Leavuntaun -- Soon - Page 18

Oldyeller · 05-27-2022, 12:08 PM

I could have sworn I posted this video already but I can't find it. I guess my mind is finally . . . gone - which could mean I DID post it and just can't remember where? Oh well, if you've seen it before just consider the source - old guys -ppppffffftttt.

Some time ago I noticed that the ground cable going to my starter from the batteries had a bare spot on it. Both cables were covered with so much schmutz that I couldn't see much. Last week I finally crawled under the bus with a can of spray to clean it up and have a better look. Here's what I found.

https://youtube.com/shorts/cO6M6eab32c?feature=share

My mechanic neighbor and I dissected both cables yesterday, they're worse than they look in that video. Dem puppies got REAL HOT and it wasn't on my watch, who knows how long they've been like that?

Oldyeller · 05-29-2022, 03:52 PM

I just finished wire brushing the rest of the bus floor and applying ospho. Tomorrow I'll roll on a coat of Rust-Oleum X/O. Second coat on Tuesday.

Before I started wire brushing the floor I crawled around under the rear of the bus to have another look at the rusty areas. I decided that I'm going to do small patches using some sheet metal I salvaged from the roof of the section I cut out of the rear. I start radiation treatments on 6/14 and I want the floor finished if possible so as I mentioned before I may make some decisions I wouldn't make if I had more time. Anyway, I think what I'm doing will be fine.

My neighbor stopped over and had a look at the left front wheel, checking the king pins. There was no movement, that one is fine. We'll check the other one later this afternoon.

BTW, I picked up a Harbor Freight 8 ton bottle jack. It fits very well under the front axle and had no problem with the weight. I bought it because it was on sale and I figured it would be enough and fairly light which I appreciate. I can always buy a higher capacity one if I see that I need it but I doubt I will.

HamSkoolie · 05-30-2022, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloc

For anyone who doesn't think jewelry is an issue, look up "finger desheathing." Don't look while eating, because you're gonna see why doctors earn the big bucks as they're the ones who have to fix it.

And it happens in palces you'd never even think. I was safety in a Marine Squadron and some of the stories.... How about a truck driver. You'd never think a truck driver would need to worry about jewelry just driving.... working on the mechanicals yes but just driving..... Well, Mr trucker stepped out of his rig in the frozen weather, in the back of the parking lot so that he'd get good sleep after his dinner in the diner..... except that he slipped on the iced up step out of his truck and his heavy wedding ring caught on the door, which swung outward, and there he was, suspended by his ring finger, swaying in the sub zero temps with no one around....... he kicked and tried to get back to the cab but without luck. Luckily someone noticed hes legs hanging below the door and he was extricated before he froze to death.

Oldyeller · 05-30-2022, 10:28 PM

Today I got a coat of paint on the entire bus floor. It certainly makes it easier to see all the holes. Tomorrow I'll do a second coat and that will have to be it. After that I'll start working on patches while I'm doing other things as well.

After I finished painting the floor I wire brushed the inside of the rear bumper. I was able to get the bumper painted though I forgot to get the after picture, just the before.

Not sure I mentioned but I have 10 days of radiation coming up in a week or so. I need to do some work my daily driver that I've been putting off. I wouldn't want to break down when I'm in treatment. So, the bus will have to sit till I get the truck done.

Kentucky Dreaming · 05-31-2022, 11:11 AM

Good luck with the treatments. We are all with you.

Take care of you!!! The bus can wait a bit.

Oldyeller · 05-31-2022, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kentucky Dreaming

Good luck with the treatments. We are all with you.

Take care of you!!! The bus can wait a bit.

Thanks for the sentiment.

In celebration of the upcoming treatments I'm going to try to get back to my jogging routine. I had been a regular jogger for close to 35 years but I stopped because my right knee was acting up. I have since gotten back on my joint supplements and my 15 to 20 miles a week walking hasn't bothered it so we'll see. Jogging was a welcome routine for a long time and, at this juncture, if I can get back to it it'll help both physically and emotionally. Also being in the best physical condition possible is a help with the treatments, of which the radiation is only the first.

