Lighting changes

Over the past few weeks I've been reading up on marker lights. It seems there are multiple standards which makes the whole thing pretty confusing. The basic seems to be that vehicles over 80 inches wide (my bus) need to have a standard of P3 or PC2. It further seems that currently P2 and PC lighting is generally acceptable. Looking at my existing marker lights it seems that mine are all marked P3 - save for the utility trailer light I put as a quick replacement for a dead light unit.

Looking at the corner lights there's no specific legislation that says they have to be triangular. Indeed looking at school busses on the roads, the lights used for the corners vary tremendously. The legislation is still for P3 or PC2 but that they be on the widest point as close to the top as possible. 

On several schoolbusses the corner marker lights have been the standard side marker light. Some have been on the side rather than the front but all mark the corners. I did get a pair of red LED corner marker lights but given that LED lighting always seems to fail, I'm not going to implement them. Instead, these lights will be replaced by the long side marker lights at an angle to match the curve of the roof. I can just rivet sheet metal over the existing aperture.

Trying to get side lights, I started by ordering LED (on the left) when I thought LED might be a cool thing to put on. That was, until I realised LEDs do one thing well and that is to fail. This, combined with the fact they're tiny and also P2 not P3. P3 lights have to shine through 45 continuous degrees. P2 lights do not.

The schoolbus standard lights are still available but have to be ordered from a schoolbus lights supplier. Not very convenient on the road. The old-style lights just needed the bulb to be changed occasionally. The newer style clips into a base and is hermetically sealed. Presumably that leads to greater reliability though increases the amount of waste as the plastic assembly goes in the trash not just a dead bulb. It does however leave it open to replaced the lights with LED if desired.

The tractor-trailer standard light is a shade longer than the old schoolbus light which means that likely I'll have to put new aluminium channel around them. That, however, is no biggie. Aluminium channel is cheap and cut to 5 inches then riveted to the body with a hole for the cable and some sealant under it, should be fine. The clip-on, clip-off feature of the lights is greatly advantageous as they're much easier to change. The downside is they're easy to pinch.

In the bedroom I installed a new lighting unit. This replaces my earlier DIY lighting units. I wanted to switch from LED to halogen lighting and this unit will take halogen. I just find LED lighting tends to fail so often that it's more of a joke than a real source of light. It's not just the 12v stuff but the 120v light bulbs just don't last. The LED flashlights and lanterns last about one set of batteries maybe two before they bite the dust. LED is just not worth the time or money. Given that my electricity comes from solar, nobody can argue that I'm creating greenhouse gasses. Indeed, incandescent lamps are just plaster, glass and tungsten - all very easy to recycle and all very environmentally friendly. LED lights are full of nasty toxins and will not break down. There's no known recycling method either.

Meanwhile four other things are going on. First the bus is currently being repainted. That's taking a while as I'm brushing it all down with a wire brush then wiping down with mineral spirits then priming the repaining. I'm not worried about getting all the paint off. If they paint is still hanging on after a light wire brushing then it's good. Where it's loose is where I'm concentrating my focus on bringing it down to metal and priming.

The hood was quite a surprise. It turned out to be fibreglass. That explains the lack of rust around the radiator grill. I did the same and brushed the loose paint off then repainted.

The second thing is some sheet metal has been ordered. That has not yet arrived as the metal cutter at the shop was out of action. I ordered 5052 and 6061 aluminium sheet. Both will be used but they will be tested to see which is better for the back side windows. I just didn't feel like lifting 60lbs of steel sheet. I can deal with 20lbs of aluminium sheet much more easily and at the end of the day, all it does is cover windows and prevent people from breaking in. I'll have to order some aluminium strip to go over the windows that are in use and it'll all have to be painted and installed.

The third thing is brake lines. They're on pause right now because I simply got fed up of working on them. I'll get back to them though.

The final thing is the battery. That still needs to be installed under the bus. I have the bits. I just need to get down there, fiddle about a bit and put it in place.

My plan of getting the bus mobile for Easter might or might not come to fruition. Today was a lost day - I had the day off due to forecast tornadoes so I did a light unit. I have two others that I can install. There's a 3rd unit that I'm going to have to consider because it won't go where I'd like it to go. That might involve some carpentry. I did think of getting a different light unit but at the point I'm tired of buying different things because the one I bought wasn't right.

Once the painting is completed, I'll probably slap lacquer on the bus and then when that is dry, put a lot of reflective tape. That stuff really works! I was driving early one morning and a schoolbus passed across a junction in front of me. That had the tape around all the windows and along the body. I could really see the outline of a bus!

Eventually I'll replace the roof vent and the upper rear camera. The rear camera will be a challenge as I want to include a power socket so that if I want to, I can later add a flexible solar panel to the roof. That's a plan that has all the parts available but not the inclination. I suppose the final touch will be to fix the right side wiper mount which is way crooked.