MoreMagic

[lornaschinske]

Close to Huntsville should put you near some decent tire shops. Can't remember any but I'm sure they are there. I didn't go to Huntsville much but David sold home security systems in the area (Decatur, Huntsville, Ft Payne, Scottsboro and on up to the TN/AL/GA State lines) from out of the Chattanooga area (East Ridge) several years back. Most anyone should be able to order tires in for you. Just be prepared to pay some big $$$ for them. Thankfully our bus came with almost new tires.

[Diesel Dan]

Originally Posted by plumdragon

... The cooler unit is still in the back, along the ceiling, and when it is converted for newer, cheaper freon, we will use it when we arent on shore power or have enough solar juice...

It is my understanding that an air conditioner will not run on "solar juice" unless you fill half your bus with batteries and cover every possible horizontal and vertical outer surface with sun-tracking panels. The power demand is just too much for the typical bus solar setup. I may be exaggerating a bit, but by impression is that solar powered AC in a bus is not practical/feasible.

[Tango]

Hey Plum --- if you are attaching aluminum onto steel, make sure they are isolated from contact. Bi-metal contact creates an electrical differential that will cause very rapid oxidation of both metals. It can be done successfully, but does require some form of insulator between the two.

Best of luck on the project and do keep up the posts...preferably with pix.

[Seeria]

Sounds good. I gathered stuff for two years and am still doing it. My first time driving was a rush, gotta say I love it!

[lornaschinske]

We've BEEN hitting in the 90's. But "it's a dry heat"... you know, like an oven. Add in the everlasting wind and you have a convection oven (it only stops blowing for a few hours a day... scattered out, not all together). The caulking and paint here will dry and form a skin on the outer layer so it takes a week or more to dry completely. David says it's the low humidity that is causing it. I am so tired of wind, dust, single digit humidity and faux rain (rain that evaporates before it ever hits the ground)! I miss green, rain, mist and humidity. I envy you sitting in down in Huntsville. And you are close enough to do http://www.riverbendfestival.com/... The BEACH BOYS are going to be there next weekend! I just want to be East of the Mississippi and South of the Mason-Dixon. In other words, I want to go HOME. I even miss the traffic in Chattanooga! How crazy is that?

The Eagle bus had an aluminum skin on a steel frame. The manufacturer put what looked like a super thick piece of tar paper or matting between the inner layer of the outer skin and the frame. A strip of cork would do the same thing.