Itinerant Air-Cooled

Update: paint and body work on the bus, some rusted metal cut out, and a lot of those minor, annoying tiny rust spots dealt with, under window gaskets, lower doors, etc. my son in law David laying on an epoxy primer.

Nice mask he is wearing....

Jivermo wrote:Update: paint and body work on the bus, some rusted metal cut out, and a lot of those minor, annoying tiny rust spots dealt with, under window gaskets, lower doors, etc. my son in law David laying on an epoxy primer.

Wow, you are in deep . . . I wasn't thinking that you, too, are experiencing your beloved automobile in pieces all over the place. Kinda disconcerting, no? But do use your imagination to fuel the process. You can see that new-looking car with fresh paint an, an, an, an, an an dleak-free windows.

Hey, great time to get the engine freshened up . . .
Colin

Yep, in deep is the word. Yep, the paint mask. We spoke of this. You can lead a horse, etc., etc. Moving on...anyone know where to get the original style, double walled rubber gas filler, with the nice vent hole? You see the cheesy one from Bus Depot offered up as...what...a replacement? Should I attempt a black goop repair on the original, as the rubber seems to be in good, flexible condition?





Also, what to do about this crocodilian that inhabits this piece?

On the other end of the bus, we pulled the windshield. The frame to hold the gasket, on the bottom, was made up mostly of a built up Fiberglas layup. There were further rust areas, so we decided to get the Gerson piece, and weld in a entire new section.

These vehicles present such wonderful opportunity for fun times!

Will I ever really drive this thing again?

Jivermo wrote:Yep, in deep is the word.

Should I attempt a black goop repair on the original, as the rubber seems to be in good, flexible condition?

Goop would have to be a couple of orders more insistent that it is "gasoline-proof" versus "gasoline resistant". Also, goop would need a serious adhesive component to it, and you would have to apply several broad layers that spread waaay out into the original rubber surfaces. This additional surface area would assist in bonding and wall strength. I have made my own goop/rubberized "fiberglass" with strong paper towel/goop layers. You could consider a nylon reinforced packing tape middle layer after you have applied a cured layer to the rubber itself.
Don't laugh. Concrete can't support a truck.
Rebar can't support a truck.
Concrete with rebar can hold up a whole freeway of trucks.

Jivermo wrote: Also, what to do about this crocodilian that inhabits this piece?

A) If deteriorated, remove said Vermilingua snout at once . . . surgically. Leave no tags.

B) May serve (by design or otherwise) as ye olde unleaded fuel restrictor but now as a decent splash deflector to prevent the filler cap gasket from taking a hit during a hard left corner with a full tank.

C) May serve as a nozzle guide/impact buffer at that nasty corner?
Colin

With fuel tank pulled, we cleaned out the entire tank/engine compartment, and painted with the Mar-Hyde Urethane primer. Rusted areas were first sanded and coated with POR-15.

As Colin has said-"you are in deep!" Yes, I am...I have parts to this 1978 bus spread out all over the interior of the barn...old parts, new parts, Bus Depot boxes, German Supply cartons, Mar-Hyde, Raw-Hide, Nauga-Hyde, Jekyll and Hyde. I have the old case, which I am holding for an evaluation by IAC hisself, whenever he heads South again. And here I thought that driving this bus was what I would be doing...ha, ha...the big joke was on me. At least it's always warm enough down here to work outside...one could wear Daisy Dukes and a wife beater, for instance, if one wanted to.

Jivermo wrote:As Colin has said-"you are in deep!" Yes, I am...I have parts to this 1978 bus spread out all over the interior of the barn...old parts, new parts, Bus Depot boxes, German Supply cartons, Mar-Hyde, Raw-Hide, Nauga-Hyde, Jekyll and Hyde. I have the old case, which I am holding for an evaluation by IAC hisself, whenever he heads South again. And here I thought that driving this bus was what I would be doing...ha, ha...the big joke was on me. At least it's always warm enough down here to work outside...one could wear Daisy Dukes and a wife beater, for instance, if one wanted to.

I am slowly freezing to death in this horrendous 54* cloudy cold snap. I would happily drive right on down if I wasn't waiting for a new Rancho sign-on-delivery transaxle. Then I get to install it.
Colin

Bring it down here and install it. So warm, the mosquitoes have not quit for the year.

it's also not that cold in Homosassa, the (exact halfway point to Miami BTW)....
-Jeff

weisswurst wrote:it's also not that cold in Homosassa, the (exact halfway point to Miami BTW)....
-Jeff

Yeah, so I need to update my complaint about the 54* cold snap.
It is now 23* in Pensacola FL and my engine and transmission are all over the floor.
I have to stop sassing the Big Cahunga Up In The Sky about His stupid Cold As Hell Creation.

Jeff, I might be picking up an engine/transmission from Okeechobee as part of this February run from Sanford to Miami to Homosassa or whatever gets worked out. Since I truly Amskeptical about this new world, I promise nothing until I drive this new transaxle. There have been some questionable details . . .

Jivermo, what is the status of your engine situation? Are you merely sticking in a purchased long block?
Colin

Yes. Come on down. Zeke is supposed to be here next week some time. What dates are you thinking? Feb? Or earlier?

I need to make sure I clear the dates for Feb so I am here, please let me know when you can O Wandering One...
-jeff