On the Road again....

....Just cant wait to get back on the road again....... Ahh Willie had it right. After a couple of weeks of waiting for parts to come in and then the machine shop work their magic, I finally had the new drive shaft in hand. So after The Band Peak played at Bragg Creek Days, I hopped on a flight to Regina, cabbed it to the mechanic shop and installed the drive shaft.

Surprisingly things went exactly as planned and within a half hour I was on the road.

It was a hot and smoky drive but it was uneventful and rewarding to be mobile again

When I got home, after the quick 12 hour day, I celebrated with a cold beer and washing the bug carnage off the front of Fillmore.

Whilst I was playing with my vehicle Jeff finished his truck!

The swing gate is fantastic, well thought out and well constructed!

Only to be rivaled by the front end! This makes things look really clean and sharp.

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Finally the world is starting to return to what we deem as somewhat normal, we have been 'allowed' to finally go see family in Manitoba. So it was time to blow the dust off of Fillmore and get him ready for the road.

The process was pretty smooth really, throw in a bunch of food(more than we need) throw in clothes(more than we need) throw in many little luxuries(more than we need) and we are ready to roll.

We opted to leave Wednesday night after Anna got off work, so by midnight we were on the road....in what felt like a monsoon. But after a long night of driving it was time to fuel up and pass the drivers seat to Jeff, who got his air brake endorsement this spring. I was quite happy to lay in the back and let the rumble of the cummins lull me to sleep. Until I heard the boom!

After we pulled over and I shimmied under to have a peak, it was obvious we weren't going anywhere. The  short shaft of the drive train puts lots of stress on the u joints, and after going over a bit of a bump(or a series of them over the last 9 years).....the mounting plate on the transmission side of the u-joint failed. We were lucky. Although the slip yoke came flying off and punched a hole in the engine room floor, that's all the damage that was done. With air lines, coolant lines, fuel lines etc all running in the near vicinity a small hole in the floor is a good (lucky) result. 

We pulled together as a team, Jeff looked into a rental Van while Michelle looked into a rental RV. Anna and I looked up mechanic shops and called AMA. 

Within an hour and a half the rental car company came to pick us up road side and the tow truck came to take the bus to the shop.

After doing the paperwork and then grabbing our "stuff "(or what we could fit into the rental) we were back on the road. A few hours behind schedule but we would be in Deloraine by supper time

While there was nothing to do for the bus, we enjoyed the hot days of summer on the course 

And on the water. Uncle Shawn brought boats and fishing gear, he was super patient in teaching the fundamentals to Anna so she could float and fly fish in the warm waters of Manitoba.

Hours seemed to slip away, we just relaxed and watched the sunset! Leaving the problems of tomorrow for tomorrow!

Happy Fathers Day

To all the Dads out there, new Dads, old dads, Dads who are no longer with us, happy fathers day. My fathers day started off with a beauty of a breakfast date with my daughter Anna. After some coffee and eggs we ventured out for pedicures. Yes you heard me, and if you saw my feet you'd know its not only a good thing but a service to the general public that this gets done.

After we got home, my attention turned to fixing the problem I had created the previous day. The issue with jobs that are "easy" is that when you talk to a professional, they say OMG it's stupid easy, even persons who have tackled the task say "Oh ya, quick and easy...no problem...it'll take you a half hour tops!"

The task is so simple, they assume you know all the little dos and don'ts....and if you don't then your in big do-do.

Ever since my summer diesel in the winter episode earlier this year I wanted to change fuel filters when the time presented itself. So the day before fathers day was cloudy and cool and raining , what better time to get under the bus and change out filters. 

This here is the fuel filter right by the gas tank. It goes tank, filter, lift pump, engine primer, engine filter, fuel pump. Its a super easy swap, just loosen with filter pliers/strap, take off the bowl, clean things up, oil the gaskets and spin it back on. Which is what I did.

Now here is where the little things can come back to haunt you. Some sources say put the filters on dry, others say presoak the filters with fresh diesel. But all sources say......if you change one filter change them both. Well this is where I screwed up on both fronts. I chose to put the filter on dry. My second mistake was after I replaced this one I decided to start the bus. All was well, until it wasn't anymore and after a minute or two of idling  Fillmore sputtered and coughed a slow death and would not start again. I ran him dry.  As the lift pump pulled fuel from the tank, I created an air embolus that seemed to work its way down into the engine room. So I started from scratch again. Pulled BOTH filters this time! 

