Categories
Demolition

Week #5

Too many parts for a window

We took the windows that were removed last week completely apart to clean them thoroughly. It was a bit nerve wracking on the first one. After all, it IS very hard to find replacements for them. Once the first one was apart, it became much clearer how they are put together. It is rather simple actually! It takes about 45 mins to wash all the parts for one window. And there are 20 windows. Luckily this is something that can be done during the week at home with the bus in storage.

Removing more panels

We brought the bus home over the weekend to finish the removal of the side walls. The remainder of the ceiling supports were removed to get the bus down to bare bones. The side panels are bent underneath the window frames, requiring a grinding tool to get the panels off. All emergency windows had to be removed to allow a grinder to fit under the window frame, since those windows are constructed a little different. We pulled the insulation from behind once the side panels were off. Absolutely amazing how black and dirty it is back there. The bus was covered in black dust after we were done with it. We ended up with several hundred pounds of steel and a bare bus.

Wheelchair track

We were finally able to cut the last bolts on the remaining wheelchair track. Who knew that would be such a long and time-consuming process! The tool we bought on advice from our visitor from Idaho was definitely worth the money. Too bad we had to wait for the tool to cool down after each cut bolt, since that prolonged the completion of this part of the deconstruction considerably. But it worked and that’s all that matters!

Cleaning

The girls started on the cleaning. Even though a lot of the inside of the bus will be covered up, we want to make sure it is nice and clean underneath. N was very helpful to provide the entertainment. She read several books out loud while the girls worked.

Wiring

More wiring was removed from the front fuse panel, which controls the main bus operation. We started the bus, and all seemed fine. Brakes worked as they were supposed to, but now there was no display – no voltage or mileage displayed, no RPM indication and also no speed indication. It seems, once again, we cut too many wires.

Now the hunt for the right wire. We spent the entire Sunday afternoon finding all the wires that had been cut the day before. Then started the process to slowly try to find where they reconnect. And guess what. As it was getting dark and cold, we suddenly noticed there were two wires that had been missed in the reconnection process. They needed to be reconnected to allow the bus to be taken back to storage since tomorrow is a workday and we need our regular vehicle.

The wires got reconnected. The bus became drivable again, and taken back to storage. Now we have to reconvene on the last wiring bits to clean it all up again.

All in all the de-mob is pretty much complete. Time to thoroughly clean and fill the holes in the floor so we can paint it.

Categories
Demolition

Week #4

This week we did not have much time to spend on the bus. Having the bus at the storage facility prohibits spending an hour here or there when we happen to have a gap in our busy schedule. The trick is figuring out what we can do at the storage yard, and what we can bring home to work on.

The World of Windows

We want to ensure that every inch of the bus has been cleaned and all dirt/germs removed from every crack and crevice to the best of our ability. So, we decided to remove all the windows. Not only do we want to make sure that the frames and rails along with the glass are cleaned, but also that they are working properly and are newly painted. This will allow us to be able to clean the frames and install them with a lot more and higher quality caulk then the standard bus is equipped with. This will prevent leakage in the future.

Popping the windows out is fairly easy. They are locked in their frames with four clips and a bead of caulk on the inside of the bus. So just open the window, undo the four clips, cut the caulk with a knife and pull on the frame. We saved the plywood floor parts that we pulled up last weekend to cut up and reuse as blockers where we pulled out a window. This will ensure that rain and dust are kept out while we fix the windows in our workshop at home.

Extras

In addition to the window removal, we removed some more of the wiring as well as several now defunct switches of the main switchboard. After doing some research, we determined that the inside lights should not run off the bus main batteries. If we’d be at a campsite for a few days, we’d run the risk of draining the starter batteries.

Meanwhile, the flooring for the bus was ordered, as it was on sale. We will be installing waterproof laminate flooring throughout the entire bus.

One step at a time…..