The Four Season Prime

[cowlitzcoach]

Are you using any sort of Loctite to make sure the nuts never back off?

Or are you using a nylock type of nut?

My concern with using nuts and bolts is the problem I had with a truck we had years ago that had a canvas covered wagon type of cover over the load area. I was forever having to retighten the nuts because they would shake loose over time. Even using lock washers didn't help all that much.

These many years later with a lot more experience I would have at least peened over the end of the threads to not let the nuts fall off.

[nat_ster]

I ordered 14 sheets of 14 ga galvanized sheet steel at $85 a sheet. This will be my skinning metal, and my sub floor metal. I dont put wood in floors.

My lift in the end is really 22 3/4. This slides the top of my 4x8 sheet 3/4 of a inch under the sheet at the top of the window, and overlaps the rub rail at the bottom of the window by 3/4 of a inch. This allows me to fasten the top, bottom and sides of each panel.







From ground level.



Nat

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

Are you using any sort of Loctite to make sure the nuts never back off?

Or are you using a nylock type of nut?

My concern with using nuts and bolts is the problem I had with a truck we had years ago that had a canvas covered wagon type of cover over the load area. I was forever having to retighten the nuts because they would shake loose over time. Even using lock washers didn't help all that much.

These many years later with a lot more experience I would have at least peened over the end of the threads to not let the nuts fall off.

Thx for bringing that up. That's one of the small details I made sure to cover on the build, but was for getting to share. That's what happens when I post things 6 month's after I did them.

All bolts are coated with ample amounts of automotive grade seam sealer. After 3 days or more, the bolt will nearly twist off before the nut comes loose.

It dont take much to stop a bolt from backing off. Simply painting the threads will work. Glue, silicone, ect. Lock tight is nothing special.

Nat

[EastCoastCB]

14ga? wow thats heavy duty.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

14ga? wow thats heavy duty.

A few extra pounds, but the way I build the interior will make up for it.

It will also stop 22 rifle rounds. lol

They didn't want to mix and match different gauges on the same pallet.

I sure like the galvanized coating. No flash rusting while I'm trying to work with the metal.

Nat

[EastCoastCB]

14 ga galvanneal. Nice stuff. I hated working with that day in day out.
I'll be using 16ga galv for mine, maybe even 18 whichever is cheap or free. I got a connection at the shop!

[boojiewoojie]

Looking forward to your new windshield and the details of how you're doing it!

[EastCoastCB]

as am I...
Do go on, good sir!
Your ambition is almost contagious. But I think you should weld those uprights. Just gotta throw in my 2 cents on that. Do carry on, though. I'm very interested in seeing how this comes out!

[sweetfarm]

I personally would spend way too long welding that bus into a giant one piece steel box, but I understand that sometimes you need to work with what you have. Seeing what you are working with and where you are working makes you my new hero! We'll done and carry on!

[nat_ster]

Thx fellow skoolies.

More pics.

Then I started dealing with the rust at the wall meets the floor. First spray down with por 15's metal ready. The more rust left on the surface, the more chemical you will need to convert it.

This is the first spray down. In total, it took around 6 soakings.



What the metal ready did to the grass.





Next morning the spiders were back.





The second overnight coat and soak with metal ready. You can see the white zinc coating starting to form.





I should have wire wheeled this first to speed the process up.



This pic shows how the entire weight of the walls, and roof ride on the few rivets that attach it to the chair rail. Some ribs have as few as 4 rivets into the chair rail. The fact that they don't connect directly to the floor, and ride on the 1/4 rivets, is why I know welding the rib extentions is not necessary. I'm building and engineering this the same way blue bird did. Rivets and bolts only, no welding. Welding this would have to many disadvantages.



More rust converting over the rear wheel, passenger side.



I still need to cut the skirt post's off.



Remember how bad this looked? This will still need a few more overnight soakings with metal ready.



Then I smashed down a few trees with the bobcat so I had room to work on the drivers side.



Nat

[nat_ster]

Inside shot. Panels are only loosely bolted in two places at the top. You can see we have been fixing rust inside the walls too.



Then I saw this. Expand the pic to see what it is.









Nat

[nat_ster]

Then I test fit the first window. I wanted this one to be a crank out casement, but slider is all they had in this size.



One more reason for the 22 3/4 inch roof raise. I now have 46 3/4 inches to install my 4 foot high windows.
Windows are just 2 pane sealed builder windows from Home Depo. Available anywhere.

You can see the rest of the windows inside the bus waiting. My brother in law Paul came out to help for the day.



Cutting strapping for the interior from 3/4 fir plywood. 1x4's just split and are crap.



Panels pushed out so we can work from the inside and reach out.



First of many pieces of strapping going on. This row will be attached with self tapping #12 screws. All other rows get bolted with two 1/4 bolts each rib.



One of my employees rust painting the converted areas with por 15



30 inch wide residential foam core steel door inside waiting to be installed.



Nat

[nat_ster]

Now I wanted to coat and fix every surface that is rusty. This includes inside the support ribs. So how do you get rust converter and paint inside a 1.5x1.5 inch tube?

Like this. Wire and a paint soaked rag, pulled from the top down.







Paint coming out the rivet holes.



Then I had a piece of the 14 ga sheered and formed to fill the old stairwell opening.





And we had to make room in the shed. So my poor old couch had to go.





The couch was unreal strong. So I kept a few of the oak boards.





Making a 4 foot by 5 foot window opening. Before doing this, I found a few factory skoolies with every second rib cut out for windows. This gives me confidence it is more that strong enough.





This is where one side of the kitchen counter will go.



Nat

[nat_ster]

Now to get this mess out of the way. This is where all the fuses and factory wiring is hidden to the left of the drivers seat. It all needs to go for proper insulating and rust treatment.

First cut. My welding apron is protecting the wires from the sparks.





Being careful.













Nat

[nat_ster]

Test fitting the passenger side kitchen counter window.









Now for the 30 inch wide, foam core, steel residential door install.



Nat

[nat_ster]

Now for the 30 inch wide, foam core, residential door install.

I had some pieces of the 14 ga sheered and formed to make the door jams.



This is the bottom of the door jam.



The side that will have the hole for the door lock.





Hinge side of the door jam.



The chair rail will get cut down to 4 inches from the floor. This allows for 4 inches of floor insulation.









And more scrap metal, the pieces I cut out. I also trimmed off the skirt supports.



I cut the bottom door jam to fit.



Generator for charging battery's, running vacuum, ect.







Using a small piece to test fit.





Bottom jam set in place.



Left side jam in place.



Showing how the pieces meet. This will be sealed up with epoxy. The scre is temporary.







Hinge side of the door.



Top





Showing how the jam slid in behind the rub rails.



And I temporally installed a few trim pieces beside the window.



Nat

[nat_ster]

Then I moved into a hotel.





And I set the door, and a few windows in to test fit.









Nat

[nat_ster]

I got side tracked from the bus with work again. 2.2 km of trail.







Nat

[nat_ster]

Sorry fellow skoolies, I have to go give photobucket their yearly $50. I didn't think it was due till next month.

Nat

[family wagon]

Are you doing anything in particular to avoid the "oil-can" wave/wrinkle effect when the summer sun comes around? I've read of people fretting about it, and a few descriptions of efforts to avoid it by pre-heating the metal sheets to expand them slightly before riveting into place. Not having much large-dimension sheet experience myself I'm not sure how big a deal it is. Maybe it's less of a problem for people who do smaller pieces, like simply filling the window holes... but mine is probably going to be something like yours with a near total re-skin of the sides. I won't want any waves/wrinkles showing up in mine!