Five Chime build

[farok]

Thanks! I'll check the mirror mount to see if that might be it. I'll eventually unbolt it to paint, and I think when I was checking it out for that, the grommet looked a bit dry-rotted. Good call!

Chris

 

[lu6an0]

Every time I read about what your doing, I'm doing the exact same thing on my bus lol. They are the exact same buses. I chose to just leave the old plywood and brackets on the floor. I stripped the rubber up and patched the few spots where the plywood was rotted. Then just added 1/4" OSB between the rails and 1/2' osb on top to level it out. I'm only using the bus for weekend trips or a couple weeks at a time. At most I'll use the bus 6 weeks a year and never in the cold. Insulation and completely stripping the bus are not necessary. As long as it sealed up good from the rain i'll be happy.

Be sure to check around all the windows since I had 3 or 4 leakers on the bottoms. The way the bottom of the windows seal just doesn't make much sense to me.

I also have a few leaks in the roof seam and the front where the fiberglass meets the metal roof. I'm just waiting for a warmer day to tackle all those.

 

[o1marc]

Every time I read about what your doing, I'm doing the exact same thing on my bus lol. They are the exact same buses. I chose to just leave the old plywood and brackets on the floor. I stripped the rubber up and patched the few spots where the plywood was rotted. Then just added 1/4" OSB between the rails and 1/2' osb on top to level it out. I'm only using the bus for weekend trips or a couple weeks at a time. At most I'll use the bus 6 weeks a year and never in the cold. Insulation and completely stripping the bus are not necessary. As long as it sealed up good from the rain i'll be happy.

Be sure to check around all the windows since I had 3 or 4 leakers on the bottoms. The way the bottom of the windows seal just doesn't make much sense to me.

I also have a few leaks in the roof seam and the front where the fiberglass meets the metal roof. I'm just waiting for a warmer day to tackle all those.

Most of the major rust issues on any bus is whats under the plywood. If you have rotted sections of plywood I guarantee there is major rust on the floor. It would not be wise to put any money into something that the base may fall out at any given time. There is a current build here that he is having to replace literally half of the floor due to rust he didn't know about.

 

[farok]

Be sure to check around all the windows since I had 3 or 4 leakers on the bottoms. The way the bottom of the windows seal just doesn't make much sense to me.

Thanks - I haven't had the ability to check the windows yet, but will definitely do so! I'm waiting for warmer weather when i can pull/rearrange the windows, and check the panels below (which I'd prefer to leave in place if there's no major damage behind them).

Do you have a preferred method to reseal the windows? I'm thinking butyl tape all the way around, as I suppose the rubber currently used to seal them will be bad by the time the windows come out.

I agree with @o1marc on checking for rust. There was more on this bus than I expected, and quite a bit more in the roof than I expected once the ceiling came down. Today I primed the roof seam that I treated with Ospho yesterday. Tomorrow I hope to run self-leveling lap sealant over the seams to see if that stops the majority of leaks.

On an unrelated note, is there any interest in these old emergency hatches, which will be eliminated once my rivets arrive and I have a little time?

Chris

 

[farok]

Dicor self-leveling sealant applied to the seam, a couple holes in the metal, and to all rivets. Now to see if the thing still leaks or not (aside from the fact that the emergency exits haven't been eliminated yet)!

Chris

 

[weboughtabus]

Dicor self-leveling sealant applied to the seam, a couple holes in the metal, and to all rivets. Now to see if the thing still leaks or not (aside from the fact that the emergency exits haven't been eliminated yet)!

Chris

Looks good! I'm hoping it's dry inside!

 

[Rovobay]

roof is looking good! a little TLC goes a long way in waterproofing!

 

[dazdconfsd]

Thanks! I'll check the mirror mount to see if that might be it. I'll eventually unbolt it to paint, and I think when I was checking it out for that, the grommet looked a bit dry-rotted. Good call!

Chris

Both of my Collins have had minor leak issues with that mirror mount to the roof of the cab.

 

[farok]

Roof Seam Rivets

Both of my Collins have had minor leak issues with that mirror mount to the roof of the cab.

Thanks. That makes 3 for 3 on that mirror mount, so I'll tackle that as well. Hopefully I'll hit that before the next rain. I work late tomorrow, so maybe not...

