Different Wisdom

Discussions about all things to do with buses, trucks, and the homes made within them.

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Lostranger
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Lostranger »

So.... The toad plot thickens.

While researching body parts for my CJ5, I ended up buying this CJ7:

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1983. Mostly good tub and frame. Much better than the 5. Includes excellent hood and grill, brand new fenders and brand new windshield. Mainly needs a motor, and I seem to have one in the CJ5. Also, the 7 has power disc brakes, power steering, automatic transmission and the legendary Dana 300 transfer case. I'm pleased. I'll need a radiator, fuel tank and power steering pump, but that's doable. May later put one of my Isuzu/ThermoKing diesels in the 5. (Like I need another project.)

Discovered in the process that I'm a CJ7 kind of guy. That extra 10" of length is in the cab, and that's just where I need it. That, plus the 83 and later CJ7 wider track, make this a more roadable Jeep. And who needs a top. It ain't cold today.

Got the replacement well pump installed, and we're loving it. I put a 24v outlet under the bus in a weather proof box. When we park at home base, I plug it in. Put a pressure tank/switch at well head. Will need to build those a home before frost.

Got my utility building moved from the old place, and today I coaxed it down from it's scary perch. Might get the new floor built next week. Then, it's winch and roller work to move the building from where it is to where it will need to be. It'll be just like building the pyramids, only different.

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Glad to see that random rotation is still in play. I hate for things to change.

I won't even talk about what I'm trying to do the bus. Paint is still a high priority but so are bathroom and wood stove. We'll see what gets done first.

Best to all,

Jim
ol trunt
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by ol trunt »

I saw that first sideways picture and I thought you had decided to build a "tiny house". I was just about ready to suggest you ask Dennis for a few pointers on architecture when I realized you were just moving your shed! HA, HA. Jack
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Lostranger
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Lostranger »

Jack, I AM building a tiny house, but it's forty feet long.
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by ol trunt »

That would be a TINY HOUSE.
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somewhereinusa
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by somewhereinusa »

Jim,
Good to see you seem to be making progress on all fronts. When do you sleep?

I'm going through towed indecisions. Last summer I redid the engine on a VW Rabbit diesel and drove it all winter and spring. It really drove nice and got great fuel mileage. But, bodywork is my downfall, and it wasn't big enough to haul friends around after we got somewhere. On a whim I bought a nice 95 Land Rover Discovery, thinking I could sell the Rabbit to recoup the cost of the Disco. I really like it and everything works, and I've always wanted a Land Rover (Remember Marlin Perkins?), but on further consideration the aluminum V8 is scary expensive when it goes south and this one has over 200K on it. It also gets about 16MPG on premium. So along comes an offer to trade the Rabbit for a 98 Toyota 4 runner. It also has a real frame and the floorboards are solid, just some rust on the fenders which I can replace. Of course I had just finished making the towbar brackets for the Disco :banghead:
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Lostranger
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Lostranger »

After months of reacting to "unplanned circumstances" (wouldn't that make a great name for an autobiography), I had all but given up on getting the bus paint finished this year. I'm pleased to report that we now have a glimmer of hope, and that glimmer is the color of an ice cream truck. My friend Dave called yesterday to say that he's back from an extended summer trip and is ready to spray. Yesterday also happens to be when I discovered that something I thought I had to do next week is not going to happen. It also looks like we MIGHT be able to swing the cash.

So.... Looks like I'm headed to Burlington, NC next Monday morning to make the other half white. Wish us luck.

Best to all,

Jim

P.S. I'm a little excited.

P.P.S. I tried to load a photo of what the curb side looks like now, but TinyPic appears to be constipated this morning.
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Lostranger
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Lostranger »

somewhereinusa wrote: So along comes an offer to trade the Rabbit for a 98 Toyota 4 runner.
Best of luck with your toad stuff, Dick. We loved the old 4 Runner we used to have. I seem to recall that it was an '87. I can see where one would make an excellent dinghy.

Jim
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Lostranger
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Lostranger »

Just when I thought I all the pieces in place to finish the paint, I have other problems. We had the bus out to the lake last Sunday afternoon when a small coolant hose broke. By the time I noticed what was happening, we were overheated. Seriously. Took a couple hours to get water in to drive home. Had to stop along the way to top up again.

The next day I replaced the small, broken hose and another one near it. After that, the bus sprays oil all over the back in a few miles of driving. The immediate problem is that the crankcase is seriously overfull, but I'm not sure what the addition is. Does not appear to be water. Having oil analysis done Monday. That's the day I was supposed to go paint. Oh well....

I'll say more when I know more.

Jim
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Dennis The Bus Dweller
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Dennis The Bus Dweller »

Never a dull moment
Peace along the way
Dennis the bus dweller N.Y.
ol trunt
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by ol trunt »

Hi Jim. I haven't heard anything from you for a while. I hope you have found an easy fix for the oil problem and that you are on the fast track to repair. Try to keep your spirits up--lots of us are wishing you good luck. Jack
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Lostranger
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Lostranger »

Faithful readers will no doubt recall that when last we heard from the intrepid (insipid?) hillbilly, he was facing the aftermath of allowing his Detroit Diesel Series 40 to overheat. Big time! The kind of damage that allows mass quantities of water into the oil. As Yule Brenner said to Sanka Coffee in the delightful movie, Cool Runnings, “Whatever is wrong with you is no little thing.”

