Birdie

[fo4imtippin]

So i removed the EM-1 that was above the back door since we are garaging that area. I took that extra as a test fit dummy for new brackets to attach between the ribs with 1.5in 1/8 angle iron. This was my first welding project building brackets for the bus. I think it worked out well. I got to use my plasma cutter to cut slots for the carriage bolts as well.



So the plan is to take the existing EM-1 that is right behind my step-well, and move that to be above the engine. I already disconnected the outdoor condenser that was behind the rear wheel on the driver side, but i hooked that back up. So now im going to run new hoses to the new location. After everything is in place, i will take it to a local reefer truck shop and have them capture the freon and charge the new system. Then i can remove the existing EM-1 and CM-3 on the passenger side between the wheels to put truck toolboxes there.

[fo4imtippin]

Tonight, i took the spare mesh sheetmetal from the ceiling and put it over the back window. This will be in my garage area and hopefully protect the glass from all the loose crap that will be hung from the walls in there as well as bike handlebars, etc smashing through the glass. There is about an inch between the metal and glass. This will also provide some privacy from seeing all the junk through the windows. I will have to pull the these off and paint the glass side black as well as add limo tint to the window.

[fo4imtippin]

Its been over a month since my last update, and i have completed many small projects. Its rained almost everyday, so my window to do metal work has been pretty small. Bus was undriveable in the driveway this wholetime, so i appreciate my families patience everytime they came in our out.



1. I changed all the rubber hoses on the entire cooling system. In retrospect, they were all in perfect condition and could have saved about $200 by leaving them. They did have to be carefully cutoff as they were fused onto the metal tubes. The coolant came out a pretty good color and i probably could have left it alone as well. When i flushed, i did get some red flakes, but nothing too major. I will say, that i left the system open for like 2 weeks while i get parts together and caused a bit of surface rust. I did rerinse the cooling system with distilled water before filling it back up. I rinsed out the engine and the radiator separate while they were disconnected.



2. I replaced everything with gates greenstripe. It was on before and looked perfect after 20 years of fleet use, so good enough for me. I couldve pieced together some new 2.25in 90 boots from Napa, but Bluebird had these with a spring in them for $13 so i had them ship them to me.



3. I noticed i had a bad crack front motor mount rubber. I called Bluebird on this and they had the part, but it was $300. Luckily i was able to faintly make out "Barry Controls" on the existing one. I had to take a guess at the load rating, but they had my exact one for $12 with $6 shipping. Really pays to shop around. This was kind of bear to get out because the bolt went up to the cast motor mount from the bottom. No amount of head or wrench could get it off. I ended up putting a jack under the engine and dropping the whole hanger so i could impact it off. Had to remove part of the air filter housing to do that. Came right out with an impact.



4. Removed the extra A/C compressor and burgaflex lines going back to the rear A/C.
5. Replaced the Thermostat, Water Pump, Serp and A/C VBelt. I was going to replace the tensioner, but the one i opened looked like a pile of crap even though it was supposed to be OEM. I had it from when i flew out to pick up the bus and had thrown away the box. A warning to you all as well. Cummins has superceded the waterpump with a new one with a plastic impeller and different blade design. I found this out when i went to open it as well. The cummins industrials should use a 5 blade impeller with a shroud (use 12v for lookup). I was able to find murray/gates the same day i discovered the crappy Cummins one. Waterpump had grease on the shaft and looked like it was going to start leaking at some point. I think it was original at 140k miles of use.
6. I sure hope i don't have to do any belt work on the road. My A/C compressor is below the tensioner. I had enough of a time from the front of the engine with no radiator in to get the new belt on.
7. I replaced all my intercooler boots as they used real thin ones originally and they were starting to crack. I'm hoping to up the boost a bit, so one less thing to do..

[fo4imtippin]

My insulation was pretty gross on the inside of the doghouse. Since i could see the front, i decided it would be a good time to redo it.


1. Stipped the old insulation and powerwashed all the glue off.


2. Painted epoxy primer over the fiberglass bottom.
3. Cut Ceratex (Thanks RossVTaylor for the recommendation) 1" thick Ceramic Fiber Blanket to shape. Sprayed 3m High temp adhesive on the fiberglass and push the insulation in. This insulation is basically fireproof. They use it in boilers and stoves and things.

