Old 04-30-2010, 06:38 AM   #63
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

It would be difficult, my entire driveway is under two huge maple trees. On one hand, it's great because it keeps the vehicles cool in the summer. On the other hand, it's a pain, like now, because they both drop sap on the vehicles. Especially now, because I am about to paint.
I have hit that area with a sander, as of last night, along with almost the entire drivers side of the bus. Going to start masking and spraying soon, starting tonight and continuing Saturday afternoon. I am instructing a clinic on Saturday for climbing trees, plus it is the 10th anniversary of Geocaching, so I have to attend an event nearby.
There will be some better overall pictures when I get some of that work started.
Also, I was wasting time and killing myself unnecessarily using just sandpaper to get all the ridges and ribs. I was at Menard's the other day, and found some plastic wire cup brushes and other attachments that fit into the drill. Oh baby, that's the way to go. I used the Med/Fine brush and it does a fantastic job of scuffing the paint to prep it for covering with Rustoleum. I borrowed a sweet airless sprayer, and am going to give it a shot this weekend.
I wish I was getting some help with some of this, but so far it's only been a few minutes here, and a few minutes there.

That was one of the brushes I got, it's good for getting into the tighter areas, the other was like a drum shape, hard to describe. It was better suited to the ribs and more open areas, as it covered a larger area.

Whee! Soon it will not be as yellow.
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Old 04-30-2010, 06:40 AM   #64
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Also, I plan on painting the aluminum bits of the windows, save for the tracks or anywhere it would gum up the works. Any reason not to? There is a lot of shiny aluminum, and I don't really care for it against the dark brown. I tested a bit, and it seemed to stick just fine. All the aluminum is in good shape, no corrosion, so I didn't think it would be a problem. Trying to make the windows disappear as much as possible, without removing them, because I like all the light.
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Old 04-30-2010, 09:53 AM   #65
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

On the window frames, most manufacturers offer a black-frame option. They just paint the aluminum flat black before putting the windows together. The bus I drive at work has that, and the black has been peeling off since it was about 4 years old and it looks horrible. Probably inadequate prep, just be careful. They look great if you do them right.
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Old 04-30-2010, 11:04 AM   #66
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Dented, thanks for the tip on the drill attachments! I'll keep my eye out for something like that. I'm hoping to avoid any hand sanding. BTW - way to put the kid to work! Ha Ha, the drill looks huge in her little hands!
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Old 04-30-2010, 07:00 PM   #67
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Just prep the window frames good and use a primer for aluminum. I used self-etching satin black automotive trim paint. They look great, especially with tinted windows.
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Old 04-30-2010, 09:07 PM   #68
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Diesel Dan
Dented, thanks for the tip on the drill attachments! I'll keep my eye out for something like that. I'm hoping to avoid any hand sanding. BTW - way to put the kid to work! Ha Ha, the drill looks huge in her little hands!
It's only the 14.4 volt unit too! I gave her the 18volt first, but she had trouble putting it against the metal in any useful way.

I will take the advice to heart regarding the aluminum. I will work to find some appropriate paint. I will tape them off for now, I hope to start spraying this weekend, as long as the wind stays calm, which it hasn't been lately.
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Old 04-30-2010, 09:27 PM   #69
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Quote:
Originally Posted by dentedvw
...I will take the advice to heart regarding the aluminum. I will work to find some appropriate paint. I will tape them off for now...
Give them a real good scrubbing with some steel wool right before you paint them. It will get the last of the oxidation off and let the paint stick a lot better. I didn't do that to some of my windows and now I get to do them again.
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Old 05-03-2010, 03:21 PM   #70
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Steel wool is a bit harsh, but works...a coarse (red?) Scotch-Brite pad might work without the risk of damaging glass.
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Old 05-03-2010, 07:09 PM   #71
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

