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Old 04-21-2019, 06:44 AM   #1
Almost There
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Northeast CT
Posts: 82
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 66 passenger 30K GVRW
Shenandoah the Toy Hauler

After a bit of hunting, I finally pulled the trigger on a bus.

1998 International DT466E, blue bird with a 5spd spicer manual transmission.

Driving home, I found the top speed to be 62mph. She's going to get a regear, and hopefully some tuning to help power the gearing difference.

Plans are to make a drop gate ramp as the back of the bus, a separated "garage" aft of the rear axle and a cabin in the front.

I have no intention to live full time in this, my goal would be off grid capability for a week.

Dave aka Ghan


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Old 04-21-2019, 06:55 AM   #2
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Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 66 passenger 30K GVRW
Gutting begins!

Seats were in really good shape, but they have to go.

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Since the bolts were not rusty, it would require a two player game to unbolt them. I opted for a grinder to the bolt heads.

I started with a 4.5" cutoff wheel, but after eating 6 disks doing about 4 seats, I found the 4.5" grinder wheel worked slower, but the single wheel did almost all of them... After going up and down the rows sending sparks, I opted to break out the big guns, the 7" grinder. Big, heavy, torques in your hands when the trigger is pulled... But boy does it work. All 4 bolts on the legs in 2 mins. Just have to take your life in your hands, literally.

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Dave aka Ghan
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Old 04-21-2019, 10:22 AM   #3
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Subscribed! Nice to see the progress!

Bramber aka Dan
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Old 04-21-2019, 04:06 PM   #4
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Nice bus! Congrats.
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Old 04-21-2019, 05:41 PM   #5
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what was your RPM at top speed.. the computer was often set to top speeds of 55 or 60 MPH..
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Old 04-21-2019, 05:49 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
what was your RPM at top speed.. the computer was often set to top speeds of 55 or 60 MPH..
2600rpm, 62mph.
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Old 04-23-2019, 04:44 PM   #7
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What gauge steel are you thinking for the sides after you raise the roof?
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Old 04-23-2019, 04:55 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bramber View Post
What gauge steel are you thinking for the sides after you raise the roof?
Looking like 18 gauge, 1-1/4 sq tubing and some angle iron:

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Old 04-23-2019, 05:02 PM   #9
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Year: 1999
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Chassis: International
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Contrary to what everyone who doesn't use it says, but 20g is plenty stout enough for skinning without oil canning. I used it on mine because it was cheaper
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Old 04-23-2019, 05:31 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
Contrary to what everyone who doesn't use it says, but 20g is plenty stout enough for skinning without oil canning. I used it on mine because it was cheaper
"Oil canning"? How much cheaper?

Dave
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Old 04-23-2019, 05:37 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghaniba View Post
"Oil canning"? How much cheaper?

Dave
Oil Canning can be defined as visible waviness in the flat areas of metal roofing and metal wall panels. In technical terms, oil canning is referred to as elastic buckling (more commonly known as “stress wrinkling”). It can occur in any type of metal panels: steel, aluminum, zinc, or copper. I paid the same for a 4' x 10' sheet of 20g as a 4' x 8' sheet of 18 would have cost.
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Old 04-24-2019, 08:55 AM   #12
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Rated Cap: 66 passenger 30K GVRW
After going through many cut off discs, I moved to a grinding wheel. It wasn't quite as fast, but I went through 7 cut offs compared to being able to do enough seats that I lost count. I ended up breaking out the 7" grinder, as I mentioned previously.


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1/2" bolt and nut on the bottom of each seat at the wall -- I found a 3/8 ratchet and socket worked well, from the bottom.

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The crayons, and kid oozings seemed to hold the bolt in place while the nut was removed from below!

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Old 04-24-2019, 09:00 AM   #13
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Rated Cap: 66 passenger 30K GVRW
Once the seats were free, it was time to strip them down for scrap. This ended in a large pile of Naugahyde!
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Let us have a moment for the honorable Naugas who gave their life for this bus!!!
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Old 04-24-2019, 09:04 AM   #14
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I organised the seats by resting them on their backs -- quite a savings of room by doing this!

Got started on the roof sections as well, these panels are off for scrap shortly!


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Dave aka Ghan
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Old 04-24-2019, 09:07 AM   #15
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I dig the ghostly remnants on the wall. It's like a nuclear fallout burn in from ages past.
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Old 04-24-2019, 09:10 AM   #16
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Rated Cap: 66 passenger 30K GVRW
3 screws and the dome lights come out. Interesting they only get fed a positive and rely on chassis for ground. One snip and these were out.

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Old 04-24-2019, 09:14 AM   #17
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Year: 1998
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Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 66 passenger 30K GVRW
The air hammer works awesome for rivets. Just like other vids show - punch the center of the rivet, hit the head at a steep angle at its edge, then level off with the sheet metal and they pop off.

Key is to go through and hit all of the center punch action first, so you only switch the air hammer slot a couple times.

Arms DO get tired though, working above the head!

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I did like to leave the center single rivet for last, as though it was going to come crashing down on my face if I didn't... It's funny, they really don't come down without a couple tugs, because they're still slightly held in place by the rivets.

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Old 04-24-2019, 01:49 PM   #18
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And just like that, the interior roof bits were off!

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Old 04-24-2019, 03:25 PM   #19
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If there wide enough for your roof raise? I would use the interior panels as the exterior skin.
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Old 04-24-2019, 03:44 PM   #20
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Year: 1998
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Quote:
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If there wide enough for your roof raise? I would use the interior panels as the exterior skin.
I'm not good at gauging gauges... Wonder what the thickness is? Reality is though, they already have a lot of holes in them.
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