Project "Brutus"

[Sara]

Wait. You were gone?

Just kidding! Awesome job on your welding repairs. We're glad you're back!

[JakeC]

Originally Posted by Sara

Wait. You were gone?

Just kidding! Awesome job on your welding repairs. We're glad you're back!

Well, I pretty much just came back to talk to you, you know ;)

Thanks!!

[JakeC]

Update!! Finally got all my tires. 5 Michelin's and 1 Goodyear, lol... I'm pretty OCD, so that annoys the hell out of me, but close enough. Spent $1050 total, which is painful, but better than new!! Bus is currently at the shop to get them mounted and balanced.

[JakeC]

Trailer is half packed. ****'s getting real!! All our stuff should fit pretty well, between the bus and the trailer. I'm guessing the trailer is going to be pretty heavy, though. Should be fun pulling it up and over 3 mountain ranges

[Sara]

We will definitely need pics of the adventure that will entail pulling that trailer. Also, your packing skills are amazing. Look how organized everything is!

I can tell you're getting excited!

[Sara]

So... when are you going to mount those tires? I'm sure you have oodles of free time.

[JakeC]

Picked up the bus from the tire shop last night. I should have had them mount the spare as well, though...dammit!! Anywho, it was a DEFINITE improvement. No more vibration!! Noticeable smoother and quieter. I had the fronts balanced, as well. A little pissed at them, though. On one of the fronts, the one side had some definite scrub marks and sun damage. I wanted that side to the inside. They forgot -_-

Anywho, I did take pics of the interior for an inside tour. I'm going to upload them and post them in a bit here.

[JakeC]

Ok...attempted picture tour. Some of the pics are crappy, I had grease on my phone :/

First view...my seat



Nook above my seat



Bus Mascot



Looking up towards my seat



Dinette





Overhead storage



Kids nook



Looking down the hall



Bathroom







Bedroom



Storage across from bathroom, audio stuff



More storage



Kitchen





Fold out couch across from Dinette



Overall facing front



Facing Rear

[Stu & Filo. T]

Very very nice,

Once you get to Cali let me know if your going to be in the Vacaville area

[gmarvel]

That goes for me as well. Danville and Vacaville are not that far apart. Excellent work on your rig!!!

[JakeC]

Thanks guys!! Will do!

Well, pretty much ready to roll!! Installed new rear shocks last Saturday. The old ones were completely shot. Looking forward to seeing how much nicer it rides with nice tires, rubber isolators replaced, and new shocks!!

Trailer is PACKED!!!! I'm actually thinking about getting it weighed. My ball mount has an 8k rating and I'm pretty sure I'm under that, but it would be nice to know for sure.

Now that I am packed and we are parked at a friends house, I had a tiny bit of spare time. I had an extra 55 gallon tank at home that I couldn't part with, so I threw it in the truck and brought it to where we are parked. Had to move all my electrical over about a foot, but I now have 2-55 gallon water tanks ready for when I am ready to hook them up.

[JakeC]

Thanks, Sara!! Going well so far. I'm sorry I didn't swing through Iowa to see you

We are currently in Lakeside, MT, visiting my sister. Bus ran awesome the first day, but then I messed with the fuel pump the morning of the second day, and had tons of problems. Basically, I tried to turn the fuel screw back in a bit and suddenly the rack was sticking. A lot. I would lose all power and have to pull over. I fixed it Here are some pics.

Got a chance to go rock climbing, yesterday!! The last pic is a picture of my sister climbing the wall I had just climbed.

[pictureLOVE]

Your bus looks gruff! Love it - and seriously? Mad skills demonstrated packing your trailer! How is it pulling a trailer? I'm pretty convinced we should get one but my husband is pretty set against it. Jealous that you're already on the road - we are just beginning our conversion and won't have travel shots for a looooong time..

[gmarvel]

Jealous!! I can't wait for my bus to be finished so we can go on a shakedown cruise. We are thinking of going to Pismo Beach on the California Central Coast. We estimate about another six weeks worth of work. However, we have blown through our other estimates fairly regularly. So who knows when we can finally take her out!! Keep the pictures coming!!

[JakeC]

Well, we have arrived safely in Redding. Did a couple days ago, actually. First of all, the trailer is here safe and the bus is here. Second of all, if a ball mount fits sloppy in the receiver, throw it away.

[ol trunt]

Wow! For some really bad luck you sure got lucky! You have arrived in a beautiful place--particularly the mtn climb to the North heading to Oregon.

[JakeC]

Extremely lucky. That could have been much worse. I did bend the rear axle, but I just flipped the shackles on the front axle to basically put more pressure on the front than the rear. I then kept rotating the tires so that they were getting evenly destroyed. It was a very stressful couple days :/ But, I made it

And yes, that drive is incredibly gorgeous.

[proconsul100]

man that is awful, did it just snap the ball off?

[JakeC]

It snapped the ball mount off.

Thanks Nat.

[wmkbailey]

I'm glad you all made it safe. That is the important thing.