Thread: Progress on the bus . . .

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Originally Posted by sharpmark

good news jb looking forward to the final post.

Thanks mate.

Originally Posted by sharpmark

by the way- at the age you're approaching - you won't have to be a puppy!!

Cheeky beggar! May your hens turn into ostriches and kick your fowl-house to pieces!

JB, it's sure looking great! Congrats and I hope the streak continues!!!

Originally Posted by johnboy

YEEHA! Things are moving again.

I'm so happy if I were a puppy I'd leave puddles.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Pete Moller rang at 3:50 pm to tell me he'd finished the bus, so shot through to New Plymouth to pick it up.

Brought it home, and parked it on the driveway where I could look at it last thing at night before I went to bed, and look at it again first thing in the morning when I crawled out.

Eye candy!

Spent some considerable time on Saturday doing little inconsequential jobs, and yeah, as Roger said, jest settin' and thinkin'.

Saturday evening the rain came . . . and it rained.
And then it rained some more.

Two inches in about fifteen hours.

And the bus leaked like a bloody colander.

sigh.

First thing was to ring Errol Ward, my upholsterer mate and tell him it won't be coming to his place Monday.
Then early today (Monday,) head to Nigel Fraser (Classic Auto Repaints,) in Opunake and ask for his assistance in rectifying this new problem.
He knows me, he knows of the tribulations we've endured with it, and he prioritised it for me.
Thanks Nigel!
He's got the gear to reach all over it --- I've got a gantry, a left-over from when we hired out caravans for a living; but this thing won't fit underneath it.

He rang back this arvo, (She took the message; I was busy elsewhere,) and said it should be finished (waterproofed but not painted,) by lunchtime to-morrow.
He also said he's practically had to fight voyeurs off with a stick!

(I know when I took it down to him this morning, a couple walked around it while Nigel and I were talking, with her taking photos of it.
She smiled at me and said "Very nice."
"Thank-you," I replied.
He said "She meant the bus; not you!" )

So hopefully that little hiccough is remedied!

Thanks again Nigel.

Damnitall but we've employed some bloody duffers on this job!

Noel McMillin had the thing sitting outside his workshop for thirteen months and didn't notice or think to mention it leaked?!?!
Donaldsons had it sitting outside their workshop for ten months and didn't notice or think to mention it leaked?!?!
Yeah right!
The 'not my job' syndrome . . . all too prevalent amongst tradies.
(No slur on the painter, Kurt Broker, all the time he had it it was inside; he wouldn't have noticed.)

Now what else can go wrong?

another sigh.

Hang tough JB, you'll get 'er, just gotta pay a few more dues. I feel your pain, been there, done that, and refused the T-shirt cuz didn't want the reminder.......
If we took out all the trade slackers and hung 'em the world population would likely be halved.............sigh indeed.

Ditto on Uncle Bob's observation on the trade slackers, jb. Sorry to hear, but the timing of the rain storm couldn't have been better for you, so much better than just after it was upholstered, and you were pulling soggy material out to dry.
So was it leaking at body seams, or gasketed joints? I recall that you did some extensive work early moving the entry door from right to left side, etc. And you mentioned Nigel saying it would be "....finished (waterproofed but not painted)...." Does this mean that he used something like a seam sealer on the outside that now has to be shot with color, all without messing up your signage? Just curious what you're having to deal with....

Sorry to hear your problems but Roger nailed it. Atleast it hasn't ruined your new upholstery.

Thanks for the encouraging words folks.
(Picks himself up, takes a deep breath, and starts all over again.)

And yeah; I'd rather find the leaks now than after its been newly upholstered.
And the remedial work can be touched up before the signwriting goes on.
The cliché 'every cloud has a silver lining' springs to mind.
(Although, half a century ago, when I was in the ATC [Air Training Corps,] we were told that clouds have rocks [hills] in them!)

Nigel's using a seam sealer on it, the main cause of the leaks is a seam that runs along the centre of the roof, the full length of the body. (The roof is essentially just two panels with the compound curves at each corner formed and attached separately.)
From this seam the water tracks to various internal ribs, and drips from them.
There are various other relatively minor issues with vertical seams on the side panels, one window, and the 'weather strip' above the windscreen.

