Friday, October 22, 2010

Plumbing & Door Install | Bus Conversion

Today I started off by working more on the sewage tank vent. I attached a pipe to the vent that will also act as a drain for the washer/dryer combo unit that is on it's way to us.



This is where it comes out under the bus:



Next I installed the outlet to provide power for the washer/dryer.



After that I worked on the treating and priming the original stair treads.





Then I primed the new stair treads that I had made:



Next I went up to the metal shop and had metal cut to skin the framing around the door. Here is the door set in place temporarily.



More Soon!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Sewage Vent | Bus Conversion

Today I installed the sewage / storage tank vent. I decided on the Cyclone Vent because I read some good things about it. It swivels with the direction of the wind and pulls the odors out of the tanks reducing the chance of odors in the cabin.



Tanks should be in next week.

Welding | Bus Conversion

Yesterday I took the bus in to a local welding shop and had some new steel framing installed so that I can put in the new door.



Next I will need to get some metal to skin over the framing.

I also had them weld on a hitch receiver that we purchased a while ago.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

More pics! | Bus Conversion

Here are some pics in regards to yesterdays post.

Here is the new air ride seat:





I also installed my wood arm rest next to the new seat:



Here is one of the original stair treads before I had the new treads made.



Here are my new treads. They will be covered.



Today I added some trim pieces to the shoe rack:



I got a shipment in today!!!! Here is the new door that will be installed in "Good News"!



Here are the Brand New tires that went on the front.



Here are the used tires that went on the back:



Here is the weight certificate:

Monday, October 18, 2010

Tires & More!!! | Bus Conversion

The other day I decided it was time to pull up the bus stair treads. The metal under the top tread is ok but the last two steps need some work. Both have rusted strait through to the ground.

We took the bus up to the metal shop today and he made 3 new stair treads. (Will post pics soon)

After that we went a had tires put on the bus. A local shop stocked the tires that fit the bus. They are slightly used and have a ton of tread left on them. At only $145 mounted I could not pass it up. I did get brand new tires for the front. (Pics soon.) I am finding that the used tires produce more vibration then the old tires I had on. I called the shop and they want me top bring the bus back in to see if they can fix the problem.

Next we took the bus the get weighed. Something I have been wanting to do for a while. We came in at 22,080 pounds.

Then we went by the local international dealership. I picked up some new wipers, a new head light switch and my new pride and joy...an air ride seat!!! (Pics soon) Wow what a difference!

After that we drove to a local restaurant and relaxed. Here are a couple pics of the bus in the parking lot.



Saturday, October 16, 2010

Finally...a NEW POST!

I have some updates to tell you all about.

The last couple months I have been very busy with some other things so I have been unable to work on "Good News". Well the good news is I have some time again so I am getting the bus finished.

I had 4 more cabinet door that needed building so I got them cut out, stained, assembled and varnished.

Here are 3 of them:



The 4th I installed over the opening where the trash can goes.

It is a slide out trash can so we purchased brackets that enable you to hook the cabinet door directly to the sliding mechanism.





The other 3 cabinet doors were installed in the master bedroom.

One had already been installed from before.





There was trim work to be done in the kitchen on the cabinet that goes along the passenger side. I had thought long and hard how I could bend a piece of trim to mold to the contour of the ceiling but I could not bring myself to invest the time. Instead I cut multiple pieces (3 to be exact) to get the contoured look:



Next I finished trimming out the rest of the cabinet.



During the last month or so I was bothered with how I did the water storage tanks.

Problem 1: Both tanks are filled through one tank. As one tank fills the tube that connects the main tank to the other tank allows it to fill also. The tube I had used was not allowing enough water to flow through it so it took a while for the Seconal tank to fill up.

Problem Solved: I re-plumbed the tanks with a larger pipe that goes from the main tank to the second tank. Now it fills faster. Tubing was scrapped.

Problem 2: I had no way to drain the tanks other then letting the water run until they were dry.

Problem Solved: I connected into my new pipe that connected both tank together and installed a valve. When it is opened both tanks drain out of the bus!



More to come soon!