A phonecall

Apparently my bus needs to show some progress. I had a phonecall today from the insurance agent who said the insurance company wants to see a toilet and a cooking area by January 13th. I'm pretty sure I can get a toilet and cooking area cobbled together fairly quickly. Thus, today I took the bus to Lowes to buy some materials. 

Looking around the shelves I found some 2x2 treated lumber and some 1/2 inch OSB with an insulating reflector. The plan is to use the OSB to line the walls with the treated lumber between the wall of the bus and the OSB. Between the OSB and the bus wall, I will probably inject waterproof foam. That's for a later date though.

The toilet will be the first thing after the driver's seat with the kitchen area next. I'll probably have a small water tank underneath the sink together with a small gray water tank. The toilet will be a fairly basic affair. All that's required is that there is a cooking and a toilet area. The cooking area only needs a microwave and a place for a kettle, crock pot and steamer. I have a deadline of January 13th for that. I should be able to meet that deadline without any problems. On the other side of the bus, I might put a dining area with a small closet between the driving compartment and the seating area. My thought is that the first thing people want to do do when they come in is to take their coats and or jackets off and visit the toilet.

Personally, I think the insurance company is rather tiresome. On the other hand, somebody might be suspicious that the vehicle might be being used for something other than a motorhome - which is fair enough. I did use it as a removals truck. I feel that while they're annoying wanting a deadline, their deadline is more than fair, given that I've had the bus for quite a while already.

On the way to the store, a jerk decided to stop suddenly in front of me. The road was wet and I did manage to stop even though I managed to skid and lock the wheels. Clearly that bus does not have antilock brakes. Interestingly, the speedometer and rev counter stopped working. I rather suspect that the odometer cable popped out from where it's supposed to be. Now I have to find that and plug it back in.

Meanwhile, continuing my trip to the store and back, acceleration was better and the bus seemed faster. Perhaps the governor is linked to the odometer cable. If so then I can adjust or remove it. There were some strange noises from the transmission and I could definitely feel the gears changing. I'll have to take a good look underneath the hood.

The plan over the next few days is to build my kitchen, dining and toilet area. The shower and bedroom will be next, followed by storage though there will be storage added in the kitchen and dining areas.