This bad boy is the one in front of the fuel pump by the engine, a little more of a challenge to get to but do able. I made a bit of a mess but nothing I cant clean up. Preloaded both with fuel, cycled the lift pump a few times and hand primed it to beat the band. Sure enough he came back to life and I may be wrong but seems to be running smoother than before.

After that I treated myself to a quick bike trip up the mountain. I packed a cold fathers day beer so once I was far enough and sweating hard enough the justify the beverage I picked a good view and sat in the silence!

For Robert

I have spoken about Robert before, he is the gentleman who was the caretaker of the bus for many years. Robert had a vision for the bus which was beautiful and dignified. Unfortunately life got in the way and the bus moved to another person who preached the same vision but in the end did not follow through. This is where I showed up on the scene and took guardianship of the bus we now know as Fillmore. Sometime into my journey, after I had started a blog to keep friends and family from a far up to date on my shenanigans, I was contacted by Robert. A conversation turned to mutual admiration and respect, which now if I dare say has solidified into a friendship. His support and encouragement for this journey has always been strong, supportive and unwavering despite the fact that my vision is a far cry from his original vision. But I know that it brings him joy knowing that Fillmore is not only being refurbished, but used and loved with loved ones.

Last weekend found Michelle and I packing up to go explore some of Alberta's lakes north of where we live. Thanks to the ingenious design of a combo bike/kayak rack from Niceraq we packed up the dogs and the toys and hit the road. Funny, the 18 year old had a twinkle in his eye when he realized we were leaving him in charge of nothing much more than the fridge for the weekend.....odd he didn't seem disappointed he wasn't invited along.

The weather was a little poor when we left, but over time and geography......

Things got a little more bearable.

In a recent email with Robert, he said " I know I have original front turn signals somewhere!" And it made me think....I am pretty sure he already got tired of seeing my crappy plastic temporary lenses and mailed me originals years ago. I was simply waiting for the right time.....

Well the time is right, Robert this is for you.

The Good and the Bad

“You have to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad. love what you got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget, learn from your mistakes but never regret. People change, things go wrong, but just remember life goes on.”

― chime

I'm really not sure who Chime is or if they really did come up with the saying. I got more than I bargained for when I looked up the quote. When I was putting together this blog entry, I thought of the opening statement "You have to take the good with the bad" but I didn't know there was more. It really rings true to life!

So we'll start with the bad. After finishing fabrication of the rear ladder mounts, as I torqued down the second one I heard a "pop". It was my weld on the lower bolt hole. Easy fix but it means stripping the paint, re welding and trimming and then re painting!

While I waited for paint to dry I decided to take a moment to tackle something that I have been thinking of for years. In the engine room, as a part of the compressed air system the air dryer is mounted so as the canister comes up through the floor. As diligent as I was putting the floor in, there was a gap in the floor around the air dryer. This of course would allow dirt, dust and debris to get into the engine room. The solution so far was....shall we say a simple fix.

Low tech and low cost and relatively effective really...but the time was now to geta more effective and prettier solution.

Some creative aluminum work along with a split gasket...

And....you may breathe a sigh of relief!
 

A step up

I know that this will drive some purists through the roof, but I have finished (are you ever really finished?) the rear ladder install. Lots of finicky fine tuning but in the end the ladder performs well and no deflection of the bus skin under load.

And believe me I'm some good load!

All the while Jeff continues on with the bumper fab on the truck. Some intricate bends and challenging welds, but things are looking great.

Anna, who now lives in the area of my office, came by for a lunch time visit. I am graetful for such wonderful women in my life!
 

Michelle, not to be left out of the fun in the sun, convinced her boy to teach her to drive a skid steer while he was working at our place. He ws both thrilled and terrified 

Make light work of the task at hand

As the kids are embarking on the next stage of life, we realize that we need to 'bone up' on some life skills to help ensure survival really. What I'm talking about is cooking.....and Jeff. Anna is a good cook and has proven herself to be very proficient in the kitchen with respect to cooking and baking. Jeff on the other hand....although admittedly a crack pot Mac&Cheese maker, is perhaps a little light on the classic culinary skills. Being that he will be living in a shared accommodation setting next year and responsible for his own meals....we figured he needs to know how to do more than Kraft dinner and skip the dishes. Tonight we made tacos , with pulled chicken and fresh made tortillas. But as grown up as they are....they still get bored and need to challenge each other from time to time.    

