Yin and Yang

There is always good in something, and conversely there is bad lingering there as well.
A hot sunny day is good, for obvious reasons, but the bad is the silent possibility that if you are not careful you will get a sunburn. Consider it natures way to moderate....to promote balance and harmony...a yin to a yang.

So yesterday after a day of x-country skiing and building snow forts in the yard with the kids( an engineering marvel if I do say so myself) Ron and I put up the newly made doors to Fillmore's hut.
As I was standing on the ladder awaiting Ron to bring the tarps from the workshop I got a sinking feeling in my gut.
Now I am not perfect, my wife will vouch for me on this one, but I do like to get things done and try to do them in the very best way I can. Some times things are out of your control and you can't dictate the outcome, so you accept the result and move on. There are other times however where the variables are 100% within your control and mistakes are a result of letting your guard down, a blind trust that things are going to be fine , or simply pure oversight. Standing atop of the ladder I realized, even before seeing the tarps in place, that I had made yet another mistake.
I cut the first tarp....perfect...I then used the first tarp as a template for the second but forgot to flip it over  before tracing and cutting to get mirror images. Thus I had two copies of the same side.......ARRRRRGGGG!!!

Of course I could still put it up, but as you can see I had to flip it around and as such you can SEE my mistake. Each and every day I will have a very large reminder of the boo-boo. The good news though is the doors are on, the space and Fillmore are now protected.
My first instinct was "I will have to buy another tarp and re do the one door." But the more I think of it the more I muse that perhaps this is natures way of a reminder, a reminder to pay attention to detail, to take my time,assume nothing and think things through. Perhaps this is the Yin to the Yang!

Come to think of it it has the color scheme of the Yin/Yang symbol doesn't it?

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

 Our good fortune could only last so long. Temperature of -6 to +6 over the last week were bound to end at some point, and they did. It is funny though how you quickly become accustomed to the mild temperatures. Growing up in northern Manitoba we would have Looooong stretches of -20's and seem to deal with it, life would carry on. Perhaps I romanticize it a little but we would seem to continue to do 'stuff ' despite the weather. I find living here in Southern Alberta you get sucked into the mind set of fair weather working(or playing) If it is too cold just wait a few days and a Chinook will blow through and warm things up! The problem is when you have a few days of prime time to work, I don't want to wait!

 So I continue to work indoors when I can, taking advantage of the heated garage. Here is the rad stand ready for a dry fit. 

'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!'  The good news is that it was beginning to look a wee bit grungy out and about the garage with all the work that was being done lately, so the snow covers things up and makes it look clean and pretty again!

 But with a change in the weather came with a drop in the mercury. So it is high time to get Fillmore's hut closed in. Something that was always on the books but was a lower priority because of the warm weather. Ron and I hauled a 16'x20' tarp into the garage that I had  already divided into two.
 

 We cut it to size, folded the edge...

 And finally placed grommets, they are small but they will do the job.

All the while the kids took on the lead role in the supper department, so Dad and Grandpa could work!!

Creating!

 So yesterday I mentioned the removal of the 'tower' or 'ram air chute'. I'm sure to some of the purists this makes them a little qweezy but it had to be done. Here is what it looks like. Quite frankly it makes the engine room look HUGE!

The new rad is wider, taller and thicker than the old one so the tower just doesn't work. So out she came.

 When Shawn was here I asked him to look at the issue, as he always does he sees the problem and creates a solution. After some sketching he came back and said..."Ya you need a box and a triangle." Simple? yes,....but I was happy to have the basics laid down, a general concept for me to run with.

 So as the rest of the remaining crew went into the city for a lunch with the kids, I opted to stay put to cut and weld!

 A dry fit says that it's going to work....with a little wiggling.

I just can't let it go...

For some, an object is just that..an object. A car, a bike, a coat. On one hand I can see the logic in that, but on the other I get caught up in some of these things...Fillmore for example. Logic tells me this is an exercise in frustration, a money pit, something that I will find I rarely use compared to the investment I put in. But I love the challenge. I love the work, there is something terrible romantic...in the guy sense.. about getting your hands dirty and banged up and to "stink like bus" as my 10 year old daughter puts it.

 I find beauty in all the strangest places with this old fart. I also find things that I look at and say...that will be OK I can leave that as is...or at least for a while.


Last summer I had completed the body panel replacement....or so I thought. Driver side front. The panel was in good shape...but there was 2 small rust spots that had penetrated. I thought..."bondo!...we're all good" But I just couldn't let it go.

 So on the last day my family was here for the holidays, I had my Dad grinding and drilling rivets so I could remove the panel and replace it.

Then I had Shawn and my Dad tear out the tower, or ram air chute, in the engine compartment. Now before anyone freaks out!,  don't fret! Just like the 6 million dollar man...we can rebuild him. There is a method to the madness...but that is another blog entry.

 My Fam left this morning at 5am. So that left Ron and I to poke away at things.

We cut the panel to size, center punched and drilled all the rivet holes







You see...I see the beauty in this too...

