One more light, a bunch more problems...

Today in a spare moment I decided to change one of my lower amber marker lights. Did I say spare moment? Silly me as I meant a spare couple of hours or rather, they weren't actually spare but it took a couple of hours to complete a 20 minute job.

The first problem was found when I enlarged the right-hand screw hole. That turned out to be at an angle (Does it really surprise anybody that Carpenter gave up bus manufacturing) which had the knock-on effect of forcing me to move the whole marker light half an inch to the right - closer to the front of the bus. Having done that I could install my 8-32 rivnuts with no problem.

Then I discovered the big hole that Carpenter made for the wires was so off-center that I had to file it out on the right. Cue some more cursing! Eventually having moved the light position I was left with a hole on the far left that needed filling. That I drilled out and put a rivet in. Of course I was using a hand riveter and that rivet - which I'd thought was aluminium - turned out to be steel so it was quite a challenge to get the rivet in using that little Harbor Freight hand riveter. I managed it though.

Checking the wires with a multimeter there was way less resistance than I would have expected. Once the new light was connected and powered up, it lit as well as expected, proving meter readings can be worthless.

Still, at the end I had a much nicer looking, much brighter new marker light. I did start work on the marker light the other side....

That is where I stopped for the day however. Both of the screw heads are crumbling. That means I will have to cut the wire on the light unit, tear the plastic to shreds and undo the screws with a pair of pliers. Then it will be a case of removing the aluminium bracket, prepping and working it as the last light. I just hope Carpenter got the light in a better place this time!

I have to say Carpenter's workmanship has been extremely questionable. They went bust in 2005, 11 years after this bus rolled out of their factory. There are areas where the steel has just been bashed into place with a hammer and it shows. It doesn't harm structural integrity but it does look a bit strange.

Another small step.

Today there was a kinda plan to work on something but the day started slowly with my being tired having woken several times in the night, at least one time with acid reflux having eaten too late. The vast majority of the day was spent doing nothing but when the sun went behind clouds in the evening was when things started to happen. It was 92F in the shade, after all.

There was no actual planning involved but I pulled out both of the aluminium sheets then having drilled the requisite 8 holes in the one sheet that had not been drilled - using the first sheet as a template, I set to and removed patches that I'd put over hillbilly holes in the bodywork and put my two new aluminium panels in place.

Tools used today:

• Air compressor
• Air hammer
• Air drill
• Air riveter
• Rivets
• Battery drill
• Drill bit
• Step bit
• White spray paint
• 8 x No 10 self-drilling hex-head screws
• Hex driver for the No 10 screws.
• Dynatron caulk
• Old plastic packet
• Old envelope
• Paint thinner.
• Set of kitchen steps

One of the aluminium patches was hard to remove. Drilling the rivets out with the drill bit didn't achieve an awful lot. Using the step bit got the rivet heads off. The patch proved well attached by whatever I'd used as a sealant so the air hammer came in to chisel it out.

In the bottom left of the picture I'd already removed the patch and sprayed it with paint just to keep potential rust at bay

The next step was to hold the aluminium sheet in place. I chose aluminium rather than steel because it's so much lighter. All it has to do is to provide a rigidish cover over blanked off windows. It helps to provide a bit of security by looking more secure than it actually is. With luck also it will assist in keeping the bus cool since there's a gap above and below. The top gap is hidden by the gutter. That might produce convective airflow, keeping the bus cooler.

Holding the aluminium in place and using a short self-drilling screw in the electric drill with the hex driver, I made the first hole in the body and the first anchor point for the aluminium sheet. That was the hardest part. Each subsequent hole was far easier as the sheet was already anchored. The steps got me up beyond the first pair of holes.

With the panel screwed in place, the next thing was to test the bus electrics in case I'd damaged wiring hidden behind the bodywork. That test went fine so I proceeded to the next step. That was squeezing caulk around where water might seep into the construction. I have to say I like this Dynotron caulk. It seems to be what the original bus builders used.

Next I screwed it all back into place and watched as the caulk squeezed out from the edges. Where it didn't I later applied caulk and formed it using an old plastic packet. Before that though came the riveting. Every other screw was removed and the air drill used to drill-out the holes to be rivet sized. Having done that I used my air riveter to put the rivets in. I've gone through several hand riveters and long handled riveters. They work but they fail quite often. The air riveter is prone to jamming too and I was lucky to get away with 16 rivets total without an issue today. Using an air riveter isn't much faster but it does seem to work better.

