Half the job outside

The plan had been to do more, including the work that needed doing inside but the heat was horrible. It was 94F in the shade and you can bet it was worse working in full sun. In fact several times during today's activities it was necessary to take a break and get into some air conditioning to cool down.  

The first activity involved one of my two shorter sheets of metal. This had the middle holes and right hand end holes drilled. The left hand holes were left alone because another sheet of metal would be sitting on top of that end and it would thus be easier to drill the holes all in one go.

The first sheet went on requiring a break after drilling the two lines of holes because that was done in full sun. Putting the sheet on was done in shade. That was easier but it was still necessary to take a break after. 

For those that don't understand working in the heat, it's important to take a break as soon as one gets a slight bit of muddle-headedness, exhaustion or tiredness. Heat stroke and death are not too far away in the heat.

Having temporarily installed the first sheet it was time to drill and install the second. Again, breaks were plentiful. It's only two sheels of metal and 16 screws. "It's only" is what kills though. The battery from my Harbor Freight battery drill did not seem to last too long. It could be that battery is the old one from my first Harbor Freight battery drill. That drill, if you remember worked right up until the clutch gave out.

Eventually, after a couple more cool down sessions, the second panel was temporarily installed. Once that was all done and the fit checked, it was time to take it all off again. 

Straight after taking it off I went around the last three pillars with Dynatron caulk. Then I put the sheets of metal back again and screwed them down. Putting them back up was a shade easier than the first time because the caulk held them more in place. Even so, when the second piece was out of place and held by caulk it was a fight to get it back into place.

Tomorrow there might be time to do the other side. Having worked out a technique for this side, the other might be easier although one of the sheets of metal is a third longer than the longest used today. That will require a mildly different technique but shouldn't be too hard. By the way, as with everything, I'm doing this all solo.

Inside the bus with the windows sheeted over and the blinds removed, the view looks really dark.  I might add an LED light connected to my solar panels so that when the panels are producing power, the light is on. That would provide a natural wake-up light. I'll have to think on that one.

With the new wood panel in place, there's no chance of my rolling over in bed and putting my foot, knee or elbow through the glass. It's currently fastened with a single screw and some glue at each end but I'll put the other screw when I find it and some caulk then touch up the paint and of course remove the blind attachments that I nearly impaled my head on last time.

The next task will likely be the metal sheeting over the windows on the other side of the bus. With all that lot in place there's plenty real estate outside for text or graphics if I so wished to put them. With all that white painted metal there should be a ton less to absorb heat. It should also be quieter in the rain.

One thing was surprising about today and that was the metal put on on just one side needed an entire tube of caulk. I have one tube and two possible little bits of two other tubes of caulk left. It might be advantageous to get more. With the cladding out of the way there's the bars or whatever to go over the windows that will be remaining, the brake lines and the underbus wiring left to do. That should be the end of the major tasks.

Redoing the wiper mount, fixing the horn and a few bits of internal electrics don't sound like a huge deal. They might not be or they could turn into multi-day ordeals.