I really should of done this a long time ago, but I didn't know if I was gonna take out all of the windows or only 4 of them. I'm still betting only 4 of them. I took the first window out and will cover it with a tarp for now. It won't go back in until the roof raise is done.
I have different windows than most. I don't know if this Thomas body was a beta build. More and more signs point to this. It was manufactured in 94 sold as 95 due to a cancellation of order so it got cancelled mid build and put to the side and finished later, but built in 94, and seems to be one of the early prototypes, and there are some differences in the body. Windows especially. I've only seen windows like this in one Vista. There's 5 screws holding it in. 2 on each side and 1 up top hidden under a seal. There's no hat channel caps on the sides that the rest of the 94-97 buses have. Another reason for this belief is my Engine does not have a serial stamped on the plate. Nor does International have one. It's blank on their records as well. Another reason I think this was a prototype bus for the 94-97 models. It's a first edition T444E judging by the HP rating at 165. A year later they were 175 or 190 out of factory. So I know it was an early T444E.
Anyway, got the window out.
It is looking like I won't need to remove all of the Window guards on the outside, just the lower screws for the bumper bar, and the steel rivets on the bottom side of the bumper bar. (Screws on top, steel rivets on bottom).
I've never messed with riveting removal with steel rivets before and it was quite brutal with the air hammer. It did not want to come out without damaging the underlying metal which I do not want to do.
Also that's not mostly rust, that's the brown under primer they used on the sheet metal. There is slight rust in the hole itself though. To be expected after 30 years.
But I'm not gonna use the air hammer on the rivet removal to protect the metal. I think I'm gonna just buy a spring punch, and then drill through them all. The metal will be far more protected and won't scuff like pic above. Not a fan of scuffing. While sure I could probably clean it up some once removed with sanding etc but it created quite a dent. I'll probably have to use bondo on that one to smooth it out and then sand it clean. I used the same bit everyone else uses, but it's not 100% flush with the sheet metal when used. I'm wondering if I grind away the bit to make it more flush and sharper if it would cut through then easier with less damage to the sheet?
I think I'm not going to go with steel rivets as originally planned. EWO1 talked me out of it. I do love the look of the steel rivets not having a hole in the middle, but I think I'll bondo the holes and do a quick sand on each one to look like the steel ones and then paint over it to keep the look. There's over 524 steel rivets I'd have to buck bar into place (I counted). So I'm going rivet gun.
With my roof raise cuts being under the windows. I only have to remove 4 windows. The one I did in the picture there, and the same on the other side, and the two rear windows so I can make my upwards cut along the sides. And if I end up doing the back through the door, I don't even have to remove the two rear windows, and save on like 60 rivet removals. Essentially keeping the rear cap in tact.
I will have to modify the rear door though which will be extra work. In the end it will be better though because the door will be longer, AND I can have more storage space under my bed, AND I can still exit through the back door from the bed. (It would be one **** of a fall, but I could escape in a fire situation. Before the way I was gonna do it would of had the door the same size, bed higher, and no ability to reach the door to open it, or fit through it.
More to come. I'm getting motivated now to do the roof raise.
