Object are closer than they appear

I am far from old...but then again that depends on the frame of reference I suppose. To my son....I am sure I am as old as dirt. Respectfully of course! I mean he is a good kid, but thinking back to when I was 13, my friends parents were old, my parents were old...hell I remember when I was 17 and a girl we knew was dating a guy who was 30.....DAMN that was like dating a senior citizen. While to a few of my friends who are more mature than I...47 seems like a spring chicken.
Why the rant about age? Well I  am sitting here with a dram of scotch(old persons drink) while I ice my foot with plantar fasciitis (old person pain) and winge about how small the letters are on the keyboard(old person eyes) and ponder my pictures for this blog post.
Last week(sunday) I drove Fillmore into the city to get the coolant leak repaired in the rear heater unit. It was a drop dead gorgeous day. A beautiful blue sky with high wispy clouds, +7C which is amazing for December. As I barreled down the highway, checking the gauges- temp, air pressure, fuel, speed(yes I did get a speeding ticket in Fillmore some time back-who knew!), and mirrors I was struck by the beauty of the highway fading into the mountains set against the prairie big sky.

It wasn't until now though as I downloaded the picture did I think 'well that pic is a bit lack luster'. What seemed bigger than life in the present, seems almost indistinguishable now. I smirked at the thought of the message often found on modern day side mirrors

"Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear."

I guess what I am getting at is that sometimes we take things for granted, our health, our loved ones, the beauty of the world around us. At times it's not until it is taken away that we realize how lucky we are. I had a close call with a lot of potential bad sh#t in the last year or so, but I am so grateful for still being here to see the sky and to giggle about my aging eyes, and aging body.

When I arrived at Polar Mobility, Michelle who was to pick me up was delayed by a half hour or so. Much to her relief I said, "no rush Fillmore has heat and I have a book!"(and of course my reading glasses)
 Frankly grateful for the opportunity to sit, relax and enjoy.....to bad there wasn't a Tim Hortons close by...

The next day Fillmore was repaired and ready to go home, I picked him up after work....yes it's dark here at 6:30. I am tickled pink at how great Fillmore looks at night. Not so tickled when I am chased down by people who stop me on the street to ask what this is and if they can come aboard for a look.

After a few failed attempts at Fillmore time, I managed only to start to cut metal studs for the bathroom.

What a difference a week can make. Now, although still mild in comparison, it is winter. But as Christmas draws closer in the mirror, I am grateful for another opportunity.

The busted knuckle

 I love this thing, Randy and Leslie were out and about when they saw this metal sign.....and thought of me. Some things are truer than life itself.
 Today was a rare day, 3 out of 4 of us had no commitments....aside from getting the 4th one to dance...and as such we were able to play at home. Which for me meant I could spend the greater part of the day with Fillmore.

 The panel project continues. Remove, re-cut, replace.repeat. I was sidelined last week when the pneumatic rivnut gun broke down. The threaded mandrel was damaged. I thought it was marred threads, so I spent time restoring them only to find it still didn't work. After playing some email tag with the manufacturer I found out that the piece I needed to replace (a grade 8-1/4"x  2" NC hex head) didn't need to be manufacturer specific, which meant I could get it just about anywhere.

 So on with the show! More cuts and test fits, which means I got lots of exercise walking up and down the hill to my shop!

 After a great day, the paneling was complete....well as complete as anything really gets. You know how it is. You take a step forward and then the next job forces you to back track a little to reconfigure things. I know that at some point in the (hopefully) not to distant future I will be removing some of these panels to modify or attach something to.

 Speaking of a step backwards....there is trouble in paradise again.....

The rear heater core is leaking coolant. I made damn good and sure that all the connections were tight, but I discovered a pool of trouble. It was a slow leak but it made a mess. Looking closer at the problem I realized that the leak was not coming from a hose clamp but rather a fixture that is designed to allow movement(a swivel it appears), but it is leaking from the swivel itself. So I may need to replace the part. Being that it is only a few months old, a quick call to Polar Mobility got me in to see them first thing Monday. Which means a drop off Sunday and I will have to figure out a pick up time.