I just finished a second coat of paint on the floor. I hope this is the last but I've decided to check it tomorrow and, if I see evidence it needs another, I pick up more of the paint and do another coat.

Now I need to try to reseal the windows and finish sealing the rear seam where I spliced the 2 pieces back together again. At worst I need to do something temporary to prevent as much water infiltration as I can.

Didn't DeMac do a tread on resealing windows. It's time to dig into that.

Oldyeller · 05-31-2022, 12:57 PM

OK, who did the thread on resealing windows? I thought I remembered it being DeMac but I couldn't find a thread by him about window resealing. I also didn't get a hit on just resealing windows. I know I saw it, who started it and what was it named?

Thanks.

Oldyeller · 06-02-2022, 10:12 AM

Yesterday I declared the floor done - for now. Obviously I have a lot of holes to repair but getting the second coat of paint down gives me some breathing room and it feels great.'

Night before last, when I should have been sleeping, I was thinking about the fact that now I was going to have to start walking on the newly painted floor in order to start working on resealing the windows. I figured it would tear it up because it still isn't completely cured but I can't afford to NOT make progress. It occurred to me that I could throw down the rubber matting that I'm planning to use as my (only) floor covering to protect the floor - brilliant! That should keep the floor protected from abrasion AND dirt and I can easily scrub the matting (closed cell) before I actually put it down for the final time. That was a load off my mind and I dragged out about a dozen squares and threw them down. It rained hard last night so I'll have to lift as much of it as I can to allow the floor to dry. I think a lot of those window corners are leaking, not a surprise.

Oldyeller · 06-10-2022, 10:42 AM

Over the past few days I've made some progress on sealing up the last few areas of the splice on the rear of the bus body. If I'm feeling up to it this afternoon I'll climb the ladder and do some tack welding on a few spots.

Yesterday, late afternoon, I suddenly decided to drag the solar panels (5) out into the late afternoon sunshine and test them with my VOM. I've been putting it off because each panel is 80"x40" and weighs more than I'd like to lift - did I mention there are 5 of them . . . OI! They all tested close to spec, 49.8 volts 9.8 amps.

I've got to make some decisions about how I'm going to mount them because I've got to get that started soon. I HAVE decided to mount only 1 initially and get that process worked out before I try to lift all 5 onto the roof. I'll likely have to figure a way to get them on the roof alone and that doesn't sound like fun at all. Once I get one mounted I'll probably start building the solar system in the bus. I guess I've got to climb the solar learning cliff at the same time I climb the ladder to mount the panels.

Oldyeller · 06-11-2022, 11:56 AM

Yesterday I melted steel together in an attempt to finish the last couple places related to the shortening. I believe the practice is commonly referred to as 'welding' but I don't know? I think if you had been there to watch you would have been humorously entertained - I wasn't, but it was happening to me. Let it never be said that I'm NOT stupid enough to try anything no matter how ridiculously unprepared or unskilled I might be.

If I can gather the energy I'll melt more steel today. I mean energy for me, I have plenty of energy for the melting to happen. It's really an amazing process, do you realize how many times I would have to have hit that metal with my rock hammer to get it to melt together?

Maybe when I'm finished with the melting I'll take pictures - if I can grind it smooth enough to hide how really bad I am at it - STOP LAUGHING!

Jolly Roger bus 223 · 06-11-2022, 03:23 PM

for sheet metal we do stitch or tacks every 6" or 3" depending on how its acting to get it laid down and maybe leave one side loose as you come around or in this case over that way the buckle or bow moves as you do and yes a hammer is usually needed.
tacking it where you want it and then coming back and and filling in between is better.
for the six inch spaced tacks its better to go to the middle and do a 2-3" weld between each tack and then come back and complete the in betweens.
by nature on thin metal to much heat concentrated in one area trying to do a solid weld is going to make it warp by nature.
hell even welding sleeves on 1/4-3/8 " pipe line sleeves i keep a 5 pound hammer next to me.
tack it and beat it tack it and beat.
but thats at least a 1/2" at 500amps but i have welded 15-16 guage grease duct and other duct and have learned that the stitch welding process might take longer but is alot more forgiving in the process than trying to do a solid weld in one shot and for sheetmetal that includes being better than a few tacks here and there to get the entire piece in position.
as you weld it it is going to move.
four corners on 16-guage duct tacked and you are trying to do solid welds at one time forget it. hammer or not.
you have to leave it free and work it not let it work you.

