Different Wisdom

[Lostranger]

None of my tires are balanced. I'm not aware of any shop in this area with the capability. I never had any tires balanced on the Flxible, either. I've never considered it necessary. I notice no tire vibration at any speed. Maybe I'm just numb.

Jim

[LuckyChow]

If they're not bouncing, no worries. We don't balance the rears at work either. However, I usually do on my own stuff ------ why I'm not sure.

So, tell us what you are working on today. And, give us an update on what toys you purchased on your Elkhart trip.

[Lostranger]

Not much bus progress to report. Ended up not buying anything extra in Elkhart. Purpose for the trip was to replace one of the windows I bought last summer. It had a broken seal. We did that and bought a spare which could replace any of the four main windows should that ever be necessary.

I've not even gotten the lights all reinstalled following the paint job. Too much to do. I am planning to reseal the blank plate we used to cover the destination window. Gonna use the 3M 5200 in spite of the fact that it takes so long to cure. I have most of a tube left, and it is strong once it sets. I'm also going to install the new Marinco Stainless Steel shore power connector and run the big wire from it to the inverter. Maybe today. I didn't even know that they made a stainless version until I was recently researching a better way to connect our internet cable to the bus. With an eBay search reading "Marinco stainless steel," I found lots of interesting stuff. The matching cable/phone connector came last week, and it will sit beside the 50 amp shore power connector. They look much better than the plastic shore power connector.

The holdup on the shore power connector has been enlarging the hole through the 1/4" plate that forms the tub of my bus. Has to be much larger for the 1" plastic conduit that will hold the #4 wires from the connector. I'm gonna buy a cheap pneumatic die grinder from Tractor Supply today. I think it will allow me to reach inside the hole in the outer skin and grind out the hole in the heavy stuff. We'll see.

The current good news for us is also bad news for bus progress. Two of our children have agreed to watch my mother the first week of July. That means Beverly and I will be able to teach a banjo building workshop at Tennessee Tech's Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN. We thought we were going to have to miss, and I am way behind on preparation. I'll be mostly buried in the shop for the next few weeks creating banjo kits for 8 people. We always love teaching. Thrilled to be able to make this event. Right after that, I'll be back to doing paint prep.

I'm thinking of buying an inexpensive tankless water heater on eBay. Brand is Marey. 3.1 gal/minute. Battery ignition. Looks good, no negative reviews, and the price is right. Anyone have experience with this brand?

Best to all,

Jim

P.S. I have now found MANY negative reviews on the Marey water heater. I've changed my mind.

[Stealth Camper]

The current good news for us is also bad news for bus progress. Two of our children have agreed to watch my mother the first week of July. That means Beverly and I will be able to teach a banjo building workshop at Tennessee Tech's Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN. We thought we were going to have to miss, and I am way behind on preparation. I'll be mostly buried in the shop for the next few weeks creating banjo kits for 8 people. We always love teaching. Thrilled to be able to make this event. Right after that, I'll be back to doing paint prep.

That sounds like so much fun!! Do you teach this every year? We go to east TN several times a year - north of Knoxville - and that is something I could really get into! The boat building one looks good, too!

[Lostranger]

That sounds like so much fun!! Do you teach this every year? We go to east TN several times a year - north of Knoxville - and that is something I could really get into!

Smithville is S/W of Cookeville and a good bit west of Knoxville. This will be my first time teaching for Tennessee Tech. They got my name from Warren Wilson College where I teach occasional classes. Teaching is still a new thing for me, but it's always a blast. I love the idea of helping folks get a good start on something that took me decades to learn. I usually have one or two people taking private building lessons at my shop. The classes are intense because they require a compressed time frame.

I hope the TTU gig will be recurring, and I'm looking for other places that want to offer classes and workshops on instrument building. I also build guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and upright basses. Bass building, however, does not lend itself to short time frame situations.

What's the name of the place north of Knoxville?

Jim

[Lostranger]

Here are a few shots of my two new Marinco, stainless steel inlets. I love 'em. Would love 'em even more if they were installed.









And here is what a half dozen block-style banjo rims—with a few spare blocks—looks like at an early stage:



Eight blocks per layer times three layers per rim makes for a lot of blocks. Two other rims have already been glued. I have about ten neck blanks also kicking around the shop, but I don't have a photo of those. I usually build in sets of three, so the shop seems extra chaotic. I'm also building my own rim lathe as part of this prep work. That will save me an hour-and-twenty-minute round trip to use the one I built for Warren Wilson College. This will be an attachment for my ShopSmith Mark V. Hopefully all the pieces will be here in time.

LuckyChow, that's the edge of your fresh tank in the shot of the rim blocks.

In spite of all I have to do, I'm spending a major block of today babysitting Grandson Jett. How could one man be so lucky?