Good thing I like to Dance

Wall panels part Duex

 Michelle and I are suckers for inspirational quotes. Usually the ones which really strike a chord are ones that make you say "yes, that's right....I know that!" Not ones that are obscure enough that you pause and say to yourself...'huh! I've never thought of that!'
I consider them to be life lesson post it notes....big enough for my 40 something eyes to read from a distance! Michelle has this one on the fridge, and I couldn't agree more. There are many times when at first consideration a problem appears to be too complex or technically difficult, but all it takes is some time to contemplate and a second (or third look) For myself, I like to walk away from the problem....take the dogs for a walk....go for a run....or (this one is dangerous) let is simmer and move on to another project with the intent to re visit. Almost always, at second reading, what seemed difficult at first seems logical now.
But try to explain that to a frustrated teenager doing "stupid homework that the teacher didn't even teach us about!".......alas I digress

 So progress is FIllmore is slow, as per usual, but life gets in the way of progress....and I wouldn't have it any other way. The need to be there for the kids won't last as long as we will want, Fillmore will last longer than that. None the less, to reiterate progress is slow....but the key message is that there has been progress. 
After my mishap with the fabrication and installation of the first set of mounting plates. I made sure that I didn't screw things up....again. I  walked away, and looked at it from a different angle.A real put down the tools and pick up the pen planning session.

 Thankfully Randy came out to put hands to metal, and as usual efficiency dramatically rises when he is here. The new 'mounting plates were ready, and mostly installed over the past week or so. A job that when I was able to squeak out a few minutes, it would be enough to mount one or two brackets.






 When Randy arrived, it was time to start cutting and drilling panels and then mounting them... in a way that I have "retrievability" of course.










The application of a 1/4" open end rivnut will give me the ability to place and remove panels.
Randy had never seen one of these before, and like me the first time I played with the pneumatic gun.....he was having a good time

 After a few hours, we had panels in place and were gaining momentum. You know how it is, the first couple passes at a repetition task are slow and clumsy, but with each pass through the circuit, we get cleaner, faster, more efficient as you learn the pitfalls and speed traps.

Of course over top of these panels will be another layer and trim, so I'm not worried about wood grain direction or surface finish etc. I am playing with fasteners, dome shape bolt heads or a lower profile furniture/cabinet screw (think IKEA) 

 Quite a few panels in place, but quite a few more to go. Just time.....just time.

On with the show...

I decided that while I work away at installing the new mounting plates, I had to construct at least one wall panel to see what things will look like. I was on the hunt for a panel surface that would be durable, washable and more than a house hold heavy traffic paint finish. I looked at imported acrylic panels from companies in Italy, I looked at custom laminates from Richelieu, but I found what I needed in the humble haunts of...Home Depot. A fibreglass reinforced panel....I didn't go  looking for them there, I was looking for something else and I darn near tripped right over them. Funny how fate works.

So I cut the 3/8" plywood to the panel size I want to allow for a recessed metal reveal.The trim allows for the removal of the fiberglass panel from the plywood base....which gives me retrievable. I know I have to get over that....but being able to remove and service/swap/change....gives me great comfort. I'm glad our society doesn't encourage the same retrievability with marriage, otherwise my wife may have upgraded to a sleeker newer model years ago!

Missing of course are the chrome mounting bolts(dome head...I think...haven't decided fully yet)

To finish off a good morning and make it great, is when my son(now 13) actually asked me to quiz him for his homework! So we made a couple mugs of tea and hunkered in for some guy style studying. For those that don't know what that is it's just like studying but at every opportunity to somehow convert the subject matter into something ridiculous that makes you laugh.....retention of data is waaaaay better!

Distracted driving

We've all had a time where we get behind the wheel of a car, get to a destination and think to ourselves..."What the....?? I don't even remember driving here!"
 Or worse get to the destination only to find out you have driven to work instead of taking your son to his volleyball game.When I snapped out of my mind fog and looked over at the face of a very puzzled teenager did I realize what I had done. The theory is that the more familiar the surroundings the less you register both time and space. Without your critical thinking being engaged you fall into the daily routine and the subconscious takes over.

I had been thinking about the wall panel mounts since the summer. I had planned and re-planned. I had sketched and re-sketched. I chose materials and then,..well you get the idea.
I think that, like absent minded commuting, I had spent so much time planning that I went on autopilot and missed a few critical turns on the journey.
It was only when I had mounted the first two 'mounting plates' and was locating where I wanted to place the rivnut did I see my mistake.

Holding a blank mounting plate up to the edges of the body rib with the rivnut approximated to its mounting place you can see the issue. I would have to drill right through the flanges of the body rib. And that, in my opinion, would be a structural no-no. I considered what options I would have, place the mounting plate over top of the wall panel creating a wider "silver strip" at the joints, make the mounting plate reveal narrower? No matter which way I looked at it, it wasn't right. The only right thing to do would be start again...

So back to the drawing board

When your focused, it's a very simple solution. Took me about 10 min really. Make a template and try it out. I needed an extra 3/4" on each side to clear the rib flange. Instead of the mounting plate being 3" it needed to be 4.5"

But all was not lost. Angie and John at 3 Fab take very good care of me, I made a plea for new material and while I waited, I started to cut new wall board for the panels....it's nice to smell the fragrance of freshly cut wood again!

