Driving "Miss Gloria"

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-13-2019, 02:43 PM

Ok, I'm going to start documenting my conversion and this is the first post. I've never done this on any forum before and so, I may make some mistakes ... But that's ok. We're here to learn, right?

I just got my new (to me anyway) 1998 Prevost home the other day in the pouring rain. The rain hasn't let up for several more days and so, today is the first sunny day I've had to work on the bus without making a huge muddy mess.

I'm also going to see if I can post photos. So here are a couple of the bus.

ok, they didn't post.
I admit that I am new to this forum. But I am NOT new to forums in general. There is, IMHO, no reason for any forum to make it so difficult to post photos when it is so easy on other forums. Why is it that some forums are easy and others are virtually impossible?

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-13-2019, 02:50 PM

One more try:

Ok, GOT IT! YAY

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-13-2019, 02:51 PM

Here are some more:

Sleddgracer · 02-13-2019, 02:55 PM

a beautiful bus

Tango · 02-13-2019, 03:32 PM

That's a LOT of bus! Congrats!

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-13-2019, 03:57 PM

I'm so happy with this bus that I keep pinching myself to make sure i'm not dreaming. And to think I've had my heart set on a Blue Bird All American RE. Just when I was thinking all of those were gone, this one came up for less money than I've been seeing Blue Birds going for.

MarkyDee · 02-13-2019, 04:04 PM

HEY! Another COACH-IE instead of SKOOL-IE! Man-o-man, you're gonna have some fun.

woot! woot!

Gotta post to watch the good stuff....

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-13-2019, 04:54 PM

I've been trying to take the seats out. ...figuring it out as I go.

At first I thought these bolts would go all the way through the floor and would be bolted from the bottom. ...I would have to have a helper get under the floor to hold the bolts while I loosened from the top.

NOPE! These bolts are only about an inch long.

Also, the bolts are hidden under these plastic covers but they are so brittle that almost everyone of them is breaking when I try to remove it.

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-13-2019, 04:56 PM

So I have shot each one so far with PB Blaster and waited a while. With a power bar to break them loose and a ratchet to make removal a little easier, they're coming right off. ...so far.

Gotta long way to go:

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-14-2019, 02:42 PM

I've run an ad on Craigslist offering my seats for free to anyone that will help me remove them. A lot of people are contacting me for them but most are trying to talk me out of requiring them to help me. Well, that's too bad. If they're not going to help me remove them, they don't get them.

In the meantime, I've been using a heat gun to remove all the letters. I thought that I might like to try one of those eraser wheels for a drill but my trusty old heat gun is doing such a good job I'm going to not worry about the eraser wheel.

I started with the "R" at the end of "Harbor." When I got it off I thought that it might be fun to just leave it at that and see what peoples' reactions where when they wondered what the heck "Safe Harbo" was? LOL

After that I thought, what if I made a "P" out of the "B?" Then it would read "Safe Harpo." I guess there aren't a lot of folks who are familiar with the Marx Bros these days. LOL My silly humor would go over their heads.

Tango · 02-14-2019, 07:17 PM

More folks likely to get "Harpo"...than "Zeppo"!

Hey wait...Harpo is actually Oprah spelled backwards!

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-14-2019, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tango

...Harpo is actually Oprah spelled backwards!

THAT'S RIGHT!

I never thought of that before. ROTFLOL

Just when I was thinking no one read my posts. LOL

weboughtabus · 02-15-2019, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tango

More folks likely to get "Harpo"...than "Zeppo"!

Hey wait...Harpo is actually Oprah spelled backwards!

Quote:

Originally Posted by WoodenYouKnowIt

THAT'S RIGHT!

I never thought of that before. ROTFLOL

Just when I was thinking no one read my posts. LOL

Even people my age would probably recognize Groucho. Never watched too much Buster Keaton. Myself, I'm a Chaplin and Stooges fan. I'm pretty weird for a 30 year-old, though.

Harpo is also Oprah's media company, I believe.

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-16-2019, 05:54 PM

I ran an ad on Craigslist saying that anyone that would take the seats out of my bus could have them. I got a lot of calls but only two guys - Tom and John - actually showed up and took me up on the offer. They worked hard too.

The seats themselves were quite straight forward. There were the two bolts that held the frames to the channels in the floor and then a lever over by the wall. Once you unbolted the frame from the floor, flip the lever and the seats would come right out.

Next we opened one of the emergency exit windows and held it open with a big ladder. We were all worried about breaking the glass but it was not to be. The seats went right out and loaded on the trailer that Tom brought and that was that.

Buzz Nichols · 02-20-2019, 06:57 PM

Subscribed.

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-22-2019, 05:35 PM

I finally found the leak on that tag axle tire. Yayaya!

Maybe a little JB Weld will fix it right up. ...or some Shoe Goo. That could work.

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-22-2019, 05:39 PM

Ok, getting the parcel trays out is SUCH A PITA!

Apparently, Prevost fastened everything in FROM THE OUTSIDE! Maybe someone can chime in here and lend some knowledge.

Every so often there is this light fixture with a speaker in it. The parcel shelves are solid aluminum sheet with carpet bonded on and tough vinyl extrusions making it all look nice. I've been doing some exploratory surgery with the sawzall. I guess that I will soon discover that there is a secret to removing everything. I will likely discover the trick to it on the very last section.

I bet the skoolie folks don't have to do this. These things have to come out because I've already lost count of the number of times I've cracked my skull on them. And YES, Virginia, they are tougher than my skull. They have no give and they feel no pain.

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-22-2019, 05:48 PM

That's my 87 year old mom sitting in her favorite Zip Dee lawn chair making sure I don't bust my head one too many times. And wow the rain is coming down in buckets. But we're making slow progress but it's getting done.

ol trunt · 02-22-2019, 08:24 PM

Your Mom looks like a bucket----------------------but I'm glad someone is watching out for you!

I apologize but I just couldn't resist. Jack

WoodenYouKnowIt · 02-23-2019, 12:17 AM

She's NOT a bucket!

She's a trashcan. Get it right dang it! ROTFLMBO

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