Best to all,

Jim

[LuckyChow]

Love those Marinco SS inlets. That's what I'm using as well. I didn't put in one for the phone/tv though. I guess I could always add it later. I've only stayed at one campground that offered cable tv.

Hey, that's my tank! When the dust settles on your schedule, let's plan something.

[Stealth Camper]

That sounds like so much fun!! Do you teach this every year? We go to east TN several times a year - north of Knoxville - and that is something I could really get into!

Smithville is S/W of Cookeville and a good bit west of Knoxville. This will be my first time teaching for Tennessee Tech. They got my name from Warren Wilson College where I teach occasional classes. Teaching is still a new thing for me, but it's always a blast. I love the idea of helping folks get a good start on something that took me decades to learn. I usually have one or two people taking private building lessons at my shop. The classes are intense because they require a compressed time frame.

I hope the TTU gig will be recurring, and I'm looking for other places that want to offer classes and workshops on instrument building. I also build guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and upright basses. Bass building, however, does not lend itself to short time frame situations.

What's the name of the place north of Knoxville?

Jim

I will have to keep an eye out for that - hoping to retire one of these days - sooner than later! And can do all that stuff!!

Monterey is where I normally turn off to head northeast....15 miles east of Cookeville.

Scott County. Around the Huntsville, Helenwood, Oneida area - way down the holla'... Near the Kentucky border. Big South Fork park is right there - beautiful place. Great camping and place to visit without the Gatlinburg crowds. They stocked the park with bears a couple dozen years ago, and one of them has drifted out and lives back behind the old home place (SWMBO family). Also a couple of cougars float around the area. Lots of dogs get dumped in the country and get 'adopted' by a sister - I call them the "porch hounds" - and sometimes they go out after the lions or the bear. When they chase the lions, they get chewed up a little bit. When they go after the bear, about half of them don't return and the the ones that do are chewed up a whole lot....

Billy Carson of Scott County got stupid there this year at the Trace Atkins concert - at Brimstone Mountain - running over people...drunk idiot....

[Lostranger]

Greetings Friends,

We're still alive, but several things have changed. We had to move home base and out of the shop I've used for the past 12 years during the month of June. Kept us a bit busy. The banjo building workshop at Tennessee Tech went well. Still working on the aftermath of that as I slowly set up my new lutherie shop.

Done a bit to the bus. Here's our new Sundanzer refrigerator. Could not be more pleased. Running on 24v DC. Of course it's drawing from my battery bank, but I can't tell it with the limited monitoring equipment I have. Not sure how we lived without it:



And here is the other new appliance:



Of course TinyPic rotated it 90 degrees left.

It's in a temporary position, and UPS lost the attendant venting parts, but it's wonderful to have hot water in the bus again. Leaving home base meant leaving our utility building with its kitchen and bath facilities. Having everything in the bus is better, but I don't yet. Bathroom is about to get major completion work. Outdoor showers work great in this weather. So far I am thrilled with this Takagi, and I will never buy anything else from Rheem.

Been in contact with my painter. Looks like mid-August for the rest of the whiteness. That is, if I get the new door made in time. We'll see.

Bus did great going to middle Tennessee and back. I have a coolant leak and a hydraulic fluid leak, but they don't keep us from going. Spent the first couple nights of this week at Linville Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Everywhere we go, people love the bus. We do, too.

Best to all,

Jim

[LuckyChow]

Glad to see you back Jim! Also very happy that the Gillig ran well and you didn't have any further problems. I really like your fridge and I know you guys are happy to get it in. I imagine that fridge is extremely efficient. Can't wait to see it this fall.

The heat here has been extreme for comfortable camping. Mid ninety's during the day makes getting outside and running around not so pleasant. I've been working on my shower, trying to get the walls finished on it. Had a week delay waiting on panel adhesive. My walls are not porus, so I had to buy a 3 gallon bucket of "advanced Polymer" adhesive that does not need a porus surface to cure. $135 later, it's here. Of course I will have 90% of it left after putting up my three panels. This stuff is basically like thin Sikaflex (also moisture cured) so I'm sure the shelf like after opening will only be a couple weeks. If you need any of this, I will have lots left over. Just make it known you'd like to have it, and it's yours.

All the best,

[somewhereinusa]

Good to hear things are going well, if not as originally planned.

It's in a temporary position

I think my whole bus fits that description. The need for something to work now, before the ten other things needed to be done to make it permanent, seems to take precedence.

[Lostranger]

The need for something to work now, before the ten other things needed to be done to make it permanent, seems to take precedence.

Amen and amen!

