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Reinstalled the plastic cards today. Verdict: quiet as gently caress. With a bed in here, I may not even be able to hear the future engine failures!
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Feb 1, 2016 06:42
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Do yourself a favor and keep that stuff 6" away from anywhere you may need to weld new panels on in the future. I mean, people restore burned-to-the-ground buses all the time, but polyisocyanates do really bad stuff to your lungs when they go up in flames IIRC.
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Feb 1, 2016 17:24
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In hindsight, I should have used the fireblock stuff. poo poo. Good thing is that most welding is done. Only welding left is on the undercarriage, and gently caress welding upside down. Also today I made new sets of keys for both the bus and the beetle. All local key places [except for the small local guy that wants to charge $15/key (when I bring in the blanks myself, even)] refuse to use their copier. Even though I know how the ilco copier works, as my uncle growing up was a goddamned locksmith and places like Home Depot still use 10-year-old machines that I'm familiar with. First they go "but we don't have the blank" so I show them that I have the blank myself. Then they refuse because they can't find that blank in their book, even when I tell them "for this key, use the E double-sided cartridge" and "for this key use the B cartridge, then flip it over and do it again (asymmetrical door keys)." Store monkeys are too stupid or afraid, even when I offer to grease the wheels by buying some doodad with a $5 extended warranty. Back up in Lewiston I had a great locksmith that I watched grow from a novice apprentice to owning the shop over 10 years or so who was able to work loving magic with broken or worn keys. Was the only guy that was able to find replacement keys for my Royal Enfield motorcycle, too. So I just placed the old key on the new one, used a fine-point sharpie to trace it, and dremeled away the excess. Along with smoothing the ramps (because a rough key can wear down your lock cylinder pretty quickly) it was a 45-minute job for all four keys. And it was ~*~*~*~'"free"'~*~*~*~. 
Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Feb 1, 2016 |
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Feb 1, 2016 21:59
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Geirskogul posted:Good thing is that most welding is done. Only welding left is on the undercarriage, and gently caress welding upside down. Does kevbarlas still have the camper van rotisserie for sale?
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Feb 1, 2016 22:10
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Cakefool posted:Does kevbarlas still have the camper van rotisserie for sale? I think round-the-world shipping might cut into the savings a bit  Geirskogul: I've had the best luck with some Ace Hardware locations as far as being able to actually cut the key, instead of relying entirely on the automated setups.
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Feb 1, 2016 22:47
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IOwnCalculus posted:I think round-the-world shipping might cut into the savings a bit Yeah the local Rex/Ace is the only one locally that employs an older guy who seems to actually know what he's doing.
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Feb 2, 2016 03:12
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Espar D2.
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Feb 5, 2016 23:14
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Okay, so today was a big day. One of my favorite days so far. It started with me waking up at the crack of noon, which hasn't happened in a long time. I finally got more than three hours of sleep at once, and I felt refreshed. Don't worry, I work swing shift, so on workdays I aim to wake up at 1100 to be to work by 1300-ish, so noon wasn't super-sleeping-in or anything. Just a solid night. ONWARD! First stop was at a pawn shop. I don't have a router, and I really have wanted one for awhile. I found an old Craftsman 1.5hp single-speed (25000 RPM) router. The case was a little beat up, but the router itself was PRISTINE. Little label that says "SEARS CRAFTSMAN -- DOUBLE INSULATED." When a power tool is advertising that the metal case no longer has a >50% chance of electrocuting you, you know you've picked well. I also stopped by Harbor Freight to pick up some router bits. Hey, HF bits work almost as well for a single project as expensive ones! After that, I made a stop at <CORPORATE HELLHOLE>, picked up some lumber. A bus with the spare tire removed can carry full 48x96 sheets of plywood, no problem.   Then, without regard to taking photos at all (sorry), I worked for around six hours straight to make this up:    Using some dead batteries (should really take those in for the $12 apiece at recycling) to mock up placement and keep it from tipping:    Little lid that goes on the engine bay access. Have to have engine bay access! Also, since it was my first time routing anything, I went freehand. It will be under a pad, so  whatever I'll do what I want!  Did the one on the right, then decided to use a hole saw to start the hole instead. Again,  Fast-forward another few hours, and I've put hinges on the engine access lid.   Mocked up a support wall (that I will eventually cover in plywood and put doors on to give access to the inverter and the very awesome thing I just purchased hmmm hmmm   The original floor mat even fits! It's almost like I planned this.  