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Old 10-28-2016, 01:34 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by tobeamiss View Post
Well i just got my bus the other day and I'm a nervous wreck. That "what have i done" feeling is so strong....but this is something i was so excited about...excited enough to search and search and then win the bid by 39 seconds. I'm sure once i get my bus home and start working on it the anxiety will start to fade. It surely doesn't help that all of my siblings have said I'm crazy for doing this LOL



I ended up getting a 2002 International 3000. Seats 66...Diesel...Automatic.


Welcome! I'm a newbie to just got the bus a month ago (mine a BB Shortie, was converted to be a camper and my boyfriend and I are thinking more full-time so we have some work to do) we've been staying in it since we bought it and are in love with everything about it! Can't wait to see your bus!


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Old 10-30-2016, 09:06 AM   #22
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Oh very cool!! I finally got mine home yesterday and I'm ready to get to work on it. Today I'm going to Home Depot to find something to get these seats out...the bolts aren't budging.
Thank you for the welcome I'm looking forward to seeing what you do as well . Isn't this exciting? I love that you're already staying in yours... good luck to you!
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Old 10-30-2016, 11:29 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by tobeamiss View Post
Oh very cool!! I finally got mine home yesterday and I'm ready to get to work on it. Today I'm going to Home Depot to find something to get these seats out...the bolts aren't budging.
Thank you for the welcome I'm looking forward to seeing what you do as well . Isn't this exciting? I love that you're already staying in yours... good luck to you!
Get an angle grinder. You'll be glad you did, its a great tool to have.
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Old 11-01-2016, 07:08 AM   #24
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Get an angle grinder. You'll be glad you did, its a great tool to have.
I have an air chisel reserved for Friday at the Rental center....the mechanics at the bus garage where I won my bus at auction said it should do the trick.
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Old 11-01-2016, 07:30 AM   #25
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As much as I love my air chisel, I don't think its a good choice for the job. But give it a try. Maybe it will somehow get through the hardened bolts without damaging the 14ga bus body/floor.
How much are they charging for the rental? A new one is only about $15.
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Only: $13.99
or get an angle for the same price-
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Old 11-08-2016, 07:08 AM   #26
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Sorry I haven't been back...thank you for the great advice...I stopped in at the Rental and another guy there also (before I saw your post) said the air chisel wasn't the best idea....So I picked up a cheap angle grinder and 5 blades (just in case). I'm real excited because whatever I can't get with the impact wrench I'm cutting off with the angle grinder. It's a while lotta work with me under the bus holding the nut with a socket and breaker bar and my son up top using the impact wrench...rust raining down on me lol. hmmmm, should be the other way around but I don't mind I'm making great progress and after 2 hours of steady work I have 4 seats out. We've gone the whole way down 1 side getting what we can with the impact wrench and all that's left to do is cut the remaining bolts off.
I spent 4hrs yesterday taking the foam off the back of the seats leaving just the frames to work with. Those seats are heavy...probably close to 40lbs...I'll take them all to the scrap yard. I hope I can get some good money for them.
I think I better start another thread on my progress
Thanks again for the great advice!
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Old 11-08-2016, 07:22 AM   #27
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Scrap prices for steel are about 2-3 cents a pound right now so you might want to make sure you can't reuse some of that steel for your build. Also might want to list them on Craigslist cuz even at selling them for $10 each you'll make more than just scrapping them...if they have built in seat belts they should be worth even more.

Scrap yards will allow about 20% of the weight to be non-metal (fluff)...it just depends on the yard, so you might be wasting your time stripping the foam if you can scrap them as-is.
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Old 11-08-2016, 01:31 PM   #28
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my "what have i done now" moment came about a month ago when I unexpectedly won an auction for a second bus.. ha! now im enjoying having 2 busses that are nearly as opposite as it gets in the way they drive, look, and feel...

