Rust Bustin'

Work Day 5:  This weekend, we continued our work on the bus floors and Robbie completed the job of re-routing the radiator hoses under the bus (they originally ran inside the bus along the driver's side wall).  We still had a lot of rust to get up with the wire brush, so Robbie got started on that right away.

Beware of the rust dust!  It can make you feel like shit.  Take our word for it.

Open all windows and use a fan

…& definitely consider safety glasses and a mask..

We used this kind of wire brush attachment

While he did that, I came behind him and applied Rustex (a chemical which stops the rusting process).

It goes on very thin, like water

gloves are a must

you could see the reaction happening right away (bottom of pic untreated)

you can see the freshly applies Rustex bubbling in the bottom of this pic

area around the broom is untreated

 We had to leave the Rustex on over-night, so we wrapped it up for the day.




Work Day 6:

day after the treatment..

The next day when we got to the bus, we could see a difference in the rust on the metal floor right away.  It was mostly white and marbled and there was a lot of black dust to sweep up.  We decided to caulk all of the holes and cracks (I went overkill and caulked all seams as well) to give us a little more of a seal from Mother Nature.  So, I took care of that after the floors were swept.

While I was working inside the bus, Robbie was outside and under it, completing the transfer of the radiator hoses from inside out.  This process was a little too complicated for me to describe, so Robbie will post some pictures and explain what he did in far better detail than I ever could.  For now, I will just share a few pics..

hanging the straps on the conduit

use the strap as a template for where the screws will end up

I think his foot is an important part of his technique
I had to move this first run in closer to the frame, this kept it away from the wheels

Under the bus!

both pipes mounted with the straps

hooking the new radiator hose pipes back in to the system

Next week, we plan to coat the newly treated and caulked metal floors with Buskote insulated paint.  Then, we will be ready to put down the insulation and new wood flooring! It will be so nice to finally have the inside sealed up & moisture-free.



…a few more pics of work days 5 & 6:

both big rigs

the worksite..

One of my favorite parts of working out at my grandparents' property...

…Getting to go through PawPaw's Shop for tools & supplies (a favorite plunder-place of my childhood!)