Bonnie Blue

[musigenesis]

It's looking good. The bracket holding your bumper looks new from the factory.

My original plan was to completely finish rebuilding my floor and then entirely clean and paint the underside before starting on the inside, but that latter part is just too depressing to contemplate doing all at once, and the weather doesn't make that any more appealing. I'm going to do like you and just try to steadily treat chunks at a time while getting started on the interior.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

It's looking good. The bracket holding your bumper looks new from the factory.

My original plan was to completely finish rebuilding my floor and then entirely clean and paint the underside before starting on the inside, but that latter part is just too depressing to contemplate doing all at once, and the weather doesn't make that any more appealing. I'm going to do like you and just try to steadily treat chunks at a time while getting started on the interior.

It really can be disheartening! Been a long two weeks on a 3ft x 8ft section. Knowing that it's working though helps. I can treat the next, longer section, and not worry about it for three days and work inside, then go back and prime underneath.

Now I just need the right day where the right welder shows up with the right amount of money in the account before I am done with the windows.

[JDSquared]

Back under the bus. Look how clean the channel pieces and the bottom of the floor are. The black is the undercoat. I scraped that off and get right to bare metal.

Then the angle iron pieces are just horrible. I don't know why. Every fifth piece is angle iron instead of these channels.

I'm wondering, if anyone reading this knows, how strong those channels are? I have tool boxes to build under here. And gray water tank to attach. I thought about bolting done angle iron to some of these, and weld my storage box to that. Or just bolt it through these channels.

I also resealed 5 windows today. 19 more to go. And hopefully about five hours available to work on it tomorrow.

[JDSquared]

The bus is being weird by the way. The two little fans by the driver only work when the master heat switch is on. I don't know if that's something I did or it was like that and I didn't realize. They each are on their own switch. I have to retrace the wires from the switches and see if they share a relay or something.

I still don't know how I killed the radio.

And the air for the door is doing opposite what I typed about last week. Last week the tanks went down to zero overnight and the door kept it's pressure. I left yesterday and the air tanks were full. I came back today and the door was ajar, no air pressure. And the gauges weren't down to zero just down to 90 psi.

Weird.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

The two little fans by the driver only work when the master heat switch is on.

My little fans in the front only work when the "Noise Kill" switch is set to "ON". I don't understand it unless "Noise Kill" means "Drown Out the Damn Children with White Noise".

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

Now I just need the right day where the right welder shows up with the right amount of money in the account before I am done with the windows.

I checked Savannah Craigslist for you, and there's ... just nothing at all.

I'm liking mig, but dealing with the gas is kind of a pain (and the bottles themselves are close to $200). A flux-core wire welder like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079W44FB2 is pretty well-regarded and cheap. You get the convenience of the wire feed and not having to manipulate a stick. If I were to start over with welding I'd probably get one of these. Also a hell of a lot more portable since you don't need the bottle or even a cart, really. The downside is ugly welds but I'm getting that out of mig anyway.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

Every fifth piece is angle iron instead of these channels.

I think your bus floor is built the same way as an International (not entirely sure). The floor is made from steel sheets that are bent into a c-shape on each edge; these panels are spot-welded end to end so that the adjacent c-shapes form what looks like an i-beam on the underside (I think this is what you mean by the angle iron pieces). In between these pseudo i-beams are pieces of hat-channel that are spot-welded as stiffeners.

Here is a diagram that shows the floor structure from the side:



(blue is the sheets of the floor, red is the hat-channel stiffeners).

This video shows how the floors are constructed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBcUnUCbEsg

(floor begins at 3:05)

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I think your bus floor is built the same way as an International (not entirely sure). The floor is made from steel sheets that are bent into a c-shape on each edge; these panels are spot-welded end to end so that the adjacent c-shapes form what looks like an i-beam on the underside (I think this is what you mean by the angle iron pieces). In between these pseudo i-beams are pieces of hat-channel that are spot-welded as stiffeners.

Here is a diagram that shows the floor structure from the side:

Attachment 41081

(blue is the sheets of the floor, red is the hat-channel stiffeners).

This video shows how the floors are constructed:

(floor begins at 3:05)

Okay that's actually really similar. I don't remember it being an I beam, I thought it was one-sided. I just looked at post #100 on this thread, and it isn't an I beam, really, but it looks interlocking. I will be under there tomorrow and look closer.

