OUTPOST

maj · 03-01-2010, 06:57 PM

hi
I did it. I picked up this bus today after 2 years of looking here it is. !995 carpenter FE 15 window,123000 miles, very little rust so far, from Kerlin bus sale Silver Lake, IN. GREAT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It ran great all the way home, 75 miles. Tomorrow I start on this great adventure. Wish me luck.

maj · 03-01-2010, 06:59 PM

More pics

dentedvw · 03-01-2010, 08:12 PM

Holy Smokes! It's HUGE!

Room to roam!

maj · 03-01-2010, 09:09 PM

I was able to get it down to $3000 and I did not have to travel for day. I am happy with that. I need the room because the rear 8 or 10 feet will be a garage for my wifes power wheelchair and my blacksmithing tools. we set up at reenactments. I do blacksmithing ( still learning) and my wife does jewelery and leather work. She named or bus the outpost.

Seeria · 03-01-2010, 10:02 PM

That's HUGE!

Not often I tell a man that

Promise us you'll post more pics and often

lornaschinske · 03-02-2010, 11:40 AM

How long is it (feet)? Don't worry, I have discovered that your stuff expands to fill all available space. Soon it will be bursting at the seams!

maj · 03-02-2010, 07:36 PM

day 1
Well I got all but 3 seats out today in 6 hours. I found very bad plywood on the floor. I will start that tomorrow. My son found out that the bus has an alarm. I am still trying to find out what triggered it. It is 40 feet long bumper to bumper. 36 feet behind the driver. That will give me 26 feet for the motorhome part. Yes there is an echo.
pics tomorrow.

lornaschinske · 03-02-2010, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maj

day 1
...My son found out that the bus has an alarm. I am still trying to find out what triggered it. It is 40 feet long bumper to bumper...

We tripped our alarm by opening the rear door. The emergency windows have alarms on them as well. We disconnected the wiring. An alarm goes off for the air brakes as well until the air pressure comes up. Our BlueBird is 40 ft too. Does ours look that big too? When it was packed with our stuff for the trip out, it didn't look that big... we still left stuff behind (like that huge alternator from the Eagle coach... bummer).

Papabear · 03-03-2010, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seeria

That's HUGE!

Not often I tell a man that

Hey, It's just genetics! It's not the lenght of your bus, but how you drive it

maj · 03-03-2010, 07:09 PM

DAY2
All the seats are out. most of the rotten wet plywood is up. WOW that is a lot of work. My trash is full so tomorrow I will work on removing the stopsign and warning lites. Friday I start nights so work will have to stop till next wed. I am having trouble uploading pictures the files are to big. I will get it worked out or something. I am very tired but I am having fun. I am glad I live in the country because no one bothers me with the bus. Yes the echo is getting bigger but once it is built it will be just right. Hay is the skin of the bus steel or aluminum?
mike

maj · 03-03-2010, 07:12 PM

I found out the alarm was the check your kid alarm. Rest was above the rear door. I learn something everyday.

Diesel Dan · 03-03-2010, 07:26 PM

I open my pics in the windows "paint" program and then reduce the size to 20%-40% of original depending. I think the size limit is like 800x900 pixels or something like that.

maj · 03-03-2010, 07:48 PM

pics 3-3-10

maj · 03-03-2010, 07:52 PM

I think I got it

maj · 03-03-2010, 07:56 PM

here is more

maj · 03-04-2010, 05:27 PM

Day 3
Well I removed the stop sign. Removed all the letters on one side. I painted the back and one side. Not real good temp paint, so I can get the change of body use title. I have the front and the right side to finish. Then I can give the state some more money for the title and RV plates. I will have to go back to work Friday. I work 12 hour swing shift with a week off each month. Works out great. I had one problem today. Last night I bolted the side exit door when I finished for the night. Today after I removed the stop sign and finished working outside I got in the bus and tried to start it, It only clicked. I thought the wires on the stop sign must of killed the engine. I looked at everything and then I thought about the bolt on the side door. And that is what it was, another safety. I will get all of this figured someday.
I am still having fun.

MIKE

maj · 03-05-2010, 02:23 PM

This is my first attempt at painting the bus. Weather is cold so its not working well. Good enough for the police inspection.
Mike

maj · 03-09-2010, 07:13 PM

well today I got the rest of the floor out and in the trash. I can not sell the seats so I searted stripping them so I can scrap the metal. If I cut it in 2 ft. pieces i CAN get 220 a ton for it. I think I have around 600 lbs. I am going to unhook the two rear heaters thursday. I think I will sell them. I am going to put a 12volt gas ducted heater in. I figure I need the defroster an the heater behind the drivers seat. I have spent hours and hours just working on the plan and have not put anything in yet.
I will post pics tomorrow.

Mike

maj · 03-09-2010, 07:54 PM

Driveing it is a challenge but I drive a tower fire truck at my fire station and it is over 40 ft. long. You have to plan where you are going. it is only about 8 feet longer then most. getting fuel for the first time was a challenge. I also thought the price at the pump was the price but it does not include some tax.
I have to gravel an area on my lot for it once the frost law is out. I want to get it level so it will be easier to work on.
I found something in the auto trader. A rv salvage store in white piegon MI. has leveling jacks with a capacity of 15,000lbs. I am going to price them and see if it would be worth buying. If you bought 4 and mounted them to the frame by the axles and use them to level the bus at a campground and it would be great to change a tire. It would work like the Indy race cars. IDEAS IDEAS!!!

swhite832 · 03-09-2010, 10:01 PM

Dont assume the bus sits level in its normal operation position and weight. Mine does not. The rear suspension sits the rear higher than the front so if i were to put a black water tank behind the the rear wheels and mount it flush I would have to mount the evacuation valve towards the front to get optimum drainage.
I am building a deck on top of mine. A deck that I want to be reasonably level as well as match the lines of the bus. My bus is parked on a significant compound grade change, ie water would flow to the rear left corner. I am using the lines of the bus and and what I call a "red neck" level to install it. My leveler consist of some magnets, a 10-12ft piece of angle iron and a tape measure. All reference points are made from the bus itself. Out of square maybe but it is equally flat and a the bottom landing and stair support were built to "match up" in this fashion.
This may all change as I add weight. The important part is the buses lines match with the additions, no matter what.
All that being said I would luv to have four of those jacks.

btw...I know how to drive firetrucks too...

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