Once all the rivets were in and the  caulk applied and dried for 10 minutes, it was time to add spray paint. The old envelope came in there to block over-spray. 

Having put two different grades of aluminium sheet on the bus I have to say that I find no practical difference between 5052 and 6061 which leads me to the conclusion that I might as well just use 5052 for the rest of the window covering. 6061 is so marginally stiffer that I can't say it makes a noticeable difference.

Now that these sheets of aluminium are in place I can change out the two lower marker lights at the front. I still have to buy the two red marker lights for the sides at the lower back. I still have to buy the aluminium sheets for the other windows too.

The next logical step since I have the parts is to do the roof vent and the last three front marker lights while remembering the mid-light at roof level on the driver side still needs attention. I want to do what I can without buying extra bits for the moment. There are several projects that can be completed that have been waiting (like the roof vent) for several years.

Just a couple of hours for this light...

Every light replacement has come with its own unique set of challenges from rotted screws to stuck screws and more. This was no different. 

Pulling the lens off, it was amazing to find that the screws were barely rusted. The lens, however, was beyond redemption. It was cracked and therefore the cause of water leakage. Out of curiosity I tried fitting the lens from my Harbor Freight clearance light on instead of the cracked lens because frankly the rest of the light was in good shape. The U bracket it was mounted in was very firmly attached with plenty adhesive. Sadly however the Grote base did not accept the Harbor Freight lens. I noticed that was the lens that fell off a few years ago and had to be patched into place with silicone goop. It was time to replace it - way past time.

Unscrewing the rusty screws was pretty straightforward as was easing the U bracket off with a pocket knife. From there I did go down some routes that didn't work out and had to be undone before finally getting it right.

The first thing was to put the new light in place and unlike yesterday, remembering to put the foam sealing pad behind it. I had to go back to yesterday's light and put the foam pad in place so it was properly weather sealed. Then it was a case of tinning and soldering the wires before using shrink-on insulation. 

Next I drilled out the two screw holes and installed a pair of rivnuts. I might go back and redo yesterday's light once I've done the roof vent, the front marker lights and the window covers. I'm still unhappy with yesterday's work and I am somewhat of a perfectionist.

After that I went over the area where the light would be mounted with a nylon brush in my pistol drill followed by spray painting the area. When the paint was almost dry I squeezed on some Dynatron caulk and screwed the new fixture plus the bracket into place and popped the lens back on.

The caulk might get some white paint when it's dry but that'll have to be done with a brush. I have no plans to do this yet. The white paint is to reflect heat to keep the inside cooler. The grey won't add that much to extra heat so it's probably not worth doing.

Lights done so far...

• New lenses and gaskets on 4 turn signal lights
• New lenses and gaskets on both 7" brake lights
• One brake light totally replaced (4")
• Both reversing lights replaced.
• New lenses on all 4 corner markers.
• One headlamp replaced.
• 5 marker lights totally replaced.

Lights remaining to do...

• Three amber top markers - these need to be done after replacing the roof vent as I'll be clambering over them to access the roof vent.
• 4 side markers - These can be done from the ground and need to be done after installing the window covers.

I have two sheets of aluminium of different grades to cover the outsides of the two windows blanked off from inside. I'll have to order more to do the other windows. Given the cheaper 5052 aluminium seems to be just as good as the stiffer 6061, I'll probably go with 5052. 

5 hours to do one light, seriously?

Today it was time to start the roof level amber marker lights. When I started, I did have a thought that I might get to do both of the roof level side amber markers. How foolish!

Climbing up the ladder with a pocketknife, the lens was easy to pop off the driver's side marker light. That revealed two crosspoint screws that were amazingly in good condition albeit rusty. That was where things began to go sideways - literally.

The first screw came out easily enough. The second one was at an angle so the whole light assembly was slightly bowed which probably accounted for the leaks on that side of the bus. Anyway, the assembly was removed and the area prepared with a brush in the pistol drill then primer then white paint.

