| Author | Message | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 183 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.220  Rating: N/A |
/newurl{http://picasaweb.google.com/jackfids/4106Album#, take a look at these photos while you read the explanations below} Take out the over head baggage racks that weight about 250# each and replace with 565 lbs. of fresh Aluminim & 5 gallons of sweat. Use one table saw, a 1/2 inch hand drill and countless hours thinking , searching & assembling and this is what you can accomplish. ......Not everyone's cup of tea I realize...... but for me the extra 6 X 16 ft. of covered/uncovered space with the added view & the advantage that being above the ground is my little daydream come true. (Insight:.. I love sleeping under the stars & I love the comforts the bus contains this affords me privacy & both of the above) The stairs weigh 75# ....100# with the railing. The arches are Magnesium & are 11# each The corner uprights are sectional. made of 3 slide together units The deck itself is 6ft. diving board that weigh 27# each interspaced with 4inch freight rails. The stairs are held in place in a redundant system...it has double 360 degree receivers at the top. 1- a heavy double wall 6 ft. alum. tube that resides secured within a freight tube that slide out & THRU the stairs receivers. 2- a support pole that also supports part of the landing at the top. Now I actually have had people ask me.... "How are you going to go under BRIDGES with all that stuff up there..?" When the stairs are laid flat on the ground, they are only 11 inches tall.... and that, plus the 4in. deck frame, is the total increase in overall height on my 4106...peanuts!! (4107-8's are still taller) everything lays flat on the deck, secured in groups with rope/bungee/strap I have the choice. Obviously, I still have the sheet-goods portions to finish. The overhead canopies, one in silver ripstop Nylon & one in heavy duty white waterproof Polyester, depending on the occasion . I also want to be able to wrap the sides completely for privacy or weather & I want those sides to be able to drop down & just cover the lower half of the hand-railing. The whole mess goes together in an hour by myself & comes apart in 40 minutes if I "make the effort" ....and yes I can get the stairs up on top & back down by myself, rollers & leverage make it easy (notice the little wheels at the bottom). any questions...? . . | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1729 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.124.20  Rating: N/A |
Jack - So, which one of the two 95s is gonna be the toad? White w/ red stripe, or the green/white combo?  | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 186 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.220 Rating: N/A |
Neither! I have a '62 no window with 2 original bench/bucket seats that has the PG & manual controls in it, so I can go either way at any time with a simple trans swap. That the one that's getting the big valve/quad carb motor. It also has a deck on top strong enough for 2 to watch the Persides Showers from with confidence. You you regret being neck-ed w/o yours? Every time I leave the property I can count on losing 15 mins. to someone who recognizes it & needs to express themselves. Drop me a PM for info on my '65 "top hat" 4-dr. a one of a kind orphan. Grn & Wht will be the 1st complete running Corvair I have sold in 25 years. Also have a '65 Corsa hidden that's 800lb's lighter than stock that I'd really like to get thru the traps on THE Salt, just for a number...no record. Thanks for axin me.... there's only a handfull of vehicles I'm really interested in talking about in depth.... we share 2 or more of them. I smell a late night fireside chat with shovels tall boots & rain coats in the future! ( can you tell me where the water pump bearing in a Corvair is located...? everyone left the plant with one installed you know!) see what you started!!! | ||
| David Evans (Dmd)
Registered Member Username: Dmd Post Number: 515 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 173.77.223.202  Rating: N/A |
looks nice Jack, but after all the nice work and craftsmanship you need somthing better than bungees and ropes to hold it in place! (sun eats those bungees) Nice toliet flange!!!!!! | ||
| Kevin Baxter (Bus_boy)
Registered Member Username: Bus_boy Post Number: 16 Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 159.83.252.233 Rating: N/A |
Nicely Engineered Jack! Very nice workmanship as well. I would love to have something like that on my '04, but am having enough fun just getting the basic conversion completed! Too many irons in the fire, as they say, and what w/working full-time, I sometimes feel lucky to get anything done at all. (Sigh). Corvair, eh? Why, the water pump bearing is right where it's supposed to be on my '65 Crown car... mounted on the front of the SBC an inch behind my back. Eeeek!!! Cheers, Kevin | ||
| Austin Scott Davis (Zimtok)
Registered Member Username: Zimtok Post Number: 451 Registered: 9-2006 Posted From: 173.166.209.1  Rating: N/A |
Very nice deck... The band I work with has a few gigs on outside decks. Most are attached to the side of a restaurant/bar... But I bet we could be talked into a deck gig on the top of a bus... . | ||
| John & Barb Tesser (Bigrigger)
Registered Member Username: Bigrigger Post Number: 468 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 96.42.5.35  Rating: N/A |
Nice work Jack. A lot of work went into this before you made the first cut. Love the old toilet valve! | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 187 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.158 Rating: N/A |