That's the same section I just posted the picture of, also. With all that bare metal showing now.It's nice to see how well the floor is coming along, I never really look at my pictures lol.

Anyway, all these hat channels, aside from the surface rust, have rust along those holes. I'm sure they are there for draining water, which seems to have kept my floor and the hat channels in good shape. Where the panels are joined though, it's rough. And I don't think I can weld to them. I am grinding the crap off of them, and the ospho is turning them black. I don't want to cut them out because the floor above is in great shape and it adds at least some support.

And I don't think the hat channel will support any weight. So I don't know what i am doing yet. Maybe bolt some angle iron to those I beams, and weld storage boxes to those. I saw on here last week, didn't I, somebody attached some big brackets to their chassis. I might be able to do that.

Not even close to that though! But the fun part about rust remediation is the planning you can think about while you're laying on the gravel running an angle grinder above your head.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

Okay that's actually really similar. I don't remember it being an I beam, I thought it was one-sided. I just looked at post #100 on this thread, and it isn't an I beam, really, but it looks interlocking. I will be under there tomorrow and look closer.

That's the same section I just posted the picture of, also. With all that bare metal showing now.It's nice to see how well the floor is coming along, I never really look at my pictures lol.

Anyway, all these hat channels, aside from the surface rust, have rust along those holes. I'm sure they are there for draining water, which seems to have kept my floor and the hat channels in good shape. Where the panels are joined though, it's rough. And I don't think I can weld to them. I am grinding the crap off of them, and the ospho is turning them black. I don't want to cut them out because the floor above is in great shape and it adds at least some support.

And I don't think the hat channel will support any weight. So I don't know what i am doing yet. Maybe bolt some angle iron to those I beams, and weld storage boxes to those. I saw on here last week, didn't I, somebody attached some big brackets to their chassis. I might be able to do that.

Not even close to that though! But the fun part about rust remediation is the planning you can think about while you're laying on the gravel running an angle grinder above your head.

Attaching weight-bearing structures (that have to handle dynamic loads while driving that are multiples of the weight) to the channels and beams (whatever they are) seems tricky because it's just bent thin gauge sheet metal - and if it's rusty that makes it so much more difficult. For my gray tank, which will be slung on the passenger side behind my tub, I'm planning on having thick steel plates on the inside spanning multiple cross members underneath, and then the brackets for my tank will be bolted through the flat part of the floor to these plates above. So I won't be trying to weld or bolt anything directly to the cross members underneath.

[musigenesis]

Also, I'd suggest not letting yourself get bogged down in endless work on the underside if there're other things you can do from time to time. My original plan was to focus entirely on the underside and get it completely cleaned up and painted before doing anything else at all, but the thought of that was just so hopelessly depressing. I'm going to focus more on having one or two days a week where I do that, or maybe just do it for an hour or two every day before or after other things.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Also, I'd suggest not letting yourself get bogged down in endless work on the underside if there're other things you can do from time to time. My original plan was to focus entirely on the underside and get it completely cleaned up and painted before doing anything else at all, but the thought of that was just so hopelessly depressing. I'm going to focus more on having one or two days a week where I do that, or maybe just do it for an hour or two every day before or after other things.

I'm not getting bogged down. A little anxious lol. Everyone is going to SkooliePalooza and the swarm, and I'm sitting here just dying to build one wall lol. I'm good. Now that I know there's only two small areas of flooring that will need repair, and the stairwell, this other stuff is just icing. I'm only doing two hours at a time when I can go home and clean up after. Working on windows on days I have to go back and forth for work.

I'm doing my gray tank in a similar manner with threaded rod. The other stuff for outside will be a backup generator, outdoor chairs and things, and propane tanks I think. I might get a 50/60 gal tank for that though.

[JDSquared]

Ordered my first rivets. I don't even own a rivet gun. Or an air compressor anymore. Still not sure if I want to buy one.

I got five more windows cleaned and resealed yesterday. 14 left. Then went to work and made a few bucks.

No work today so I'm hoping I get a full 5 or 6 hours underneath the bus getting dirty.

