Tejon #7 - 1990 Crown Supercoach

[Mountain Gnome]

I like that someone else is framing in angle-iron. I did mine that way. The rusty stuff for the bed, cabinets, and shelves (they get painted), stainless steel for the sink (not painted - and can double for use in a commercial kitchen if needed in the future). Less bulky - allows wider opening in cabinets, and more storage space inside, and every inch³ counts in a mobile home. Stronger bonds between pieces, especially with the quality of wood these days. Oak is like pine used to be. Pine is like balsa wood.


Looks good so far!

[Tejon7]

My wife just sent this to me today To whoever made this delightful meme: You are not alone!

I have made some progress in the past few months, but each thing has been small and seemingly insignificant. Nothing I felt was worthy of an update. Taken as a whole, though, those little projects have added up and I will try to document them here soon.

More than anything, I've been buying stuff. Got a bunch of UltraLeather for couch and various little upholstery projects for $18 a yard ($70/yard retail). Got all of our finish flooring, even though that project is still waaaaay in the future. Purchased all of my plumbing supplies including sink, faucet, and shower parts. Got a comfy swivel co-pilots seat and 16' awning with curved arms off of Craigslist. Bought 90% of the fancy electrical bits - going all Victron for simplicity. Cost is less important than speed and ease of installation at this point. I did get 20% off the entire Victron order, so that helps a little.

Like I said, hopefully a true update soon.

[Timeline]

Haha like the cookie!

Wondering how much solar you are going to install?

Appreciate seeing the quality you are building into the bus, fantastic!

Thanks
John

[Tejon7]

Originally Posted by Timeline

Haha like the cookie!


Wondering how much solar you are going to install?



Thanks!
John

According to all the Kill-a-watt testing and research I've been doing, we should only need 500-600 watts to be sustainable off-grid. Our biggest draws will be refrigeration (two small AC chest freezers, one converted to fridger) and a fairly significant inverter idle draw (~16 Ah per day at 12v). I think we'll probably go with 800w to start with, but I purchased solar charge controllers that will handle up to 1200 watts. If 800w doesn't cut it, we will be able to add panels without changing anything in the electronics cabinet.

[Trooper2]

Originally Posted by Crown_Guy

You asked for it. So here goes. Make sure you know and Really understand about the use of the proper oil. DD 2-strokes MUST only use CF2 rated Mineral (not synthetic) based with the lowest ash content rating available. Generally and historically speaking the only one in wide use is Delo 100(mineral) CF2 straight 40wt. Delo 400 is a synthetic based oil and NOT recommended by Detroit Diesel. There are a few other brands out there but the key is the CF2 lowest ash rating mineral oil. If it isn't CF2 rated equivalent then don't use it

In the winter you may need and can use straight 30wt for those really cold conditions. It may be better though to have auxiliary heating systems available where the engine, oil, and coolant can be heated up before starting, in order to allow the use of the 40wt which is preferred. Under no circumstances should any multi-grade oil ever be used. To make sure of having the correct oil with you at all times, since you will be having to add as you drive, that's the charm of the 2-strokes, make sure you always carry a case of Delo 100 or one of the few equivalents with you always. Be prepared because you won't be able to find it on the road, it's unobtanium.

Also a spare set of all filters and belts is an extremely good idea. The oil and fuel filters aren't hard to find, neither is the water conditioner whatever you may have, but Senor Murphy always finds a way to put you down hard somewhere remote where you can't find or reach a parts store at o'dark thirty. Both sets of belts are also pretty hard to find since they are so long, and worth their weight in gold to have on-board against the day you need to replace one/them. Easy to fix but hard to find.

I'll assume it has standard rear end gearing and probably a 10spd where 10th gear is a direct drive 1:1 output ratio, you'll know it's a direct drive since 5th/10th gears are located DOWN and to the right in the shift pattern. In case it's an overdrive the 5/10 gears will be UP and to the right. With the oh so standard school bus 4:11 rear end ratio the top road speed in direct 1:1 high gear (5-spd or 10spd trans) will max out at around barely 63mph at almost 2300rpm, if it goes that high. Some are turned down to a sedate 2150rpm for typical fleet operations and better fuel mileage, and slower road speed, 60....maybe.