.. so much I drove a bus today to breakfast and to get groceries -Christopher
WHY?!?!? Why two buses and groceries in a bus is overkill until you bought out the entire store. Would cut down on having to go back any time soon.
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Old 11-08-2016, 01:38 PM   #29
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WHY?!?!? Why two buses and groceries in a bus is overkill until you bought out the entire store. Would cut down on having to go back any time soon.
ha!! I could at least buy the chips, oreos and soda-pop aisle out... (hey thats what us computer geeks live on!)

we are about as opposite as it gets and i love it!!

Total ON-Grid here.. so hey why not have a bus as a daily.. I honestly dont believe its much loinger than the dualy crew cab pickups the baseball-dads drive their kids to the games in..

-Christopher
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Old 11-08-2016, 01:39 PM   #30
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It's a while lotta work with me under the bus holding the nut with a socket and breaker bar and my son up top using the impact wrench...
Is he going about this the right way? I have a impact that goes to 650 ft-lbs. I've no idea what size bolts they are but I doubt they would hold together at 650ft-lbs. Even if they shear, he was going to cut them anyway. As long as they shear quick.
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Old 11-08-2016, 01:45 PM   #31
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
ha!! I could at least buy the chips, oreos and soda-pop aisle out... (hey thats what us computer geeks live on!)

we are about as opposite as it gets and i love it!!

Total ON-Grid here.. so hey why not have a bus as a daily.. I honestly dont believe its much loinger than the dualy crew cab pickups the baseball-dads drive their kids to the games in..

-Christopher
Indeed.

The gas mileage of my Jetta wagon is a little better for a daily tho. I haven't read thru the MPG thread yet but if anyone is posting 42+mpg they: 1) are either lying or 2) need to apply for a patent ASAP.

So you and the OP have folks in FL? I call Tallahassee home even tho I haven't lived there since '99. Too damn hot.

Tobeamiss,
Where's the property in SC? I used to live in Irmo too.
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Old 11-08-2016, 02:45 PM   #32
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Indeed.

The gas mileage of my Jetta wagon is a little better for a daily tho. I haven't read thru the MPG thread yet but if anyone is posting 42+mpg they: 1) are either lying or 2) need to apply for a patent ASAP.

So you and the OP have folks in FL? I call Tallahassee home even tho I haven't lived there since '99. Too damn hot.

Tobeamiss,
Where's the property in SC? I used to live in Irmo too.

I have a house in Columbus ohio and a City apartment in downtown st pete.. my family disowned me.. or maybe I disowned them.. either way.. yeah im in florida and in columbus.. I hate to Shiver.. more like I hate the 97 continuous days of cloudy gray skies we get in columbus so I hide out in the sunshine.. my body has Less insulation than my 1991 Carpenter bus so I hate to be cold and layered up with a bunch of bulky clothes.. summer is hot in st pete but the water helps...and being able to go to ohio too.

-Christopher

P.S. I live more on the FPG than I do the MPG..
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Old 11-08-2016, 03:06 PM   #33
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I have a house in Columbus ohio and a City apartment in downtown st pete.. my family disowned me.. or maybe I disowned them.. either way.. yeah im in florida and in columbus.. I hate to Shiver.. more like I hate the 97 continuous days of cloudy gray skies we get in columbus so I hide out in the sunshine.. my body has Less insulation than my 1991 Carpenter bus so I hate to be cold and layered up with a bunch of bulky clothes.. summer is hot in st pete but the water helps...and being able to go to ohio too.

-Christopher
Cool. My grandparents on my dad's side were snow birds; WI to West Palm. I could see myself doing that. The weather sucks, grab the flamingos honey, we're leaving!!

Quote:
P.S. I live more on the FPG than I do the MPG..
Fuel per gallon. Fuel is measured in gal... oh, Fun Per Gallon. Gotcha!! The GF and I are ready for some major upheaval in our lives. To be posted shortly in my hello post.
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Old 11-08-2016, 03:20 PM   #34
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Cool. My grandparents on my dad's side were snow birds; WI to West Palm. I could see myself doing that. The weather sucks, grab the flamingos honey, we're leaving!!

