Back under the bus

Today was mostly spent under the bus. In continuation of being attacked by tools and having tools disintegrate which seems to have become somewhat of a tradition, my riveter managed to pinch some belly flab today!

This is a picture of the barrel with the extra chains and hangers from yesterday. Today I installed extra hangers on the other barrel but could only install one chain as I had only one spare turnbuckle. I'll have to install the turnbuckle next weekend..

There are two fastening systems in use so if that barrel comes adrift I will be stunned. The reason for my zealous fastenings is because if that barrel came loose while I was driving, it would drop under the back wheel and could easily flip the bus.

I had another look at my main fuse box. Another patch was riveted over an existing hole. I'd retasked it so many times that it has been almost completely rebuilt. I will work on that next weekend in all likelihood.

While I was under the bus I removed the wire leading to the reversing horn. It was very loosely wrapped around the chassis, the suspension and the brake line while at the same time dangling down in huge loops. Following the wire back, I arrived at the reversing horn which had very rusty contacts. That turned out to be an Ecco 510 which seems to have very poor reviews. For the moment I'm not even sure that it's worth testing the horn.

It's so uncomfortable working under the bus that I try to keep my under bus work to a minimum. While I was down there, I looked at the strange gizmo fitted to the drive shaft. It seems to be some kind of revolution counter but the sensor and the magnets are a long way out of line. It's almost as though it's a second generation bodge.

By now you've probably realized I'm not going to put any more barrels under the bus. I keep thinking of luxurious upgrades but they're not needed. I have been asked why the only electricity is my ventilation fans. Truth be told, I didn't feel like installing roof vents. That would have probably cost the same and added both leak potential and something to catch on overhanging branches.

People think I'm nuts for not being too bothered about electricity. Now that I've gone over to a flip phone, I have a phone that has a charge that lasts a month. I wondered if I'd miss having a smart phone but I don't. I don't know whether it's that I come from a time before smart phones and home computers but I just don't find most modern technology does anything other than provide expensive and addictive entertainment. It's very forgettable.

There are still improvements I'd like to make. The first is finishing the barrel hanger, then there is the windscreen wiper, the panels over the rear windows and the main breaker. I need to clean again and to go through stuff. Finally I need to retitle the bus as a motorhome.