Retrievability: Planning from the bottom up and the top down

Sometimes I think I over think things. I think it's the inner artist in me that wants everything to be 'just so', or maybe its the inner engineer wanna be that wants to over design everything to allow for future repair, maintenance and manufacturers recalls. Whatever it is, it's making me feel like I'm trying to run in knee deep water.
I have a vision of the interior, what things are going to look like. But I can't seem to get to the point where I start shaping the interior to my vision because I am constantly saying...."oh before I do this I have to make sure that we can access this, or repair that!"

For example:

Your typical fuel sender. A relatively inexpensive part. Easy to install, easy to replace. But once the fridge is installed, there is no pulling the floor up, which means to access the simple repair of the fuel sender, I would have to drain both fuel tanks and then drop the passenger fuel tank down to replace.

So I said to myself...."Self? would you rather drain and drop fuel tanks or move a fridge?"
So I created a little trap door under the fridge location to allow for the (hopefully) unlikely event of having to replace the fuel sender.

Same goes for the battery bank. I could drop the battery box down from under the bus.....but what a pain in the keester that would be...and access to the batteries is a very common need. So again another trap door

 The wall panels are a little different. I want them to be retrievable but the likely hood of these ever coming down is slim.(famous last words I know)

I also however want the panels to have a bit of a feature look to them as well. My sister in law (Adele) and little bro Shawn, came up with the idea of a recessed accent which can double as a mounting system for wall panels

Thankfully my planning had me design wood inserts in the ribs at 9",19"29" from the floor up. So I could install threaded nut inserts(yes think Ikea style fastener)

Then a 3" band of 1/8" aluminum is fitted to each rib, allowing for the panels to be fastened to the edges of the aluminum band, leaving a 1" recess showing the dome head bolt and the shiny metal as an accent. I love it when a plan comes together....almost.....oh CRAP!!(more to come)

Placement of a piercing

 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is attractive to one can leave the next scratching their head. Body piercing is a great example. Culturally we accept some piercings, like ears, as attractive and have off and on for centuries. 
Another common piercing location is the nose. Although relatively new to our north american Anglo-saxon culture it has been practiced in Indian cultures for thousands of years.
For myself personally, I find a discreet nose piercing tremendously attractive. For me the placement and size of the adornment is critical to pleasing the eye. I fully acknowledge that there are many factors that influence piercings and the associated jewelry that is worn, religious and culture being on the forefront. But in reality, in our society the placement and type of hardware is, for the most part, a personal decision.

 Should it be placed on the right? On the left? Should it be a stud? a hoop?
What works for one, will not work for another. The issue is....there is no going back. Once it's there....it's there. So you should make sure you do your homework. Do a little test drive and try stuff on.







So that is exactly what I decided to do.
I am at the point of locating where the water supply will go. I have an racing style pop open fuel cap. It's very cool with a spring loaded door and is...in my opinion....awesome. With a few minor mods I can fabricate it into a water supply inlet. But where to put it?.....









So I took it for a visual test drive. I looked at a number of locations but these were the top two based on location and ease on the eyes.

Truth be known it looks like it will be a compromise between the two of these locations(see red dot)
But I haven't cut a hole yet......

'cause once it's there.......it's there......and a mistake just doesn't fade away.

Electrifying Surgery

It was an afternoon of chuckles. After receiving the necessary electrical components for the fuse block it was time to put everything together. First was to splice into the coach wiring harness that was set up by....can you guess who? Yup, that was my first chuckle!

I have a got another friend who not so jokingly says "to cut is to cure". As you can guess he is a surgeon, and I couldn't help but chuckle when I was fishing through the wires in the chase  I thought to myself "I wonder if this is what it is like I was trying to find a specific vessel in a bundle of thoracic organs?"
I am sure he would be disgusted, if not down right offended, at the analogy but for me, it was the second chuckle of the day.

Regardless of his approval, I scrubbed the surgical site(aka wiped off the dust with my hands) and made my initial incision. I placed a shunt and closed the wound using medical grade electrical tape!

If the former was thoracic, this was neurosurgery. Albeit this is less nerve racking than having the balance of someone's life in your hands. The install of the new fuse blocks was very much plug and play so the wiring was quick and easy.

While there I decided to clean up a little post desgn wiring that I was never thrilled with. The computer interface for the hydraulic fan required power. The install took power from an open circuit but there was no fuse terminal end available so they went to plan "B" which resulted in an unsightly piggyback wire across the front.

A simple cut and paste, crimp, heat shrink and install. Now the fuse is part of the block.



It was a great weekend, cool yes, frosty? perhaps! But getting a little done here and there makes me feel good inside.

Until next time!!