Bonnie Blue

[JDSquared]

So I cut those circle pieces to fill in the holes where the flasher lights were. One side was painted so I put self etching primer on the bare side. I put the painted side facing outward.

I was just researching Bondo and realize you're supposed to apply to bare metal. That makes sense and I think I knew that. But I still make mistakes. I'm not technically in a hurry but I'm trying to do too much in that 1 or 2 hours I get in the mornings right now before trying to work.

I'm also having a really hard time with the riveting tool. I don't want to have to buy an air compressor so I picked up a tool at Harbor Freight. I bought stainless steel rivets online and I got about 20 of them into the floor repair pieces. I practically had to step on the tool to get it to squeeze hard enough to break that pin. It doesn't seem right.

So I can't get that kind of force standing on the ladder. I used this PL flashing sealant that I like. I'm thinking of screwing these plates to the bus. The flasher covers were up there 18 years without coming loose. I don't know.

I'm glad I'm done for the day. I need to step back remember to take each step one at a time. I want to do high-quality work, and I will settle for decent, and at some point done is good enough. But this isn't that point.

[musigenesis]

Stainless steel rivets are a bitch. I also have a hand tool from HF and I practiced on it with these 1/4 aluminum rivets and they worked fine. When I got my stainless steel 1/4 rivets I tried them out with the hand tool and I couldn't budge them at all. You definitely need an air tool and a compressor for ss rivets, or else be a monstrously strong human being.

By most accounts you can bondo over epoxy primer as well as bare metal. Most of my bondo work has been over bare metal, but in a few places it's partly over the original bus paint which I sanded first, and it's adhering find there. Long-term it may be a problem, but I'm prepared to re-do the bondo periodically, especially in my rear corner which is like 50% filler now and sure to crack.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Stainless steel rivets are a bitch. I also have a hand tool from HF and I practiced on it with these 1/4 aluminum rivets and they worked fine. When I got my stainless steel 1/4 rivets I tried them out with the hand tool and I couldn't budge them at all. You definitely need an air tool and a compressor for ss rivets, or else be a monstrously strong human being.

By most accounts you can bondo over epoxy primer as well as bare metal. Most of my bondo work has been over bare metal, but in a few places it's partly over the original bus paint which I sanded first, and it's adhering find there. Long-term it may be a problem, but I'm prepared to re-do the bondo periodically, especially in my rear corner which is like 50% filler now and sure to crack.

I was kind of hoping it was the rivets and not me. Why do those YouTubers make it look so easy? And do you think I can get away with aluminum rivets? I got stainless thinking they wouldn't rust. Lol I don't think aluminum rusts either.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

I was kind of hoping it was the rivets and not me. Why do those YouTubers make it look so easy? And do you think I can get away with aluminum rivets? I got stainless thinking they wouldn't rust. Lol I don't think aluminum rusts either.

If you have aluminum in contact with steel and it gets wet, the aluminum will cause accelerated galvanic corrosion in the steel, so you generally want to use steel rivets with steel sheet and aluminum rivets with aluminum sheet. If what you're riveting is not going to get wet (either from rain outside or condensation inside) it's not a problem, or if there's a layer of paint or seam sealer between the aluminum and steel, it would also be OK, I guess.

For all the riveting I had to do (and still have to do) the HF rivet gun ($60?) and a small pancake compressor from CL ($50) were well worth the money. If you were in Philly I'd happily loan you my gear.

[EastCoastCB]

I've popped quite a few rivets with my HF riveter.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I've popped quite a few rivets with my HF riveter.

Pics of your Popeye forearms or it didn't happen.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Pics of your Popeye forearms or it didn't happen.

My HF riveter is the larger air powered model. No popeye forearms required.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

My HF riveter is the larger air powered model. No popeye forearms required.

Ah, I thought you meant a HF hand-riveter, and you were calling me and JD girly-men.

[EastCoastCB]

naw. I used to have popeye arms though.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Ah, I thought you meant a HF hand-riveter, and you were calling me and JD girly-men.

Well I've been working from my driver's seat about six years now I've definitely grown weaker and rounder.

I remember now why I'm not supposed to use aluminum rivets. Thank you.