Whatever you now have rest assured that it can be fairly easily improved to the point that you can make it a true highway cruiser and maintain 75mph with no effort all day long and it won't be breathing hard, not with the turbo, and max out at 80 easily. You're definitely going to be in the market for higher road speed living where you do once you get the hang of driving it under your belt. When everybody is passing you on the Interstate just remember you too can go that fast,....if you want to. It's pretty easy really. Not free. But not too much $$ either

I did this for a lady who bought a nice 35ft Crown, a tad shorter than your 38ftr, but exactly the same in performance. It also had a 6-71T and Jakes with an automatic transmission. We upped her rear end to a 3:70 and where it now did a measured 80mph and cruised at 75 easily without having to thrash it or keep buried in the throttle, at around 2100rpm which is good.

Living in Boulder and planning to drive long distances on the Interstates made sense for her. The high plains altitude had no impact on it's performance, unlike all non-turbo'd Detroits which fall off rapidly with increasing altitude. The turbo makes up for the thinning air and keeps the performance at sea level horsepower ratings. You may also be considering something similar.

If all is well mechanically with the Crown they will cruise at these highway speeds with ease and you'll feel totally comfortable and in control. She had never driven a bus of any kind and was shocked to look down when we left L.A. at how fast she was going and that it was not even noticeable to her. These attributes are why I always say they are like sports cars on the road where you are in intimate contact with the vehicle and the road with no strain or effort. It's the biggest part of the joy of ownership, as I suspect you're just now finding out about.

A couple things to know about in case you've never had the chance to drive a DD 2-stroke engine. As an aside while you struggle to learn how to shift it, which I'm sure you're dealing with, and know that it will get better with practice and experience, you should always make an effort to NEVER lug the engine down below 1600 rpm while trying to pull full throttle. This means that as you blow the shifts and get all lost and screwed up try real hard not to just power out by lugging it until it starts to pull better. The power range for that engine is from 1600 to 2300 and if it goes below 1600 make sure you downshift it, if you can.....This too will get better and easier with practice.

There is real danger to the engine by lugging it and keeping the rpms at the low end of the power range, even if it seems to be pulling OK. The turbo lulls you into thinking that all is well and you can keep the rpms low, but that's not true. Low rpms with full throttle application will cause the coolant temp to rise as well as stress the bearings and cylinder head and other key things. Downshift and keep the engine rpms between 1600 and 2300 and you'll never hurt the engine. Running it above 1800 is best. This moves coolant to keep it cool and doesn't stress the engine. You'll also find with experience that it has a sweet spot where it likes to settle down at about 1900 rpm when you take your attention off it. This is a clue to where it really likes to be running. This is a good thing and you should be trying to run it here on the road. You'll notice you are lifting the throttle slightly in this sweet spot which will give better mileage and efficient engine operation. You can't always do that if you need the road speed so don't despair, You can run the engine all day long if needed right up on the governor at full engine rpm with no damage or long term issues, and most are set up to be run like that in order to get any kind of highway speed. That's what they had to do as school buses. 55 mph at almost full governed speed. Do it with a clear conscience, it won't hurt a thing, and the engines are made to do this and be run like this. That's what you have now. Just know you can make improvements with lots of room for speed and economy.

When pulling a hill or grade and it doesn't feel like it wants to pick up the next gear, by all means downshift to where you can go up the hill at 2200 or so in that gear, that's the one you need. This is how you drive a 2-stroke. TWO RULES. NEVER get it hot, and Don't lug it down. Lugging will lead to getting it hot and very bad things flow from that.

Keep the rpms up and learn to drive it close to the governed engine speed at all times. That means that when you are accelerating and up-shifting you MUST take it up until it bumps into the governor (actually just a tad before) and then make the shift to the next higher gear. That way you'll end up in the higher gear about 300 rpms lower while still in the power range about 1700 or 1800 or so. The key is to learn to drive the thing like you're mad at it, and I mean it, they need the high rpms and full throttle while shifting to keep coolant flowing and the power keeps the rings seated and not blowing out oil. FULL throttle when shifting and run it up to the governor before shifting. Do all this and you'll get the most out of it and a long and happy life for the engine.

