yeah i did do the spring kit, mother of god it with the plate made a hell of a difference.

4/22/2007 10:20:32 PM

u fuckin with that bitch yet?

4/24/2007 8:28:15 PM

i say we have a party driving the BigBlueBird around the down capital smoking ric0rs off stoplights drinking and rollerskating inside at the same time

4/24/2007 8:30:56 PM

Quote :

"BigBlueBird"

lol

4/24/2007 8:32:44 PM

^^^yeah, i messed with it a little today. mostly just checking everything out real good, seeing what's worth fixing, working out plans for the inside, etc.

^^lol, this thing will put a HURTIN on people from stoplights. the exhaust is just right for blowing large amounts of black smoke in windows and it's loud as HELL. i thought my f350 was fun to screw with people with the exhaust, this thing is 10 times better!

anyone (that knows what the hell they're doing) interested in making some money doing the wiring work on it? i can't stand doing anything wiring related, and it needs alot of stuff cleaned up and some added.

4/25/2007 12:51:05 AM

Need 2 busses for reallllly fucking with people.

Poooof!!!

ACK! You muther fuc.......

Pooooooof AGAIN!!!

*choking pedestrian*

4/25/2007 1:05:36 AM

hell yeah, like the days of the f350/excursion train.

4/25/2007 1:13:39 AM

That's a big yar-4 on that.

4/25/2007 2:39:00 AM

im prettu sure the BIgBlueBird is on its way to doing this right here



or maybe this?



[Edited on April 27, 2007 at 3:39 PM. Reason : .]

4/27/2007 3:37:08 PM

what keeps that thing from tipping over?

4/27/2007 3:59:53 PM

c o g lower than the water line.

who knows what would happen in a stiff crosswind though

4/27/2007 4:04:50 PM

oh it's got a sponson on that side

4/27/2007 4:10:08 PM

did some work today - went at it again with the sawzall and cut a door that will be hinged on the outside of the bus for mounting two propane tanks. also did some prelim work for adding individual toggle switches for all of the dome lights.

4/27/2007 6:10:07 PM

^^omg that is badass. link/info?

^cool. luckily mine already has the interior lights on about three different switches. the whole thing is a freakin rats nest of wiring though, i'll end up redoing it.

i'll be doing my first actual staying in it this coming week.

4/27/2007 11:27:57 PM

did you get the ac working?

4/27/2007 11:37:21 PM

yeah, it works. requires shore power or a generator to run though. tried running it off the inverter, it just eats the batteries though. so, i'm on the hunt for a cheap 2-3kw generator.

4/27/2007 11:44:31 PM

SHore power! Where the hell you gunna dock that thing!

4/28/2007 12:00:40 AM

i dunno, that's what i'm sayin. it's what the rv crowd calls it though.

oh, i also dropped a deposit on a 32ft. trailer to drag behind it today. bling!

4/28/2007 12:01:48 AM

I gotta get a f'n cord for my camera. You fuckers ain;t gunna be bleiving this shit.

4/28/2007 12:42:18 AM

part of the joy of having a separate 27hp cummins diesel engine driving our air conditioners ...

4/28/2007 1:51:59 AM

spotted clearing out traffic on 64





[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 12:48 PM. Reason : .]

5/6/2007 12:48:02 PM

TripleD on the camera. lol

Nice tie downs. They kinda look like mine.

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 1:51 PM. Reason : .]

5/6/2007 1:49:52 PM

It was one wild weekend

5/6/2007 1:53:39 PM

damn ivan did u give it a bath? looks clean!

5/6/2007 3:10:17 PM

best picture of the weekend


[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 3:52 PM. Reason : .]

5/6/2007 3:52:33 PM

^^haha, hell no.

^lol

5/6/2007 7:32:18 PM

That's it. Time to race the SuperDodge and the Blue Bird.

WITH TRAILERS ATTACHED.

I desperately need more gears and lower rears though.

I'm envious, motherfucker. I want a bus now.

5/6/2007 8:01:19 PM

That thing is the shit!

5/6/2007 8:12:09 PM

I heard yall had some trouble getting it started?