You can read more about that situation on Bus Conversions in the travel and use section, but the bottom line is that, come Spring, I plan to pull the engine and do a major overhaul. I also have a few other things planned for Spring, so we’ll see how priorities are assigned. Wish me luck.

Been a long time since I was even on this site. It appears to be running at the speed of cold molasses. Wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

Before I attempt a bit of update, I want to apologize for the fact that my photos will almost certainly be rotated 90 degrees to the left. TinyPic blesses me with such perspective. I’ve tried a couple other image hosting sites, but they have proven even worse. I’d love some help on getting my pictures right side up.

We were without internet from the end of June to the first of January, but we’re back at it now. The new home base will eventually be terrific. Three beautiful wooded acres in a great location, and we’ve been blessed with the opportunity to buy it. That makes our work here even more worthwhile.

The storage building we moved from the old place worked out well. Still no finished siding, but we’ll be taking down a number of mature yellow pines before long. My friend has a portable band saw mill, and we’ll turn all those trees into lumber. Pine makes great siding if stained or painted.

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Took some effort to get the well winterized, but it works great and DOES NOT FREEZE! Joy, joy.

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Since we can’t run a heat tape with off grid power, we use the onboard fresh water system and fill the tank on warmer days. Having the batteries and both tanks in heated space is a major winter advantage.

The well house will get also get homegrown siding.

The new Takagi tankless water heater is nearly perfect. My only complaint is that it draws power all the time. That would keep the inverter excited and quickly drain the batteries, so we unplug it except when we need hot water. I’ll eventually run it through a switch in the galley which is beside the bathroom.

Waste water has been more trouble. The new septic system cannot be installed until after we take down the pines and dig stumps. We’ll actually push the pines down with my friends large excavator, and that brings stumps out in one operation. In the meanwhile, I’m hauling waste water (combined gray/black) in a 25 gallon wheeled carrier. We bathe outside or off site as much as possible and wash dishes outside when we can. That gives me about three to four weeks before I have to dump the 105 gallon waste tank. Four trips to our old site where the septic dump is still available takes more than half a day. I’ll be pleased when that is no longer necessary, but what can you do?

The best thing we’ve done lately is buy a new wood heater. Morso 1410 Squirrel. Made in Denmark by a 140-year-old company. Cast iron. Secondary combustion. Beautiful. Just the right size.

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Installed on December 7. Worlds better than the homemade stove. Took a month of experimentation to figure out its best use. Discovered that it requires powder dry wood. That’s a problem since all the wood I worked up last summer has been in the open. It’s soaked. I’ve burned a good bit of wet wood in the new stove, but it’s a challenge. Lately I’ve been able to find enough dry stuff to keep us comfy. I WILL have plenty of dry, seasoned wood before next winter.

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This and a much larger pile came down in a wind storm. That's how all my wood got scattered on the ground. I never got it restacked and covered.

Our biggest challenge has been the lack of a driveway. The granite quarry is only four miles away, but the professional truckers think that trip is worth $100 or more just for the haul. I can’t get my head around paying $25/mile for truck service. Bottom line is that I’ve made a number of trips with my 16’ tandem trailer and the old GMC van. I can haul three tons of ABC or 3/4” washed stone. Takes a while to unload that much with a shovel, but I get it exactly where I want it, and I find great satisfaction in the driveway improvement. Still need a lot more stone. Maybe I’ll eventually bite the bullet and hire the truck.

I’ve been turning the old step van into a portable leather shop. I ran a sideline harness/tack repair shop for 20 years beginning in ’82. Kept my old Champion stitching machine. This area has lots of horses and no place to get leather goods made and repaired. This year, I plan to do less instrument building and more leather work. I can go to the rodeos and horse shows and work on the spot. I also have an arrangement to make custom axe and adze sheaths for a local blacksmith who sells a lot of custom tools.

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My stitcher was made in the 1890s. I had to rebuild the much newer (1930s) drive motor before putting the stitcher in the truck. Here it is at work.

View My Video

We also have lots of gardening space now, so….

Always plenty to do. I’ll try to be a better correspondent. Best to all from North Carolina.

Jim
Dusty
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Dusty »

Thanks for the update Jim , it's always interesting to see what you are up to .

I hope your engine work doesn't take as long as my repower :) constant distractions , eh.
58 Bedford House
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Lostranger
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by Lostranger »

Hey, Dusty. Great to hear from you. I've been wondering about your repower. Any progress?

Some of you are on busconversions.com. If not, here's a link to a piece I posted there Monday of this week. I warn you that it's long. It does talk more about the engine overhaul I'm planning. And other stuff.

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index ... ic=30168.0

Best to all,

Jim
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somewhereinusa
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by somewhereinusa »

Great read Jim, I too wondered about the named snow storm. Didn't know if it was the first or if they had been doing it for years and I just hadn't paid attention. :banghead:
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somewhereinusa
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Re: Different Wisdom

Post by somewhereinusa »

Jim,
Sent you a PM with some info you might not want to be generally known.

Dick
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