We'll make it to the Nationals, finished or not . . . we'll be there!

The heat gun worked quite well on softening it, we've spent about fifty hours over the last week removing the stuff.
Not a pleasant job.
Half filled a 200 litre (40 gallon,) rubbish bag with the stuff.

Errol finished the squabs yesterday arvo, so this morning I took it back to Nigel Fraser in Opunake to get another leak we've found sealed.
The mirrors should be painted and ready to reinstall too.

I absolutely hate trying to reverse without them!
You've got to rely upon someone else to give you directions...and you're waiting for the bump.

It goes to the electrician (Richard Cardiff,) in Okato for the interior lighting to be got ready for the reinstallation of the ceiling, (although before that's done we've got to do the insulation) and after the electrician it goes to Merv Lucas to programme the computer properly.
While it's at Merv Lucas's the Sign Shop say they'll put the graphics on it.

Then it's back out to Waitara for Kurt Broker to reinstall the ceiling.

Somewhere in there I'm hoping Dave Kinberg will come to light with the seat belts.

So near...

Light at the end of the tunnel, jb, light at the end of the tunnel!!

Thanks Roger.

Got it back from the panel shop, drove it to the electrician at Okato, and found it was leaking oil.
Bugger!
It's coming from a power steering hose, but while I was looking for that, noted that a brake line was weeping slightly too.
Double bugger!
I don't have the correct fittings for the p/s, and if I go get them, inevitably they'll be the wrong ones, (Murphy's Law,) necessitating another trip to town, and more delays, for which we just don't have the time.
We've got about three weeks before our Nationals; which is where I would like to debut it.
So...a quick call to Pete Moller: "After its been to Merv Lucas can you check out these hydraulic problems?"
"Yep; no sweat!"
Sigh of relief.
"Thanks Pete!"

So fingers, toes, eyes and arms crossed we make it to the Nats!
'Cos there's still a lot more to do to it!

I mean....what else can go wrong?

Ye Old Billings Bus is bucking a lot of baggage, isn't it, Johnboy?!! Argh!!! If it wasn't so awesome I'm sure you'd be tempted to push it over a cliff by now......one day it will be magnificent.....even if sitting on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck!!!

You definitely gotta get the bugs worked out so you can revisit that Route 66 tour in it!

Dunno about that Randy!
It's bad enough for me to drive a left-hand-drive vehicles on left-hand-drive roads...but to drive a right-hand-drive vehicle on left-hand-drive roads...I shudder to think of the consequences!


Took the bus through to Lucas's Tuesday.
Today's Thursday.
And they haven't touched it.

sigh

But on a happier note: the signwriting went on yesterday!
"Billings Ind Dist," on the top rubbing strip both sides, a larger numeral "4" between the top two rubbing strips, and the graphics exactly as suggested by Roger Spears, along with the opening bars of 'Baby Elephant Walk' as suggested by Mike. (34_40)

Thanks for your input people!
Much appreciated!

The seat belts are due to arrive some time today too, complete with anchor bolts.
BUT...seeing as how they've been sourced from the States, the thread will be sae, (unf in Pommy-speak,) whereas the captive nuts in the anchorage points are fine metric.
So I can see a visit to a wrecking yard coming up in the near future.

Originally Posted by johnboy

But on a happier note: the signwriting went on yesterday!
"Billings Ind Dist," on the top rubbing strip both sides, a larger numeral "4" between the top two rubbing strips, and the graphics exactly as suggested by Roger Spears, along with the opening bars of 'Baby Elephant Walk' as suggested by Mike. (34_40)

Thanks for your input people!
Much appreciated!.

You know of course that pictures will be required! Right???

http://www.clubhotrod.com/attachment...-babyewalk.png

http://www.clubhotrod.com/attachment...y-elephant.jpg

The Baby Elephant
So named because the obfuscation and recalcitrance of NZTA
Ensured that this project took longer than an elephant to gestate!!!
With sincere thanks to the folks from Fair Go!!

Don't know if that's going to come up with the pictures or just the url.
I'll try it.