Rusty 87 build thread

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Native

Man, you are so industrious! ... and you wonder why I do not have a build thread ... nothing would be posted to it!


What are those blue "clamps" you are using on the foamboard? I may need some when (if) I get to adding insulation to the ceiling.

They're not clamps for the foam board, they're bracket thingamajigs that the bulkhead wall is bolted to. The shorter one is just welded to the top of the rail that runs along the tops of the windows; the long one is welded to the rib on one end and bolted through the roof on the other. I think you actually suggested that method of attachment for it.

They're actually like the opposite of clamps for the board - they're a pain in the butt to fit the foam board around. Fortunately the rest of the ceiling won't have any weird stuff like this.

[Native]

I guess the pretty blue threw me off!

[musigenesis]

[Native]

Ta da!!!!

[JDSquared]

so much progress in this thread.

[musigenesis]

Kind of cool that the one ceiling panel I saved from the demo worked out exactly as I had intended way back when.







Almost gave up on the original ceiling panel at this point. I couldn't manage to maneuver it into position. Gave it one more try and I was able to get the board wedged under it and get a few clecos in place.



I only put a rivet in every sixth hole since I was imaging having to cut this panel out again for some reason. I'll do the rest later if I ever notice it again.

I was going to do a variety of attachments on the other side of the panel against the bulkhead wall, but I decided to just leave it loose and let the bulkhead hold it up, which seems to be working fine.



Reinstalling the walls took some persuasion, as I expected.













I popped this bolt, unfortunately. This is the one more than the others that was meant to hold the sheet metal up here. I think I'll run a larger bolt with a fender washer up from the underside.





Can't see it very well here, but this panel had my VIN tag riveted to it and it's nice to have that back up again.

[banman]

Looking good!

What is the flooring material you put down in the driver compartment?

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by banman

Looking good!

What is the flooring material you put down in the driver compartment?

Thanks! It's just 3/4" plywood, primed and painted with Valspar porch paint. Native sent me a piece of anti-fatigue matting that I'm going to run down the center. I'm really fighting the urge to put it in now, but I know that I'll completely trash it if I do.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

so much progress in this thread.

I think I just take too many pictures so it looks like that.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I think I just take too many pictures so it looks like that.

My pictures keep coming out horrible.

I thought you cut all your ceiling panels off? I didn't realize you could get them back up there.Then looking at your pics, Im guessing you must have taken some down to save, and youre doing that only in front of your cage wall? Prisoners will get a different ceiling?

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

My pictures keep coming out horrible.

I thought you cut all your ceiling panels off? I didn't realize you could get them back up there.Then looking at your pics, Im guessing you must have taken some down to save, and youre doing that only in front of your cage wall? Prisoners will get a different ceiling?

You almost got a diet sunkist spit-take out of me there.

Back during my demo phase, I removed two of my ceiling panels. One was in the back using just a mallet and a crowbar - I basically pried the sheet metal off around each rivet (at least it was perforated) and that was as close as I've come to quitting this project. I also removed the front panel (the one I just cut and put back up today) with a mallet, punch and cold chisel on one row of rivets, and that was also as close as I've come to quitting.

I then cut out ceiling panel squares in between the ribs using cutting wheels, which in the long run accomplished nothing except messing up all my windows a bit with tiny embedded flecks of steel. I have such a healthy respect (aka bowel-shaking fear) for angle grinders now that I would never conceive of doing something like this again. My thought at the time was that I was going to spray-foam or use rock wool, so the edges of the remaining bits of ceiling wouldn't be in the way.

Yeah, only the cab will still have the original ceiling panels. The dungeon gets plywood since it muffles the screams, er the rain better.

[JDSquared]

Yeah I remembered seeing that thin strip of ceiling attached to your ribs. When I was tearing mine down, without an air chisel, I was almost frustrated enough to just cut them. I thought about the work you were going to have to do in the future and stuck with it. I hated that as much as I hate painting under the bus.

[Native]

I removed one ceiling panel when I reworked the back of our bus. I was thankful the ceiling in our Thomas is held in with screws. When I put it back in, I just about made up a few new curse words. I think I sounded like Fred Flintstone when he mumble-cursed. It was quite a trick to put that panel back in place. The use of screws starting at the windows and working towards the middle really saved my bacon on that task. Having to rivet the panel in place would not have been fun at all, unless I had 50+ Clecos. I totally unnderstand why you decided to do every 6th rivet for now!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Native

I removed one ceiling panel when I reworked the back of our bus. I was thankful the ceiling in our Thomas is held in with screws. When I put it back in, I just about made up a few new curse words. I think I sounded like Fred Flintstone when he mumble-cursed. It was quite a trick to put that panel back in place. The use of screws starting at the windows and working towards the middle really saved my bacon on that task. Having to rivet the panel in place would not have been fun at all, unless I had 50+ Clecos. I totally unnderstand why you decided to do every 6th rivet for now!

Actually I was pretty much just cheaping out - those 1/4" ss rivets are fifty cents a pop and that row has 58 rivets. I'm like, is it worth $29 to replace all the rivets?

I should probably at least do every third rivet. As we know, a bus would collapse without the ceiling panels fully in place.

[Native]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I should probably at least do every third rivet. As we know, a bus would collapse without the ceiling panels fully in place.

LOL!!!

[musigenesis]

Why the XPS goes in after the welding. Little stop for the top of the latch bar, socks the door in tight with no rattling.



Argh. Bit of an unplanned difficulty. The latch bar is so close to the bolt that there isn't even space for a nut.

Ugh, I think I have to just pull up the plywood, cut this bolt and weld another an inch over.

[musigenesis]

Pulled the threshold panel up, cut and moved the bolt. Not too hard, but man does Rustoleum lie like a rug as far as paint curing times are concerned. Some spots of still-wet blue on the underside.



Bottom latch bar just goes into a hole in the wood for now. Later I'll screw in a recessed steel plate with a hole and a guide shim.



Top latch bar in closed position.



This arrangement really holds the door tight, no rattling at all. This handle I bought sucks - the latch action is pretty stiff and you don't really get enough leverage with the little handle to work it easily. I think I'm going to make something using a turn wheel like what they have on submarines.

[Native]

A turn wheel would look so cool!

[banman]

Originally Posted by Native

A turn wheel would look so cool!

You mean like a ship's bulkhead door would have?

(that took me a while to figure out -- if I'm right...)

That would be fun!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by banman

You mean like a ship's bulkhead door would have?

(that took me a while to figure out -- if I'm right...)

That would be fun!

That's exactly what I had in mind. I can connect it to the latch shaft with a gear, so I can offset the wheel towards the center (otherwise it will hit the seat when opening), and the same wheel on the inside will reverse the turn direction so it's a more natural counterclockwise on the inside.

Know of a good source for ship's bulkhead door wheels?