The second screw broke the Milwaukee screwdriver bit. 

Fixing the crooked screws was the first priority so a new hole was drilled. That showed why the holes had been drilled as they were. The new hole was over a roof support beam. It was necessary to drill into that to put a self-drilling screw. There was no chance of putting a rivnut in that hole so the rivnuts were left out of the equation this time. 

Thinking about it, it was probably a mistake to use the hole because there's a slight gap between the roof skin and the support. It might have been better to shift the light half an inch up or down and forward. It might even have been a good idea just to put a steel plate over the existing holes and rivet that and to put the light in a different place. It only has to be as close as possible to the center. 

I'll have to revisit this light anyway because I forgot to include the foam gasket with which it was supplied. I might just unscrew it, slap some caulk between the light and the aluminium bracket and leave it at that.

Given the fact each light seems to come with innumerable issues that have to be resolved, these lights will take a while longer. I imagine the center light on the other side will be a complete day. The three at the front should be able all to be done simultaneously. 

Tomorrow should be the time for the second middle light to be changed. Following that it'll be time for the roof vent. Then the front 3 lights then the window plating followed by the last 4 marker lights that can be accessed from the ground. After that it'll be the 2nd battery, brakelines, tires and the wiper mount. Following that, some small internal wiring issues need to be resolved.

Bulb grease to the rescue!

After struggling and failing to remove the old light unit that I was struggling with last time, I left it in place and refurbished it. The problem was the bottom screw was seized rock solid and without undoing the paneling inside to whack the back of the screw with a hammer (or indeed a G clamp that suffices for a hammer until I can find my hammer) which was just a lot more work, refurbishing seemed easier.

The first thing done (demonstrated on the spare) was after removing the lens to pop the spring, plastic insulator and wire out of the bulb holder. Then it was a case of rolling up some zinc oxide type sandpaper to fit inside the lamp holder and work it in all directions to sand the rust out of the holder. Needless to say I sanded the little brass end on the connector wire too.

Having now cleaned the old bulb holder it was time to put bulb grease inside and to coat all surfaces included the freshly scraped brass contact. With that slathered on liberally it was a simple case of inserting the bulb.

Before putting the lens back in place it was time for a quick test. With the battery connected and the light flashing, it was a case of tapping the bulb while wiggling it until it got to such a point that no matter how much it was tapped, the light stayed operating.

Having now got an operating light - which I do assure you was much quicker than dismantling the paneling - it was a case of putting the lens back on. Thus, that unexpected two day operation was drawn to a conclusion.

Next will be the operation to replace one or both of the mid bus amber, roof level marker lights. After that it's probably time to do the roof vent. That, I'm worrying about because I don't know how much corrosion there is up there and whether the rivet holes will line up etc. It's probably more worry than actual problem.

Having replaced the vent it will be time to work on the last three roof level marker lights. The four lower side marker lights will be interesting. As I want to put baffling over the unused windows and I'm not sure whether I'll drill into the wires powering the side markers, I'll leave those until I know exactly where the wires run as I might have to re-route those wires. I could be worrying about nothing but it's always best to be sure rather than have an accident.

So, the next thing will be the top side marker lights which I believe might be the cause of some dampness inside the bus.

Not another problem?

 
Today was a day of heavy showers so I didn't do an awful lot. I did test the lights on the bus with the main bus battery and the new lights sure look brighter than the old lights. The new turn signals are way better though I didn't really get to see how much better the brake lights are.  The new marker lights look phenomenal compared to the old marker lights.

There was, however an issue. The surplus right turn signal was not lighting. Thus I took the lens off and tried removing the bulb. Not a change - it was stuck fast and took quite some work to get it loose. It had rusted into place.

Well, with gentle coaxing it did come out eventually. That was welcome! That, however, revealed another problem - the bulb holder had disintegrated. That left me having to take the back of the unit off. I'm fortunate in having spare units. In replacing this, I might just use rivnuts and screw it on via rivnuts. 

Of course, the bottom screw won't budge despite gentle tapping with a hammer, spraying with PB Blaster and levering on a screwdriver. I have no doubt this will now involve removing the paneling in the cockpit and whacking the screw from the inside before removing it from the outside. Then, as I said, I will probably be best advised to put rivnuts and screw the replacement on, that way. 

