An extremely odd week

This has been a very busy bus related week. I've not had anything stunning enough to be able to write a good blog entry about though. The highlights were...

• Multiple visits to Radio Shack with their 90% off closing sale. During this I bought a couple of duffers in the form of reed switches that didn't work the way needed and hence the buzzers also purchased were redundant. I bought far more fuse holders and switches than I'll probably use in a lifetime. Then when I went back for more fuses, they'd boxed up their electronics and shipped them to another store, leaving a pair of 5000mah D cell NiMh batteries that looked good value. After I got them home I found they were really repackaged C cells going online for half of Radio Shacks full price. Having said that, they'd be usable in my 4 D cell lantern if I can get another pair.
• A couple of visits to Carolina Fleet that ended up with my buying a used wiper motor for the bus. That turned out not to be such a bargain as it worked only on high speed and intermittent. Then, playing around, I found the old wiper motor that had been condemned by the work mechanic and which had been lying in the dirt and the rain on the ground outside for the past couple of months actually worked when sprayed with WD40 and powered up.
• Thus far I've been unable to identify where the brake pedal plunger goes and given the black widow bite of a couple of weeks ago, I'm wary of going under the bus to look.
• Extra connectors for my ammunition box power supply are on their way. Those were ordered via eBay.
• While I was at Carolina Fleet, I looked at replacement convex mirrors to replace my clouded mirrors. They had none that matched my vehicle so I looked online. eBay was by far the most expensive place with ridiculous prices. I found I could get a pair, which is lucky because both are bad, for less than $20 though shipping was $15. That price can't be beaten by eBay or Amazon.
• Work (I drive schoolbusses for a living at the moment) offered me a contract for more work starting in August. My current contract expires at the beginning of June. Clearly I'm worth reemploying but given the low $12 an hour pay for a 30 hour week that's not paid during holidays, it's barely worth returning. Basically it's not a good idea to return unless there's nothing better to do. My sole  goal from working for the school district of learning how to drive my motorhome has been accomplished.

Today I started work on the new wiper system. Given that the motor appears to work, I'm using it. The other motor could work but only if I redrill the mounting holes. One might be mistaken for thinking nothing is happening when I sit around, looking at things but in fact I'm working out various ways of doing things using available tools and supplies.

The hillbillies had used some very thick aluminum which would make an ideal spacer for my wiper pivot. I started by measuring and drilling the aluminum after cutting it to size. Then I had a disaster and broke one of my tools. This is not unusual, given that I'm working in challenging conditions with no vice nor a drill press etc. Fortunately, I don't think it's a tool that absolutely has to be replaced. 

My first attempts prove I'm on the right track. My biggest issue is not having a drill of large enough diameter for the new pivot. Without trying it in the hole on the bodywork I rather suspect I'll have to enlarge that hole too. That'll definitely need a bigger drill bit.

Thinking about the pivot arm being longer, that'll just shorten the wiper stroke a bit. That doesn't particularly worry me. The different connectors is what gives cause for concern. It would be possible though to use a short bolt instead of the pin on the original that's missing on the new pivot. 

I had hoped to get the wiper motor working and installed today but that looks like being a little elusive. In order to get it done tomorrow, a shopping trip to buy drill bits of the correct sizes was in order. Thus, since it was too late in the day to head to Harbor Freight,  I visited Lowes (hiss, spit).

Returning from Lowes (hiss, spit) with an extraordinarily expensive drill bit that cost an unbelievable $20, I quickly set to work and drilled a 3/4 inch hole with my ludicrously expensive drill bit and two 1/4 inch holes. With that, I beat a hasty retreat due to swarms of mosquitoes surrounding me in the dusk.

Tomorrow I shall cut a steel shim to fit over the aluminum. That will build the swivel up to a usable height. After that it'll be time for a trial fitting. Then I'll either need an extra shim or to drill a couple of final holes. It's coming along very nicely! Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to include pictures.