Cargo door removal, Spare tire well patch, and window sandblasting
The 8 large Phillips head bolts holding on the cargo doors were removed after much heating, hammering, and some cutting. The cargo doors were removed and a patch was created/installed for the floor of the spare tire well. All window frames were then sandblasted and nearly all paint stripped from the inside/outside of everything above the trim line.
Patching begins on spare tire well wall
The spare tire well had a hole similar to the mystery hole from previous posts cut at some point in the bus’s past. The hole was cut very raggedly so I squared it off with a cut-off wheel to make template creation easier.
Blasting Time
Sandblasting trial run. The rusty front window frames, splash pan, and one of the wheels were blasted with coal slag; initial results were very good. Since the metalwork is nearing an end the plan moving forward is to restore all of the wheels so the bus can be rolled out to the driveway for blasting of detailed areas (non-removable window frames, door jambs, etc.) After that’s completed it can be stripped with a stripping wheel, washed, etched, and primed.
Unwelcome Visitor Spotted
Unwelcome visitor spotted outside the back porch. Bus and garage will get thorough inspection prior to continuing with work. The photo makes it look small at first glace; use the brick for scale, this was huge!
Mysterious Hole Patched
At some point in the bus’s history a previous owner cut a hole behind the back seat row. This was probably done to bring in warm air to make up for a poorly maintained heating system. The hole was cut on an un-ribbed section of floor, making for a fairly simple patch. Prior to this repair the gas tank was taken out to avoid any fiery surprises.
Driver Side Cargo Floor: Patchs #3 & #4
More scratch-made patches fabricated and welded in. Also shown, patch #2 welds ground and smoothed.
Driver Side Cargo Floor: Patch #2
Scratch-made patch panel made, with raised section, and welded in.
