Thomas Followed Me Home Today

Twigg said:
I already love that thing. I'm keeping it under my pillow. One of the toughest jobs (which is why so many don't bother) made easy.
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Even with rivets, removing the interior paneling was cake. Who wouldn't bather doing it?:confused:

In my case, kinda gotta have to in order to raise the roof. That is a whole lotta work and I can understand few wanting to bother going that far.
 
Twigg said:
There is zero sign of water ingress,
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I had no signs of water but my ceilings still weren't that nice. Mine were half assed sprayed with some kind of black tar. Because of the coverage, I'm guessing it was only used to keep the batting up while riveting the ceiling panels. It just sticks enough to leave wisps of batting. YOu can rub it with a finger and the remaining batting comes right off. I'll need to sweep the ceiling eventually.
 
Brewerbob said:
I had no signs of water but my ceilings still weren't that nice. Mine were half assed sprayed with some kind of black tar. Because of the coverage, I'm guessing it was only used to keep the batting up while riveting the ceiling panels. It just sticks enough to leave wisps of batting. YOu can rub it with a finger and the remaining batting comes right off. I'll need to sweep the ceiling eventually.
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I followed ECCB's build and was expecting the same. Nothing, just fresh, clean paint.

I thought long and hard about a roof-raise. In the end I decided that starting with a 78" ceiling I could just about get away without the time and expense.

If I were raising the roof I wouldn't have bought a Thomas because of the inward slope of the walls. As it is I seem to have found a decent bus.

92 high-res photos on purplewave helped. Love that auction site.
 
Twigg said:
I followed ECCB's build and was expecting the same. Nothing, just fresh, clean paint.
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Yeah his was a Thomas and had the same as mine (Blue Bird). Interesting that yours didn't.

I thought long and hard about a roof-raise. In the end I decided that starting with a 78" ceiling I could just about get away without the time and expense.
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At 78" I would have been tempted to leave it but it would have been a little claustrophobic I think.

If I were raising the roof I wouldn't have bought a Thomas because of the inward slope of the walls. As it is I seem to have found a decent bus.
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Yep, as soon as I learned that, they were off my list. I'm following a guy (Dzlfreak) on YouTube that has done a raise using a Thomas. He's in the framing stage now. Bottom board at the floor is 1 1/2" and the top is 7/8" to make vertical walls. He's losing 3" of width on his bus. At less than 8' to start with, EVERY inch matters.

92 high-res photos on purplewave helped. Love that auction site.
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Just Purplewave.com? Never heard of it. I'll have to google it.
 
Brewerbob said:
Looks like a decent site. Do they charge anything to register? They want a CC #.
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They don't charge. I can't remember if they validate the card or not. Either way, it would only be a $1 charge that drops right off.

The one minor issue I had was that they only allow 48 hours to make full payment. It's okay if you are prepared for that. They will also supply transit tags, although I didn't need them to.
 
Twigg said:
They don't charge. I can't remember if they validate the card or not. Either way, it would only be a $1 charge that drops right off.

The one minor issue I had was that they only allow 48 hours to make full payment. It's okay if you are prepared for that. They will also supply transit tags, although I didn't need them to.
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I'll keep an eye on the listing and location but I think I'll sign up and look for tools and pieces parts.
 
Doesn't look like they ship anything. Found an auction that is boxes of bolts. No shipping on that. Not that I need them but I ain't driving to MO for anything I do need either.
 
Brewerbob said:
Doesn't look like they ship anything. Found an auction that is boxes of bolts. No shipping on that. Not that I need them but I ain't driving to MO for anything I do need either.
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They don't ship. Mainly, I suspect, because they don't have items on site. The items are generally at the seller's property.

My bus was taken in trade from a Nebraska School District who wanted a newer bus. It was auctioned on purplewave by the receiving dealer and I picked it up from their site.

The whole thing went pretty smoothly. The dealership picked me up from the Hertz location in the nearest town and they had the bus, complete with tags, ready to go. I probably wasn't there more than 15 minutes.
 
Well, ok then. I'll have to find that bucket of bolts again and double check the location.
 
Dec 2017 had a shitload of buckets for construction equipment.
July 2016 dump trucks and tires.
June 2016 two pieces of farming equipment.
Then it goes back to Dec 2015 for more tires.


^That's everything in a 250 mile distance.
 
There was no "Bus #" when I picked up the bus. I was thinking that there should have been, so I went looking for an impression where a number had been peeled off.

Sure enough, right by the door is the impression of a large "2".

I want to retain this, and some indication of the buses heritage so I am planning on having a modest-sized vinyl cut showing:

Gordon-Rushville School District
Bus #2

By complete coincidence, my wife rode the school bus right through her childhood. Not that district, but every day of school she rode Bus #2
 
Reminds me of the drive home in this bus lol at one point i wsnt down a windy narrow road and came close to the edge of the road and nearly stopped my heart. LoL

Congrats!
Glad you arrived home safely.
 
Brewerbob said:
Yeah his was a Thomas and had the same as mine (Blue Bird). Interesting that yours didn't.

At 78" I would have been tempted to leave it but it would have been a little claustrophobic I think.

Yep, as soon as I learned that, they were off my list. I'm following a guy (Dzlfreak) on YouTube that has done a raise using a Thomas. He's in the framing stage now. Bottom board at the floor is 1 1/2" and the top is 7/8" to make vertical walls. He's losing 3" of width on his bus. At less than 8' to start with, EVERY inch matters.

Just Purplewave.com? Never heard of it. I'll have to google it.
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No mine was a WARD. AKA AmTran Genesis.
 
Blech! Air-Compressor went bad.

No, not the one on the engine, the one in my shop.

I have been using a Craftsman Air Compressor for about 12 years. 30 Gallon, 2 hp.

It's been fine and now it is dead. An unobtanium part has broken so I'm not going to mess with it further, I need a new one.

What are people using?
 
All walls and ceiling out.

Now the tedious job of pulling the insulation out from behind the chair rail. I've pulled up maybe half of the vinyl flooring. That stuff is HEAVY, and the glue is stronger than the surface of the plywood.

All the plywood looks great.

Next job ... finish the vinyl, then clean everything ready for floor insulation and new sub-floor.

DSCN0926.jpg

DSCN0928.jpg
 
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