And the most important thing: the spare tire and cover still fit. I was worried about this, but it worked out.   E: the bed is 73 inches long, and at full width is 47.5 inches. I'm 70 inches, so I fit pretty comfortably lengthwise, and even better if I go diagonally. There's almost enough room to sit up without bending your neck, but I don't have a pad on it yet, so that will definitely change. Tomorrow I plan on building the nightstand that will go just forward of the spare tire. I think it will be a 2x2 compartment setup, with each compartment being probably a foot wide by five-ish inches tall, and all four compartments having a little rail so you can put your cellphone/glasses/bug spray/whatever in there and they won't fall out when you drive around. I also have a red/white light somewhere (switchable) that will go underneath the overhang of the bed, so I should wire that up. I'll also finish skinning and putting the doors on the under-bed area, and maybe build some vertical cubbies/bins down near the floor under the overhang, but I'm still debating on that. Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 05:14 on Feb 7, 2016 |
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Feb 7, 2016 05:06
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Geirskogul posted:Okay, so today was a big day. One of my favorite days so far. That came out pretty great. You had quite a productive day. I changed my oil and went to the gym, so I think you've got me beat.
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Feb 7, 2016 18:24
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Looks good, nice work dude.
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Feb 7, 2016 19:44
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Thanks for the kind words. Really gives me motivation. In other news, cabinet building sucks and I am poo poo at it. But I persevere!
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Feb 8, 2016 01:12
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Here's the router I found yesterday for $30    Where the horrors thus far have been birthed:  Now, onward. I am bad at woodworking. WITNESS ME             (Pre-sanded)   Those grinder witness marks will be covered up with something else later. Don't worry about it. The strapping holding the top on, though? Yeah, worry about that 
Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Feb 8, 2016 |
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Feb 8, 2016 03:42
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Some TiteBond and clamps (or titebond and an 18ga nailer) will hide a number of sins.
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Feb 8, 2016 04:05
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That's a good idea. I'll do it after I plane/straighten the storage compartment openings. I wanted to install it to see where the stresses would deform the wood (the bus isn't exactly straight, and it has that curved wall, and again, I'm poo poo at woodworking) and I'm going to go around with some glue (or Titebond III if I have the cashola) and fix stuff. E: the door over the diesel can is held on with four of these:  There was no way I could do an internal hinge that would also leave enough room to get the can in. All of the hinges were too thick. Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 04:26 on Feb 8, 2016 |
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Feb 8, 2016 04:11
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I've got more Titebond than I'll ever use before it dries up. If you were closer I'd just give you a bottle, but with our different locations and schedules, not sure how we could arrange a meeting. If you ever get anywhere near Hardy & Warner during the day, I could meet you at lunch though. Shoot me a PM with contact information if you think that could happen and I'll toss a glue bottle in the car.
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Feb 8, 2016 06:57
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Oh, I thought it would be a lot more expensive than it was due to the name. Turns out it's just a really good wood glue (as I said twice so far, I'm not a woodworker, though I do watch Mathias Wandel on Youtube religiously). I'm going to either pick some up tomorrow morning or get it shipped via amazon with our bimonthly grocery goodies bag. Thank you, though! Note to myself for tomorrow: Finish underbed panel (bins?) Underpanel door (hinge reversed) Front marker door lights (turn signals, too) Survey for intake and exhaust tubing Underbed lighting
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Feb 8, 2016 07:55
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Geirskogul posted:Oh, I thought it would be a lot more expensive than it was due to the name. Turns out it's just a really good wood glue (as I said twice so far, I'm not a woodworker, though I do watch Mathias Wandel on Youtube religiously). Cool. Note that the only difference between original Titebond, and Titebond III, (or II?) is that the latter is water proof. Since your wood is all interior, waterproof really isn't needed. Original Titebond is fine with quick water exposure, but soaking will make it slowly free up (which is great for me in my model ships, since I can get joints apart when I screw up a part). Most of the wood glue used in furniture for many many years was made with the non-waterproof glue which is something that's fairly recent in the big scheme of things.
