Crappy Days

I tried, really I did! This past weekend I had great expectations about how much I could get done on the bus. It was a four day long weekend and we didn't plan on going anywhere.
My plan was that the first thing on the list was to install the drivers side panel...that has been off since god knows when.
Friday was the day, Randy was to come over and have a bus day.But things started going south that morning when Randy sent an email saying he was under the weather and we'd have to reschedule. No worries, I did some other errands, general clean up. Rust removal and paint, as previously mentioned. Then on to the father son project, Big Red.
Later Saturday afternoon after the obligatory dump run I decided to get to the panel...."But wait what evil lies in the hearts of men"...or more accurately what evil lies in the body of Fillmore?

As I was prepping the site, I felt the support that the front edge of the panel rivets to in the words of shaky Bill.."something is rotten in the state of Denmark". Yes the metal didn't feel right...it felt weak, tinny....and it was.
This was as far as I could go, Michelle and I had a date Saturday night and I wasn't going to be late.
I would get to it Sunday morning....
But then I was hit with some bad news....my cohort in bus crime is down. Randy is in hospital.
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After spending time with Randy and Leslie, getting them settled. I returned home to a very concerned and loving family. I calmed their nerves and assured them that our  adopted grandparents were OK and in good hands, I sent them to bed. It was late but I couldn't sleep so I puttered, which really means I layed on the gravel under the bus for a long time thinking about just about everything from rust to the meaning of life.
 Unable to use power tools in the neighborhood after midnight I did the best I could to excavate the rust by hand.

After removal of the bad....I wasn't left with much. But I had to remove more to get access to the frame so I can repair it. Which means...yup you guessed it....removal of a front panel...damn these ones have compound curves.

Now to do what a dentist does best....drill and fill.

Who says I don't work evenings!?