Speaking of challenge, now that step one is complete with the rear bumper....it's time to make things more complicated...

Deconstruction of the front......I mean what could go wrong?

While Jeff tore apart the trucks front end....I kept plugging away on the design and fabrication of the rear ladder mounts.

Dedicated tubes with the same inner diameter as the bolts, with a recess for the bolt head. This is after welding.

Still need some fine tuning but once cleaned up and put in place.....they are looking pretty good!
 

Happiness is happiness

I will prewarn those of you who want bus and bus only...this is thin on bus but thick on love. 

As a young, newly married, man I remember doing some work with my Dad at my parents  place in Manitoba. I cant remember the specifics of it all but, suffice it to say, that I was the beneficiary of his time and generosity. I specifically remember  feeling a little sheepish that I was  an independent married man and yet I needed help to get where I needed to go. Turning to him, I humbly said, 'thank you Dad, I couldn't have done this with out your help, and I will pay you back!' My Dad, being my Dad a man who chose his words wisely, said 'You're welcome, being able to spend time with you is what makes me happy, I'm just glad that you still want my help. And if you want to pay me back, then offering the same opportunity to your kids is all the payment I will ever need.'

    I think of that moment all the time, especially now as my kids are growing up and becoming more and more independent. But whenever they call me up (snap me is more likely) and say "hey Dad! can you help me with...." I've already dropped my personal project and mentally said 'Sure!' before they can finish their question.

Anna called me up the other day and said in her gentle way, "if you want to come see our new place (moving in with two other Bragg Creek girls in Calgary) we are getting the keys after work." I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Seeing the excitement of the girls gave me joy.....and the energy to move their stuff into the new pad!

 

Jeff was not far behind, his request actually happened months ago. He asked me if I would help him build custom bumpers for his truck. The following months of talking about it, planning it, and researching design ideas is what got Jeff through some of the burn out times in first year engineering! Being that I can weld, but not a 'welder', and because I don't have all the equipment, experience or know how to do any of this..... I said "Sure!". I can buy tools, but I can't buy time with the kids.

The last number of days Jeff and I have been making noise in the garage as we design our way through the project......and I know Poppi is smiling down on us right now watching it all happen.

Special kudos to my buddy Doug, who was very generous to lend us his BRAND NEW, STILL IN THE BOX plasma cutter for the project....let me tell you kids, this sucker is a game changer. If you do metal work and never used one its equivalent to the difference between seeing a picture of a car vs driving the car.  This is fast and clean and easy to make shaped cuts.....really....I think I'm in love.

And now for a touch of bus. Further on the ladder inner support saga, by turning my horizontal support 90 degrees(now running parallel to the path of the door hinge mechanism) and making one per side, I was able to unobtrusively achieve what I set out to do! Now just the bottom supports........(cue the theme from the 1907's movie Jaws) 

Happy Michelle Weekend!

May never disappoints, spring has sprung the birds are chirping the grass is growing.......and then Michelle's birthday rolls around.

The general rule of thumb is we will have snow at somepoint on or before may long weekend....which is a fair statement...but in our house we always count on snow for Michelle's birthday.

So there was no surprises when our birthday hike for Michelle was in the snow. Luckily it was very mild.....but snow none the less. No short shorts and sun tanning! 

After celebrating the birthday girl.....and mothers day, I was let loose in the shop with the intent on making progress on the rear ladder. Specifically the inner mount supports

Thanks to the purchase of a tube notcher at my brother Shawns suggestion(insistence really) for Jeffs truck project, it was easy peasy to get a nice apposition of the two supports into one mount.

Things seemed to be going along smoothly(foreshadowing: que low level uneasy music). I was able to simply create a horizontal support running off the air chute  frame. However....in my enthusiasm....I had happy blinders on and was focused in on the cross member and how it matched up with the inner ladder mounts that I totally overlooked a key design component.

The picture on the left is the dry fit of the cross member. Just to the right of the inner ladder mount framework you can see a hinged round piece of metal. That my friends, as you can see in the right photo.....is the "D shaped" door hinges for the rear engine door. I'll give you a minute to visualize the mechanics of how that moves. To cut to the chase, it swings back when you close the door......straight back.....right into the cross member support for the inner ladder mounts.

Well.......THATS not going to work! Back to the drawing board!