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Feb 8, 2016 15:32
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Picked up some Titebond II (semi-waterproof) just in case it gets humid inside the bus for awhile. Don't know how moist the future will be  Did the under-bed storage face and doors. gently caress woodworking I am so done.   Installed some curtain rods.    How it looks after all of the work (note the curtain rod in the sliding door, too)  Blurry but the plastic panels are still holding up well  Gonna replace these soon  Doors open upwards. Gonna put a hook or bungee up there to hold them up.   Where I plan on putting the bench seat. Mocked up with the floor mat folded up.   Underpanel door (hinge reversed) Front marker door lights (turn signals, too) Survey for intake and exhaust tubing Underbed lighting Side panel for underbed storage (passenger side)
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Feb 9, 2016 02:52
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This is going to be a big fukken weekend. Watch out.
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Feb 13, 2016 04:12
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little gas struts are cheap on ebay for those doors if you want to be proper fancy?
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Feb 13, 2016 07:33
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Okay so because my fiancee's B-day is on Valentine's day, we have decided to do festivities today instead. So, not as much time to work on it today, but I did stain the wood. It's a stain/poly mix ("Polyshades" by Minwax) and this is after a good hand sanding and maybe 5 (?) coats. First coat was painted on with a brush then the excess wiped away, like a normal stain. Every coat after is wiped on with the rag itself, and excess is just rubbed in.    
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Feb 14, 2016 00:19
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A little more work. The last of the replacement panels came in!     At least the aesthetic is consistent.  No more fiberboard  Trial-fitting the mattress.   Need to trim a tiny bit of foam on the RH side to keep it from crumpling up. Then some safety pins and/or stitching to tack it together in the right places, a sheet, and I'm done with that.  The overhang on the passenger side at the front will be taken care of. I have one more piece of wood shelf to build that will support it, but I'm waiting to install the heater first, because that gap will give me good access for certain tube routing. Gonna throw these in this weekend, hopefully. 
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Feb 14, 2016 01:39
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That's some great work. The bus is really coming together nicely.
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Feb 14, 2016 04:19
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Feb 14, 2016 08:54
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So long, monoxide-generator! You have been replaced.   I "finished" the woodworking. Found a pretty sweet set of switches, too.   Really lovely nighttime pic  I did the Wrong Thing (tm) and went to the gas station and filled the 5 gallon gas can with diesel before testing it with, you know, water or something else that isn't flammable. Unfortunately, there was a pretty big seam leak on the bottom I didn't see earlier. Cue a crazy fix with HVAC butyl tape and a mad dash home to dump the 5 gallons into a bucket. The only thing I could find in the store that would fit the 7-inch gap was a one-gallon can.  The Espar/Eberspacher D2 on "high" uses .07gal/hr of diesel for heating. Once it gets up to temp, it's more like .02 for maintenance. That means that, after an initial warmup, you can run for about 24 hours on one gallon. So, it'll do for now. https://stupidbus.wordpress.com Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Feb 15, 2016 |
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Feb 15, 2016 03:57
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I think jerry cans are around 7" wide, aren't they? If one would fit, that'd probably serve pretty drat well.
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Feb 15, 2016 04:04
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I think that's what it was. It was just an ancient one. Still had "US" stamped on the side.