[Lostranger]

I mentioned earlier that we had coolant and hydraulic leaks during our middle Tennessee trip in early July. Soon after that trip, the water pump sprung a serious leak around the shaft. I found a good, American made pump on eBay for about $70. I've learned to not search for parts under Detroit Diesel Series 40. A search for International DT530 found the pump listed by a diesel shop in Louisiana. Service was great, and the pump looked good — especially after it took on its true color:





One of the seven holes takes an 8mm bolt rather than a 5mm, and the big one was stripped. It also held an exceptionally long (60mm) bolt. After some inconclusive research, I rethreaded the hole for a Helicoil and used a 45mm bolt. Seems to work fine.

With the pump back on, however, my leak was worse than ever. Not the pump, but somewhere near the bottom of the engine. I limped the bus six miles to a fiends shop — had to stop once to top water — where we could get under it. Problem was a 1-1/4" silicone hose that used to feed the air handler. It was lying beside a hydraulic hose, and the constant motion of the hydraulic system had rubbed a hole in the coolant hose. A galvanized coupling and a couple clamps fixed that. I've since bought two spring loaded clamps for that spot, but they're not yet on.

Learned in the process that I've been operating with a misunderstanding about my engine. I thought that DD had contributed something — software, at least — to the Series 40. They did not. It's merely a DT530E painted green. Wouldn't be surprised to learn that International applied the green paint. I knew that Caterpillar makes the fuel management system, but that's true for all the DT series. International and DD entered a "distribution agreement" in 1997. My engine is a '99.

Not that I'm complaining. International does not refer to this engine as "The Legend" for nothing. I could not be more pleased with a power plant for our needs. I'd like to get the fuel economy up a bit, but I have a twofold strategy for that. More later.

Our new home base is wonderful. The property includes a good well that hasn't been used in over 10 years. Since we use off-grid power, I spent a chunk on a good, DC, submersible pump from Advanced Power in Oklahoma. Excellent track record according to my research. Arrived in four days looking like this:



Got it in the hole a couple days later. Hooked it directly to my battery bank at the fuse panel to try it. We could feel it stutter a bit, but we never got water. Several hours of pulling the pump and trying stuff had no effect. That was a Saturday.

When I called the company on Monday, the man was skeptical. He was convinced that I was doing something wrong, but he said he would send a pickup tag through UPS. He did NOT agree to send a new pump until after they inspected. I was not happy. I let the dealer I'd bought through know about the issue, and he prevailed on Advance Power to ship me a pump on Wednesday. They got the pump on Friday and found the manufacturing error. One of the pump head bolts had been improperly torqued, and that allowed water into the motor. They called me to apologize. I'm supposed to get the replacement today.

This was the second major appliance I've bought recently through Sunshine Works in Tennessee. I can't imagine how we lived without our Sundanzer DCR225 refrigerator. It's marvelous. Ron Castle is the man at SW. He has a low price guarantee, and customer service is adequate. It would be outstanding if he could manage to respond to email more quickly.

I'm soon to address the leak in the hydraulic system. We found it while we were searching for the leaky coolant hose. The hydraulic cooler can pivot away from the radiator thanks to this fitting:



OF COURSE Tinypic rotated it 90 degrees left. I've never been into one of these, and I've not yet found anyone who has. It appears to use o rings, and it has a snap ring on top. I've not been willing to tear it down because I can't afford to have the bus immobile right now. Maybe later this week.

And one more thing, I've bought a toad. At least I've bought a POTENTIAL toad. It's a 1976 CJ5, and it's in almost as bad a condition as you could imagine:



Rotated again. Arrgh!

The rust was bad enough before the tree fell on it. I need a hood and a windshield frame right away. I'm ordering a new frame and seals on eBay.

Came with good fenders and a new panel for the back. It's actually in pretty good mechanical shape, but it's too early to tell if I can save the body tub. I've always wanted a CJ, and the price was right. A friend traded for it about five years ago as a project, but he's too busy to fix it. I'll take over.

Some of you know that we've had a "no toad" policy, but we've decided that we would at least like to have the option. I don't even have a hitch, but that looks like not too big an issue. This little Jeep is far from ready to be pulled anywhere.

Hopefully I can get the new bus door made soon. That's about all keeping me from painting the right side and front. I have a pile of instrument work to do, but it's mostly waiting on finish work, and it's been too humid to spray lacquer.

Hope all are well. I'd love to hear how the other projects are coming. Jack, are you gonna give us an MC9 thread on this BB?

Best to all,

Jim

[Lostranger]

Jack, never mind my comment. I remembered your thread here. Sorry.

[ol trunt]

Hey Jim. Thanks for the newsy update. I wish others on the forum would do the same a little more often. Like I should talk! I'll try to do better. I was concerned when I heard you had to move as your previous location seemed to suit you. I'm glad the new digs are OK and I hope you didn't loose too much momentum due to the move.

I am glad to see a Toad in your collection. Everyone I talk to who has a Toad seems glad to have it if only as an insurance policy. Clarence, my Toad, certainly is not as robust as your jeep but I still hope I'll be able to count on him in a pinch.

Jack