Date:         Sun, 05 May 1996 17:34:09 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Thom Fitzpatrick <thom@calweb.com>
Subject:      '54 RHD Deluxe bus update - more welding

        Today I fab'd the gussets to go between the frame rail and the
torsion bar.  A noisy, crappy job, but I gotta do it.  Musta really PO's the
neighbors.  Matters were compliacted by a jigsaw with a bent blade holder,
so it always wants to go right.

        I welded the first gusset on, and for once, when you grab the fram
and shake, the whole bus moves!

        One close call was suddenly remembering to cut a hole in the top
rear edge of the frame rail so the wiring harness will have a place to go
thru!  I'm probably going to run that PVC coated flex conduit to replace the
original metal tube.  Ya see, all busses with belly pans, ie sunroof busses
or double doors, had a pipe that ran on the inside of the right side frame
rail to carry the wires; other busses just had tabs which held it up.  This
lets you fish a new harness thru later.

        So next I will weld on the gusset on the other side, and then start
fabricating the front frame rail section, the one that curves up toward the
beam.  I have to replace from almost at its apex down.  

        This section on barndoor busses is radically different than later
ones: where the frame exits the floor towards the front, it makes a dramatic
rise to the are under the seat.  Later busses had a gently sloped section.
Due to the nature of this radical bend, barndoor busses also have 2 U
channel supports, which are welded to the beam and bolt to the frame rails
where the floor begins.

Thom Fitzpatrick
thom@calweb.com - http://www.calweb.com/~thom
Keeper of the Barndoor Bus Web Page: http://www.calweb.com/~thom/barndoor.html