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Feb 15, 2016 04:06
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Everything in the pictures is super dirty and dusty because I haven't gotten around to cleaning yet. After days of back and forth, finally decided on a speaker placement.    The doors aren't the best place for them, but at least they're not on the handle side like people do with beetles. On the hinge side, there isn't nearly as much force trying to pop the speakers out when you slam the door shut. On the kick panel would have also worked, but then they could have been, of course, kicked. I could also have made a plywood panel to mount them diagonally downwards underneath the dashboard, and this would have also solved my "rat's nest of wires" visibility problem, but  .While I had the door panels off (for hopefully the last time, knock on wood) I installed the front reflector lights.    I completely deserve a ban and a report for what I have done here. Spoilered for gore.  That feeling when everything works the first time you power it up.  Trying to fit the goddamned rubber mat in without it crumbling to pieces   Still have to deal with the dragon.  I set it to green. Makes it feel like an 80's install. Also I did not install the headlight dimmer wire and it is a good neutral night color.   The stereo is also wired up to a button (visible on the bottom right) that lets me turn it on and use the second battery without the key. Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Feb 16, 2016 |
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Feb 16, 2016 02:55
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Geirskogul posted:Here's the router I found yesterday for $30 Rather than using corner braces like that, us a 2x2, or 1x1 if that won't fit, inside the joint, down the full length. And like Safety Dance said, glued and screwed is best, once you're sure you won't need to take it apart. Also, routers are massively handy, along with table saws (I picked up a decent Porter-Cable branded contractor saw at Lowes. It works well, particularly for the price point. Everything else was either massive (storage), expensive, or cheap poo poo. After building my shed, I've determined that I need a compound sliding miter saw. The Harbor freight one we used (belonged to my buddy) was incredibly useful. And a nail gun. Holy poo poo I couldn't even comprehend building anything of a size without a nail gun. Geirskogul posted:That's a good idea. I'll do it after I plane/straighten the storage compartment openings. I wanted to install it to see where the stresses would deform the wood (the bus isn't exactly straight, and it has that curved wall, and again, I'm poo poo at woodworking) and I'm going to go around with some glue (or Titebond III if I have the cashola) and fix stuff. The four cabinet latches aren't a a bad idea. You could take that a step farther and build a drawer with the slides way down at the bottom. They even make bottom mount slides that should work well, or you could just put wheels on the bottom, and roll it out. Geirskogul posted:Doors open upwards. Gonna put a hook or bungee up there to hold them up. No bungee. Use a lid support. like on toyboxes and such: http://www.hardwaresource.com/hinges/specialty-hinges/chest-hinges-box-hinges-lid-supports/toy-box-lid-supports/ Ferremit posted:little gas struts are cheap on ebay for those doors if you want to be proper fancy? Or that.
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Feb 20, 2016 00:27
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Good ideas. I had to sleep in the bus on Thursday night (off work at 0100, had to be in formation at 0600, didn't want to drive all the way home and lose two of my four hours of sleep) and it worked well. Don't have curtains yet so I threw a bunch of blankets over the windows. It got cold towards the morning so I turned on the heater and it also worked very well and was pretty quiet once it got the bus up to heat and went out of "boost" mode. The bed is just large enough: I don't know how people slept on the stock length beds when mine is 5" longer. I'm not a tall guy (5'10").
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Feb 22, 2016 01:15
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Getting some small electrical work done, finishing up some parts of the project so I can move on to others.  Found this really cool light at goodwill. Converted the central bulb from a filament festoon to LED      Designed and printed (am printing now) a label for the switches. Third switch still doesn't do anything.  [img]http://i.imgur.com/BTTOaFnl.jpg[img] 
Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Feb 23, 2016 |
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Feb 23, 2016 00:16
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Geirskogul posted:Found this really cool light at goodwill. Converted the central bulb from a filament festoon to LED As mentioned in the "what did I do" thread, that's totally a cop-spec "ticket writing" light. LEDs make it perfect for the camper.
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Feb 27, 2016 01:33
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Darchangel posted:As mentioned in the "what did I do" thread, that's totally a cop-spec "ticket writing" light. Kickass!
