One Busy Day for Mrs. Jones (michael)

One Busy Day for Mrs. Jones

Today we got a lot done to Mrs. Jones. Jeff showed up at 9 am and started to cut in the stove top. I installed Christi's capt. chair. Phil, "Our Phil guy", showed up and installed the 6250 watt Coleman genny with a slide he made from old bed rails. Then we ran a 50 amp yellow cord from the genny to the back bay so we can plug in while underway. It will do until our big Onan gets rebuilt.

Christi picked up her pantry doors at

Cate's Hill trailer sales for $20 bucks on Friday so we laid out the face and Jeff put it together. I ran the rear roof air 12/2 wire. Smoked my good bit, Rats! Then Jeff started to frame the bedroom closet and Phil started on moving the air brake button. Where it is located made it hard to get in and out of the drivers seat, so Phil moved and modified

the housing to sit in a better place. He cut the housing with a hand grinder and then welded it together with my new Mig welder, (It's coming with us. A singer with a welder, Look out!) We had to pull out the spare tire to get to it. Good time for an inspection of the tire and the compartment.

They look good but dirty. Hmm, I wonder what Christi is doing? Hehe. Next we laid out the flat screen TV mount. To the salvage pile we go. We used the HD chair and upper compartment mounting aluminum rails. Jeff did a good job on this one. We saved a bundle! Also, the plumber Jack Jackson of Straight Flush Plumbing came over and lined out the water, waste & gas systems. I will cut holes in the AM so he can start running lines.

P.S. from Christi: Jared, (my son), and I spent the morning at Walmart, Lowe's and Home Depot buying parts for Mrs. Jones. When we got home I found an injured Michael with a paper towel wrapped around his thumb. He managed to take a chunk out of it when the drill gun slipped. Poor baby! So I found the bag balm and a large bandage and sent him back to work. We only have 3 weeks, you know.I had planned to get back to making Mrs. Jones pretty inside, (painting, yippee!), but soon found the rig was overrun with 3 sweaty, dirty males. Too much testosterone for me. I went in the nice cool house and did paperwork all afternoon. Aaaah.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Propane Compartment (michael)

Propane Compartment

Another thing I was dreading doing to Mrs. Jones is the propane compartment. It's funny to me that I have all this knowledge and experience in building, but somethings I would just rather not do. Like PROPANE COMPARTMENTS. Now just because I don't want to do something, does not mean I don't have to do it. Christi makes me. She said, "An electric stove top costs too much and I would rather have gas". As you men know by now, Mama gets what Mama wants and Mama wants gas. So I said "Fine". I went out to Mrs. Jones, picked up my cell phone and called Jeff. I told him of the wants and needs of Mrs. Jones. He arrived and we went to work. I sent Jeff over to the thrift store with a grinder to remove an LP bottle base for an old trailer, while I pulled all the material we will need out of the salvage pile. Soon we had padded aluminum sheets and aluminum angle stock. Mmmm, salvage. It was pretty easy to do. Don't know what all the fuss was about. We put the base and bottles in the bay below the cook top. We traced the footprint on the floor and found that we could use the floor supports as the top framing. We set the angle aluminum on the bay floor and affixed them with self-tappers. Then the padded aluminum sheet stock for the walls also screwed in place. Then caulked all the seams. Set the base. Cut the drains and placed louvers over them. I found some rubber seals and fit them so the bay door would fit tight when closed. Nice! I will run the line to the cooktop later. Thanks Jeff. What are you doing tomorrow?

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Cabinets, Install Uppers (michael)

Cabinets, install uppers.

Honey has uppers. To install uppers 1st make a cardboard pattern of the arched corner. Make it as close as possible. Then scribe and cut the cabinets. We used a jigsaw. I made some "L" brackets from the scrap aluminum of the upper compartments and installed them to the inside front upper oak trim. Mmmm, Salvage! This holds the front up. I used 1/2 inch self tappers to affix them to the ceiling and 1-1/4 inch wood screws to hold them to the wall. And there you have it. Uppers for my baby.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Tin Ceiling for the Bathroom (michael)

Tin Ceiling for the Bathroom

We have been looking at ceilings among everything else that goes into one of these behemoths. We have seen wood, as in: paneling, shiplap, bead board and exotic woods. Then there was carpet, both fine nap and shag. Plastic, cloth, mirrors, wallpaper and more. We did not see any embossed tin. We wanted something different in our bus. We had some tin leftover from a home we built, so I used it on the bathroom ceiling. Its a small space and Honey can see how it will look. Yes, I went right over the existing ceiling. The 2'X2' panels were quick to install with self-tapping screws. Tin snips were used for all the cuts. I backed out the screws in the ceiling trim, tucked the cut end under the lip then tightened the screws. Christi came out when I had two panels hanging, gave me a stink face and left. Then she came when I had over half of the ceiling up and said "this just might work". Then our dear friends Michael & Shirley Trotter came over and she was showered with compliments about it. I think she likes it. I put it on the shower ceiling also, it flowed better. I will seal the edges with clear caulk once I get her seal of approval. I love it. I think its a great solution. Its quick and we did not lose any head room.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

