The Black Plague II (The new Jacuzzi Bus)

[lapeer20m]

I love the deck idea......

the project really is no more difficult than the air cylinders that i use to open my front door (on the old bus) it's just that everything is bigger!

It'll probably cost under $300.00 and will be an incredible addition to the bus. Can't wait to watch the man burn while sitting in a jacuzzi on the roof of the bus.

As far as dry ice, or a fog machine, that's a cool idea too. I've already decided to put red rotator lights (like you see on fire trucks and such) abve the jacuzzi so that as the roof is rising, the red light will be flashing and you can see it from the outside.

[Griff]

What an outrageously great idea! If yer gonna have air over hyd to lift the tub, (and those cylinders WILL lift), couldn't you mechanically link the roof to the tub/cylinder mount/frame to open as the tub rises? Seems like it shouldn't be too hard to configure with some adjustable eye-bearing tie-rods. It could also eliminate the need for additional hydraulics/cylinders/electronics just to open the roof. I'm no degreed mechanical engineer, but in principle & on paper it works.

I like Eric's idea too, and a jacuzzi definitely has more practical applications than a monolith anyway!

[lapeer20m]

the roof idea is a good one too. I think it'll make it easy to seal the roof in the closed position.

I'm glad to see that everyone seems to share my enthuasm for this crazy project.

[lapeer20m]

Did some expressway driving for the first time in the new bus. WoW! what an improvement over my old skoolie. I merged right behind an 18 wheeler doing about 65. I was able to catch up to him, and stayed right on his tail for the next 30 miles. While "drafting" i was able to do 65 and even didn't have the pedal all the down. I can live with this.....

with the advent of the new jacuzzi project, i think the rear axle ring gear swap is on hold for now. I"m working with a limited number of resources here, the rarest of which is time.

THE MAN BURNS IN 55 DAYS

[lapeer20m]

here's a shot of the donor truck....it's hard to see exatcly how big the cylinder really is in the photo. Extended, it's about 9 feet long....stroke is actually 50" or so





I was able to get 2 of the cylinders off of the truck after several hours. I had to take a rain check on the other two. I simply cannot get the pin out of the cylinder, so removing the bracket is the only option. I don't have a set of torches, or a plasma cutter, so i went after it with a generator and an angle grinder. After more than an hour, i was unable to get through the bracket. I need a set of backpack torches, but i really don't have access to a set. I am going ot retry with a sawzall. The bracket is made form 3/4" plate. I don't immagine it's hardened. Here is a photo of the bracket......

[Steve]

Are you not planning on running on veggie oil to burning man this time?

[lapeer20m]

I plan to convert the new bus to veggie oil. I've decided that stopping along the way for oil is probably not gonna happen. It takes about 300 gallons of fuel each way to go to burningman. I would like to aquire 150 gallons of wvo before i leave, so i can burn half wvo, and half diesel on the trip out there. With less HP from the veggie, it's necessary to run diesel when you start getting into the mountains.

I would like to stop somewhere in sparks or reno after the event and gather another 150 gallons of wvo for the trip home.

that would require about 275 gallons of diesel fuel X 2.40 a gallon would equal $660 total for fuel there and back. Divided by 4 people, that's a very reasonable price of $165.00 each. What we'll do is each put $200 into the "fuel envelope" at the beginning of the trip. After the trip if there's any left over, we'll split the $$$ evenly.

That all assumes this new bus gets at least 8mpg like the last one did.

[Steve]

Just fill the hot tub with veggie oil for the trip out there

[Eric von Kleist]

Damn, man, cutting 3/4" hot rolled with a grinder? That's dedication! You *got* to get you a "cellophane" torch! You can knock it out in a few minutes.

[lapeer20m]

if i can't get the bracket off of there with the sawzall, i might wait another week or so till i sell the old bus. Then pehaps i'll buy that small set of oxy-acetyline torches that i've been "needing"


The junk yard guy will be impressed if i get em off myself. I'm too proud to ask him to do it now that i told him i'd pull em myself. The other problem is that the scrap yard is a bit disorganized......there are probably a dozen vehicles deep from the donor truck to the nearest location they can get any equipment. IT would cost me a fortune to have him try and dig out a path to the truck so they can get tools and torches to it. Besides.....getting the cylinders off myself is a personal challenge now!

it didn't help that it was over 90 degrees and humid here yesterday. Us Michiganders aren't used to hot weather!