4. Put a layer of 1/2 Thick Foil faced stickey sound mat over the top.
5. Use all the factory braces to hold it to the top.


I also made a heat plate to go over the manifold. I noticed Thomas front engine ISB's come with this and the manifold was already tapped. This should help keep some heat deflected down. It helps with noise. I used cardboard to template it and then i cut it out with the plasma. I cut a relief cut on the back and then hammered it over some steel as a brake. I used some wedge washers to keep the angle right (to fit the coolant boot). After i was finished, painted it with high temp paint.


I didnt like the idea of using a manifold blanket and trapping that heat.

[fo4imtippin]

So i wanted a place to put some more batteries. I may end up hauling a dirtbike on front, so pushing it out a bit will help clear the handlebars. If i do put a bike on front, it wont be wobbly at all with 2 receiver bars to bolt to.


Harbor Freight also had their 12k winch for $260 this spring, so of course i got one of those.


The original idea was to fit 2 8D batteries, one on each side. The extension is only 12in, so with the thickness of my angle iron, i cant get them into their trays. So i can still fit something slightly skinnier like a 6d or 4d, or a few group 31s.


I may scrap one of the batteries for an air hose reel that comes out the step on the front of the bumper unless i can make that fit on my back bumper. Want that to fill tires and there's most likely a trailer , toad or bikes in the back already.


I wanted the whole thing to be removable in case i have to pull the radiator. If i was on the road, i could do both, although im sure i would scratch the bumper without my floor jack. I do have to say im disappointed that bluebird put a bunch of huckbolts into the bumper frame while i was pointed down at a slight angle. I really didnt have the heart to fix it, so my new bumper has about a 1/2in more gap on the passenger side below the grill.









I debated painting it all black now or waiting. I may have some more drilling or cutting and i have to take it off to paint the body anyway, so i left it with unsanded, no build epoxy primer.


I cut out holes for little side fog lights that i can switch on. I will be putting front fog lights in the steps. The black plastic transition to the steps was cracked, so i just extended the bumper.


The whole thing gets bolted to the front bumper mounts and where the factory tow hooks go. I was able to leave the towhooks on below the receiver hitches.

[fo4imtippin]

Since i did a 3 in lift, i certainly didn't need the wheelwells anymore. I should even have enough clearance to replace my tires with 11r22.5 when the time comes. I still have 7in of clearance from the tire to the well well.


I overlapped the treadplate as big as the space allowed. Its welded from the top inside the well as well as tacked on the outer edge of the sheet from the bottom. Even if a tire would fly off and hit the metal, going from the outside will ensure it wont push through the opening.






I put lexel on the inside over the weld before painting. I also pryed the vertical piece away from the wall and calked the old joint of the well well. Top got rustoleum, bottom gets epoxy primer and then herculiner.

[fo4imtippin]

So i have cleaned up wiring as i go. Finally, i wanted to get rid of the yellow flashing box, the door switches and all the unneeded relays, so onto the fuse box i went.

Before




I have to say, i expected a lot more tracing with my wire toner. When i bought the bus, all the wiring diagrams were in a binder in the front seat. What i didn't realize, is that they aren't just color coded, there is a wire number printed every few inches on the wire. I could just look what it was in my book and confirm both ends. The only tracing i had to do was to check some of the stuff that was done as change or repair by the district.




I have a few phases left still. I am going to make this box my 12v panel with my lighting and fans. I may have another subpanel above the windshield and another in the garage. At some point, before i start to run new electrical, i will slim down the wiring harness that runs up behind the driver window. Where possible, i may reuse some of it if its already in the right spot.


I changed my heater master relay to not require the key, so that i can run my fans, heaters, radio, etc when parked. I also set it all up to have the house battery run that solenoid as well.



I didn't realize that there's only one screw holding this to the box separating the driver. Before i add more circuits, i'm going to disconnect the starter battery wire and make room to put some butyl mat and 1/2 XPS Foam between the panel and the driver box. There's already 1/2 insulation behind it that is flaking apart.


I moved my battery isolater from the frame rails on the passenger side to on the side of the battery box. With the limited underbody storage on this thing, i am putting toolboxes where the factory location was.


I added a battery shut off to the wheel side of the battery box for the house bank.


