Different Wisdom

[somewhereinusa]

Good job, this is one of those times to pull out the much disused lawn chair and just sit for a while and look at it. After maybe 10 minutes of that you can get back to work.

[Lostranger]

Just sit for a while and look at it.

Hard not to just stand and stare, but as Uncle Rob used to say, "That ain't gettin' the baby no shoes."

Here's a fresh shot after several scrubbings but before a coat of primer:



No time for real paint until after October. Oh well — I've waited this long.

[Lostranger]

And here is same with down and dirty rattle can primer job:



Embarrassing to show such a crummy paint job, but it will stave off rust until I can get around to real paint. Hoping today to get the inside of the new skin painted and the other right side windows removed. Should also be able to build some framing for more skin. Say goodbye to this:



Jim

[Lostranger]

All right, you guys who know something, tell me how much paint I'm gonna need. Planning to use single stage urethane with a hardener. Bus will be all white, but we'll add a blue stripe where the black stripe is currently. I've hired a pro body man to shoot it, but he's never done anything this big. l don't know if we're talking four gallons or ten.

Here's the left side of the bus as of right now. The caption above that long row of holes says it all. Keep in mind that we're living in this thing. Freaky, eh?

Jim

[ol trunt]

Hey Jim. I used PPG's Delfleet Essential (polyurethane with hardner) both on a buddies motor home and on my bus. I am very pleased with the results. good coverage and excellent shine. I've painted a couple hundred cars over the years so getting used to a new paint system seems easy to me. I would suggest that your painter use a high quality HVLP spray gun as it will save you about 50% in paint costs since the HVLP's have a high transfer efficiency. If you choose Delfleet it will need to be applied in two medium coats with proper flash time between coats--or it will sag and run. With any new to me product I grab an old fender or hood and do a quick test panel according to the mfg's instruction and then make adjustments in my application process as necessary. If you are only painting the front and rear and sides, two mixed gallons of Delfleet should be enough. Three if you include the roof. Because of the size of a bus, I would suggest painting the front and one side one day and the rear and the other side the next. If you spray the roof, add a day and do it first then mask it off with paper (plastic will stick) then do the sides. Hope this helps and good luck! Jack

[Lostranger]

Thanks, Jack. I knew you'd know. We are not painting roof. It's one large sheet of FRP. At some point I'll roll a coat of something with insulating beads in the paint.

I installed another skin panel today. Three down, five to go. Leaving early in the morning to visit my welder friend and have some body holes tigged. Hope to get one more panel and some framing done tomorrow afternoon. Film at eleven. Or sometime.

Jim

[Lostranger]

Number four panel went on just as it got too dark to see. That completes curb side skin. Hoping to get all of street side framed today and maybe one or two panels in place. We'll see. No time yet to fool with uploading pics. Sorry.

My friend the painter will be here Friday with some equipment and a helper. Our goal is to get all the new skin primed inside and out. May also work some on blanking the destination sign window.

That means I have to have all the new skin on by then....

Jim

P.S. Been a little cool and breezy the past few nights. I suspect we may have a vent stuck open somewhere.

[Lostranger]

Here's the panel I got on just before dark on Sunday night:



Takes about thirty seconds to install one. Seems to take days to get ready.

Here's the hole for the passenger window:



I knew I had to drive the bus before daylight the next morning. I cut that hole in the dark using a weak-batteried headlight and a pair of stronger-than-usual glasses. Took the photo in absolute darkness.

Here's a member of Mr. Lonon's welding class posing while knocking out steel thread inserts in preparation for mig work.



A young man named Brandon welded 44 holes, each 1/2" in diameter, in Sophia's aluminum upper body. Hertz had lighted signs at each of the corners. I'd dreamed of having that job done since the first time I saw the bus. After Brandon finished his work, his classmates ground and sanded the welds. I stood and watched and answered many questions about bus conversion. It was a delightful time, and I was out of that nice shop and headed home before eleven.

More photos later. My pictures are one panel behind. For now.

Jim

[Lostranger]

I have much to report, but Tinypic appears to be constipated, so it will have to wait. Stay tuned. Much new skin today. I hope.

Jim

[Lostranger]

Oh, the thrill. The skin is ON! Photos ASAP.

Feels like now we can actually start the conversion.

Jim

[Lostranger]

Maybe I can get a few photos posted this morning.

After weeks of preparation and process, the driver's side skin came together last Thursday and Friday. Here are some random shots:

































And that's all I have to say about that.

Best to all.

Jim

[ol trunt]

Sort of speaks for itself! Now you can "begin" the conversion. Looks perfect. Jack

[Lostranger]

Looks perfect.

Thanks, Jack. I could not be more pleased with the skin job, and yes, now the conversion begins. Or at least shifts gear.

When we pulled a trim panel behind the driver's window, I found this:



Can't read the scribbles, but I suspect they are signatures of two people who worked to build our Sophia. I plan to email the photo to Gillig and see if anyone recognizes them. I'd love to talk to someone who put her together. I should have added my signature in the same cavity with a note about the conversion, but I didn't think of it in time. I've been so driven to complete the skin that I've had trouble thinking about anything else.

It would have been a waste of effort anyway. The only way that panel is coming off is in the big shredder. I should be long gone by then.

Jim

[Lostranger]

I realized that I've never posted a shot of the curb side in full skin. Here goes:







New skin makes the old, crappy door look even — well — crappier. That changes in November. New door just before we paint.

All the new windows are in:







Was too dark to shoot street side with new glass. Not quite finished reinstalling driver's window anyway. Should get that this morning. Don't have any choice. The clock is ticking. This Thursday, I'm putting wife, daughter, granddaughter and two disreputable musicians in bus and heading for Pennsylvania.

Darndest thing! Something about reskinning made the bus longer:





Not sure how that happened, but since we full time, we can always use the extra room.

Best to all,

Jim

[somewhereinusa]

Looks good. How did you add 10 feet to the left side and only 5 to the right?