This is all a massive pain in the neck. Again, the bus throws something unexpected at me! I am fortunate in having spare turn signal backs in my store.

Another blisteringly hot day

Today I realized I had just two of my aluminium rivnuts left. It seems they were 8-32 not 8-24 as I'd thought though oddly they only like specific 8-32 bolts. Despite that I did manage to install my 3rd clearance light.

The clearance light that was in place was probably still working but the screw heads were so badly rusted it was impossible to unscrew them using a screwdriver. In the end I had to rip the plastic of the light assembly apart and whack the now standing proud screws with a pair of pliers then turn them with the pliers. That worked.

I think you'll agree - all of those clearance lights had seen better days. The other lights aside from the reversing lights were OK. They just needed new lenses.

Having done 3 clearance lights I now have a further 5 roof level clearance lights and 4 at ground level. I'm trying to get all the roof stuff done as I'm using somebody else's step ladder. I have more than enough amber clearance lights to do the job but need two more red lenses.

Today two things arrived in the post. One is a roll of 3/4 inch amber conspicuity tape that should attach to the gutter. The other is much more intriguing. I ordered a data logger that was advertised on eBay. 

This is a rather splendid device that can record temperatures continually over an adjustable period. The write-up was excellent. The reality is somewhat less impressive. It seems to require a CD of software specifically for the device to be used. Thereby hang two problems. First the software is for Windows only and second, my laptop does not have a CD drive. In fact, very few laptops these days do have them.

What I want to do is to log temperatures in the bus and tie the temperatures into the times the extraction fans are running to see how much difference the fans make. 

Another leak...

Today I went to work more on the marker lights. The marker light started yesterday was completed using a pair of rivnuts. That worked well. It was all sealed with more of the magic seam sealant.

Following that it was time to look at the second and third marker lights. The second one which was in the middle looked OK but taking the lens off revealed a grounding screw that was so rusty that its head had dropped off. That left a stump to remove which came out after a few whacks with the pliers and some wiggling. After that it was just a case of enlarging the holes and inserting rivnuts then I had to put it all back together using my magic seam sealant.

Not long after doing the second marker light, it began to pour down with rain. That was an excellent opportunity to check for leaks! Though I could see no water, the inside of the back felt wet. I'm not sure why that should be. The only reason I can think of is that either one of my new light additions was leaking (which I doubt) or the seam that has not yet been redone is leaking. I'll go with that for the moment. It was always my intention to redo the seam anyway. 

I started the day by making a tool to put in 8-32 rivnuts then found I lacked a drill bit suitable for the size of rivnuts I wanted to use. However I did have a drill bit close enough to use for some 8-24 rivnuts that I had even though it meant pinching 8-24 rivnuts from something else.

The third marker light will be yet another problem - the heads of the screws are thoroughly rusted. A crosspoint screwdriver would not turn the screw. It could have a square drive but as it's not a priority for today, I left it alone. What with working in 95F in full sun at the top of a ladder, I'm limited in the amount of time I can spend working on things in a day.

A little progress then a roadblock

The first order of the day was to replace one of the reversing lights and to make sure the other was properly screwed down. That all went fairly smoothly and quickly with my being quite surprised to find the backing on the left reversing light had been a thin hardboard shim. That was very strange. My new lights have built-in foam shim.

Just as I was standing back, admiring my work I heard a vehicle coming down the twisting dirt track that serves as a driveway. As the vehicle slowly approached, it turned out to be the postman or in the particular instance the post lady. She handed me the mail and I knew instantly what was in the box I was handed. 

It was the new sticker I'd ordered for the back. Stay back 300 feet. I think my stencil message was probably readable from a greater distance though. I didn't get it quite straight but since the right reflector and right brake light in the lower right quadrant are higher than those on the left, I'm not really bothered.

The next step was to go up on the stepladder to replace the three marker lights. That's where the day ended on a note of abject frustration. The leftmost marker I'd already replaced and had had problems with before. I'd replaced it when I was particularly hard pressed for money and had replaced it with a trailer light. The protective bracket had come off when I was doing that and I'd stuck everything back together using silicone caulk. That, fortunately came off easily. The left hand screw was very rusted and was supposed to be stainless. That had no purchase on the left hand hole either. The right hand screw did bite though. They both came out easily.