And i moved the Group31 battery from the other battery compartment to share the drawer with the 8d starter battery. I will get another 8d (Heavy things!) before i take the bus out for its maiden voyage, but it will just be a waste while under construction (also can fit 2 4d batteries in the winch bumper).

[fo4imtippin]

So its a bit early for grey tank mounting, but i'm just now starting to commit to where I want to put things before i order the wrong sized stuff.



I'm going with a 65gal aluminum grey tank. This was originally a boat fuel tank with diesel. I extended the skirt 9 inches to hang this below my battery boxes. I still have 18 inches of clearance and the tank is now at even height with my muffler on the opposite side.




I haven't removed the fuel holes yet, as i don't know where i want the new bungs and stuff to go. This tank is right below the shower and across from the sink for an easy top dump and vent to the back. Ill put in hose wash inlets on the high side in case it needs hosed out. Obviously dump will be on the low side and will have to figure out how to join it to black tank. I also may add a pump to transfer it to the black tank for assisted cleaning of that. Photo from future home of black tank. (30wX22tX26l) Tank is also upside down since fittings are in way on top.








Still have to remove and paint the brackets. I think the next time i drop them, i will paint over the current undercoating for a bit extra protection. Will add a strap to the top side once i have all the fittings in their places. I'm also probably overthinking this, but boats always have an issue where the aluminum sits against the steel straps and pits. Since mine is hung and out of salt water, probably not as big a deal, but i certainly don't want the steel and aluminum in contact or trapping water. Rubber contains carbon, so that cant be used as a buffer. I plan to add neoprene dots after painting to keep the tank isolated. Unless anyone has a better idea for me?


I was going to put my diesel heater in the small space behind the second battery box, but i really don't want to drop those tanks to troubleshoot an issue. I have decided to just mount it in the second battery box with the exhaust having its own hole cut through the door.


So one half of my tank brackets are bolted to the frame. The other side is bolted the skirt extension. The skirt extension is made of 1/8 treadplate (smooth outside). I have 2in welded angle on top and bottom. There are vertical angle iron runners that run up to every floor beam and get bolted at the bottom of the skirt supports. I also put two bolts into each battery box as additional support.


Going to try to load up the other side heavy to even things out as much as i can. I'm also thinking i might add separate leveling valves for left and right airbags in the back in case im not loaded close to even.



so far weight distribution of big items is below. Good to put it down on paper for future planning.



Driver Side

8dBattery x2 350lb
Diesel Heater 40lb
Air Bottle Jack 40lb
Grey Tank 50lb +65 gal of water 542lb
Black Tank 15lb +35 gal of poo 290lb
Carrier A/C Condenser 100lb
Mini Split Condenser 80lb

4D Bumper Battery 100lb
Marine Water heater 100lb
Air Ride Driver Seat 150lb
1792lb



Passenger Side
WheelChair Lift 450lb
Toolboxes 100lb empty 500lb full
Diesel Generator 450lb
Rear Deck Hoist 150lb
All In One Inverter 100lb
48v Rack Battery 250lb
4D Bumper Battery 100lb
Air Ride Passenger Seat 150lb
2150



Middle
Factory Fuel Tank 60gal 500lb
Aux Fuel Tank 45gal 400lb
155gal Fresh Water 1300lb
Carrier A/C Evaporator 100lb

2300

Going on vacation soon, so next project is painting brackets and battery boxes. When i get back i plan on working on the below items as a priority.

• Relocating Airtank under driver seat, which may lead to new smaller muffler if that's in the way of where i want to put it.
• Resealing windows
• Run House battery cables from Isolator to battery to shutoff to heater master relay.

[Nick5272]

Are you a car guy? This is so far above my pay grace but I would love to do all this. Where did you get all this knowledge?

[fo4imtippin]

Originally Posted by Nick5272

Are you a car guy? This is so far above my pay grace but I would love to do all this. Where did you get all this knowledge?

Not a car guy. More of a bus guy. Theres a lot of supercars and fancy foreign cars where i live, but i really turn my head when school is out and big yellows roll by.


I don't have any professional experience with any of this, i just make a plan and work through the problems. Youtube helps a lot.

[fo4imtippin]

Its been awhile since my last update. I basically haven't worked on the Bus in October November and December. Time and resources have been allocated to some other projects.


