Daisy The Bus

AZHippie · 04-27-2019, 10:24 PM

And so the fun begins! Temporary stuff that was put in for insurance and motor vehicles department has been removed. Got about 1/4 of the plywood up and of course there's rust. so far hitting it with a hammer hasn't gone through so I think I'm in good shape.

Mountain Gnome · 04-28-2019, 09:52 AM

Aloha!

I got my TC1000 in Tucson almost 2 years ago. Wasn't going to do the floor, but I got stuck in 6 months of rain with little drips, so now I'm going at it. Thinking I'm leaving the wheelchair tiedown tracks and fill in new flooring between them. Hatin' it! Now I see your rust, and I'm thinking I really should.

Did you get your bus in Tucson or AZ in general?

Joe45 · 04-28-2019, 10:23 AM

Almost got a bus like that. Went with the "dog nose" one because I'll be going into BLM a lot. But I really like how your style of bus has that extra usable space.

Looking forward to seeing what you do!
When ours is finished, we'll surely be in your area eventually-so I'll let you know and maybe we can meet up.

Joe45 · 04-28-2019, 10:26 AM

PS

Are you leaving in the wheelchair tie downs? I have the same thing and they seem like useful things to have, but not sure the floor can be insulated with hose on.

I'm thinking those tie downs can be better used up on the deck,when I build it.

Mountain Gnome · 04-28-2019, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe45

PS

Are you leaving in the wheelchair tie downs? I have the same thing and they seem like useful things to have, but not sure the floor can be insulated with hose on.

I'm thinking those tie downs can be better used up on the deck,when I build it.

I want to leave my WC tiedowns in. I will be using them to attach the "furniture" to (bed, shelves, stove, etc.) then I can move it around in the future. I will cover the floor with throw rugs in the winter, and avoid living where it deep freezes (possibly snowbirding); I don't mind the cold, so much. Just when cooking with a heavy jacket, and its sleeves getting in the way.

Dog Rescuer · 04-28-2019, 12:40 PM

I took out my floor wheelchair rails - I do miss them a little - mostly I wish I added a little more insulation to the floor - but I really did not want to lose any headroom. I was in Arizona for most of the winter - but I have been a few places that drop to the low teens at night - and barely 20s or low 30s during the day - and the floor is certainly cold.

Can you do a rubberized coating under the bus to help create a barrier? Like bed truck lining? like Lizardskin? Does anyone have any thoughts / experience on that?

AZHippie · 04-28-2019, 01:07 PM

I almost left the floor in after reading about how difficult it can be to remove the rails. About 20% we were able to get out without cutting. The rest a cutoff blade on a grinder seems to be the easiest way so far. The floor looked decent with only a couple of ripples through most of it and just a little swelling by the WC door. I decided to just rip it up and see what kind of mess I could make and glad I did as you can see the pictures below.

AZHippie · 04-28-2019, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain Gnome

Aloha!

I got my TC1000 in Tucson almost 2 years ago. Wasn't going to do the floor, but I got stuck in 6 months of rain with little drips, so now I'm going at it. Thinking I'm leaving the wheelchair tiedown tracks and fill in new flooring between them. Hatin' it! Now I see your rust, and I'm thinking I really should.

Did you get your bus in Tucson or AZ in general?

Tucson. It's been here all it's life. Hopefully can change that soon!

o1marc · 04-28-2019, 01:14 PM

It's almost always worse than you imagine on the floor. Which is why we push so hard for that process to be completed.

AZHippie · 04-28-2019, 03:51 PM

I'm glad I decided to take the floor up. I plan on living at least 6 months a year in the bus for many years and keeping it many more. I think I caught it in time. Hitting the worst areas with a hammer (fairly hard) doesn't make me think its to deep yet. Not something I would want to deal with a few years down the road when the build is complete.

AZHippie · 05-01-2019, 11:12 PM

The wheelchair door on my bus appears to be bent. The top corner sticks out noticeably and is an obvious source of a leak. Putting a straight edge up against it proves it. I'm debating replacing it vs. sealing it. My question is does anyone know if the TC1000 and 2000 used the same access door? My thought for sealing it would be gutting the door and using the outer skin and window to fill the hole, mounted and sealed to some angle iron on the interior. Then I would insulate it and cover like the other interior walls. Any thoughts or opinions?

AZHippie · 05-01-2019, 11:19 PM

Sorry, double posted

tugboater · 05-02-2019, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZHippie

The wheelchair door on my bus appears to be bent. The top corner sticks out noticeably... Any thoughts or opinions?

Got any photos of it? It might be easier than you think to bend it back straight.

AZHippie · 05-04-2019, 02:44 PM

Here's the photo's. I'm leaning towards sealing it for good. It's probably poorly insulated and just one more place to leak in the future. We still have the rear exit right next to it.

o1marc · 05-04-2019, 02:56 PM

The door skin will not be big enough to cover the hole you took it out from. I removed the whole door and frame, welded in a couple cross bars to screw to and then skinned the area.
I can see in the first pic the bend at the top keeping the rod from latching properly. That door can easily be pulled back square and seal properly.

FYI, doors are not insulated at all.

AZHippie · 05-04-2019, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by o1marc

The door skin will not be big enough to cover the hole you took it out from. I removed the whole door and frame, welded in a couple cross bars to screw to and then skinned the area.
I can see in the first pic the bend at the top keeping the rod from latching properly. That door can easily be pulled back square and seal properly.

FYI, doors are not insulated at all.

Maybe I will make an attempt to straighten it. But no insulation is all the better reason to seal it off. That's right where me feet are going to be and I plan on running a heater more often than air.

AZHippie · 05-04-2019, 09:35 PM

Floor pull up is complete and the under body AC units and rear heater have been removed. The floor and rails were so much fun I can't wait to do it again. NOT! I put in a picture of the area under the driver seat. When I start pulling up this area of plywood what can I expect around the pedals. Does the wood stop short of them or are they through the plywood too? Any knowledge would be appreciated. Thanks

Yukon Cornelius · 05-06-2019, 08:47 AM

Making good progress on the demo

EastCoastCB · 05-06-2019, 09:17 AM

To delete that door I'd measure the opening and add an inch +/-. Then order a sheet of 16 or 18ga cut to that size. Will be less than a hundred bucks.
No way you'll get that door skin to cover the hole from the door.

AZHippie · 05-20-2019, 07:19 AM

I'm going over the entire floor with a braided wire wheel. Most of the rust is coming off with no issues. There are some areas that are still very dark and pitted, but smooth with no rust color left. Should I go over these areas with a grinding wheel or have more faith in the Corroseal? Any suggestions? I'm looking at at least another day of wire wheel to complete the floor. Am I just doing an overkill? I don't see how people a knocking these out when they look worse than mine in a weekend.

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