'46 Chevy Shorty

[chev49]

you use a glue in toilet flange when you use a 3 inch piece of the flexible spa pvc pipe glued to it and to the black tank flange... i did... did that so i would have a flexible connection betwixxxt flange and tank... worketh great.

 

[lornaschinske]

Not Hepvo but we have had the CAMCO one (similar and lower priced). I need three of them (shower, WC sink & galley sink). We plumbed the toilet and accompanying sink into the same tank since the Water Closet and shower/galley are on opposite sides of the bus.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Got a little more done this weekend --- the new frame & jam for the door are about complete after a couple of restarts and rethinking. It now has a new jam that matches the angles from side to side instead of them being very different. Still was a pain dealing with the very slight compound curve that it is on. I am envious of buses with straight sides these days. Also cut and altered the entry step floor so that the new door will close flush onto it. Still putzing with the black tank but will be dropping it down about three inches from where it is now to accommodate hooking the lines & drains up. Still have about 15 inches of ground clearance so hopefully it won't snag on anything.

Also scored some interesting hinges for the new door that should go well with the Deco theme.

Door frame & jam welded up

Lower step cut back (black finish area) so the new door will close flush

Black/Gray tank will drop 3" from this position

Big, shiny hinges for the new door from a walk-in freezer

Still tons to do, but then...you guys know that routine. Onward!

.

 

[chev49]

most of the transit and school busses i have built doors for all have a slight curve. also if you build doors and trunklids,etc for street rods there is always a curve. the harder part i have found, depending on how many (usually 3 ) hinges on a bus door, is to properly align the hinges so that all of them open and close in the same plane so that the door works properly..
on yours, i imagine you will only be using 2 so it should be a lot easier.

 

[ol trunt]

That is the best looking replacement door I have ever seen. It looks like a perfect fit and with those great hinges it will look like it came from the factory that way--very nice workmanship!

 

[Tango-SKO]

My last bus ( 40' BBAA) was flat as a board everywhere but the roof and a piece of cake to build onto. The compound curve thing here threw me a...uh...curve. I may still need to build up an area under the hinges to get the angle right, but when I saw them, I knew I had to have'em!

If I can just manage to get the door skinned properly I will be a happy camper, but I know it will be tricky as well. Will be ordering the window shortly now that I have some real measures to work to. Will likely go with Peninsula Glass unless someone here can suggest a custom window builder they have been happy with. Also looking for a good latch & lock system.

BTW...anyone else here played with "Weld Through Primer"? I'd never heard of it until a couple of weeks ago. It actually does weld through (although it does make more splatter). A very handy feature if you need to close something up but will have to come back later and weld on it. Much better than leaving raw metal behind or in a space. Found some at an auto paint store, but at $15 bucks for a rattle can, I'll have to be judicious with it.

 

[chev49]

every time i want a custom piece of glass (mostly for street rods) i make an exact template out of 1/8 paneling and fit it to the opening, either with the gasket, or to check space if it is a glue in.... that way, i know there will be no problem, and if they cut the glass to match my piece, it will fit right every time.
I dont use the welding primer as its too much a bother.

 

[ol trunt]

I agree with '49 that the weld through primer is a bother but on the other hand it really does work to help protect the weld from rust. Some years ago I had a car come in for repair after an accident and what struck me was that the replacement spot welds in an area that had been sprayed with weld through were rust free while other repair spot welds not having the weld through primer were all rusty--that made a believer out of me and I use weld through primer (on sheet metal) all the time. I can usually prime the completed welds on heavy materials like frames so I don't usually use it there.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Hey Trunt --- glad to hear from someone who has seen it in action. Maybe I didn't waste my $15 bucks after all. Thank you for the feedback.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Follow up --- Just found more weld through primer at my local metal supplier for $4 bucks a can! (the other was from an auto paint shop) This brand says it contains a galvanizer as well. Will try it out and let you all know how it works.

 

[ol trunt]

Tango! I really want to know about the new weld through primmer you found. That is a great price PLEASE post particulars. Thanks

 

[Tango-SKO]

Hey Trunt --- I stumbled on it at Triple S Steel here in Houston while picking up some metal. Sprayed some on today but have not yet tried welding through this brand. I will check tomorrow to see what the name/brand might be and will post it here for all to Google.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Hey Trunt --- Here are the two brands I used. The "SEM" on the left was $15 bucks at an auto paint store. The "Seymour" on the right came from a steel supply (Triple S) and was $3.99. Have not tried welding through the Seymour yet, but the SEM did make for some extra spatter. Nothing too bad, but I'm curious to see how the "value" priced version does. Can't be all that bad. After all, as the can notes...Seymour was "The Inventor of Aerosol Spray Paint".

 

[chev49]

any sem stuff is gonna cost you way more.

 

[ol trunt]

Hey Tango, I've used the SEM and it works just fine. You're right about the splater though--maybe using argon as the shielding gas might help, I don't know.

So " Seymour was "The Inventor of Aerosol Spray Paint"." They should have said "Seymore, the father of modern day graffiti! Ha.

Thanks for the info. Jack

 

[bansil]

Is there enuf "galvinise" in it to make it hazardous to breath while welding?

 

[ol trunt]

As the old saying goes "The solution to polution is dilution" I always have a box fan going when I weld. None of that smoke good for you so I just try to stay out of it. I don't recall seeing those white stringy curls of smoke like you get when you weld galvanized metal. I'm sure the MSDS page has some info--I'll have to look.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Just scored an "almost new" Honda EU3000is genny for $1500 bucks. Not bad, as most reasonable used units in this area average about $18-1900 (MSRP is $2400 around here). Looks & runs like it just came off the shelf. And they really are as quiet as advertised. In the 'Econo" mode, you can barely tell it's running from 5 feet away and almost totally vibration free. Now I can start working out the mounting and rear deck area where it will reside. Yeehaw!

Onward!

 

[ol trunt]

Tango, we'll have to be careful or our busses will look exactly alike!?! I've been looking at the same diamond plate floor material as you have been asking about and I also have the same genny. Ha! I'm going to try to quiet the genny down by putting it in a high mass box with a fan etc. etc. I scored some 3/4 in gym floor rubber mats for free from a local gym that bit the dust. I pilled them around the genny and it looks like I might be able to lower the dB by 10 or so according to the meter--more on that later. I've been looking at the propane conversion--what have you heard on that account?

 

[Tango-SKO]

You may be right. We do seem to going down a similar path on several counts. Matter of fact, I will be boxing in my genset too and adding some sound deadening while I'm at it.

Great score on the gym mats! And the 3/4 stuff is really expensive. As for propane, there are a number of conversion kits available for that unit. Everything from straight propane to tri-fuel kits (natural gas, propane, gasoline) and several that you can switch fuels back & forth on, which seems handy. I will likely stick with straight gas though as I have very little underbelly space and gasoline still has the most punch per pound. Would loved to have found something this size in a diesel but the only small ones I saw (not made in China) were about 4500kw and over ten-grand. Ouch! That ain't gonna happen.