David...I agree on the securements for the mess, Nylon cargo straps will come into play before I get around to fab'ing something mo'better. Kevin... I have enough extra pieces left to make a 6x12 foot deck on an '04 or '06 minus the amum. framing & deck surface. You're another Corvair Nut Case? (takes one to know one) Too MUCH!!! Thanks for the "attaboy" it was an interesting project AND it came out exactly the way I wanted it to... tight-strong and CHEAP... EVERYTHING associated with that deck except for fasteners came from a recycle yard....it is ALL scrap! And it was cheap...I paid a dollar a pound for Aluminum...total cost was under $600.00 + nuts & bolts. Austin- just this morning someone proposed that I hire a Band to play up there before I haul out of StinkinHot AZ...a going away party! Maybe.... If I could get the original Allman Bros Band back together....! (and I was stupid rich) Thanks to Jack & Barb for their astute & kind observations, the toilet is a real prize..... I was going to use the expensive one I negotiated for when I bought the bus, they want like $1500 for it new....now it's excess, that old one has so much character & the construction is like it was made for a M-60 Tank! All of the comments above go a LONG way.... there is nothing more satisfying than the approval of ones Peers, and knowing what others have gone thru to finish their dream off makes your comments that much more special.....makes my day start out better than expected! Next week the wood paneling for my ceiling & above the windows comes back from the finisher...5 clear coats. installing them will be a REAL test of my abilities & ingenuity ...things will start to get VERY interesting then! | ||
| Jim Wilkerson (Wagwar)
Registered Member Username: Wagwar Post Number: 125 Registered: 12-2009 Posted From: 99.109.187.242 Rating: N/A |
Jack, That is a ery nice design and your craftsmanship is excellent! That's wonderful re-use of recycled material too! Thanks for sharing. | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 188 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.100 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Jim....seeing all that potential laying around the bone yard was inspiration, as was the cost. Look carefully at those feet & legs & the angle they were fabricated at..... they were EXACTLY correct for my application, they formerly were employed on the side of a large liquids tank at Raytheon Missile Div., they held a ladder against the side of the tank. All of the handrail fittings & tubing came from the same source, Raytheon junk...and at a dollar apiece vs $15.00 each @ Graingers. There is So much that others see as waste, available for re-use (not just here either) all you have to do is remain flexibly creative to take advantage of the resource. One of the reasons I am drawn to THIS URL is that it is filled with people who are creative & have developed skills to satisfy that undeniable NEED to create.... then they have gone on to apply & depend on those skills in the construction of a creative lifestyle centered around a vehicle they have built....... people talk about boot-straping their way into a better life. If we aren't doing that to the inth degree i don't know who is! Buy an old bus, change into a comfortable shelter, make it what you want, and see what you want, when you want, for as long as you want. Once you have life's "needs" under control you can devote your effort to satisfying the "wants" along the way you gain a lifetime of understanding and satisfaction..... we are a lucky bunch here! | ||
| Tom Phillips (Fortyniner)
Registered Member Username: Fortyniner Post Number: 22 Registered: 2-2010 Posted From: 66.93.216.253 Rating: N/A |
How cool to have such a good surplus yard nearby. I used to live in Grand Prarie Tx years ago and would spend hours at the LTV surplus lot. I was a kid at the time and the old guy in the office taught me a lot about aircraft construction and tooling. -Tom P. | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 189 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.32 Rating: N/A |
So then you know about honeycomb Alum. panels & balsa/FRP sandwiches ..? My education consists of paying careful attention to how they come apart & what they're made of & the stories of a kid who used to work for me & who now is an Engineer at Boeing. This place isn't a great wealth location like Wichita or Seattle is or like Ft. Worth used to be, SoCal is the nirvana. Palmdale comes to mind. Throughout the Midwest manufacturing USED to produce so much excess material it should have been criminal. BTW... the plans for the deck were formulated as the material became available. The plan B was: when backed into a corner, pay retail, otherwise be patient, observant & resourceful & what you need will pass in front of you in time. I could have used 2-inch thick honeycomb Alum. for the deck surface but the largest pieces I ever saw were 4-ft sq. or less & the surface would never wear like a diving board. stiffness would be the same, cost & weight would have been 1/2 but availability was not as plentiful as the Boards were... decision time! Wait & hope or take the best available..? I took the sure thing. The legs & feet had to be pretty specific in dimension & strength plus there is the angle of the descending roof curve to match while keeping the leg vertical & exactly 72 inches from it's opposite side counterpart. Those pieces showed up in "the pile" fabricated exactly as I had them visualized, when put in place for a test fitting they wound up being 1/4 of an inch "out" at the top, they drew in tight with the 3/8ths bolts...perfect fit! The whole thing was like solving a mystery & it was not only an adventure it was fun & I learned a whole big bunch O stuff in the process....all good!  | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 1344 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.173.23.73  Rating: N/A |