[JDSquared]

I must be a worse driver than I think I am. My insurance quote from Kelly Newsome was at $700 for the year.

But she sent me to a local agent and we adjusted it to half that at least. When I get it converted and have whatever ticket is still on my licence cleared I can get better quotes. But for now I can drive it again!

Attached my flasher hole covers with screws instead of rivets. I haven't decided if I'm keeping the eyebrows or not. I need to decide on what kind of floodlight I'm putting up there and see if I need them or not.

I got some scrap pieces of 1/2" XPS just to kind of mentally size how much headroom I'll have, and what it's like walking on it. Started adding up the square footage and realizing it might actually cost less to run spray foam.

[JDSquared]

Thoughts on my build:
(Things to do list)

Flasher covers have 4 screws in them. I want eight but my drill batteries finally died lol. I broke my bit too. So I can do this much later. I don't need to bondo for a while. The sealant is keeping out water.

I checked all my bulbs for LED replacements. I thought the license plate light (1157 base) was the same as the brake lights, I switched them to check but it didn't brighten when you pressed the brake. Can't read the number of the bae, so I need to search better from home. I'm home now lol, but not searching. The turn signals and reverse lights are 1156, which is the same as the inside lights, so I will get a big package of those to switch them all out.

There's sixteen clearance lights, 2 bulbs in each! I can't read the number off that base either, and one of them is different. I guess it got replaced at some point. None of the gaskets are any good. I found online complete replacements, about $30 for 10 red and 10 amber complete LED lights. So I think I'm going that route. I would love to wait until I paint, just take them off once, but half the bulbs now aren't working.

Plus I want to decide on the flood lights and placement for those anyway, so I am getting some cheap white LED. I had some 42 watt LED spots picked out, but I saw pictures of much cheaper and lower watt options in use from people on this site, so I am just going to order 4 lights and see how they look. The only other hole I know that I need will be for the backup camera.

I want wireless, and wondering if they have good range from 32 foot forward in a metal bus or not. I keep forgetting to check on that. But I want install the camera with the lights, so by the end of March.

I want to insulate! I still have 13 windows to reseal and reseat. About an hour per window. I am out there all day tomorrow, and still not sure if I am doing that or getting underneath for rust remediation. I should do that. The other side went so quick last time. This side looks worse but I think it's the same I just forgot how bad the other side looked lol.

There are no holes on the driver's side, so it can't be as bad! I cut and sheeted three holes on the passenger side, they were about 2x2 inch. So the underside is not a priority for moving forward. I can't ignore it either though. But I can at least get a better plan of my basement in the meantime.

My math was wrong about the spray foam. 5 sheets of XPS will do under all the windows (1 1/2" thick) flush with the windows and fill that cavity behind the chair rail. I haven't decided about insulating above the chair rail. I guess, I have to insulate the metal below it, flush with the rail, so I might as well bring it up underneath the windows. That would be like 2 1/2 inch thick below the windows.

Ceiling will be 2" thick. The ribs are about 1 1/2 so I will lose an inch total I think after interior ceiling. I want to do 1" on the floor and my flooring on top of that (no plywood), but I am still undecided. 1/2 inch plus plywood gets me the same result, and I can live with that headroom. I could probably live with another 1/2 inch loos too, but I don't think I want to.

But that's for later. Next steps are to refit the lights with LED bulbs, replace the clearance lights, mount a camera and insulate the walls. Also work underneath and finish the windows. Makes for a good February.

My kid needs a car. He inherited his brothers and it worked for a while. I just spent a few hundred replacing the alternator, then somehow the driver's door won't unlock. There's no doorknob, it's been gone a while, and the locks have been sticky a while, it's all weird to explain. But there's no way to get the latch unlocked now. I broke the interior panel, but not completely off. I keep hoping his brother comes by and fixes it, or pays to fix it. It's still his car.
But I have to get up at 630 to get him to school until it's fixed or replaced. I don't make any money usually before 10, and work until 8 or 9 most days, so it's annoying. He's afraid of my van because he hasn't driven it, and the brakes aren't too great.