Dry fit was bang on! So back to the shop, err I mean our garage( sorry Honey), the a coat or two of POR-15 and as soon as the weather permits-and the new rivets arrive- we'll put her back together!

"If you don't need it cut it off..."

 You know the title of this is kind of funny....and yet not. I've had two people say this with very different intentions. Most recently my brother who is here for Christmas and is helping with the bus. My Dad and I were trying to figure out the best way to safely remove the engine/tranny from the frame of the donor. Shawn came out and said.." Spend 20 min to save you an hour of headache!...Do you need the frame? If you don't need it, cut it off. "-he was right

A couple of years ago after our second child.....my wife said the same thing to me...

 But seriously...Here we are just over a week ago getting ready for the work to begin.

 This is me after Shawn' inspirational 'cut it off' speech

 This is what ended up in the trash can. Well truth be known this is only half of the chaff we took off the frame.

 Here is what we have now. The engine and tranny on blocks, the diff is still in the lower frame. I may need to get someone with an acetylene torch to help finish things off here.

 

But, for Christmas....I gave my wife the present she wanted....to park in the garage.

Even if it was only for two nights.

Merry Christmas to all!!

 Well today was just a great day...busy as all blankety blank but it was a great day. Got up early, drank coffee while we watched the kids go crazy under the tree, and then prepared for the onslaught of 24 people for Christmas dinner! Just so you know we all made it out alive. Funny thing when you have that many for a sit down dinner, when they leave...and you are just left with your 9 house guests (and 1 extra dog), it seems really quiet!

These pics are actually from yesterday (DEC 24th) I had promised Michelle that I would refrain from any bus work on Christmas day. And although I did look longingly at it...I was true to my word!

 Yesterday was a very good progress day. What ever ground we had lost in the mishaps of the previous days, we were back on track. Dad had gotten a 12lb spool of welding wire while we were skiing the previous day, so we were good to go!
 Shawn's creative design resulted in an engine hoist that will likely lift the bus itself!...(not)

 Here we are all welded up and ready to go....nervous?....Damn right I was!

 But all that was for not, the hoist worked like a charm, lifted her up. Swung her around...

I felt like I should have had cigars and scotch on hand. I tip my hat to my proud work crew!

Ski Day!

 Today, there were a few things that just HAD to be done. Like skiing! My sister-in-law had never been on skis before so we decided it was high time to give it a try.

 On the bus front, we were at a stale mate until the hoist was repaired, which was waiting on new wire for the MIG welder. So Dad had a few things on the 'guy' shopping list.

In the meantime we spent a few hours in the morning stripping off, or harvesting as I like to call it, the air bag suspension from the donor.

 

A few(who am I kidding?) more hours and we should be ready to take it all apart...

The power of positive thinking!!

one step forward...TWO steps back

 Sound familiar?....yup it happened again!

 Today we finally got everything cleaned off the engine/tranny combo. All the extra wires and buggered pipes and tubes, ready to lift the combo out of the frame. Everything was going swimmingly....but then....

 I think I was so eager to get this lifted, I overlooked a MAJOR detail!
 Ed (the friend who lent me his hoist) if you are reading this I am sorry. I will fix it but I will also offer to buy you a replacement......crap!
we were lifting engine, I had it pretty much out of the frame and I heard a funny sound from the lift. I looked at it and realized it was the crackling of the paint. The boom was bending.

 In my 'rush' I failed to double check where the boom length was. half, full, one and a half and then two ton settings. I had it on 1 ton....it should have been one and a half or two tons to be safe.
As you can see....

 After a little heat...a 10 foot 'persuasion' bar... a bench vise and an angle grinder...

 We were off to the races, in the end(sparing you some whacked out physics) we needed to weld the top back into place.

 All was good until....I ran out of wire from my self feed spool...CRAPOLA!!!!

Welcome! Welcome....NOW GET TO WORK!!!

Yay! the holidays are here! We have a house full of family so this is a busy place around here lately...having said that I have eager helpers!

 Today my Dad and I spent a good chunk of the day (save a limited amount of coffee breaks) stripping all the unnecessary stuff from the donor vehicle.

 While we worked away inside I got my brother Shawn to get his creative juices flowing and figure out a way of getting the new radiator up in the tower.

 Slow and steady, bit by bit...

At days end we are ready to pull the engine and tranny from the frame......cross your fingers!

And you wonder why...

When ever we get something to put together, a table, a bookshelf, a lamp. We, and I use the papal "we" here for men, tend to try to put things together without looking at the instructions. This male attribute often infuriates my wife. She often says..."Why don't you look at the directions? They are right there!"

But often experience has taught us...right or wrong... that instructions have been over simplified to the point that they become useless....in fact comical!

Really?....I mean someone in this world actually needs this?....or worse yet, finds this actually useful?

Getting ready for company.

 It's Christmas time in the city....and in the country!
I knew this weekend would be a very little progress on the bus kind of weekend. We have a mitt full of family coming for Christmas this coming Monday. So of course that means we are madly cleaning the house, trying to make it look like Martha Stewart got some of her ideas from us. There was a lull in activity this afternoon, shortly after we got the tree, cleared the end of the driveway and then helped Jeff build a snow fort. So what better time than to "clean house" for Fillmore too!

