The only bit I can't make myself!

In order to replace the damaged plastic solar panel with a solid, metal solar panel it seems I need a shim. The front panel above the windscreen has a curve on it toward the bottom that starts about half way up. That is unwelcome and unexpected.

Holding up a ruler to the front panel and keeping it pressed against the flat portion, another ruler was used to measure the difference between the straight edge of the ruler and the curved portion of the panel. It turned out that using a 1 inch tall shim, the full 43.25 inch length of the panel, the shim would have to be 1/4 inch thick at the bottom and 3/16th inch thick at the top. That's quite an appreciable difference!  That is something I'm going to have to buy, machined like that.

While I was it it, I measured the back windows. That fridge steel is just too darned thin to weld properly. Even with my MIG welder, it'll be a bit thin. If needs be though I'll try with 0.25 wire if its available with a flux core. The three windows at the top that aren't filled in measured 20.5 inches by 25 for the sides and the top door window is 31 by 21 inches. The bottom window will have to be redone as I'm unhappy with the result. It's watertight but not a good result. I asked about 9 gauge steel but I think 11 gauge would work better. Maybe even 14 gauge.

While I was in the bus today I heaved out another pile of garbage to take to the dump. You wouldn't believe how much space can be gained by disposing of packaging. In the last few weeks I've pulled out probably half a pickup full of garbage.

I had it in mind to replace the self-drilling screws in the access panel over the rear door with rivnuts and #8 bolts. Thus I started and the first hole that I enlarged with my step drill went too bit. That was my fault as I'd used the wrong step bit. That led to consternation as now a #8 rivnut wouldn't fit the hole. Fortunately though I had some bigger rivnuts. Using the correct step bit the hole was enlarged and the new rivut fitted. That led to another problem - after spending a while hunting for the correct rivnut tool adapter and installing the rivnut using that tool, the rivnut just spun in the hole. The rivnut tool couldn't crimp it tightly enough.

So with the rivnut not properly tightened, it couldn't be used. Fear not - the caveman method of installing rivnuts is always available. That involved using a bolt, a washer, a nut and two wrenches. The process was pretty simple. Screw the nut to the head end of the bolt, put the washer on the bolt then screw the bolt into the rivnut. Using the first wrench, hold the head of the bolt steady. With the other wrench, turn the nut clockwise. There's plenty resistance but when the rivnut is tight, resistance increases tremendously. It took a complete turn of the nut to achieve nirvana. As I had only 6 quarter inch rivnuts, I used just one and did the other 8 rivnuts using my #8 rivnuts but with the correct step bit.

Looking at the bus, it desperately needs to be out on the road. There's damaging green mold growing over the external surfaces - even on the paintwork. I noticed also that the rubber on the hinge side of the door is disintegrating. That will be interesting to replace.

When I was out shopping, yesterday, I picked up a few goodies - some welding wire for my gasless mig welder and I did have a look for more breathing masks - nobody wants to breathe in welding fumes. The coronavirus panic has caused the public to sweep the shelves of any kind of mask. The vast majority of face masks are not proof against coronavirus. Certainly none of the Harbor Freight masks are - they're just there to block smoke particulates etc. Viruses are way smaller.

There was a gripe about my power connector the other day. I haven't been using it yet there were allegations that I had and that I'd been using vast amounts of power. I pulled up the power cable, disconnected from the distribution panel and pulled up the pole I'd driven into the ground. That pole was hard to remove as the ground. It had 4 feet of ground suction. That took some levering!

I've not yet installed the power pole in its new location but that'll probably be done next weekend. I'll have to get a long power cable too since my existing 20A cables for the bus just aren't long enough. That'll give me the opportunity to get a 30A cable. It has always been my desire to upgrade the bus power system to the designed 30A.

I made a slight error a few days ago. I ordered and paid for this little measuring gauge. This is actually a pretty good little gauge. The money would have been better put toward a real micrometer though. I have a digital calipers and a manual 1cm gauge. A micrometer would have been more versatile.

How much has been spent on the conversion? That's the perennial question. I honestly don't know. I was submitting all my receipts to be collected and entered. The first time some were entered, the file was lost (Windows being Windows). Then the receipts were piled into a drawer and nobody has entered any of the data. I have a ton of receipts in the bus but already some are fading away to invisibility. It would be nice to have the information rather than guesstimates but it just looks like nobody is going to add them all up again.

This weekend coming is a 4 day weekend. I've done virtually nothing for quite a while. I need to get on and complete what I'm doing with the bus. The projects waiting to be completed...

1. Replacing the roof vent

2. Replacing the vandalised solar panel

3. Putting steel sheet over the back windows.

4. Fixing the broken solar cable.

5. Putting sealant around the digital door lock. 

6. Switch the charge controller over.

7. Find the bad battery/batteries and replace.

8. Put a way of powering the security cameras via solar power for when I'm parked.

9. Put a way of keeping the driving batteries topped up from solar power. 

10. Paintwork - some of the grey is flaking and needs to be redone. The roof paint also needs fixing where that too is flaking.

Once all that is done I'll have to give thought to installing an air tank powered by a 12v air pump. That would allow me to inflate soft tyres and operate air tools.