You'll notice how fast the rpms drop between shifts going up and it seems like you just don't have enough time to do the double clutching thing...Well guess what. You don't have time, and that's why most every driver with experience will learn eventually to drive without using the clutch. As long as this is done carefully enough (while learning) and you don't just try cramming it into gear before it's ready you won't hurt anything. Your goal should be to learn how to float the gears out and then in as you change the engine speed with the throttle. Gently ease into the gear and the transmission will oblige by not being ready to take it until the speed match. You can feel how square the gears feel (shift collars actually) and with a very narrow mechanical gateway to allow for the gears to engage. As long as you don't force things it will become second nature and very natural and smooth for you. Try to gain enough finesse so that you can shift so smooth nobody even feels it on the bus. A cup of water on the dash is a good indicator. If you can learn to do this you will have become a proper professional grade Road Ranger driver and better than most Commercial Drivers today. A real accomplishment, take pride in improving your skills, it's guaranteed to increase your enjoyment of and appreciate the Crown even more. They are truly a Drivers bus and once mastered you will never find their equals again.

And don't forget the proper Delo 100 40wt oil.

If driven as they should be, which is becoming a lost art the Detroit 2-strokes are exceedingly reliable and hard to hurt. That was one reason they were so popular at one time. We all were taught and learned the correct driving techniques and managed to get enormous miles out of them. 4-500K miles was not unusual with routine maintenance and proper driver care. I like to say that a Crown will always get you home and the DD is a big part of that.

I've always loved the 2-strokes and with a 10spd it's a divine experience. That's what I learned to drive in all those years ago. I also now have a second Crown with a 6-71T and 10spd just like yours. Now I can really enjoy the fantastic 2-stroke sound whenever I want to, and I fully intend to change the rear-end for speed, plus it'll need Jakes eventually, but the basics are already there and it's just way too much fun to drive. I love it. So now I have one of each, the monster Cummins, and a sporty 35ft with a 6-71T 10spd, what could be better than that.

And welcome to the exclusive Crown owners club. It's special, as you'll soon really find out. It's also money well spent. It'll last longer than you and can be given to your kids. Plus there won't be any more made so you do the math. Exceedingly long life and dwindling supply. Does that suggest something to you. A lifetime investment and enjoyment plus going up in value for sure. What's not to love. It's already happening.

Enjoy it and contact me direct if you feel the need and have questions.

mikemcc2k@yahoo.com

I think that is the best description of the joy it is to drive a 2 stroke diesel.

The cup of water method was the way I was taught !

[Tejon7]

I just got 20% off all of my Victron electrical components, which added up to a lot of savings. I have no idea how long this deal will last, but in case you are reading this and are in the market for Victron supplies RIGHT NOW, here's how I stumbled across this deal:

1. Install Capital One Shopping. My sister-in-law convinced me to try this free browser extension a few weeks ago. I'm still skeptical, but it's winning me over by finding good deals. Note that you do not need a Capital One credit card to use this.
   
2. Shop for Victron stuff (or whatever) at Zoro.com. Again, never heard of them before last week, but apparently they're a big company?? I think you may need a free Zoro account for the deal to work.
   
3. When you go to your cart and are ready to check out, Capital One Shopping will search for coupon codes. Let it do its thing. I believe there are different codes available for people with the free Zoro account.

When I did this last week, Capital One shopping found a coupon for 20% off everything in my cart, which saved me hundreds. I still didn't completely believe it was going to work, but my shipment arrived yesterday and everything looks good. My order was drop-shipped from Inverters R Us. As far as I could tell, they do not have a 20% sale going, so I believe that using Zoro as a middle-man was necessary to get the deal.

I hope this is helpful to somebody.

[Tejon7]

I have taken a long break from updating this thread, but I’m going to try to catch up in the next few days/weeks.

Overhead cabinet frame installed and all steel finally bolted in
Most of the steel interior framing has been in place for a while now, but I finally got around to bolting into place. Everything is bolted to steel wherever possible. I know that this creates a thermal bridge, but I’m honestly more concerned with safely securing everything than anything else. I have been extensively re-useing the 5/16” and ⅜” thread rolling screws that the original bus seats were bolted down with. Those things are great.

Over-stove cabinet frame finally mounted

Recessed Water heater install finished and diesel heater finished
We’re installing a Suburban IW-60 water heater that pulls combustion air and exhausts out the side of the bus. Unfortunately, in order to avoid cutting the vent hole through the chair rail or mess with the Crown wet-wall construction above the chair rail, I was forced to recess the heater into the floor. I got pretty lucky here since the only good spot to cut a rectangular hole in the floor without hitting any steel support members happens to be directly under the sink.

