Big Betty found a home!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by witchywoman

Good call on the hat. Though I have had minimal hair before so it wouldn’t shock me much. Ha!

I cannot for the life of me find a corded grinder anywhere. Of course, I live in the boonies and we only have Walmart and Lowe’s. Walmart has nothing and our Lowe’s only had battery powered. I should count myself lucky I get a combined 40 minutes grinding with the 2 batteries.

My lowes has em in several brands. Have you asked an associate?
Best one I had was my first. It was a Hitachi I bought for getting the seats out of my first bus nearly 20 years ago. Its was still running strong till I destroyed it by dropping it off the roof of a bus- RUNNING!
They're not terribly expensive, but do use leather gloves and a face shield!

[musigenesis]

I covered my flasher holes with 7" diameter discs (1/8" thick) that I got for $4 each from a guy on eBay (I can send you his link, he has all sorts of useful bits of steel for sale). You just have to drill four holes in them (the eBay guy can even do that for a small fee) and then you can screw or rivet them into the screw holes for the original lights.

New 7" LED lights are $40-$50 so this is a cheaper fix.

[Native]

You should be able to order corded angle grinders off Amazon all day long.

[witchywoman]

Actually those discs sound great so yes, please let me know.

[witchywoman]

Progress today. Front left is emptied out. I’m leaving the lift for last. Next will be the seats on the right then back. I ordered a corded angle grinder so hopefully I can speed up the seat removal process.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

Originally Posted by witchywoman

Actually those discs sound great so yes, please let me know.

those disc are great but be careful and defiinitely wear your PPE.
also check the speed rating on your grinder and dont get cutting wheels that are rated for anything less rated for more is safer.
also once you start a cut you have to maintain that angle if you didnt start square and try to force it in a different direction you can and will blow the wheel which sends fragments everywhere and if you dont have a good grip on the grinder it could launch it out of your hands also.
just some words of caution for someone new to power tools.
good luck

[eekalot]

Have fun with yer grinder! It's fun to watch the sparks shooting out everywhere!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by witchywoman

Actually those discs sound great so yes, please let me know.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-8-Steel-P...e/192635372688

Do you have a drill press? It's very handy for drilling holes in metal, although these plates are pretty soft steel and you can do it with a hand drill, too. If you drill the holes yourself, use cobalt bits (it's a type of bit for steel, not the brand Kobalt) and drilling/cutting fluid like Tap Magic.

How are you planning to attach these plates? I used rivets which got me started with a Harbor Freight pneumatic riveter and an air compressor (riveting is very handy to be able to do with a skoolie). Here's how I did mine: https://imgur.com/a/FkYLTXz (if the sheet metal where your flasher holes are is stiffer than mine was, you would probably be fine with four fasteners rather than eight like I did - but I do think eight looks better).

You could also easily use bolts and nuts instead of rivets if you've removed the interior skin panels that allow access to these holes from the inside. The original lights are usually just attached with sheet metal screws and you could reattach these plates in the same way, but my flashers were severely rusted as was the metal behind them, so I needed something with more secure grip.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

20 mins is actually impressive for batteries.
A $20 corded one will cut much better and will keep cutting/grinding till the disc needs to be replaced.

+1

Some jobs are still better left to corded tools. Love my Makita cordless tools but I still keep corded versions handy.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Native

You should be able to order corded angle grinders off Amazon all day long.

I snagged a couple of HF grinders for around $14 each. I figured that having a backup was a good thing. They saw me through seat removal and roof raise and both still work fine.

Do a Google search for Harbor Freight Coupon Database. I check my shopping list before I go and usually find discount coupons for at least half of what I buy.

[WIbluebird]

My HF 4.5 inch angle grinder for $15 has been the #1 most useful tool during my build so far....I even got the 1 year warranty for another $3


Harbor Freight has some of the best tools for skoolie builds. They last just long enough to complete most conversion-related tasks and the few tools you use past EOL you can simply get the warranty on them...no questions ask bring in the bad tool and get a new one right off the shelf.

[witchywoman]

Musigenesis-I haven’t got up there yet to look super close but there is no visible rust where the lights were. I’ll have to take a closer look of course before I do anything. Thanks for giving me the link.

On another note, thanks everyone for the heads up on tools and safety. I have a corded angle grinder on the way and headed to get a drill press. I have been pouring through the forums to see what tools will be needed for everything. It feels a bit overwhelming but, one task at a time

[witchywoman]

Slow, slow going with seat removal. It has not been easy going. Most of the bolts grind off but I’ve also had to grind through seat legs and hunks of metal to get them out. We celebrate each time one pops loose. Ha!

Removed a plastic wheel cover to get to a seat today because it started smoldering and tons of bugs came out. My squeamish self jumped of course. But, that all said things are slowly coming along!

Trying not to look ahead at all the things to do.

Fixed the door yesterday too. The switch to close the air door wasn’t working but it turned out okay. So far I’m thinking of keeping the door in.

[JackE]

I made my bi-fold door into a solid door and fixed it so it swings out, still hooked up to the pneumatic closer. I was planning on leaving it that way, but after dealing with it for a few weeks, I have decided it is a PITA to work around it that way. Also, how often am I going to want to deal with it opening and closing that way and not wanting it to be like a regular door with a latch and lock. Probably one out of a hundred times. I'm going to eventually take it out and make my own RV style door.

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by witchywoman

Musigenesis-I haven’t got up there yet to look super close but there is no visible rust where the lights were. I’ll have to take a closer look of course before I do anything. Thanks for giving me the link.

On another note, thanks everyone for the heads up on tools and safety. I have a corded angle grinder on the way and headed to get a drill press. I have been pouring through the forums to see what tools will be needed for everything. It feels a bit overwhelming but, one task at a time

Please keep a fire extinguisher or two close by at all times. When you need it is not the time to go looking for it. We don't want to read about that mistake from anyone. Recently while welding on my wheelwell from the inside I started fire on the undercoating 17 yes 17 times. Having a spotter on the outside with a water bucket and a wet rag was all it took to be safe.
Be safe.

[Native]

It may be slow going, but progress is progress. Keep at it, you are doing well!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Oscar1

Please keep a fire extinguisher or two close by at all times. When you need it is not the time to go looking for it. We don't want to read about that mistake from anyone. Recently while welding on my wheelwell from the inside I started fire on the undercoating 17 yes 17 times. Having a spotter on the outside with a water bucket and a wet rag was all it took to be safe.
Be safe.

My undercoating has ignited from welding too many times for me to count. It doesn't appear that the stuff is self-igniting, so once the temperature of the weld drops the fire always goes out. Having a safety helper is certainly a good idea, but I've never had that luxury.

[witchywoman]

Well I did set one of the plastic wheel well covers smoldering with the angle grinder but one of the kids threw some water on it really quick. The only bad thing so far is having metal fly in my eye. It found a way around my safety glasses and under my hat. Had to wash out my eye super fast but luckily it was okay.

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

My undercoating has ignited from welding too many times for me to count. It doesn't appear that the stuff is self-igniting, so once the temperature of the weld drops the fire always goes out. Having a safety helper is certainly a good idea, but I've never had that luxury.

Well now I feel a little better knowing it's not just me being an idiot! Thanks for fessing up.

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by witchywoman

Well I did set one of the plastic wheel well covers smoldering with the angle grinder but one of the kids threw some water on it really quick. The only bad thing so far is having metal fly in my eye. It found a way around my safety glasses and under my hat. Had to wash out my eye super fast but luckily it was okay.

Hey that's not fun getting a scratched eye. Maybe invest in a full face shield, when those disc's shatter it's a real danger to your face.
Play safe