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Feb 27, 2016 03:05
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Geirskogul posted:
You should have gotten a non-led one, you can just wire it backwards. Grounds on the switched part and positive to the light leg. I have 2 of the non-led contura switches in my jeep wired backwards so they switch the grounds on my relays. Reading through this sorta makes me miss my 71 Super. Stupid thing never ran right but thankfully I never had to deal with emissions due to its age. Veeb0rg fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Feb 27, 2016 |
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Feb 27, 2016 22:49
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Thanks for the advice on the switches. Long since abandoned that switch, though. Fixed the original one. I put a voltmeter in the hole I had cut for the switch, so nothing was wasted. I found a set of valances I liked. Kept contemplating what fabric to buy to make curtains, then discovered that valances are in the perfect sizes I need. I cut the valances to length, and glued/stitched (depending) in some weaker ceramic magnets into the corners and along the bottoms.   Most people put a curtain rod inside the track for the door. Instead, I cut the curtain rod down, and mounted it inside the jalousie window. Gives you a lot more interior space with the door shut.  You can see how mounting it on the track would take up a lot of valuable space.   For the front and rears, I ran some thin, but hopefully strong, rope across.   The rear door's curtain is actually on the door hinges itself, and with the magnets in the bottom, it swings up with the door when it opens.   And finally, mocked up (not glued in yet) the vent for the heater fuel area. Just an extra precaution against fumes during the summer, and gives me an access if I need to install a drain or second vent. 
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Feb 28, 2016 02:32
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I have loved every thing you have done so far, but i HATE that choice of curtain fabric! Everything else is so cool, and then you get unironic granny curtains. Anyway carry on, your van is amazing.
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Feb 29, 2016 00:37
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Paint the dragon panel, get the dragon printed on the curtains
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Feb 29, 2016 00:44
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Elmnt80 posted:Paint the dragon panel, get the dragon printed on the curtains I have been contemplating this. Or maybe take the curtains and make three color stencils and paint the dragon on the white side of the curtains, then put the white side out? I dunno. The dragon's legacy must live on, but the body work means that panel NEEDS to be painted. Some of the Sheep posted:I have loved every thing you have done so far, but i HATE that choice of curtain fabric! Everything else is so cool, and then you get unironic granny curtains. Anyway, onwards. I'm deciding to do a small (like, 100 or 200 watt) solar panel with the bus. To that end, I want to add a third battery, specifically for the solar panel. This does two things for me: it gives me more power when I need it, like in an extended power outage at the house or something, and it separates the solar battery from the emergency second battery in the engine bay, in case either system fucks up hard. I needed to build a battery box underneath the bed.    The battery box is 8x13x10. It looks like it is suspended from above, but that would be stupid. It's actually sitting on that front leg you see by the heater, and the rear is on the "hump" of the floor.  Added a hinged door to secure the battery. Hinge on the left, big metal hook on the right.   Also preparing the roof for the wires in from the solar panel. I'm really digging anything made by Blue Sea Systems. Not a paid endorsement, but everything is made out of UV-resistant plastic and rubber, and is built to be in wet areas and operated with big chunky switches by people sloshing around on the water. I really like it.  Here's my current plan, once the panel comes in. I already have the top two batteries, and just went to install that third one today. The inverter will be powered completely separately from the rest of the system, and my current house battery will become mainly a stereo and emergency engine backup battery. 
Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Feb 29, 2016 |
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Feb 29, 2016 02:36
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The van is coming along great. Isn't it a "bad thing" to have a regular battery inside the passenger compartment due to off-gassing while charging? Or is that one of those 'old man' things that I just grew up with and accepted as truth?
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Feb 29, 2016 02:45
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The under-bed area is vented, but you're correct. And it's probably not too great to have the heater intake right by the battery, either. But I'm hoping for two things. 1: hopefully the heater and the peak solar charging won't be happening at the same time, and 2: any airflow (like driving) very quickly vents out that area from the side vent and the air intake. My plan is also to get a gel or marine battery for that compartment, too. I had an optoma, but one of the cells exploded when I tried to charge it a few weeks ago. Whoops. Having the battery charge in the same compartment as the inverter seems like a recipe for disaster, though. I'll have to figure that out
Queen_Combat fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Feb 29, 2016 |
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Feb 29, 2016 02:53
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