5/6/2007 8:17:24 PM

haha, i'm pretty sure the superdodge would take it. it is SLOW on acceleration. it pulls like a champ though. up some moderate grades this weekend on highways 49 and 109 it only backed down to 50-55. 60-65 on the flats and 70-75 downhill. i think the 3k governor spring will really help it out alot.

egt's get a little high on extended hill pulls, it's at 1200-1300 pushing 28-30psi. i think with a little intake work i can drop them down some, it's still stock.

got 11-12mpg over the whole trip from raleigh>uwharrie>charlotte>raleigh. combined trailer/vehicle weight behind it was probably 8k. i'll see how it likes 12-13k in a few weeks when my trailer is ready.

^yeah, i guess we ran it down too far with the fridge, music, etc. damn thing has so much compression it took a range rover and the battery from the ramcharger hooked to it to crank it. i'm kind of glad it happened, now i have an idea of how long it'll run things before it needs to be cranked/charged.

[Edited on May 6, 2007 at 8:20 PM. Reason : .]

5/6/2007 8:17:52 PM

so trip to tellico or harlan or somewhere sweet sometime soon?

5/6/2007 8:39:15 PM

How about Florida?

5/6/2007 8:44:36 PM

^^def. man. we should do a combined tellico/tail of the dragon tww trip or something.

5/6/2007 8:47:43 PM

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=55248



Good deal on it, I'll be glad to help you out with the wiring once I get back from china, we can go hardcore with remote generator start, transfer switches, main battery chargers etc., toilet and sink and fix that old A/C controls

Its pretty easy to rig up a system that runs stuff off the inverter, and starts the generator when the voltage drops too low, and have a manual on mode for it, plus with a 50 amp floating charger, even if the main battery dies, you can always fire up the generator and charge it in no time.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-converters-electrical-batteries-1.htm

I can probably fab up some nice switch and control panels at the state machine shop, and I have a gold mine of nema rated switches enclosures, controls, etc.

I's gonna be a party on wheels

5/6/2007 9:48:12 PM

hell yeah, that'd be awesome. i hate wiring, so i've never really bothered to learn much past the basics.

that's actually the gen set i'm considering. hard to beat the price for a 4k, even if it is remanufactured. i can't say the extra cost of a super quiet honda eu or something is justified. i'm betting that robin is NOT quiet. my main use will be for running the a/c going down the road, so big deal.

5/7/2007 10:22:57 PM

the subaru engines are damn reliable, and they use a standard 1" briggs flange with internal pipe thread, so aftermarket mufflers and a long exhaust would be easy

[Edited on May 7, 2007 at 10:40 PM. Reason : 78 Db @ 3 meters ain't bad]

5/7/2007 10:36:13 PM

so lets have a weird-ass-vehicle garage meet in about a month when I'm done with one of my current projects. Will be painted bright yellow with a taxi light on top.


[Edited on May 9, 2007 at 11:28 AM. Reason : -]

5/9/2007 11:28:12 AM

^haha thats pretty tight. needs a limo layout inside tho not a trolley layout

5/9/2007 11:53:13 AM

ordered a personalized tag last week: PIR8 BUS

also picked up a cheap gen set from harbor freight. had to do some "modifiying" to fit it in one of the under carriage boxes. hacked off part of the cage and stomped the gas tank in some. it's a 3500watt, and is pretty quiet. you can hear a low hum inside when it's running. the a/c unit actually makes more noise. can't hear it at all when the bus is running.

the only downside is it's recoil start. the only electric start models they had were WAY to big to fit in the box without taking the engine out of the cage, fabricating some sort of seperate gas tank/electrical panel mount, etc. which i'm not in the mood for.

i don't have any more trips planned anytime soon after one this past weekend, so i may start on redoing the interior this week.

5/20/2007 11:08:48 PM

since the thread is back, i've been working on my bus ... finished wiring the 120v service and we've now got a shore power cable underneath the bus. also finished mounting the mini-fridge, propane lines, and gas range unit/oven. 12v wiring is coming along, just have to mount the blade fuse panel in the back and get a few safety fuses for running between the block and the deep cycle batteries. also mounted the 'emergency use only' porta-potty. score.

