One of the things that did not get done down in Fontana was the painting of the raw metal. So, we are looking at some places up here to get it done. Because it rains a lot here in Oregon, we don't want all that work to go to waste because of rusting. We may just have it spot painted for now, depending on how much it's going to cost and then have the whole thing repainted once we get the bus all done. We've never really liked the color of the blue, it's too dark for our tastes, we want it to be lighter and brighter. Our posts may be long in coming, just due to Ron getting used to his job and all, but, we will be working on the bus while we're here, so stay tuned for future pictures.

As you can see, the whole back end of the bus has changed dramatically from what it was

Another view, that's the Airstream in the background

The back of the bus as it looks now, sitting in our fenced enclosure

You can't really see it in this picture, but, the lights have been inset, so when you look at it headon, they will be even instead of on a curve

Waiting for the lights to be installed

The area below the door was all newly fabricated

Finishing up the side door where the batteries are

May 23

Hi all, sorry it has taken so long to post more pictures, but, we've been traveling on the road. We left Saturday the 19th and arrived up in Oregon on Tuesday early afternoon. We have been busy getting settled in, but, I do have some pictures of the finished work of the back end of the bus. All the money we put into the new fan and shroud and enclosing the area around the radiator was well worth it. On our way up here, the highest the temp gauge got in the bus was 190, with it averaging about 170 the rest of the trip. Ron also said there were no rattles of anything, it was very quiet. He was quite happy with how everything turned out. I'm even going to add a couple of pictures of where we are set up in our park. Remember we were going to build some cabinets, but, we think we've found something even better up here. Finished hickory cabinets we found at a factory outlet warehouse. We have to do some figuring, since they are made for square walls, but, Ron thinks he can modify them to fit our rounded walls without a problem, so stay tuned for that particular project...

Waiting for the bumpers to be attached

This is Oscar posing next to his handiwork

May 14

Although we would have liked to leave on Friday morning, it looks like we'll be leaving on Saturday morning, that will give him two extra days to finish up. Remember what the last picture looked like with all the beams cut out, well, the new ones are all welded back in and it looks better now, as this next picture shows...

This next picture shows the old beams cut out and waiting for the new beams to be welded in, we're hoping that when Ron goes over there tomorrow, most of the work will be done.

The bumper is aligned with the other one and looking good

This side is all done, well, it still needs to be painted...

Waiting for the bumper...

The door is getting there

May 13

It's getting down to the wire, will he be done by the time we said we had to leave, or will we have to leave the bus there a couple extra days...Ron went over there today and he's working very diligently. He's gotten a lot done, as you will see, and it's looking real good! Hopefully, he can have everything fixed and back together by tomorrow, so on Tuesday, he can paint...stay tuned.

The frame of the door with the space for the license plate

This last picture is of the rear door covering the engine. The whole door was completely enclosed, the new door will have all mesh coverings except where the license plate goes. Also, all the open spots that you see will be covered by mesh, too.

What it looks like with the door closed

See how much bigger it is, plus the 2 scoop on the side, that tube sticking up is the transmission dip stick

Note the little rectangular box near the rear

This next picture was when we first saw the bus, you'll notice the small rectangular box on the side near the back was the radiator intake, not very big for bringing in much needed air to keep it cool, couple that with the small fan and leaky areas around the walls, floor and ceiling and you have a hot engine most of the time. The following pictures will show you how we're trying to change all that with a bigger area to bring in the air, sealed walls, floor and ceiling to keep out the engine heat, 2 new scoops to help, the bigger fan to pull the air in with and also all the mesh we're putting in the rear door, as well as the side doors and openings.

Ta Da, see, I told you there was going to be a wall!!

There is going to be a wall here to block the engine area from the radiator

May 8

Finally, the work on the bus is winding down. Actually, we've finally given him a timeline to have all the necessary work done. We have to have the work done around the radiator and the engine cover back on, but, that shouldn't be a problem, because he's almost done with that part. Also, he has to at least put primer on the unpainted parts, if not finish it with the paint. The reason we are in a hurry is because we've got a summer job starting up in Oregon, near Portland. We're leaving on the 18th, but, pulling the bus out on the 16th, to have a front end alignment done. As many of you know, it has a tendency to rain a lot up there, so we need the primer on it at least, so it won't rust. (Yep, we're driving the bus up there with us, so we can continue with the work, which will be all inside). He's doing such a good job with what he's been doing so far, that he should be able to paint what he needs to get done. The other stuff, such as a door over the batteries, the rear visors going up, the other two windows with new rubber, those can really wait until we get back from our job. Those were just enhancements, anyway. There will probably be some lag time between my last post and the next one, to accommodate our drive up there and get settled. But, work WILL continue on the bus so we can finally move into it...