I spent about 600 at Christmas. Spent 400 on the car. Spent 450 on insurance today for the bus! And now looking to spend a grand on another car. My bus budget keeps getting pushed aside LOL.

Wood is cheap, so I can still get some framing and some flooring and basic building done in March. I'm happy, and on schedule. And rambled a lot more than I meant to here.

[JDSquared]

I meant to ask y'all on here about railroad crossings. I was driving around today and went right over one without stopping.

I don't have the flashers, or the stop sign or bar in front. But it still says school bus on the top (front and back). And it's yellow.

Did I break the law?

[musigenesis]

I took my eyebrows off initially (mine are the same double style like yours instead of one per light) but I thought my bus looked really weird without them. Like, the same way a person looks weird when they shave their eyebrows.

[musigenesis]

I'm trying to see if my math is right here: spray foam is around $600 (?) for a 600 board-foot kit, so it's conveniently about $1 a board-foot. 2"x4'x8' XPS board at Home Depot is $30, so that's 64 board-feet and $0.47 per board-foot. 1.5" is $25 and $0.52 per board-foot; 1" is $20 and $0.63 per board-foot. So spray foam is about twice as expensive as board.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I'm trying to see if my math is right here: spray foam is around $600 (?) for a 600 board-foot kit, so it's conveniently about $1 a board-foot. 2"x4'x8' XPS board at Home Depot is $30, so that's 64 board-feet and $0.47 per board-foot. 1.5" is $25 and $0.52 per board-foot; 1" is $20 and $0.63 per board-foot. So spray foam is about twice as expensive as board.

Yeah that's what I'm coming up with. I was adding something up in my head earlier today it made it seem more expensive. But when I wrote the numbers down on paper the XPS is about half.

With no roof raise and all of my windows I might as well just use the foam board. The $600 I save would be another battery.

[musigenesis]

XPS foam seems to be one product that you absolutely cannot find cheap anywhere. I occasionally see it posted on CL but they're snapped up in seconds. I guess because no matter what shape it's in, you can always cut it up and stick it somewhere to get more insulation.

One CL post had 110 slightly-nicked sheets for $800. I figured a fifth of those would do my bus and then I could resell the rest and maybe insulate my bus for free, or even make money on the deal. If not, I've always wondered how well an XPS igloo might work as an outbuilding.

[JDSquared]

Eight hours in for this weekend. Didn't get as far as I wanted but far enough.
Spent $60 on LEDs online. Adds up quick!

Resealed 4 more windows. And a fifth is out and cleaned but warped. I don't know what's up with that. I will take a picture. It's the very front so I'm going to end up moving it back to the closet I guess in case I have to seal it closed.

Punched another hundred rivets or more. I ground them down under the windows so they were still poking through where I will be stuffing my insulation. That was annoying. Half of them wouldn't punch through so I took my angle grinder out and ground them some more. Then punched them through I guess I should have just done it complete the first time!

Then I went back under the bus with the angle grinder. But it kept cutting off. I think I finally overworked it. I thought it might be the flap disc so I put the wire wheel on. Opened it up to look how dusty it was but it looked ok. Everything spun right. Put it back and still couldn't keep the motor from (I assume) overheating. I guess I'll pick up another next week.

[JDSquared]

I've been trying to figure out off and on where the water is coming from after it rains. I would find water pooled on the edge of the bus, or sometimes just water stain on the primer. The windows would look dry so I figured it was coming from the emergency exit hatch.

It started raining on me while I was out there so I waited and waited. I never noticed it dripping but I saw these puddles. But they're not under the roof hatch. The wall cavity was collecting water but not from the window. I thought for a minute that I had a hole in the side of my bus.

I finally realized it's dripping from the rivet holes in the hat channel. Those channel's still have insulation in them. So it looks like it's coming all the way down inside the hat channel and into that cavity and then seeping into the bus on the floor.

And yeah I painted my floor silver this week. Going to do the underside that way too.

I was planning on filling those cavities with insulation this weekend. But I guess the smarter thing to do would be to recoat the roof with tropicool.

[matthews2001]

I too could not use my hand rivet gun on stainless rivets, for the d hooks I put on my roof to strap my kayaks down. Saw this that goes on your drill, worked like a charm!