I sprayed some paint today, before work. I changed the color already! Now we are using Rustoleum's Ironwood on the bottom, and it will also be on the roof. Rustoleum Chocolate Chip will be in the middle-ish, to help hide the windows. It was going okay, but I only had a quart can, and the airless sprayer runs through it pretty quick! So, it got low, then spit some messiness on the side of the bus. DOH! Oh well, I can sand the runs off, in like a month. Learning curve. It's okay, I am satisfied with the application so far. It does a MUCH better job than roller or foam brush. And it gets into the nooks and crannies so much better, and more evenly. I am also using a roll of that red rosin paper to mask. Blue tape doesn't stick to it for very long, so I had to back it up a bit with some duct tape here and there to make it last a few days. One section fell down and stuck to some paint while I was inside eating lunch. Another reason to do a second coat anyway.
Still planning on doing a dark gray stripe on the bottom, I think, and painting the bumpers that color as well. So, a little overspray on the bumpers is not the end of the world. I would have taken it off, but I was having a hell of a time with those HUGE bolts. I will borrow something from AutoZone perhaps, because the bumper needs some attention in a few spots before it's painted for good.
I was reading the can, but it doesn't say anything about thinning to spray, so I didn't. I wonder if I thin it, it will dry harder faster? Anyone know?
I just have to get some paint on because the yellow is killing me. I will still do some body work here and there (like finishing eliminating the warning light holes), but getting most of it painted is tops on my list right now.

Well, that's all the news that's fit to print. Here is some pictures.


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Old 05-04-2010, 07:11 PM   #72
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

What brand spraygun did you use? How much of a paint cloud in the air? I'm on the fence about how to paint. I've sprayed with an HVLP gun in a garage before, but if I have anything close to that much overspray, my neighbor will have the state police and DEP here before I get the first panel done. It doesn't help that her house is 100 feet downwind of where the bus is parked...
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Old 05-05-2010, 03:57 PM   #73
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Quote:
Originally Posted by busdriver_phil
What brand spraygun did you use? How much of a paint cloud in the air? I'm on the fence about how to paint. I've sprayed with an HVLP gun in a garage before, but if I have anything close to that much overspray, my neighbor will have the state police and DEP here before I get the first panel done. It doesn't help that her house is 100 feet downwind of where the bus is parked...

No cloud at all. It's a Graco Magnum X7, probably purchased at Home Depot. Here is a link: http://magnum.graco.com/products/M_Page ... /0MagnumX7
Looks like this:


It didn't appear to have much overspray, spraying at a low pressure, it covered just like you see it, pretty much on one pass, covered about ten or so inches tall, using the spray head turned that way. It really was painless, even for a dolt like me. Unfortunately, when I cleaned all the parts I lost a tiny rubber bushing, which caused a heck of a mess when I tried to use it again yesterday. Looked more like a park fountain instead, coming out in all directions. Spoiled a lot of paint too by mis reading the directions, left the drain tube in the waste pail instead of moving it to the paint pail. Well, you live and learn, right? I bought more rubber bushings (and paint, DOH) today, will try again tomorrow. I will be putting at least one more coat on too, because I missed some spots.
As for overspray/cloud, there really was not much, you can see (maybe?) there is a white VW rabbit parked next to the bus, and I only threw a cheap cover over it just in case. NONE got on it as far as I can tell. But, I wasn't working that corner yet either. I did accidentally leave my earmufflers under the bus, and they got a bit sprayed, but that's okay. Still, if you are close to the house, I would cover the house with a tarp. I will when I move on to painting the end by the garage. Wasn't windy when I sprayed, so I didn't worry much about the cycles or the truck nearby.
I don't have any experience with an HVLP unit, but probably it's not much different. Dunno. I have a compressor, but it's on it's last legs, so this is a better solution for me. Much quieter too.
Man, if I built a "tent" for a school bus, the city would come and stop me, I am sure. And it would cost a few hundred dollars at least. I am working a few sections at a time, as time permits me to. Technically, not allowed to do any of this in the city limits.