Various problems ensued and were mostly resolved. The problem that had me finishing for the day was that the hole for the screw in the new light unit is smaller than the screw and cannot be enlarged. This means the solution is probably going to be to put in a pair of 8-32 rivnuts. I know I have the bolts. I just have to drill out to the right size. In this instance, 1/4 inch. The other issue will be tightening the rivnuts. I'll have to see what I have that I can work with. I have a rivnut tool but it's likely only good with aluminium rivnuts. I suppose by using two wrenches, a long 8-32 bolt, two 8-32 nuts and a washer I could put them in manually.

Well, a one day job turned into a multi-day job. That's standard with this bus conversion. One good thing though about my late night rivnut hunt - I found I'd left a light on inside the bus. That's one of the solar-powered expensive LED bulbs and though the mount was warm, it showed no signs of failure. Switching to bayonet bulbs was the way to go.

One of the tasks I had that I was not looking forward to was digging out the expanding foam that I'd sprayed in the cable compartment in order to try to cut down on heat. Pulling it out with my fingers took an age and I only pulled out what was necessary.

Eventually the cables to which I needed access were free of expanding foam. That xylene foam is a total nightmare. I would recommend anybody considering using it for anything to have their heads examined!

So, successes and frustrations. I'm slowly moving forward. When I have the lighting all sorted out - especially the roof mounted side marker lights that I believe are leaking - then I can move on to replacing the leaky roof vent. Once that's done it'll be time to put panels over unused windows then to mount the second battery and its flame shield before fixing the right wiper mount and moving on to completing the brake lines and getting the tires changed. There will still be minor internal electrics to work on.

Counterfeit conspicuity tape

 Ebay is a great resource and a great way to find rare and unique products. Sometimes, however, things don't go quite as planned.

These four conspicuity tapes all came from eBay. The amber one on the left is from a vendor called johncatrader2. These are the horizontal lines on the side of the bus. The vertical lines are the middle amber roll. That, came from eBay user powerhigh-us

Well, the tape from johncatrader2 is pretty darned good. The powerhigh-us tape does kinda-sorta reflect but it's pretty pathetic by comparison. Interestingly the powerhigh-us tape was a lot thinner and when I peeled it off, it removed none of my recently applied paint. In fact some sections were barely adhering.

I think you'll agree, there's little if any difference with the powerhigh-us tape removed. Fortunately I have some good tape left so I'll fill in the gaps.

The orange tape also came from eBay. I didn't really know what to do with it so I added it to the back. That, like the bad amber tape was also very thin. That came from eBay user sunnycaishop15.

The sunnycaishop15 reddish tape barely showed up when illuninated by the flash from my phone. When I removed it, most of it just slid off the bus with no problem. It was only where the paint had bubbled that the paint came off too. I just sanded and resprayed.

The 2 inch wide red tape on the back of the bus is phenomenal.

The red tape that is glowing orange in the picture was sold by eBay user johncatrader2. Notice a theme here? This is excellent tape. The dim orange glow of the narrow tape that mostly almost fell off is not very encouraging.

Today I revamped the back of the bus by removing that narrow tape and replaced it with white and red tape from Harbor Freight.

According to the DOT guidance on reflective tape, it is only required on articulated trucks (tractor-trailer). Then, there should be a red/white stripe between 15 and 60 inches from the ground going across the back and down the sides. The top corners on the back require a white reflective inverted L shape. Now, you cannot see it on this image but I have used the white reflective tape that claims to be DOT C2 tape. That is what is printed on it. The glue on that tape is fearsome and it's very hard to remove the backing. That came from eBay user Allstartrucks. 

Looking closely at the picture it's possible to see the inverted L on each side at the top. This is the fake conspicuity tape from allstartrucks. Another view of this very same tape is from when I had it on the front of the vehicle. I've since removed it from the front as I realised I'd see it in my mirrors and it would be a night-time distraction.

With flash, it is barely possible to see that conspicuity tape. It's really not very conspicuous. It is the only tape I have ever seen that is actually labelled DOT C2. That should be quite telling! If the maker has to tell us what it is then it's clearly not what it claims.