Water heater sunk into floor (white box on the left)

I had temporarily installed a Chinese diesel heater last winter near the rear emergency exit door, then removed it for summer. Now that winter was upon us, I re-installed the CDH in its permanent spot under the pantry. This is approximately halfway down the bus on the passenger side, between the kitchen and the bathroom. The heater output splits and sends hot air forward into the living room and back into the bathroom. I added a cheap but nice-looking thru-hull stainless exhaust fitting meant for boats and am really pleased with it.

Water heater vent in the foreground, diesel heater exhaust in the background (a bit lower and smaller). Pay no attention to the gaping hole in the bus.

Yet again, I’ve been amazed by this little heater. I’m writing this update as spring is starting to show itself, so I now have two full winters of testing under my belt. This little 5KW CDH has kept the bus warm whenever I needed it. If I keep the bus reasonably warm overnight (like 40°F), then the heater has no problem raising the temp to a comfortable (for me) 60°F even when outside temps are around 0°F. If I let the bus cool down to ambient temperature overnight, then the CDH struggles a lot to warm up everything, but it eventually do the job. I even did a semi-scientific test at one point on a cold, windless day with stable ambient temps. I posted those results on another thread if anyone’s interested: See post #7 HERE

This pic wasn't actually from a very cold day, but the snow makes it look like it. Despite chilly conditions at times, the CDH does an amazingly good job

[TheHubbardBus]

Looking great! Really like the steel framing. Doubt you're losing / gaining anything significant in terms of insulation/thermal bridging since the interior ceiling is in place. Unlike most builds, yours is even stronger than it started

[Tejon7]

Thanks!

We reinstalled the aluminum ceiling panels because we like them, but there is spray foam in there and a small foam-filled gap between the ribs and ceiling panels. It's not as efficient as one could hope, but it keeps heat in vastly better than it did when stock.

Still, the few bolts that I've stuck into the ribs probably won't make a whole lot of difference. The stock windows will always be the biggest issue. Hopefully our plan of chasing nice weather works out!

[Tejon7]

Kitchen sink area progress

I would have liked to put off countertop and sink installation until later in the project, but it seemed easiest to do it now for several reasons. One was that we wanted to get the countertop stained during warm weather, but I honestly can’t remember the other compelling reasons (writing this update months later). Anyway, the countertop is birch butcher block from Home Depot and my wife painstakingly stained each individual board a different color then sealed with poly. The sink is a drop-in composite workstation style and came with a cutting board and drying rack that sit on a lip just below the top of the sink. It’s a giant sink, but I think the workstation accessories will make the whole space very usable.

This picture was taken a little too early, but I also got the drawer slides installed and under-sink tip out framed in. I’m going to put off making drawer boxes and cabinet doors until one marathon session near the end of the build.

Bunks mostly done

The bunks are mostly done. The width is sized for a standard Paco Pad, which is a brand of rafting/camping sleeping mat that we’ve used for years and found to be extremely comfortable and durable. We were going to bring our fleet of Paco Pads on the road with us anyway, so this is just a convenient place to store them. We’ll probably add a small amount of egg-crate foam on top so that they’re not too sweaty to sleep on. The bunks are sized for adults at 78” long, though some might find them a bit claustrophobic.

Apparently I don't have a pic of the current state of the bunks, but here's a shot of the "ladder" before it was painted. You can also see a little bit of red Paco Pad "mattress" in the lower left.

[peakbus]

Looking great!

[Tejon7]

Originally Posted by peakbus

Looking great!

Thanks!

Plumbing started

Made a lot of progress on the plumbing in a surprisingly short timeframe. This is my first time working with pex, and boy is it a dream! So easy to work with! The fittings are almost all stainless steel. The prices I found online were only slightly more expensive than brass. Even the currently-approved “safe” brass has a little bit of lead in it, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to go stainless. The two pumps are mounted on a board which is glued to a chunk of blue foam camping pad. Hopefully keeping them 'floating' like this will reduce pump noise.

Since these pics were taken, I've hooked up the pumps with braided vinyl flex tube in hopes that it won't transmit pump noise as much as pex would.

My whole plumbing plan is a bit complicated. Perhaps overly and needlessly so - time will tell. It’s based on ideas I adopted from other members, and explained in another thread HERE.

The shower plumbing will come later when that area of the bus is further along, as will all the outside work (fresh tank fill and vent, waste water tank, etc.). It’s too cold to be crawling around on the frozen ground right now.