For those going to Jacks great Bus gathering , remember Sky Craft Surplus is in Orlando , next to the interstate. If you need electric stuff , its heaven.NASA junk yard. OK the wires may not be RVIA "approved" , but silver coated heavy wiring in harnesses 50 ft long work just fine. NASA computer slides come out in 2 stages , not just one , really fine!! FF | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 191 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.239 Rating: N/A |
You are making my "scavenger bones" vibrate at a high frequency with info like that, I won't be able to weigh anchor before then! | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1987 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157  Rating: N/A |
Pretty ingenious and nice work but gawd, I wish you did it to a Blue Bird, Eagle or MCI instead of a nice 4106. | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 192 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.101 Rating: N/A |
Awe, John... If I had a crane , a socket wrench, a helper and about 4 hours, the whole contraption coul d be lifted off revealing 16 half inch holes in the skin that could be plugged in an hour (never see'um after some paint). No holes in any tubular frame member overhead. But I feel the rest of your sentiment exactly... the problem may lie in the fact that I am a 4107-8 wannabe & I figured out a way to equalize my yearnings with an added bonus. Still I lack the Bay space  All the attaboys here take the sting out tho...! Thanks again! | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1035 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.55.1.12  Rating: N/A |
ATTA BOY Jack!! Oh don't pay any attention to Chessie, He just needs something to do LOL HAHAHA.Good morning Chessie!! gomer | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1989 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157 Rating: N/A |
do you have any trouble with the platform rocking because of the air bags when moving around up there? Gomer, when are you going to do this to yours? | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 195 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.228 Rating: N/A |
When the deck is rockin...? No actually that aspect caused me a little concern as well prior to jumping into the deep end of the ordeal. Solid as a rock....but then again, I haven't had any dances up there yet either! The one thing everyone discovers at the top of the stairs is the view, then they are affected by the quiet, those 2 in combination make people forget they're on top of a BUS. | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1037 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.55.1.12 Rating: N/A |
Chessie: if tha deck is rockin,don't climb tha ladder LOL gomer | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 197 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.228 Rating: N/A |
Gomer... if you see an aluminum escalator laying around doin nothing gimme a shout OK? ya know it's funny no one noticed or asked about the empty space on the roof behind the deck.... the space I left open for the Helo-Pad.......(roll-eyes here) | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1038 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.55.1.12 Rating: N/A |
Jack. let me check my scrap pile and I don't think I have one but I'll check. Helo-Pad?? Is that for quick geta ways?? LOL gomer | ||
| ED Hackenbruch (Shadowman)
Registered Member Username: Shadowman Post Number: 326 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 75.211.72.104 Rating: N/A |
What! no fireman's pole for quick descent? | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 198 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.93 Rating: N/A |
Helo-pad is purely a "one upsmanship" piece of ostentatious BS that will cause the monkey-see monkey do crowd no end of anxiety . The fire-pole idea was a serious contender as a "back-up" way to exit the deck. I guess if the OEM wanted me to have a fire pole, it would have hit me on the head, it usually takes that much impact to get my attention! | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1731 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.195.124.20 Rating: N/A |
Jack - In photo #8, what's that round thing on the rear roof of the coach?? Some esoteric new design from Fantastic Fans?? Yup, miss the 'Vairs, great toys to tinker with. Had 20 of them at one time. . . all runners! FWIW & HTH. . . | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 200 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 69.171.161.183 Rating: N/A |
The round thing is actually a pair of alum framing rings, I still haven't decided if I need an escape/access hole in the back room, they will be the support around that portal IF I go that route...better access/egress to & from the roof as well. Was thinking of a hinged Plexi low profile bubble & a large "O" Ring seal ....anytime I ran across round frames at the boneyard I nabbed them.. the time, money & material saved IF I could utilize it was far greater than fabricating anything large & circular. I paid about $3. for the pair. We need to talk...ya know? AND I just added another few photos to my page... http://picasaweb.google.com/jackfids/4106Album# |