So, now I bet you're wondering about the two eBay sellers: powerhigh-us and sunnycaishop15. Well, both appeared to be in the USA but are actually in China. I blew about $10.50 on each of their miserable little enterprises. I wouldn't be too surprised if that didn't result in $21 of bullets fired by terrorists in the Middle East at our peacekeepers. To say I regret being taken for a ride by Chinese scam artists is putting it mildly. I am infuriated and there's nothing that can be done to stop them from taking others for a ride.

The eBay seller allstartrucks is a US operation. Whether they knew the tape was fake, I don't know. I'll give them the benefit of any doubt as I've done business with them successfully in the past. I'll just let that one slide. Meanwhile I have ordered half a dozen foot long white conspicuity strips from another seller. I'll get my two L shapes done and call it a day.

Meanwhile another eBay seller sold me for $15 two red lenses for my back lights. Sadly, when they arrived, they were marked WIW2-71 which is the code for a warning light lens, not a stop/brake light lens. Big difference. The code has to be right or it's the wrong lens and at the worst a ticket from the coppers.

While straight trucks, cars, busses and motorhomes do not legally need conspicuity tape, its use is not forbidden and as the photos show, it does aid in visibility. As an example, a school bus plastered in yellow tape crossed a 4 way junction ahead of me at night. That tape really showed that vehicle up to be a bus and that sold me instantly on its value.

The upshot of buying the wrong tape and the wrong lenses is that the right tape and the right lenses need still to be purchased. The johncatrader2 tape will see me happy as will the Harbor Freight red/white and the new white strips from another ebay seller. I had to buy the new lenses from Unity School Bus parts. They worked out at $15 each plus $10 postage but I did buy lens gaskets while I was at it so it ended up being a bill for around $60. It would have been $15 cheaper had I not already bought those eBay lenses.

You can save a ton just by using eBay. That's why I go there. You can also find things that are fake or over enthusiastically described. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not - it's a real gamble!

user ID, click for member’s profile

Crunch!

 

It is no surprise that I didn't do much this weekend. It just seemed that everything was going wrong - no matter what I touched or looked at, it didn't work, went crooked, wasted materials etc.

Take this miserable little kitchen step stool. I went up it to do a little spray painting with a can of spray paint and there was a crunch as I stepped on it. Fortunately I heard it as most of my weight was on my other foot so I was barely phased by it all. My opinion of these plastic things is pretty poor. There's a stepladder here that I borrow and the top is plastic so I'm expecting that to disintegrate on me one day too - especially since it seems to be left outside all the time.

Anyway, I did get to finish the paintwork on the bus so that's now done. That's today's little victory!

Yesterday I went along both sides of the bus putting vertical conspicuous tape from the bottom of the skirt to the bottom of the windows. That went on fairly readily though the tape being cheap, I wonder how much will just fall off. One piece, 12 hours later is already peeling. The red tape I used on the back was sourced via eBay from the USA. The orange, I can't recall. The yellow all came from China. Truth be told, it's likely all made in China and just rebadged. The only difference is the Chinese stuff is thinner.

I didn't see any point in inviting failures by putting the tape on curved surfaces so I just skipped the rub rails. The next thing will be to put horizontal tape using the good tape that's on its way from Texas right now.

The front got some white tape. Next week, assuming my luck has improved, I will put more white tape above and below the windscreen. 

The tires will have to be changed soon. They're 11 years old. I decided it's best to pay somebody to come out and change them since they have dropped 20-30psi in just 2 years (since I last drove the bus). I'm pretty sure I don't want to be driving when a steer tyre decides to blow. While I know the theory behind changing the tyres myself, at 60lbs for just the tire and 68lbs for the wheel itself, I think I'll let some brawny guy handle that. I was recommended one company and emailed them. Their response was upon consideration, quite reasonable so I don't feel any need to shop around for a lower price.

One of the other things I did was to mark where to drill to mount one of my two window covers. I didn't drill because this weekend, everything I've measured has come out wrong. As an example, mounting an under cabinet stereo did not go at all well. It took two days just to have it dangling from two screws. I gave up on trying to get the other two in. The paper template provided was clearly wrong as the last two holes did not line up. In fact they were way out. So, it'll be next week when I try anything else.