Most closet shelves done

Cutting and painting pieces of plywood to fit in the closet shelves was a very simple task, but it made a HUGE difference. I finally have places to put all of the crap I’m using instead of just heaping it on the floor! Well… I still have heaps of crap on the floor, but the important stuff is on shelves now

The different colors of paint in the second pic show the border of the 12" deep storage cubbies that will go at the head of each bunk bed. The bottom cubbie will eventually get two more shelves.

[flattracker]

I like your work! How do you keep your bus so spotlessly clean during this? I sweep mine up regularly but it doesn't look that good. I like your steel framing also. I am using steel also (as I did in the "old Crown" but I am using Unistrut). The countertop looks real nice. I am using acacia wood similar to yours.

[Tejon7]

Thanks!

I assure you it is far from clean, but I try to shuffle the mess out of the way whenever I take pics . I don't plan on installing anything in the front quarter of the bus until the very end, so that's where most of the clutter hides. Here's a more realistic shot of my transient junk pile:

[Tejon7]

Electrical cabinet done

The electrical work was by far the most daunting task to date, at least mentally. Now that it’s done, it really didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Funny how that works.

I still need to run about half of my 12v branch circuits and install the solar panels and wiring, but a majority of the big stuff is in and working. The AC wiring was mostly run ages ago and is now hidden inside the exterior walls. The DC system is all 12v. For now I have 2x 206 Ah (@ 12v) SOK batteries, which should be sufficient by my calculations, but there is room for more if needed. I went with Victron for all the major components. Multiplus 12/3000 inverter/charger, 2x 100/50 MPPT charge controllers, Smart Shunt, Lynx distributor, and a Cerbo GX/Touch 50 combo.

The main components laid out before installation. That's a wiring diagram from explorist.life in the corner. I had my electrical 90% planned before I stumbled across Nate's videos, and as it turns out he has a pre-made wiring diagram for something remarkably similar to what I had envisioned. I highly recommend the explorist.life Youtube channel for clear, concise electrical how-to videos.

Despite how complicated this all seemed to me a year ago, the contents of my electrical cabinet are actually pretty straightforward and simple. There are only a couple small observations and lessons learned that are worth mentioning on their own.

Firstly, I really like the Victron Lynx Distributer. A couple of bus bars and some fuse holders would accomplish the same purpose, but I feel like the space is much more organized with this thing.

Next, I found out that a screen, while not technically necessary, is really nice to have if you also have a Victron GX device like the Cerbo. Long story - I bought the Cerbo primarily for the "DVCC" feature that allows you to limit maximum charge current from all sources in the system. When in full sun and hooked up to shore power, there will be the potential for 200+ amps of charging current going to the batteries. This is above the recommended charge current for my two SOK batteries, and while the BMSs probably would have stepped in to prevent damage, I didn't want to chance it. The Cerbo also has some other cool features like tank monitoring capability and internet-based remote control, but those are just neat tricks and not as important to me.

Ok, back to the screen part of the story. You don't technically need a screen with the Cerbo because you can communicate with it via smartphone or with a PC. I thought that would be fine, but after a few weeks of testing, I started really wishing I had a dedicated screen. I first bought a generic capacitive touchscreen on Amazon for $50. After wasting hours gaining root access to the Cerbo and recalibrating the touch screen, it kinda worked but would go dark randomly and not turn back on. Unfortunately, now I was hooked and after much mental agony ended up buying the Victron GX Touch 50 screen. It costs way too much, but now I can't imagine using this system without it.


Another curious issue I had after first wiring everything up was when I turned the main battery disconnect to “On”, everything would get power for about two seconds, then the BMSs would kick in and shut down the batteries. After much head-scratching, I found out that this was caused by a large inrush current as the capacitors in the Victron Multiplus 12/3000 charge up. One very crude work around I found was to turn the main disconnect back off, quickly cycle power to the Smart Shunt (which seemed to reset the BMSs), then turn on the disconnect a second time. If done quickly, the capacitors retained enough charge that they could finish charging on the second attempt and the inrush current wouldn’t last long enough to trigger the BMS.

I don’t expect to use that main disconnect switch often, but I wanted a more elegant solution for those rare times when I do have to use it. The internet provided a fix, and now I have a 6-Ohm resistor and momentary button switch that bypass the main disconnect. Push the button for 5-10 seconds to slowly charge up the Multiplus capacitors, then turn the disconnect switch and everybody’s happy. It looks a little silly to have those tiny wires alongside 4/0 behemoths, but it does the job.


