Mesa AZ build

[Bus'n it]

Got quite a bit done today. My wife isn't much help as she needed to work, but I was able to get the lid raised on my own. That said, I am really tired. Most of my fatigue is just from going in and out of the bus getting crap, forgetting the tape measure, the marker, some tool... Funny thing is that I have maybe 7 tape measures and yet I chose to bring only one out! In these pictures, I was about halfway lifted. by nightfall, I had the lid up to 91" from floor to rib. I am very happy with that. Got three verticals welded in and decided to do the other side tomorrow. I hate welding in the dark. So I didn't bother leveling the bus since it is already off kilter. I put two jackstands at the rear to help support the engine area and take the load off the chassis. In the end, I have been measuring the cuts to level the lid. I am really happy with the process.

[Native]

Way to go, man ... way to go!

[JackE]

How is the raise coming along? I'm curious to see some details in what you are using for the welded in supports and your method for attaching them.

Where are you getting your metal? I'm having a heck of a time finding anything in the places I'm looking. I'll be back in your area Thanksgiving weekend, so if I can get things lined up with someone there, I'll just bring the trailer with me and haul it home.

[Bus'n it]

Hi Jack!
Things have come to a slowdown. My business rocketed up again so I lost some discretionary time. That said, the roof is up and mostly complete in the welding. I need to weld up window openings and skin the beast. I have all the steel panels ready and cut to size. Need to figure out how to degrease them and whether they get epoxy primer now or after they are installed.

My 8 year old iMac died last week and I just got a replacement MacBook Pro for $3200. Between that and a welder upgrade I went through almost 5k this weekend. I will post pics of what I have once I get the computer and phone synchronized together.



I get my steel from Industrial Metal Supply in Phoenix. It’s a candy store for metal working. They have everything on display kept in stock and will cut to size.

[Bus'n it]

So here is a closeup of my hand made hat channels. Inside the hats are 1x1" square tubing. The rivet flanges are 3/4" angle.

[Native]

Nice!


Always more than one way to skin a cat!

[Bus'n it]

So after sitting for two weeks in front of my driveway I finished the majority of welding with my big welder. My fear was that the bus would not start due to me frying the ECU's from welding. I am happy to say that it did start right up and I backed it into the rear side yard for the next phase....Drilling out holes in the angle hat channel for rivets. Still need to figure out how to "wash" the new steel panels of manufacturing oil and how to epoxy paint them before or after going on the bus.

[Bus'n it]

I am almost done with the structural welding. I need to add some cross "X" bracing at the front and rear caps. Just begun working on the emergency door. How did you guys with the roof raise extend the hight of the stock emergency door? I was thinking of cutting the door in half so the window can be raised and welding in some steel in the center section.

[Native]

I have not raised our roof, but I have raised the rear door to over 6 feet. I did this with an extension to the top of the door so that the bus still looks as-built.

[Bus'n it]

I cut the fuel tank sender access a little larger to access the available tank ports for a diesel generator and Webasto heater. I want to replace the fuel filler hose along with the fuel vent hose as they are both showing surface cracking. Overall I expected this for a 17 year old bus living in the dry desert of AZ. A sabre saw did magic for the hole cutting with an angle grinder making a slot for the blade.

[JamesKS]

Are those bolts to the right of the newer looking crimped hose additional ports?

The build is looking great man!

[Bus'n it]

Originally Posted by JamesKS

Are those bolts to the right of the newer looking crimped hose additional ports?

The build is looking great man!

Yes they are! I didn't think I had any available ports. There are three of them with one out of view.

[JamesKS]

Originally Posted by Bus'n it

Yes they are! I didn't think I had any available ports. There are three of them with one out of view.

Awesome! I didn't know that was available. I will be scoping out the top of my fuel tank to add a fuel gauge, I will keep an eye out for some extra ports on my Gillig. The guy I bought my bus from has a parts bus which happens to have a fuel gauge that I can have. I am not sure how I will get to the top of the tank yet, I don't think I have any access panels in the floor. I have not been under the bus to explore much besides laying on the ground and looking from the side. I want to block it up or get some heavy jack stands before that happens.

[WIbluebird]

Originally Posted by Bus'n it

Yes they are! I didn't think I had any available ports. There are three of them with one out of view.

My BB AARE had 2 extra ports. They appear to be 1" in diameter.

I am currently trying to figure out the best way to run a fuel pickup line through one of those threaded holes.

[Bus'n it]

Originally Posted by WIbluebird

My BB AARE had 2 extra ports. They appear to be 1" in diameter.

I am currently trying to figure out the best way to run a fuel pickup line through one of those threaded holes.

Let me know what you come up with. I am not there yet but wanted to cut the floor and have it ready. I think mine are 3/4" but I could be wrong.

[Shamoke]

I have not seen the top of my buses 60 gallon fuel tank yet but I am hoping to have a few extra ports on it. I want to add an additional tank behind the 1st one and tie them together with a vent hose on the top and a crossover tube in the bottom so that the second tank will fill with fuel as I fill the first one. I also want to add a diesel heater fuel pickup line to one of them as well.
You can see from the picture that I have enough room behind the first tank to add an additional one behind it right after the frame cross member.

[Bus'n it]

See if you can get a 100 gallon tank from a salvage yard. AAA Bus does sell plenty of used parts as an example. Might be easier to just swap out for a larger tank. At first I thought I too had a 60 gallon tank and was going to swap it for a larger one as a first thing to do. My fuel door says the bus has a 100 gallon tank. it does take up quite a bit of space under there.

[Shamoke]

Originally Posted by Bus'n it

See if you can get a 100 gallon tank from a salvage yard. AAA Bus does sell plenty of used parts as an example. Might be easier to just swap out for a larger tank. At first I thought I too had a 60 gallon tank and was going to swap it for a larger one as a first thing to do. My fuel door says the bus has a 100 gallon tank. it does take up quite a bit of space under there.

My only problem with doing that is that frame cross member at the rear of the existing tank, it is bolted to the tank mounting bracket and would have to move to accommodate a larger tank. That would entail drilling new bolt holes in the frame and modifying the placement of the cross member, thereby changing the engineered placement of said cross member. Not something I would be willing to do.

[ol trunt]

Shamoke, I did what you are proposing on a then new 1967 Suburban giving me a 55 gal capacity. It worked fine on the flatland but once the tank(s) were about 3/4 empty and I started up a grade the fuel ran to the rear tank and the front tank pick up tube sucked air leaving me effectively out of fuel with 20 gal of gas. I ended up capping off the bottom crossover, splitting the filler neck and adding a tank isolating valve.
Jack

[Shamoke]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Shamoke, I did what you are proposing on a then new 1967 Suburban giving me a 55 gal capacity. It worked fine on the flatland but once the tank(s) were about 3/4 empty and I started up a grade the fuel ran to the rear tank and the front tank pick up tube sucked air leaving me effectively out of fuel with 20 gal of gas. I ended up capping off the bottom crossover, splitting the filler neck and adding a tank isolating valve.
Jack

You know I did not think of that but your right, that would cause all kinds of problems in the hills. Thanks for sharing that experience, you just saved me some future problems.