[Griff]

Funny how an initial mechanical challenge gets personal!

Perhaps a little bit of strategically placed C-4 or Det-cord would do the trick. . . I can touch base with Guido. . .

Originally Posted by Steve

Just fill the hot tub with veggie oil for the trip out there

Gotta be careful there though, them peeps gotta be batter dipped before they jump in for a soak!

[busone]

Got a tool rental place near by? The rental places have backpack torches here.

[lapeer20m]

gonna call the local rent-all place tomorrow and see if they have a set of backpack torches. if not, i think i'll go buy a set. I was talking to some crazy welding guy, and he said home depot has about the best prices around.

I plan to buy the steel for the hydraulic jacuzzi project tomorrow too, since the steel place is on the way home from the scrap yard. The good news is that a bus is the perfect vehicle for transporting 24 foot pieces of steel.

gonna use 1/4" x 2" channel for the frame for the jacuzzi platform, and some 5 or 6" ID 1/8" (or 1/4, not sure) square tubing. I was talking to an engineer friend of mine about what i should use to build the platform without too much overkill. I think i have it pretty much all figure out.
Now the fun really begins as i start the actual work.

[lapeer20m]

I'm stuck at work today, so i "drew" up some plans for the jacuzzi lift..

we'll see if i can take what's in my head and make it make sense to others.....

Called and ordered the steel today (except the square tube....that's almost $500)

the first is a view from the top looking down. It's a simple ladder style frame made from 3" x 1/4" chanell. Dimenions are approx. 88" x 80"

the view to the right is a look at just the frame from the side to show the placement of the 8" square tube.

the corners are square tube 8"x8" ~36" tall each

[lapeer20m]

this next view is from the side, with the lift in the down position. Notice how the cylinders fit inside the 8" square tube.




Same side view, but hte jacuzzi platform is now extended.

[lapeer20m]

If all goes as planned in the next couple days i'll take some photo's of the steel getting welded together, and the cylinders being mounted. I have to wait till next week to buy the square tube though.

I did not anticipate the price of steel being so high, but the project is still worth the expense.

[Eric von Kleist]

That's going to be an awesome feature. Are you going to have some kind of mechanical linkage between the tub frame and the roof panels to move them out of the way as the tub rises, or are you going to do that manually before raising the tub?

[lapeer20m]

I'm gonna install some poles that connect the cieling/roof in the jacuzzi area to the jacuzzi frame. That way as the hot tub begins to rise, so will the ceiling.

in the open position, the jacuzzi will still have a canopy.

I think i'll also install a fog machine and some flashing lights that should help make the rising jacuzzi rather dramatic...

[lapeer20m]

I got so much work done today!

Photo's to come....

I painted the ceiling with wildfire blue paint. They claim it is some of the most UV luminescent paint money can buy. It's the same stuff that blue man group uses during their performances. Under blacklight, it's pretty intense.

Anyhow....It looks spectacular! Blue ceiling with black flames. I also took some odd shapes of acrylic mirror and attached them to the ceiling in random places. It really looks good.

Got the 2 benches built, installed, and covered with black fabric. I still need a new couch.

Finally gave up on trying to pull the cylinders at the scrap yard myself. Paid the junk yard guy an extra $50. to do it for me, but he won't have them until monday. I did however weld together the new frame for the jacuzzi. Steel was a ton more than i anticipated....over $600.00 and i'm not finished. It's the 8"x8" square tube that really killed me. Oh well, it's just money! It'll prob cost about $1,000 to finish the jacuzzi project. That's at least double what i originally planned.

[Eric von Kleist]

They, say it takes money to make money... Maybe if you ever sell The Jacuzzi Bus II you'll make out as well as you did on the Original Jacuzzi Bus! Sounds like you have been really busy!