1935 Chevy school bus

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Stealth Camper
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by Stealth Camper »

ol trunt wrote:Hey SC, I'd be the first to admit I don't know what I'mm talking about when it comes to gas additives. I went with Sta-bil because it was available I guess. Of course I'll never know if it really works because I have marked my calendar with monthly start/run cycles thereby taking all the science out of it. Jack :?:

I don't know much either - have friends who have used Sta-Bil and like it...they say it works well. I found this Opti stuff for my 2 cycles and just on a wild hair tried it everywhere. And did last a long time. When I find something that works, I tend to just go on auto-pilot and not change until something pressures me like price, availability, etc.

I have a 1976 Sears roto-tiller that I bought new and has been sitting unused for several years. Am getting it back up to running condition since I now have garden space big enough to use it on. Am going to start with opti but also use this as my experimental test bed for some other types just to see if I can tell a difference. Inexpensive test equipment. BTW, I called Sears looking for parts, knowing full well that they wouldn't have any, and was told there was a "mandatory recall" on these - apparently for about 30 years... They said I should return it to the nearest store. I asked if that means they give me a new one and the Cust Service person pretty much implied that yes, that was an option... Now the dilemma - I really like the old tiller, but a new one?? Maybe I could like that, too! Strange. Recall was because the tiller can be "locked" into run mode. In reverse. Which means one could get down and have it run back over you, tilling you into the dirt. I didn't do that for the first 30 years, so probably won't for the next 30...

Looking for a very thin wall 3/8" rubber tubing that appears to be crankcase vent tube into the carburetor. Tried regular gas line but couldn't get it to go through a bulkhead without drilling and I didn't want to do that until I exhaust all other possibilities. First world, antique tool problems...
ol trunt
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by ol trunt »

SC, I'd rush on down to Sears and sawbucks and take them up on their offer before they close down--science be damned when there is something new for free! Jack
Stealth Camper
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by Stealth Camper »

ol trunt wrote:SC, I'd rush on down to Sears and sawbucks and take them up on their offer before they close down--science be damned when there is something new for free! Jack

I have seriously been thinking about it, but have used (used up!) a couple of newer tillers in the years since and this thing is a tank compared to them! If I can get it running again, it will be better than anything new I have seen for a couple of decades! I have a borrowed Troy Bilt that is about 12 years old that appears to have crankshaft bearing gone - still runs - sort of - but there is a lot of slop causing the magneto to not quite line up right for spark and seems 'weak' compared to new.

May go with Cub Cadet next time...sister got one a few years ago that seems to be bullet proof - working about acre and half. Just keeps hanging on.

Geez...just looking at that...how old do ya have to be to stop talking about 'years' and start referring to 'decades'...?


We got a blast of winter yesterday, like most the rest of the country. Started out 57 deg in the morning when I was changing out a taillight lens on my car, south winds at 10 mph. Made a 30 minute phone call and now was 26 with 20 mph north wind and light freezing rain! Gotta love the schizoid weather we get here. Travel trailer is hanging in there at 55 degrees!!
ol trunt
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by ol trunt »

SC. Travel trailer at 26 degrees? Thats gotta suck!
"Geez...just looking at that...how old do ya have to be to stop talking about 'years' and start referring to 'decades'...?"
:lol: :lol: I've long since quit talking about decades--sometimes I question buying green bananas! Jack
tango
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by tango »

"At my age...I don't buy long playing records anymore."

---George Burns
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by Stealth Camper »

ol trunt wrote:SC. Travel trailer at 26 degrees? Thats gotta suck!
"Geez...just looking at that...how old do ya have to be to stop talking about 'years' and start referring to 'decades'...?"
:lol: :lol: I've long since quit talking about decades--sometimes I question buying green bananas! Jack

I bought green bananas over the weekend and have made it all the way to middle of Monday!! I am an eternal optimist, I guess!

Oh, it gets soooo much better...!!

We have been down to about 10 degrees this year and tonight they are predicting 7 for a low. Fun and games.

This little POS trailer has been a major love/hate thing... a few years ago we got to -18 def F for a low. This thing kept me out from under a bridge in a cardboard box, so there is that to 'love'. Several minus single digits and lots of plus single digits. Through it all, I have found most of the major air leaks and been able to manage them. Smaller ones I leave to make sure enough air turnover and just go with the electric heaters and burn some propane! Electricity bill is included with the monthly rent luckily!! (I had about a 1 1/2 year break from it in a nice NuWa Discover America that got blasted in the tornado I posted about - nice change for a little while.)

On the hate side - it is standard cheesy stick construction by an industry that is totally unregulated and pretty much without any thought towards quality, efficiency, or comfort. Some of the worst - and sadly, some of the very best - have gone by the wayside in the last 10 years, leaving potential buyers with probably more confusion than ever...! And more expensive, high-gloss, highly-hyped carp that just flat out sucks!