 With the new donor axle in the garage it was high time to move the old one out. Of course when we pulled it from Fillmore we thought "We'll jut put it here for now...until the new one comes next week"
Ha! little did I realize.

So after chipping away at the snow pack and ice to get some chains around it, Jeff and I lifted it up and then backed my heavy duty utility trailer underneath.

It's likely exceeding the max payload limits on this bad boy....It's a damn good thing I am secure in my masculinity because when I show up anywhere with this trailer guys snicker and say words like " it's so cute"
I don't think I'll be using this trailer to get her out on the highway, we'd blow a tire faster than a....ahh never mind.

One of these things is not like the other...

In the words of Homer...."Doahhh!"
I HATE feeling like a moron. In my working life, I don't know everything and I am constantly learning, but my knowledge base is extensive and substantial enough that the learning happens in small and seemingly controlled little bits. Doing this restoration project I am learning at, lets say, an accelerated pace. So there have been times where I might imply my knowledge base is slightly more than it is, in an effort to save face...or not look like I have no idea what the hell I am doing..to those in "the industry".In the end however, just like I tell my kids, a little fib will grow and then 'get ya!'

 

Take today for example. With the new rear diff, the axle size is slightly larger than the previous axle. So, I need new 'U'-bolts to fix the axle to the leaf springs. I call my usual manufacturing guy in Cochrane, who put me on to a suspension specialty shop closer to my place of work who they would sub contract to anyway. I gave them a call, Standens suspension. What I thought was going to take a few days at best, he said he could have made up in 1/2 hour. Like a teenager in the backseat of a parked car, I got very excited and started talkin' big in hopes that this would move to the next level.
The service rep on the phone started asking me dimensions,to which I was already prepared with my hand drawn"blue print" so I started firing back answers as quick as he could ask them. I was in the know, I was on top of things, I knew what I wanted!
Then came the question...
As they always do, in hindsight the question makes perfect sense. At the moment however, while the bravado is draining out of my ego like the blood from my face, I had no idea what he meant...Round top or square top?....huh?....I already told this joker that I need a 7/8 diameter 'U'-bolt 4  3/4" width and 16 1/8" length. Any moron knows that 'diameter' means round!
So I blurt it out. As quick as the thought had entered my mind, it left my lips. I had a queezy feeling about this, but the sales guy seemed to be OK with it!
It wasn't until I picked them up an hour later I realized my mistake. I think I actually heard my pride hit the floor. BUT, rather than take an offensive stance and get into a row with the service guy. I took ownership. I told the guy that the u-bolts were wrong, I went to the car and brought in the old style so he could see. What happened next was really kind of funny . I fessed up that he made them according to what I had told him but that I misunderstood the question due to my lack of experience. I said it was my mistake, and although it would be costly I was going to have to ask him to remake the order. He got a real mad look on his face and said " These can't just be restocked you know' this is a problem because it is custom, I really should charge you for two sets"
"Yes you should" I replied "It was my mistake"
He cocked his head to one side, wrinkled his nose like he didn't know what to make of that, I don't think he was expecting that response....he walked away.
No more than 15 minutes later he returned with newly made u bolts with a flat top.
And a bill for only a fraction of the costs.
Lesson learned. Ask, communicate, be honest and accountable.

Oh ya, and floss.

Where do we begin?

 Well, now we are safe and sound, covered, heated,dry....no more reasons to procrastinate.

 Now begins the job of separating the wheat from the chaff. There is a lot of wiring on this bad boy that was needed for it's former application, but won't be needed here. I'm going to start by simply removing some of the obvious parts that need to be saved and stored. Then a general identification and clean up.

 Now I don't know the full history of the '92 Motor home that this engine came from, but I'm thinking this can't be all good...

 After some basic clean up, things are looking a little more clear, there's the Cummins I recognize!

It's hard to envision at this point and from this angle that this is going to fit into THAT!!

OMG!

The day has come!  Today I spent in a continuing education course discussing implants don't get to excited they were dental implants. Mike from Calgary Cranes was picking up the new power plant and delivering it to the house @ 4:30. So I left the meeting and high tailed it home as soon as I could. And a good thing I did!

As I was zipping home down the west Bragg Creek road I saw this truck out of the corner of my eye, it had turned down a secondary road. Thankfully I recognized the payload. I quickly caught up to him and told him to follow me, otherwise this may not have happened today!

Mike backed up his rig into the driveway, I kept an eye on his back so as to not back up into Fillmore's shed. Jeff waved at him when the crane was lined up with the garage door.

It seemed kind of magical at one point, this two tonne block of steel seemingly hovering in the air.

We decided to put the tires on and then simply wheel it into place! Sounds easy...well it wasn't. But Mike 'the crane guy' was good and he made it seem easy.

Soon enough there it was safe and sound....and big...man I have a lot of work to do...