Chris

 

[farok]

Roof Seam Rivets

Thanks for the notes!!

The one thing I noticed on this Collins body is that the roof panels are riveted only once every 6 inches or so along the entire length of the roof peak seam. Has anyone put more rivets in the roof seam to help hold it together? There were a couple spots where there was nearly 1/4" gap between the panels as they "bend" between 2 rivets! No wonder I had some leaks!

I just got my rivets for the emergency hatch removal, and am seriously considering adding more rivets along the seam, maybe even just one between all existing rivets so I have a rivet every 3" instead.

Thoughts?

Chris

 

[farok]

It was a productive day today! I ended up deciding to add rivets to the main roof seam, since every time I walk down the roof, the gap between the panels gets worse. The factory rivets are on 7.5" centers, so now the rivets are on 2.5" centers.

I also removed the rear exit hatch and used an inside ceiling panel to cover it. The butyl tape doesn't squish as much as I thought it might, so I found out my rivets aren't long enough, and ran out of the longer ones. More on order. Progress, though! Hopefully the new rivets will arrive before any significant rain, though I can tarp it. Oh and yes I cleaned up the roof before putting the patch on. Once done, I'll prime all the rivets and seal with more lap sealant (as well as the seam, just in case the butyl tape isn't enough).

On a good note, it rained this morning, and aside from a leak at the exit hatch, the floor was dry!

 

[Native-SKO]

Good work, man!

 

[tugboater-SKO]

On a good note, it rained this morning, and aside from a leak at the exit hatch, the floor was dry!

That's gotta feel good. Nice work!

 

[EastCoastCB]

Thanks - I haven't had the ability to check the windows yet, but will definitely do so! I'm waiting for warmer weather when i can pull/rearrange the windows, and check the panels below (which I'd prefer to leave in place if there's no major damage behind them).

Do you have a preferred method to reseal the windows? I'm thinking butyl tape all the way around, as I suppose the rubber currently used to seal them will be bad by the time the windows come out.

I agree with @o1marc on checking for rust. There was more on this bus than I expected, and quite a bit more in the roof than I expected once the ceiling came down. Today I primed the roof seam that I treated with Ospho yesterday. Tomorrow I hope to run self-leveling lap sealant over the seams to see if that stops the majority of leaks.

On an unrelated note, is there any interest in these old emergency hatches, which will be eliminated once my rivets arrive and I have a little time?

Chris

Dicor is good stuff. I used it to seal my roof vent.
For the windows try seam sealer.

 

[farok]

Thanks all! Yes it feels good to get a lot of this basic stuff done.

It rained all night last night, and it was dry in the bus this morning! I think I got the leaks!!

Today I removed the second emergency hatch and riveted some steel over the hole. It's primed and when dry tomorrow, it will get some Dicor like the rear one. Just about done with roof fixes!

I think the next project will be to remove the flashers and fiberglass over the holes, then prep and paint the roof. I can almost return to the inside and floor prep again!

I do have a question about the small air vent in the front. It is weather-tight and sealed pretty well. Inside there's no signs of leaks anywhere near it. Are these typically pretty reliable? I'm thinking I may just leave well enough alone and leave it in, but on the inside, just insulate under it like it's not there. Thoughts? I'll post separately about this as well as I know that's probably the better way to get an answer on that.

Chris

 

[EastCoastCB]

I'd get rid of that passive vent. Its useless.

 

[farok]

I'd get rid of that passive vent. Its useless.

Thanks! I guess another day with the hand-riveter. I was hoping I'd be done with it.

 

[Native-SKO]

I agree with ECCB, especially if you are going to put insulation under it. In that situation, all it is good for is a way to let water in.

 

[tugboater-SKO]

I do have a question about the small air vent in the front. It is weather-tight and sealed pretty well. Inside there's no signs of leaks anywhere near it. Are these typically pretty reliable? Chris

Funny you should ask...I did mine yesterday. Here's what they look like inside if you were curious. Good call on removing it.

 

[EastCoastCB]

I've got a few of them. Some leak, some don't. But they're useless and they kill thermal efficiency. ALso they pull warm air from the firewall up and make it more uncomfortable.