Fuel per gallon. Fuel is measured in gal... oh, Fun Per Gallon. Gotcha!! The GF and I are ready for some major upheaval in our lives. To be posted shortly in my hello post.

in my case its.. 'crap the weather sucks.. Grab a BUS!! and NOT the greyhound!'..

I do like SNOW!!! just not snow and endless grey so yeah I might actually be one of those that would go BACK to Ohio when a massive Blizzard was predicted imminent (thats when snow is fun)...
-Christopher
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Old 11-10-2016, 04:32 PM   #35
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Scrap prices for steel are about 2-3 cents a pound right now so you might want to make sure you can't reuse some of that steel for your build. Also might want to list them on Craigslist cuz even at selling them for $10 each you'll make more than just scrapping them...if they have built in seat belts they should be worth even more.

Scrap yards will allow about 20% of the weight to be non-metal (fluff)...it just depends on the yard, so you might be wasting your time stripping the foam if you can scrap them as-is.
Thanks for the great advice. It just occurred to me today that i probably wouldn't be able to sell the seats because each seat only has 2 legs on one side as the other end of the seat is attached to the wall.
2-3 cents per lb isn't bad. I think each seat frame is roughly 30 lbs or less.....22 seats.... safe to say $17.00 for all. geeeez.
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Old 11-10-2016, 04:39 PM   #36
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Is he going about this the right way? I have a impact that goes to 650 ft-lbs. I've no idea what size bolts they are but I doubt they would hold together at 650ft-lbs. Even if they shear, he was going to cut them anyway. As long as they shear quick.
Some of them are breaking off... loving it when that happens. I don't know how many lbs this impact wrench goes to, i borrowed it from my brother who's a mechanic.
Any ideas what we can do differently?
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Old 11-10-2016, 04:42 PM   #37
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Indeed.

The gas mileage of my Jetta wagon is a little better for a daily tho. I haven't read thru the MPG thread yet but if anyone is posting 42+mpg they: 1) are either lying or 2) need to apply for a patent ASAP.

So you and the OP have folks in FL? I call Tallahassee home even tho I haven't lived there since '99. Too damn hot.

Tobeamiss,
Where's the property in SC? I used to live in Irmo too.
The property is just outside of Hampton....in Crocketville. The town really doesn't exist anymore and I'm surprised that there's a sign for it.
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Old 11-10-2016, 05:14 PM   #38
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in my case its.. 'crap the weather sucks.. Grab a BUS!! and NOT the greyhound!'..

I do like SNOW!!! just not snow and endless grey so yeah I might actually be one of those that would go BACK to Ohio when a massive Blizzard was predicted imminent (thats when snow is fun)...
-Christopher
I'm with you on the endless gray days!!! I'd rather see sunshine or Snow!!!
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Old 11-10-2016, 05:17 PM   #39
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Cool. My grandparents on my dad's side were snow birds; WI to West Palm. I could see myself doing that. The weather sucks, grab the flamingos honey, we're leaving!!

Fuel per gallon. Fuel is measured in gal... oh, Fun Per Gallon. Gotcha!! The GF and I are ready for some major upheaval in our lives. To be posted shortly in my hello post.
That's me too....Oooh the option of living in whatever climate I feel like at the time is soooo alluring and exciting! I can hardly wait to get this conversion complete and hit the road.
Now if I could just get the d*** seats out! lol
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Old 11-10-2016, 05:19 PM   #40
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Is he going about this the right way? I have a impact that goes to 650 ft-lbs. I've no idea what size bolts they are but I doubt they would hold together at 650ft-lbs. Even if they shear, he was going to cut them anyway. As long as they shear quick.
It's an IR Titanium and if i knew how to post a picture of it I would. I have to work on that.
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