New to forum, somehow, but second house bus build

[Sprout.sprocket]

I’m pretty flustered with this build actually. Lost most of winter to SNOW (does not happen in nz where I was, now I am in Ontario, Canada.

Have all wall panels out, floor ply mostly out but will need to remove driver’s seat. Trying to put that one off so I can get the multiplex removed which means driveable.

Paid a bit for this one, more than I would have liked, but wanted a midbus without leaving Ontario. Looking for panel minded advice in regards to wheel well rust - mainly the wall cavity. The water has seeped in the windows for years and sat in the walls. Can see the rust line on the exterior. I have no issue in treating rust after grinding and cleaning, as well as priming, my issue is more how far I take down the wheel well corners - there’s even spray foam in the corners there. I feel like I’ll be cutting it all out somehow…

Anyway I don’t want to have a million pics everywhere as I’m too tech useless so they are all on sprout.sprocket /Instagram.

My learning curve for this build is chassis access - in nz instead of a steel plate it has a thinner I beam sub chassis with diesel heater channels (giant hunks of steel that cost me a lot of grinder blades and dust) meaning I could both access and clean up the chassis. I don’t have that luxury with this build but I do have ok access being a smaller female bodied frame. And I’m paneling over one side of windows, so going to deal with steel and window deletes too.

The most hectic thing to happen so far is I lost my multi osc bolt, before actually using the tool. Almost ready to use it and uhhh have to clean the house and hope it turns up… for some reason Milwaukee don’t sell spares for them, just angle grinder washers and flanges. Harrumph.

 

[cadillackid]

completely removing the multiplex system you may very well disable most of your accessories like wipers, heat, defrost, etc.. the C2 is completely integrated in that respect.. if something like your wheelchair lift being removed has caused the bus not to function thats usually an inhibit wire or 2 from the switching circuits of the lift.. something you can usually figure out before you pull the lift, looking at how its wired up.. and then you can tie those wires off under the dash someplace and the drivetrain works,, nst IC and thomas C2's with lift will put the transmission into permanent neutral if it thinkls the lift is deployed... (the range inhibit light will come on the dash)...

 

[Sprout.sprocket]

Thanks for your reply, I have the rear vandalock alarm system with push button, but probably another alarm system as well. There are what sounds like two when attempting to start it, and clicking from relays right under steering wheel. Not sure what the batteries were like charge wise, but I’ve charged them to remove that potential. Not too fussed on starting the bus (apart from the fact diesels like to be run often) but I’ll want to be running and driving her more often now the weather is acceptable for working on it properly.

My understanding was the multiplex needs to be flashed with a computer thing much like removing DPF. The neighbour charging the batts told me I needed the computer thing, that he doesn’t have but his friend does who is a mechanic. But to be honest I’m used to having a higher calibre of intellect to bounce back and forth on in person and I’m relatively new in this side of the world.

I guess the best question I could ask you, is what type of person needs to look at the bus to actually be able to help? Mobile diesel mechanic? Auto electrician? Currently I’m just trying to get it to start to be able to drive it somewhere like the above, if needed, but I’m leaning towards mobile diesel mechanic due to your reply, and how long the neighbour took charging batteries (I even acquired my own charger in the interim waiting).

I don’t expect much to be wrong, I just want to be able to start the bus without the alarm systems - my understanding was cutting wires would not stop the alarm, but also negate being able to stop the alarm. Ideally I’m removing the whole school bus system to save future headaches, the loud bits not necessarily the stuff needed to function - hence I’m not cutting into anything, the actual wiring harness at the rear of the bus has labels saying what most wires do, mostly defunct school bus related, but I’m not sure if the rear brake and indicator lights are on that same loom, or if disconnecting plugs can interfere with dash functioning, so definitely looking before I leap so to speak. Defrosting and wipers are extremely necessary safety items, beyond a seatbelt on some level now I have lived through a Canadian winter!