Tree Fort

I have been promising my kid a tree fort since before the bus, so i finally built that with him. Its a 12x16 and about 20ft up my Live Oak. Its the only hardwood tree on the block, but luckily its fairly stealthy. We have an electric winch hooked up to the tree to lift a people basket up. This year, it held our only Christmas decorations and a Decorated Douglas Fir.






Dirt Bike
We had some family buy some land to homestead 2 hours west of us. So my son got his first dirt bike early. Its a 2-stroke 80cc Yamaha. We have been out a few times and i figure he can go wild if I go out to help them. Of course he can get wrenching early so that he can take over for me when I'm old and tired.



Log Splitting
I have had a whole tree of unsplit rounds clogging up my workspace. I finally got around to renting a splitter to clean this up. My 5ton splitter didnt touch the oak, but this machine did a whole cord in an hour. I thought it was awesome!



Anyway, I have had the bus a year, but needed to wrap up a few projects. My wife wants a playhouse for my two year old girl, so ill have another break for that once the bus is painted.

[fo4imtippin]

I picked up a Magnum light tower at auction. While i plan to have enough solar to not need it, i don't want to overbuy batteries and want something efficient as a redundant backup.




This has a Kubota D1005 paired with a 6kw 1800rpm marathon genhead. It came with 42 gallons of diesel and a pretty big battery. At full load, they use a half gallon per hour which is pretty efficient for generators.





The bad: It doesn't run. I had to order a special Kubota M8 adapter to compression test it before further disassembly. I already ran new fuel from a can, new pump and filter, and swapped injectors from a running Kubota. If it has compression, ill run all clear fuel lines and clean the fuel rack and injectors. If it doesnt have compression, then i will swap the motor with another Kubota i can get.


Additionally, Its a capacitor based brushless generator which means it will vary the voltage based on the load. I don't think this will be an issue since all my power will be cleaned by my all in one inverter as it charges the batteries. Ill be able to upgrade to an AVR genhead in the future if this doesn't work for me.



I did quite a bit of research on Diesel gensets the past few months. I can make this one fit into a soundproof box 24t X 24w X 36l. It will be bolted up behind my rear wheels and ill draw fuel straight from the 42gal aluminum boat tank that is going under the rear deck. This allows me to run offroad diesel if available and avoid that road tax.


If you recall, my water heater has a heat exchanger that is piped to my diesel coolant heater. I will also run the genset in this loop so that i get free coolant heat if/when the genset runs.


All of this will be hooked to a Meebay generator controller where the remote gauges will show up by driver console. Additionally my All-In-One inverter can trigger the genset to start and stop based on the battery charge. At 6kw, it should only have to run occasionally to top up the system.


The tower is getting mounted on my deck extension. I will convert the manual winch to electric. I will mount my starlink on the top as well as VHF/Ham radio antenna and External MIMO antennas for my 5g Internet gateway. This will be below the top height of bus in motion and get me 25ft of height if needed.

[fo4imtippin]

So i knew i wanted a deck extension before i started my bus. I have watched a flatnose FE bus get towed from the rear hooks and would like to retain that ability (tow truck doesnt have to disconnect driveshaft). I also wanted to put a heavy crane and still be able to pull a heavy trailer behind it. I want a 4ft overhang in order to fit 2 dirtbikes, a crane, spare tire carrier, and light tower mast.


I sourced some frame rails from a cutoff on a semi. They are 1/4 thick and same height as my bluebird ones. I was able to cut them equal at about 6.5ft.



They overlap the existing frame rails by 2.5ft and i drilled 12 holes in side to line up with factory drilled holes already on tempered Bluebird frame. I had to grind off a few huckbolts holding the bulletproof gas tank hanger in order to overlap the rails farther.


I only had to drill 2 holes on each side to get my position. I then scratched the rest of the holes to mark them and then took them off and ran them through the drillpress. Everything was coming off to spray epoxy primer after holes drilled anyway.