5/21/2007 8:18:40 AM

This thread has me aspiring to own a bus to take myself and a number of friends to burning man next year.

[Edited on May 21, 2007 at 10:57 AM. Reason : yer busses are pretty fly]

5/21/2007 10:57:02 AM

recent news - veg oil conversion is underway, nearing completion, hopefully tomorrow. then getting the safety inspection - can anyone comment on how the safety inspection for a bigass bus is different than a car, or is it? the dmv claimed i'd have to take it to a station that handles heavy duty so they can lift it ....

just got a new digital pyro today to replace the unit the air force felt the need to rip from the bus - only cost 45 bux, we'll see how it performs - it takes damn near any type of thermocouple. just about finished installing the stereo, made a mount for it so it fits in right by the driver under the switch panel. underbody storage is currently being finished up. got the ac fixed, so both units are blowing nice and cold now - definitely a necessity. getting ready to paint the roof white this weekend to reduce heat (paint with ceramic additives).

6/7/2007 5:27:20 PM

nice. where are you planning to gather your wvo from around here?

as for inspection, take it to piedmont truck on westgate rd. it's just a safety inspection like anything else, which includes checking the undercarriage for any grossly worn or hanging off parts, excessive rust, etc. (hence the need for a shop that has a lift to fit it).

6/7/2007 5:39:08 PM

we've been getting some from a grill in cary .... we've got a filtration system setup actually in the bus so we can pull up to a grease trap and pump - we'll probably be filling up the tanks in the next week since we're setting off for a 3.5 week trip next weekend. we're planning on just driving around, finding grease traps, and asking if we can pump some of their grease.

6/7/2007 11:00:14 PM

ended up getting the inspection at a place off 55 - triangle auto and truck repair? they had a bunch of TTA buses and big trucks in their bays - they're good people. real good people ...

6/8/2007 8:54:17 PM

cool. i guess i need to get mine inspected sometime. my personalized tag "PIR8 BUS" came yesterday.

as for the grease, i've always heard asian places are the best to gather from if you can. theirs is supposedly the cleanest.

[Edited on June 8, 2007 at 10:29 PM. Reason : .]

6/8/2007 10:28:40 PM

^^ something to ponder about

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/599471.html

basically, an RV owner is forced to pay $2500 alternative state and federal fuel tax because he is running veggie oil. turns out these tax collecting bastards conduct sweeps through rv parks looking for alternative fuel vehicles.

6/11/2007 11:19:54 AM

actually, that guy in the article has a converted benz. i heard about them checking people at the race though, that was the weekend we were down there. no one checked the blue bird.

i don't really have a problem with them getting people. if everyone else has to pay a road tax on their fuel, then so should svo/wvo people. it's not any different than getting caught with off road diesel.

6/11/2007 12:59:33 PM

well, my problem with it would be that $2500 at $0.30 per gallon tax and 25 mpg (assuming the benz) calculates to about 208,000 miles per year. maybe im not accounting for something correctly but i know i dont put on no fuckin 200k a year so id tell em to shove that bill up their asses.

[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 7:49 AM. Reason : unless maybe it's a one-time fee? but then what if you run diesel in it half the time?]

6/12/2007 7:47:34 AM

Yeah, I read that article .... what irks me is that there is no real process for individuals paying tax on alternative fuels. And in that sense, what about drivers of electric vehicles? They're using electricity as their 'motor fuel' on the roads, how do you tax them for their use of the highway? The state isn't setup to properly handle individuals who are making their own fuels, nor is the federal government. The $2500 bond is supposed to be for fuel suppliers and for an individual would cover close to 50+ years of vegoil production (even though it's not meant for individuals). Not to mention, there is some other federal IRS form you're supposed to fill out for it (according to the state) and if you do it, they'll send it back saying the form isn't accepted for individuals. For a state thats supposedly all for alternative fuels, we're just not setup to handle it at this point and the fact that they're pursuing trite shit like this on an individual basis drives me up the wall. If you have multiple tanks (one of which has regular taxed diesel), how could anyone say whether you're using the non-taxed veg oil for road/off-road use? Same with off-road diesel for that matter ...

6/12/2007 8:05:13 AM