Lastly, something I stumbled upon on Youtube that I hadn’t seen before were the cool little battery terminal covers in the picture below. They’re made out of heat-moldable plastic that I bought on Amazon. The stuff softens in boiling water, then you mold it with your hands like silly putty. When cooled, it makes a strong, very slightly flexible cover. I lightly smooshed these down and around the terminals/lugs so that they securely clip onto the terminals, but can be popped off by hand if needed. I’m sure these would quickly melt away if there was a REAL problem, but in my mind their usefulness is for keeping me from accidentally shorting across terminals with a wrench or something.

Edit: here's a link to the thermoplastic stuff I bought. I also got the pigment beads from the same company.
Moldable Plastic Pellets by Polly Plastics

[Tejon7]

Couch cushions

We bought 10 yards of Ultraleather fabric a few months ago on a steep discount ($18 instead of $70 a yard). This is like vinyl faux leather, but is softer and yet supposedly more durable. It’s made of polyurethane instead of PVC and seems to be popular with the yachting crowd. We went with the "Brisa" version of Ultraleather because it's supposedly somewhat breathable and more comfortable against your skin than the original.

I was planning on sewing up couch cushions myself, but in the end we decided to farm out this work. I called around to local upholsterers and got some quotes, but they were all booked out for several months. Then one really friendly upholstery shop owner referred me to a part-time seamstress who lives just 5 blocks away. I brought her the fabric and foam and she made three cushions for us in a weekend. And the price was 25% less than any other quote!


The couch comprises two of the large cushions, which together add up to a "full" size mattress. The smaller cushion will set on top of our laundry box in the bedroom, forming a small seating thingy at the foot of the bed.

Fabric is Ultraleather Brisa in color “salsa”. It was purchased from InWeaveFabric.com

Foam for the couch cushions is 5-inch thick “HD36 Foam - High Quality” from The Foam Factory (foambymail.com) with a dacron wrap. We’ve had a king-size mattress of their extra firm “Lux” foam for 5 years and love it, and it feels like this “HD36” variety will be just right for a medium-firm sofa.

I won’t start building the couch frame for months, but getting these done early lets me check it off my gigantic mental to-do list.

[RamRod4]

Love this build. Modern touches in a classic Crown are so fun to see come together.

[Tejon7]

Originally Posted by RamRod4

Love this build. Modern touches in a classic Crown are so fun to see come together.

Thanks! We'll never do the bus justice, but we're trying to keep it somewhat bus-ey and not mess up the fantastic job that Crown did designing it.

Propane mostly done and mostly tested

We only have two propane-fired appliances: the RV range/oven and the water heater. I put the two 20 lb tanks in the old underbelly spare tire compartment, which is on the passenger side and only several feet from both appliances. I used black pipe for the outside piping and flexible appliance connectors for the last little bit to each appliance (though the range isn’t actually hooked up yet). I also added a tee and ball valve before the regulator so that we can add a high-pressure camp stove/grill line later for outdoor cooking. There’s a pressure gauge right after the regulator so that we can quickly tell if the regulator is doing its job. I can’t remember who suggested that, but it seemed like a good idea.

Mid-engine Crowns have a lot going on underneath the middle of the bus. The engine of course takes up considerable space, but there’s also a massive radiator along the drivers side. Unfortunately, my propane range is located directly above the radiator/fan area where there is very little underbelly space or access. Luckily for me, there is a small floor access hatch above the radiator fan and a nearby hole through the bus frame. I was just able to sneak a straight section of black pipe all the way across the bus at an angle, going through the frame hole and out the access hatch, avoiding the torturous, twisting path full of pipe fittings that I had imagined we'd need.

I did a soapy water test under working pressure (~½ PSI), but I’m thinking I should also put in ~10 PSI of compressed air and re-do the test. Any thoughts on whether that’s sufficient testing? Also, I haven’t yet electrically bonded the black pipe to the chassis, but it intuitively seems like a good idea. Any reason not to do that?

[TJones]

The bus is looking great! Great score on the vicron discount. I've bought from zoro before so I got the 20% off coupon in the mail. I didn't know they carried victron.

Ted

[Tejon7]

Thanks!

Yeah, Zoro is one of my new favorite sources of goodies of all kinds. I don't have many options here - if the blue or orange hardware stores don't have it, I have to go to the internet. Zoro's shipping on oversized items like the 10' aluminum unistrut I got was also surprisingly reasonable. And I've found that if you leave items in your cart for a few hours, they email you with a 20% coupon, just in case you can't find that one from the mail ;)