Tailswing concern
So i really liked driving, manuvering the bus before this change. Im hoping i dont make the tailswing too bad. It stands 12.5 feet from the center of the rear axle now. It seems that is a factory tailswing for the 37-40ft front engines. My only difference is the shorter wheelbase may get me into more trouble quicker. I also was worried about ground clearance pulling into parking lots and things. Before, i could go up steep aprons and things where 12ft back may bottom out and drag a bit easier. The rear bumper is still 32in off the pavement at level ground, hopefully that's an okay departure angle for me.




Everything is back off the bus for painting. I ordered a curt 20,000lb hitch to bolt between the frame rails. I'm going to cut a Dado in new pressure treated boards to be the deck and my original seat tracks will go in the dado for tie down points. I have a 48l x 28w x 8t aluminum fuel tank that is going between the frame rails. Driver side will get my carrier condenser mounted on the skirt. Passenger side has room for some 8D batteries under the deck tied into the house 12v system running winches, lights and generator starting batteries. Im going to try to fit a auto retractable air hose reel behind where the factory exhaust poked out.


After the hitch gets here, i will begin working on my frame structure to hold the sides and racks on. Will update when i get that mounted up and license plates and taillights relocated.

[Nick5272]

That tree fort is so damn cool. When I have kids I hope to be a dad of that caliber. Props to you. Hope y’all had a wonderful holiday!

[fo4imtippin]

I was going to build my own, but between the cost of steel for the arm and the price of the bearing, it was far cheaper to buy a used one. Finally something within 4 hours showed up on Facebook marketplace.

Bonus, it came with an awesome planetery winch that works really well, just need a winch relay and remote for it.



Its rated at 1200lbs at 6ft. It collapses as short as 36inches. It also folds flat. I want this even at home just to help me lift heavy things off my trailer and pull things like small engines to put on stands and things. The main reason its on the bus is to be able to lift things onto the deck like the dirtbikes rather than deal with ramps.





So an engineered crane isn't good enough. I want to weld some cross tubes on it to hang a spare tire (which the winch would be needed to get the tire on or off of). I need the tire carrier to rotate 360 degrees as well. I'm still looking for a heavy duty bearing or grease-able bushing to make the bottom side pivot as well.

[fo4imtippin]

I wanted to get the rear undercoated and protected before i bolted my frame rails on again. I pressure washed everything. I sprayed a light mixture of ospho down to convert any surface rust and etch any visible galvanizing. I ended up powerwashing again after as i kept finding piles of mud in cracks around the fuel tank.


Then after everything was completely dry, i sprayed everything with epoxy primer. I was racing to beat the rain and unfortunately it was very windy, so i used a bit more paint than i would have liked. I really hate spraying overhead with all the angles, but i tell myself that this is good practice for when i do the side of the bus.


Side note: my wife tells me these look like the underside of a bus owned by someone with head issues

[fo4imtippin]

I think i should be able to pickup the whole bus with this! Originally i was a hole off on my bolt pattern. I moved it all forward, but forgot to take a picture. At least i hadn't threadlocker them yet!


Still gotta add orange loctite to them all. Has anyone seen how expensive threadlocker has become???

[fo4imtippin]

I got my 42 gallon tank where its going to go and it fits really well. Another thing out of the yard!


So i have room for a larger main tank, but i thought it would give me an option to run offroad diesel if want and i can transfer between tanks if i have to go either way. Originally, i wanted this tank routed to the drivers side, or through the wood deck so that i could fill up on either side and transfer the fuel to whichever tank needs it (while pumping).


After fitting the tank, the neck outlet points right at my factory tank fill location, so i might try to jam two fuel filter necks into the same fuel door so i can get them at the same time.


I would still like to put an additional inlet that could be done from the rear deck so that i could still get one filled from the driver side.


I still have to add some more fittings to the top for generator, diesel heater and additional fuel level sender.

[fo4imtippin]

So i have a spare that i removed, so this is just a mock-up for fit.


I have enough room under the deck to fit the condenser there. This saves free-space under the bus body for more toolbox room.


Bad news on this is that the A/C lines are pretty pricey. I'm going to need a lot of new burgaflex hose with this back so far.


I'm not sure what im going to do for a skirt yet. I'm trying to get some 1/8 steel bent to the profile of the bumper and then i may cut some expanded metal mesh and tac that on the inside of a rectangle hole.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by fo4imtippin

Side note: my wife tells me these look like the underside of a bus owned by someone with head issues

She's right but it's gorgeous.