As far as I can tell, I've got water dripping in from the windows, and both roof hatches and a couple of the exterior lights. None of it is a lot. I was searching for some clear covers to use in place of the flashers. But I think I found some spotlights that I like. They might be the same size, but I wouldn't be able to direct the light down. So I figured I can reskin those and bolt the lights to that. That's what the rivets are for.

And maybe the floor patches. I've been under the bus enough now to know I'm only patching those two areas around the passenger side wheels. Might just rivet new steel there.

The two hatches are probably becoming skylights. At least one has to open up to get to the roof. They don't have to but I think that's my plan. I don't want to build those until I know my ceiling height. When it rains I get a very slow drip from the hatches that comes straight down. I don't think water is going anywhere else from there.

So: finish resealing the windows. Skin the flasher areas. Patch the floor. Then replace all my clearance lights and tail lights with LEDs and new gaskets (which I have not looked for yet). Add the spot lights and backup camera. Get a good artificial rain going and make sure I'm sealed up.

Hopefully by then it's not past saint Patrick's day. Then I can start framing and insulating.

I'm trying to think of what else might need wiring for the outside. I think I've got it.

[JDSquared]

I like posting here because they don't have to be Instagram worthy photos. Got this whole 12 ft section ground down and Ospho applied. Not nearly as bad as the back section. I would guess about 70 % is bare metal now. Hopefully I can prime it before it starts rusting again!

[JDSquared]

Here's a close-up of my connecting floor pieces. They aren't an I beam. They come down together and bolt to the side of an L bracket or angle iron. For whatever reason those pieces rust worse than the hat channel. But they are pretty rust free up between the tires here. Much less afraid of bolting some storage to them.

[JDSquared]

I turned this into that this morning. It was a productive hour before work.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

I turned this into that this morning. It was a productive hour before work.

Flasher covers, I presume? How did you cut such nice circles? My covers were the first fabrication on my bus, but I ordered 7" 1/8" steel disks from a guy on eBay.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Flasher covers, I presume? How did you cut such nice circles? My covers were the first fabrication on my bus, but I ordered 7" 1/8" steel disks from a guy on eBay.

I just used the cut off wheel on the angle grinder. I guess I built enough semi decent arches using a circular saw back when I was framing houses that this didn't seem too tough. Deburred them with a flap disc.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

I just used the cut off wheel on the angle grinder. I guess I built enough semi decent arches using a circular saw back when I was framing houses that this didn't seem too tough. Deburred them with a flap disc.

Is that safe, in terms of the cutting wheel pinching and breaking? I'm terrified enough of my angle grinder just making straight cuts. I've had two occasions so far where the wheel caught or broke and the grinder shot out of my hands. Or are you just making a series of straight cuts and then rounding the shape?

The Harbor Freight electric shears are very cheap and they work great. My $30 one is easily the best tool bang for the buck I've had on this project.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Is that safe, in terms of the cutting wheel pinching and breaking? I'm terrified enough of my angle grinder just making straight cuts. I've had two occasions so far where the wheel caught or broke and the grinder shot out of my hands. Or are you just making a series of straight cuts and then rounding the shape?

The Harbor Freight electric shears are very cheap and they work great. My $30 one is easily the best tool bang for the buck I've had on this project.

I saw you type that before somewhere, and I think you're doing something wrong but I don't know what it is. I had three or four discs break on me while I was taking out the seats. But I was digging into those bolts. I had another one break and go flying while I was cutting those walls inside the bus.

That's a real risk to the face, I wear my goggles and gloves but nothing else. But I've never let go of the grinder itself. I've never felt that much kick back from it. Maybe it's because I know what the kickback from a circular saw feels like. I think I got the cheapest angle grinder at harbor freight. Maybe yours is running more hp or rpms than mine.

I haven't tried to cut any steel tube or angle iron yet either. That's coming soon, but that will definitely be in a vice which should help any kickback.

The sheet metal I used today came from under the back windows. And I use only the edge of the cut off blade. It's more of a bobbing up and down onto the metal rather than running through a table saw. If that makes any sense.

So I would push down onto the metal until I'm through then lift up change the angle and cut downward again. And keep doing that all the way around the circle. All the kerf stays outside the lines Like a chop saw I guess.

[JDSquared]

Old school 3D printing