Also, I have given in to the questions about it being a race bus. We are only about forty minutes from MIS, and people ask me all the time if it's an MIS bus, for watching the races. It's easier to just say yes. Takes too long to explain I can't afford a proper motorhome, and that I like tinkering besides, and that it is primarily for going dirt biking, climbing, kayaking. All things that are pretty foreign around here. It's all hunting fishing and Nascar here.
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Old 05-05-2010, 07:01 PM   #74
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Nice color. You may hate me for this...but it reminds me a bit of a chocolate malt milkshake.

And damnit, now I want one...
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Old 05-06-2010, 07:44 PM   #75
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

If that color reminds you of a malt, I can see why, and now that you mention it, it does the same for me. Just wait until the middle color, "chocolate chip" is on there, then all I need are ice cream bar stickers and a window, and I can sell ice cream while on trips. Now that I think about it, that's not a half bad idea. The top color is a touch lighter than the bottom, and it's more like a creamy vanilla.
When I was in high school, I had a VW bus, the one that looks like a loaf of bread. It was orange and cream, and my friends called it The Twinkie. The car before that was a green Chevette, which they called The Pickle. They didn't have much to say when I bought a silver CRX, or the black jeep, or the black VW either, must have run out of food comparisons.
Today we ran the sprayer again, with mixed results. On the bright side, we got a lot of the bus painted. On the down side, the nozzle was a bit clogged (DOH!) and it caused some poor patterns, and orange peel caused by Paint Gremlins. Probably too thick. Not going to worry about it now though, I will wet sand the flat areas if it bothers me, besides there is one more coat to go, at least, so I might wet sand it between on the wide flat areas. Not even half way done painting! Sheesh, there is a lot of metal on a school bus, has anyone noticed that yet? Ugh.



And because I couldn't sleep one night, and we had a lot of eggs, I decorated them as well.


Yes, I haven't finished the body work up top. Yes, I am going to eliminate all the warning lights. My yellow monster anxiety is subsiding, and soon I will be able to return to welding and filling.
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Old 05-06-2010, 08:10 PM   #76
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

These are the LED stop turn and tail lights I am going to order soon, to replace the seven inch round lights.

I will use ordinary four inch round LED lights closer to the bottom, in the same location as those they are replacing, presumably to maintain FMVSS compliance.
And I will need to find a license plate illuminating light, perhaps at the parts yard. Or maybe this one, because it's only $6 and LED's.

I will eventually be replacing all the exterior lights with LED units, I like the looks of these for the clearance lights up top:

Up front, the turn signals high on the doors will be replaced with these:

The mid/side turn signal lamps would be well replaced with these, as mine are pretty well corroded. I suppose I could just paint them though...


Still haven't found just the right headlights to swap in also. I can't get the idea out of my head to swap them out for something else, to really change up the front. Lately, I have been looking at some Isuzu medium duty truck headlights. Can't find any to get my hands on to play with yet. They look like this:


Well, enough spending imaginary money.
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Old 05-06-2010, 08:14 PM   #77
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Nice looking LED lights. What are your plans for the old 7" lights? I am looking to find a pair of good red tail light lenses, not the ones from the top, the actual ones from the bottom if you want to get rid of them. I can't afford LEDs at this time so I am using what I have.
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Old 05-06-2010, 08:22 PM   #78
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Those LED replacements I showed above are only about $17 each, then $1.50 for the grommets. Then another dollar or so for the harness. Pretty reasonable at superbrightleds.com

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... lights.htm
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Old 05-06-2010, 08:32 PM   #79
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

Good deal on the LED lights!! I had thought about it but after adding up all the lights, because I wouldn't want to mix LEDs with incandescent on the same vehicle, it just added up to more than this years budget allows. I ended up getting some new marker lights for the top front and read for $2 each and cleaned up the old tail lights. They work.
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Old 05-06-2010, 08:33 PM   #80
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Re: Adventure Awaits!

A friend has dibs on these, but if he changes his mind, I will let you know! His are in worse shape than mine. It's his fault we have this bus anyway.
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