One of my long term projects - along with the bus conversion - is to rebuild a travel trailer I kind of "inherited" from some people for real cheap. Going to try to apply some fixed building technology to the project and get an RV that is truly 4 season. (Living full time in this thing for 11 years has given me clarity of what I require that I never could have achieved any other way.) Bus will never be that...just can't get there from here with that, but will be wonderful for 2 1/2 season....!

If one finds themselves looking at commercial RV's, just realize it leaks. Always. Forever. Cannot be made NOT to leak! So, if see outside fiberglass bonded to luan plywood - as soon as it leaks...sometimes within months of new - the luan turns to wet toilet paper. Look for Azdel - it is showing some promise of standing up better to the leaks. Still won't stop rot of the wooden frame from the leaks that will happen...

Keyword; mobiltec. Cantankerous old fart that I enjoy watching from time to time.

And Slab City is 63 deg as I write this - going to 77 later today! What the heck am I doing here...????

Hmmm...didn't mean to go all "soap-box" today...will stop now.
tango
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by tango »

Hey Jack...been meaning to ask...is there a slack adjustment somewhere on the Isuzu steering gear box? I'm not seeing anything on mine.
ol trunt
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by ol trunt »

Mine has an adjustment for the sector shaft located on the mounting side if the box but nothing for the input shaft. I'd recommend waiting to make any adjustments until you have powered up the unit and worked the air out of it. Jack
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by tango »

Thanks Jack. Roger waiting till it's all hooked up. And I did just find the adjuster. Been working on this #@!%# thing so long I had forgotten that I had cut a hole in the back of the mounting plate to access it!
ol trunt
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by ol trunt »

Hello All. Wifey and I are heading to the great outdoors! Big deal, one day er, ah. She has been very busy with her art gallery and time away is hard to come by. We'll only be going to a fairly local County camp ground, one which I was unable to get reservations for using their 30 day in advance policy. I sneaked off a couple of weeks ago and checked out the campsite mid week. It was practically empty! I cajoled the camp host into admitting that it might be possible to just show up mid week and get a spot--good enough for me! The bus is packed including fixins for a home made apple pie (I did notice a small cage full of crows in the back of the bus so I hope the drop in method proves sound or the pie might not be as delectable as I hope).

I am, nevertheless, looking forward to a quick run with the bus and if it works out there are several other real nice campgrounds to try out mid week! Jack
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by tango »

Excellent Jack! --- I'm sure Rosie was getting cabin fever from sitting around and will appreciate a good run. As always...

PIX!

They help keep the rest of us motivated and moving.
19Sprout52
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by 19Sprout52 »

ol trunt wrote:Hello All. Wifey and I are heading to the great outdoors! Big deal, one day er, ah. She has been very busy with her art gallery and time away is hard to come by. We'll only be going to a fairly local County camp ground, one which I was unable to get reservations for using their 30 day in advance policy. I sneaked off a couple of weeks ago and checked out the campsite mid week. It was practically empty! I cajoled the camp host into admitting that it might be possible to just show up mid week and get a spot--good enough for me! The bus is packed including fixins for a home made apple pie (I did notice a small cage full of crows in the back of the bus so I hope the drop in method proves sound or the pie might not be as delectable as I hope).

I am, nevertheless, looking forward to a quick run with the bus and if it works out there are several other real nice campgrounds to try out mid week! Jack
Good to meet you and see your rig. Thanks for the mini tour. Was so impressed I signed on here to read through your build. I am parked by the host.
tango
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by tango »

So...how'd that pie turn out???

(nuthin better than warm apple pie with coffee in the mornin)
ol trunt
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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by ol trunt »

Howdy "Sprout" glad to see you here. I'm not computer savvy enough to guess how you found me here but glad for a new arrival.

Tango, I'll try to post a couple of pics here using Postimmage now that photobucket --kicked the bucket so to speak. Oh, and I was allowed to release the crows so the APPLE PIE turned out GREAT!

The camp out also allowed me to test out my newly installed over the road cabin heater. Like with your little bus Tango, there isn't much room under the dash for a heater. Once I thought up using a trans cooler and a solenoid valve to control hot water flow the rest sort of fell into place. 'Lil darling puts out plenty of heat despite its only being 1 3/4" thick.

The last pic shows Honeysuckle Rose in the campground shortly after arrival. Nice and quiet with only a half dozen campers.

Here goes with the pics (I hope). The pic showing the installed solenoid valve makes it look like there is a swatch of lineoleum in the grill shell--its really just the stamped driveway concrete showing through. Jack

Image.

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Re: 1935 Chevy school bus

Post by tango »

Great idea for a footwarmer! And I can almost smell the pie. Mmmmmmmmm! Sounds like you guys had another jolly journey.
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