BamaBus · 06-11-2022, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldyeller

STOP LAUGHING!

Sorry, I didn't realize I was that loud.

Oldyeller · 06-11-2022, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

for sheet metal we do stitch or tacks every 6" or 3" depending on how its acting to get it laid down and maybe leave one side loose as you come around or in this case over that way the buckle or bow moves as you do and yes a hammer is usually needed.
tacking it where you want it and then coming back and and filling in between is better.
for the six inch spaced tacks its better to go to the middle and do a 2-3" weld between each tack and then come back and complete the in betweens.
by nature on thin metal to much heat concentrated in one area trying to do a solid weld is going to make it warp by nature.
hell even welding sleeves on 1/4-3/8 " pipe line sleeves i keep a 5 pound hammer next to me.
tack it and beat it tack it and beat.
but thats at least a 1/2" at 500amps but i have welded 15-16 guage grease duct and other duct and have learned that the stitch welding process might take longer but is alot more forgiving in the process than trying to do a solid weld in one shot and for sheetmetal that includes being better than a few tacks here and there to get the entire piece in position.
as you weld it it is going to move.
four corners on 16-guage duct tacked and you are trying to do solid welds at one time forget it. hammer or not.
you have to leave it free and work it not let it work you.

Thank you for the explanation. I suspect I'll come back and re-read it more than once as I try to melt more steel together in the coming weeks.

If I decide to post some pictures of what I'm melting you'll have a better understanding of the PITAishness of it for someone like me. I'm sure for you it would be ridiculously simple but for this caveman, not so much. I'm going to consider it a success if I can tack it together enough to stabilize it so seam sealer will not flex out over time.

Jolly Roger bus 223 · 06-11-2022, 06:19 PM

was not trying to go cave man style?
i understand i kind of feel old at work because i started as a steamfitter but am now in charge of refrigerant piping on over 3000' piped systems on a single system much less 4-5 in a single building? i am in charge of managing it because i have learned how to talk to people when they are nice and deal with them when they are not and document it for if and when court comes around.

HamSkoolie · 06-11-2022, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldyeller

Thank you for the explanation. I suspect I'll come back and re-read it more than once as I try to melt more steel together in the coming weeks.

If I decide to post some pictures of what I'm melting you'll have a better understanding of the PITAishness of it for someone like me. I'm sure for you it would be ridiculously simple but for this caveman, not so much. I'm going to consider it a success if I can tack it together enough to stabilize it so seam sealer will not flex out over time.

Just do it the way they teach the farm boys.... TACK AND GOB, GRIND HER DOWN FLAT, GRIND OUT ANY NASTIES, TACK AND GOB THE NASTIES, REPEAT..... eventually you'll have a purty weld. Just keep the trigger pulls short and widely spaced. Use wet paper towels to reduce the heat radiating away from the welds, and don't worry about the metalurgical changes from wetting the actual weld. We aren't welding on critical space or pipeline components, just sticking a couple panels together.
Biggest concern is not blowing big holes through the thin sheet and keeping heat distortion at a minimum.

Oldyeller · 06-15-2022, 01:42 PM

Yesterday was my first (of 5) radiation treatments. Overnight gravity seems to have increased and I'm finding it more difficult to move around today.

Over the weekend I moved to the other side of the rear of the bus to do some metal melting there. It was easier but more difficult than the other, other side.

I'm going to tack on a reinforcement patch on the inside for one seam on each side that is otherwise unsupported then I'm going to call it done and move on to the wheel wells. I've wasted too much time on 2 little areas.

