Thread: Progress on the bus . . .

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Went and saw the bus again today, sixteen days after telling Kurt that the job was not up to scratch.

"We'll get on to it early next week."

It went to him initially on the 28th October.
It's now the 27th November.

I've got other things I wish to get on with on the thing!

I'm gonna build me a bar in the back of my bus and drive myself to drink.
(Although realistically it's no use trying to drown my problems; they've proven to be too good at swimming!)

sigh

With paint tint it either matches or it doesn't, and getting to the "That's it!" point can take a lot of attempts and "That's close..." doesn't count for anything. In hindsight it likely would have been better to have rejected the color match before they installed the panels, when we first visited them that Monday morning the 17th. I expect that he's a bit bitter about having to take it all apart again, assuming they got it all assembled....

Yep.
Totally agree.

But in the relative gloom inside the building on an overcast day it didn't look (to my eyes anyway,) to be too bad.
But when I saw it outside on a beautiful clear day the difference was glaringly obvious, and reflected badly upon whoever did the matching.
It's definitely not a job that could be called 'good quality'; and I'm refusing to accept it.

It still has to go to Village Autos to finish having the tv dish and solar panels installed, its also got to go back to Merv Lucas to have the engine computer 'set' properly, as we only did what was necessary to get it mobile for its debut at the Nationals, and these people have still got 'tidy-up' jobs to do.
As well as that it has to go back to Richard Cardiff to get the lighting installed and the 240 volt (mains,) power system finalised...
So any procrastination by Broker creates ripples further out along the chain.
(Mixed metaphors there; but you get my drift...)
It's also due for its next Certificate of Fitness 5th December.
I also have to arrange for it to be checked for its Self Containment Certificate...but when?
It's impossible to organise a date for that when I don't know where it will be, or even if it will be mobile at any given point.
And there's a whole host of other relatively minor jobs that I'm wanting to do myself on it before we start using it.

Sheesh!

Rattle your dags man and get it done!
But get it done properly!

Originally Posted by johnboy

......Rattle your dags man and get it done!
But get it done properly!

.....and not to be overlooked by those in the northern hemisphere, you're heading into your active hot rodding/touring season down south, and here it is sitting in various shops instead of carrying you hither & yon, having fun with the beast and enjoying your spring/summer. You're rightfully frustrated, again....

Sorry to hear of the issues. Maybe you should get it from there and get other stuff done to it since it is just sitting there not getting touched and then take it back when he or they aren't "too busy" to get to it? Either way, I wish you the best of luck with it. Paint jail always seems to be a viscous issue. Unless you're Don.

Unbelievable!

Got a phone call from Kurt Broker yesterday.

He had been trying to colour-match the panel that has the graffiti (now vinyl laminated,) on it, and gave the entire panel a wipe with a rag soaked in thinners.

The laminate, and the graffitied signatures, melted.

Irreparable.

The original panels are (thank God!) tucked away, albeit a bit battered, buckled, and bent.

It was that graffiti that enabled us to find the origin of the bus, and to me, is a very important part of its history.

BUGGER!


Be warned people: stay away from me!
I've been cursed by voodoo, or a jinx, or a hex of some description!
There's obviously someone out there doesn't like me!

Sheesh!

Hopefully the shop that made the vinyl over lay has your file saved, can print off a new over lay, and it will be a matter of stripping off the old and installing new, just like what was there. A thought - how about having Kurt strip off the vinyl, paint that panel to match the others since he already has the paint, then lay the new clear vinyl over that matched color and be done? Just trying to make some lemonade from the lemons here....

Sorry to hear that Johnboy. Roger's idea sounds like a really good option.

JB, of course it's your project and you can toss me off the bus at any point.. (pun intended!)

But if the signatures and graffiti are that special then they should be made to stand out, someone else suggested that the panel color difference be left alone to call attention to that spot and make it as special as it should be..

Like I said, just my 2 cents.. ol' buddy ol' pal... sorry to hear of all this trouble and hope it passes easily.

Earlier this week She went through the accounts and found the invoice with the name of the outfit in Thames that did it for us.

He may still have the graphics on his computer.
A pretty long shot though.

'Advanced Digital Design'.

No contact details but.
So I found them, and rang him.
He still has it on his pooter.
There is a God!

He said he's flat out in the run-up to Christmas, but should be able to print it off sometime next week, leave it to dry for a few days, and then get it down to us.

He also said: "Tell your dumb-ass painter that solvents and plastics don't mix!"
I think he's worked that out.

So what could have had the potential to turn into a major fiasco has been defused.

Although I'm still annoyed off about it.

What was he thinking?

Thursday Broker's office lady rang to say the bus would be ready to pick up later in the arvo...all ready to go.
So yesterday we picked the bus up from Broker, he's re-photographed the old panels, painted the ceiling, and reinstalled the graffitied names.
At no extra charge.
And the colours are 'right'.

Then took it for a CoF at VTNZ.
The New Plymouth staff have never seen it before and were very interested.
"It's a Ford; why is it registered as a Chev ute?"
Because that's what the chassis is, and NZTA insisted that that's what it must be registered as.

"Why is it registered as a Goods Service Vehicle when it's obviously a motor-home?"
Because when it was registered initially it didn't have motor-home type accoutrements in it.

"Well why didn't just you throw a mattress with a few blankets and a portable barbeque in the back?"
Because NZTA got septic and bureaucratic at me and told me that that was insufficient to show the intention of the final incarnation.
'What has been seen cannot be unseen,' I was told.

"Do you want to change it to a motor-home now?"
HELL YES!
Can you do it?
"Yep; but it will cost you $7:20."
My wallet was out before he changed his mind.

So a few minutes of paper work, $7:20 across the counter, and it's now registered as a motor-home.
And it's now at Village Auto getting the final touches done to the tv and solar panels.

Monday it goes to be measured for blinds, then to Merv Lucas for finishing off the mechanical electrics.

Then out to Okato to Richard Cardiff to finish off the interior lighting.

This project has been just sooo long in the pipeline that it's sorta hard to comprehend that we may actually be approaching the finale.

It's legal, it's painted, it's watertight, there's only a few tweaks to make to electrics, Self-Containment Certification (SCC,) shouldn't pose too many problems...and it'll be time to cruise!

Unbelievable!!!

YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John, project length is a relative thing I believe. Now that my roadster is in the home stretch as well I began to realize it's taken me around 15 years to get here. If I begin to get maudlin about that I just think of how quickly Severson gets his done............

WAHOOOOOOOO!! Great news on all fronts! Glad that everything worked out with the graffiti panel, that the panels now match, and mostly that you found someone with some sanity at the VTNZ. Have you got your first TikiTour planned, or are you worn out from TikiTours for this season

Congratulations on getting very near the Finish Line! Oh, and I still say that you're crazy if you don't call the folks at Fair Go and let them know the status. I'd about guarantee that they'll be out with a camera crew to give their listeners a follow-up and some closure, and I KNOW they'll love the sign on the back of the bus!!

I'm glad to hear the ceiling issues are taken care of. Wow, that sounded too easy to get it registered as a motor home. That's good though. Good luck with the rest of it, you're so close!

Christmas coming early, congrats on the progress.

I'm with Roger on this one too, please let Fairgo people know for a follow up. I know that they have finished for the year but I'm sure they are still working behind the camera's sorting new stories for early next year. Congratulations on getting the Bus this far and I hope everything else just falls into place and you and " Her indoors " can get away for a holiday break in it soon.