Spirit of the North

[Sleddgracer]

figured I'd start a thread for my bus/motorhome, named
Spirit of the North' ( after my kennel's name ) - first piece by piece project is to do a few repairs and maintenance, change some seats and add seat belts so it will pass the BC safety requirements - I have no plans for much in the way of any major modifications this winter, just enough that we can camp in it and haul the sled dogs and equipment to a few races - come spring I'll take a look at raising the roof as I have to strip the interior so it can be insulated, and perhaps put into play some stylishly unique ideas I have for appearance and convenience - so far it's been just getting to know the bus better, what switch is for what, does the propane furnace work, or should I get a Webasto wanna-be heater? - I have an appointment to get both windshields replaced next Thursday at Speedy Auto Glass in Nelson ( 25 miles from me ) - I'm still looking for 19" snow tires and a set of automatic tire chains -- first picture showing the windshields before replacement - 30 year old drunken son of the former owner kicked the passenger side windshield in a temper tantrum after he ran out of gas - broke the tach at the same time - I'll see if I can pick one up when I'm next in one of the local towns

[Sleddgracer]

I plan on taking the back wall off the bus, moving it back to where the rear bumper is, add a loading ramp, enclosing the sides and forming a roof to match the rest of the roof - that area and where the unfinished bedroom is at the back of the bus will be sealed off from the rest of the bus and will be used to carry sled dogs, dog food, sleds, and other miscellaneous equipment - notice the exterior hot and cold taps - one less thing for me to install

[Sleddgracer]

at some point in the future I have plans to clean up at least the oxidized blue paint and put something on that has a longer lifespan than rust preventative paint - the colour is fine, but I want something that stays looking decent for more than a couple of years - the battery box door needs to be upgraded, and a couple of deep cycle batteries added - at some point in time, I want to move the awning back a few inches, and add exhaust stacks so my dogs won't be breathing exhaust fumes when they are outside eating or having a pee

[Sleddgracer]

..................................

[Native]

I was wondering how long it might be before you started a build thread.


I like the idea of moving the back wall to the end of the bumper. That will give you a lot of room for the dogs.


I like the side entrance door.

[Ronnie]

I like it, nice paintings on the sides hope you can keep them. Linseed oil and dawn soap will take away the oxidation. I will have to look for the correct formula, have it somewhere.

[EastCoastCB]

I swear I think I've seen that bus on here before!
Its a very cool bus. Kinda reminds me of Ronnie and Dee's purple haze bus lol.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I swear I think I've seen that bus on here before!
Its a very cool bus. Kinda reminds me of Ronnie and Dee's purple haze bus lol.

I posted pictures of it months ago - it was shorter than what I was looking for, and the seller was non-cooperative about letting a friend of mine having a decent look at it - the bus was out of gas and the seller couldn't be bothered to put some gas in it, so I passed at that time - several months go by, deals are missed, winter is approaching, and time was growing short and not enough time left to convert a bus into a usable camper before racing season started - it had the best drive train I'd seen on the market, and was usable as a camper until I can get time to do a nicer conversion - and NO rust - hard to believe a vehicle that old has a completely rust free frame

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Ronnie

I like it, nice paintings on the sides hope you can keep them. Linseed oil and dawn soap will take away the oxidation. I will have to look for the correct formula, have it somewhere.

....................... - I wasn't looking forward to waxing that beast by hand - lol

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Native

I was wondering how long it might be before you started a build thread.


I like the idea of moving the back wall to the end of the bumper. That will give you a lot of room for the dogs.


I like the side entrance door.

it definitely has some good things going for it - by building out over the porch, I'll have the equivalent length of a ten window bus with a shorter wheel base - better for maneuvering in tight areas

[Sleddgracer]

I wonder if I used a cell phone's GPS App as a speedometer, map finder, etc, if I could be charged for distracted driving if it was mounted on the dash of Spirit of the North? - people here have been charged with distracted driving when their cell phone was in view while it was merely being charged

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I wonder if I used a cell phone's GPS App as a speedometer, map finder, etc, if I could be charged for distracted driving if it was mounted on the dash of Spirit of the North? - people here have been charged with distracted driving when their cell phone was in view while it was merely being charged

Kinda answered your own question there, didn't you?

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I wonder if I used a cell phone's GPS App as a speedometer, map finder, etc, if I could be charged for distracted driving if it was mounted on the dash of Spirit of the North? - people here have been charged with distracted driving when their cell phone was in view while it was merely being charged

We've got a Garmin trucker GPS, nice thing about it is you don't lose signal nearly as much as a cell phone. It's got a screen that shows speed/grade/elevation/distance traveled and whatnot. There's also a screen with a map, of course.

[musigenesis]

I'm curious how that extended bumper is framed up and attached. Could you post a few pics from the underside if you get a chance?

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

We've got a Garmin trucker GPS, nice thing about it is you don't lose signal nearly as much as a cell phone. It's got a screen that shows speed/grade/elevation/distance traveled and whatnot. There's also a screen with a map, of course.

I looked at several models of Garmin Trucker and none of them mention speedometer - do you have a model # for yours, or a URL ? - the speedometer is important for me because my speedometer is out of whack

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I'm curious how that extended bumper is framed up and attached. Could you post a few pics from the underside if you get a chance?

I'll get a picture of that

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Kinda answered your own question there, didn't you?

I don't know if it does or not - that's why I asked - if it has a speedometer displayed on the screen, is it still an illegal cell phone?

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I looked at several models of Garmin Trucker and none of them mention speedometer - do you have a model # for yours, or a URL ? - the speedometer is important for me because my speedometer is out of whack

We got a Garmin Dezl 770 but I think most GPS have speedometer.

[Ronnie]

I have an older Garmin gps and it shows speed in the lower corner of the map as you are driving. My speedo reads about 5 miles per hour slow because I put larger tires on.

In the Railroad world we are strictly forbidden to even have a phone turned on, even if useing it for speed, as many older locomotives do not have speedometers. It must be a dedicated gps and a not a personal cell phone.

In the US we can have cell phones on while driving and being used as gps. Just can not hold it in your hands. So hands free is ok.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I looked at several models of Garmin Trucker and none of them mention speedometer - do you have a model # for yours, or a URL ? - the speedometer is important for me because my speedometer is out of whack

My Garmin not only tells you your speed , but also lists the posted speed limit where you are. I truct the GPS for speed more than my speedo. The speedo is low by 3mph.