Given how I'm feeling today it's clear that my treatments aren't going to be without physical ramifications. I've been contemplating how I'm going to insulate the bus and have been looking at all of the commonly referenced approaches - BUT - given how I'm feeling I think I'm going to have to try to find a vendor to do foam. I just don't see me being able to get the interior of the bus insulated along with everything else I have to do in order to get out this fall. I'm not sure I can make it anyway . . . .

I contacted one company close by that does foam and the young man I spoke with seemed to think they could do it. I eventually learned he is an employee and he said he'd talk to whoever is in charge so I'm waiting for a call back.

I'm trying to see if I can locate a new foam seat bottom and cover for the driver's seat, so far no love in Muddville. I tried to reach out to busparts.com but, so far, (it's only been a couple days) I haven't gotten any response. I started a thread about that under General Discussion to see if anyone knows if they're still in bidness.

I didn't mention that I found a tire shop that specializes in big rig tires. It's probably an hour to an hour and a half away from me but it'd be worth it because they have a huge inventory and onsite installation. They have new virgin, new recaps and used. I could even get me a set of them there super singles if I wanted them.

Oh, almost forgot, I got a Fastronics 2 post cutoff switch. I'm going to mount it through the side of the battery box. Not where I'd prefer to mount it but I need to get it done so I'm going with it there. I've got all the ends and replacement wire so now I just have to crawl under, drill the hole (gotta get the hole saw first), mount it then measure for the cables.

Oldyeller · 06-19-2022, 04:35 PM

Today I managed to get the Fastronics 2 post cutoff installed. Surprisingly it went fairly well and easily. The piece of 4/0 positive (red) cable my buddy happened to have in his bin, already terminated, can be made to work from the cutoff to the solenoid just by enlarging the hole in the connector to 1/2" on the solenoid end.

I put in 3 new hangers so far, 2 more than were there. I'm going to add 2 or 3 more as well.

I need to make a short positive cable to go from the cutoff to the positive battery terminal as well as the negative cable.

OK the left of the picture is up, just so's there's no confusion. The position it's in is off, just so's there's no confusion.

Oldyeller · 06-26-2022, 01:32 PM

Thought I'd post an update, although, as usual I'm not sure anyone is following along anymore.

Over the last 2 weeks I've had radiation treatments. Obviously this has and will impact work on the bus. I've been continuously revising my plan due to my health issue. I'm now working on a to do list which represents the bare minimum needed to go out in the bus. Most of the items on the list are mechanical tasks related to the operation/dependability/safety of the bus. I figure I've got till mid November to roll out of here or I won't make it.

I'm going to try to work on small, light tasks in the coming week to see if I can get anything accomplished.

johnbloem1974 · 06-27-2022, 12:46 AM

Hang in there! Keep the progress coming! We love updates...

John

Oldyeller · 07-02-2022, 03:31 PM

The past few days I've been able to work on the bus. I got measurements for new starter/selenoid cables and my friend took the marked up cables to work where he has access to a hydraulic crimper to attach the ends.

Today I pulled the main ground off the bus because I noted some corrosion near the battery end of that cable. I cut back the insulation to see how extensive it was and noted that the corrosion tapered off a couple inches in so I cleaned it and put a couple layers of heat shrink so it doesn't happen again. I cleaned the frame at the attachment point to insure a good connection.

Last week I ordered another unibit that goes up to 2" to use to drill out holes in the floor for plastic sheet metal plugs. I wasn't sure my idea of drilling out irregularly shaped holes would work or not. I first tried a smaller one using a smaller unibit just as a test. It was a ragged elongated puncture which would be a good test. The unibit I used went to 7/8" and I was pleased to see that it eventually centered itself in the hole and I ended up with a nice hole. I switched to the large unibit to take the hole to 1". The plug fit very well and I'm quite pleased with the result.

Then I figured I'd go big and try a 2" plug so tried another ragged puncture - yea, not so good this time. Turns out the hole was close enough to a floor support that I hit the edge of it and that was that.

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