New Hinge for the Battery Door (michael)

New Hinge for the Battery Door The battery door hinge had the original rubber hinge on it that had failed. I asked around for a new hinge but thought to myself. Hey, I got parts. I looked through the ever growing pile and, Eureka! Stainless hinge. Found it on one of the inside storage compartment doors. I drilled out the rivets. Salvage! I removed the old hinge hardware rivets with a grinder. When I put the door in place we found there was a 3/4-inch gap/void between the top of the door and the frame. We have a piece of angle iron. I have an old bed frame in the garage that should do the trick. We cut it to size and screwed it in place. Then we set the door in place, marked and pre-drilled the fastner holes. Set the door in place and wedge it up to the correct plane. We then applied screws. Wow, thats nice. No more tape holding the door on.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

air conditioning system Removal (michael)

air conditioning system Removal. Phil came over to finish the air conditioning system removal.

He looked like a mad man tearing into that bus. Grind this, take that off, any coffee? You bet we do. next thing I knew, it was 5:30pm and the A/C system was sitting on the side of the bus. Wow, what would we do without our Phil.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

The Pooper (michael)

The Pooper.

Pooper, Pooper, what to do with the Pooper?

I went to the Net. That is always the 1st step to my research. Most of the time you can find the answer you are looking for in the archives. Sometimes you have to post your question on the Boards and wait for the answer. This topic had a lot of information on it. It told me that it was a long, hard and dirty job. Can we remove the pooper, "yes". But, with all the other things to do, we will leave it for now. We can still use the space though. It will be our walk in closet. I removed the door, handles, the "I'm in here" light and the seat cover. I took a piece of sheet aluminum salvaged from the upper storage compartments. This sheet will be caulked over the hole. The tank is clean but we will put in a small amount of bleach and rinse. Now, Christi can design her walk-in closet. Honey has closet, will travel.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Removel of the Int. Side Panels (michael)

Removal of the Int. Side Panels I had a idea. Let's save some work and leave the side panels in place. We can insulate and cover them over. But the wall chair support has to go which also supports the panels. So I got some self-tapping screws and set them at the bottom of the lateral supports. With a 1/2 inch drive drill motor I removed the large Phillps head screws and........... BANG. The whole unit hit the floor. LOL, so much for saving time. Back to the old addage"if you do it right the 1st time...". On the bright side, we have more salvage. Now I have to remove all the self-tapping screws. Once I got it cleaned up, I found a nice clean wall we can properly insulate and cover with bead board. Also, the panel spacers are held in place with a sealant and come right off. I can't wait, I have to do some framing.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Removal of the ramp (michael)

Removal of the ramp Everything on this rig is built like a tank, even the ramp. 1st we need to clean the crud out of the screw heads. Lots of dirt crammed in them. I used a knife blade to break it up then blew it out. Remove the large Phillips screws then the small screws along the front sides. Then take your trusty flat bar and work it under the edge of the ramp to pry it up. When it pops loose, place a wedge under it so you can grip it with hands and lift it up and out of the floor. Do not step into the void as the plywood decking is only 1/4 inch thick and you may go through it. You will find more trash and coins here. Mmm, treasure! This ramp is stout, I'll have to find a good use for it. Mmm, salvage. Tomorrow, we frame in the void. Honey, get me the hammer and saw. We're Building, Baby!

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Removal of the upper Air Vent System (michael)

Removal of the Upper Air Vent System This mostly consists of air shafts that run along the base of the side walls. Made of stainless steel ducting, it is rumored to be the resting place for all the lost small objects. Start in the front and remove all the screws (Philips) from the floor. Now the duct was built in sections. Remove the screws that connect each section. With a flat bar, lift the section, grab it and pull up and toward you. The top of the duct is only in a groove and will come free. Each section you remove is like a treasure hunt. Lots of coins, postcards, casino memorabilia, ballpoint pens, tokens and 2 ear rings (1 gold and 1 small diamond) Oh, and a lot of trash. Lots of good stainless steel to be salvaged here. On to the air defusers we just uncovered. These are made of aluminum and are riveted to the wall. Drill out or shear them off to remove the fixture. You will find one on each side. OK, to the rear return air housing. these are also on both sides. These are again made of aluminum and are riveted to the wall. Drill out or shear them off to remove the fixture. You will find more stuff in the duct in the floor. Next the ramp.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below