I found a guy who has a boatload of parts for Flxible buses. He has some factory new stuff and some used. Here’s what I’ve bought so far (from top to bottom):
• Taillight anglers to make so the taillights point straight back instead of being angled.
• Clearance lights that will go at the rear center of the bus on the back of where the roof air scoop is located.
• Factory new front door hinges since mine are sagging a bit.
• Fluted stainless steel siding that will be installed directly below the side windows on the bus.
The guy is cleaning out a large garage and is finding more parts each day, so I look forward to waking up each morning to see his latest finds. I almost called him this morning to make sure he was OK since I hadn’t seen news of any new finds and then I realized it was Sunday and he might be taking the day off.
Progress on the kitchen, clockwise from upper left:
1) Horizontal slots below drawers and door are heat ducts.
2) Here you can see the ducts themselves.
3) Hydronic heating system (which gets hot water from diesel-fired webasto heater or waste engine heat while driving)
4) Custom storage under the sink for all the accessories that go with the Kohler Stages 33″ sink (chopping block, etc.) as well as space for a small trash can.
I believe the space immediately in front of the sink will be used for Saran wrap and aluminum foil dispensers.
Progress on workstation booths, clockwise from upper left:
1) Ben’s booth will house an Epson R3000 ink jet printer, which can print up to 13×19″. I’ll have to pull out the drawer so that the printer is in the isle to print.
2) Karen’s booth storage is a bit shallower. The extra space between the back of the drawer area and the wall is where we can install two of Apple’s new MacPro workstations. There will be special ventilation added as well to make sure they can stay cool and they can slide out into the area between the two booths. The wall between the two booths will house a flat-looking subwoofer.
3) Just another shot of Karen’s workstation where you can see the extra space behind the drawer area.
4) Here you can see a wall that is 3-4″ inches shy of the actual wall of the bus. That’s so there can be a ledge up near the window and slots for file storage on that vertical area that would be next to your hip when seated in the booth.
Progress on the exterior, clockwise from upper left:
1) Starting to fill in the hole where the previous owner had a water inlet door. My water hose is on a reel that is directly behind the driver’s front tire and will come out under the bus.
2 & 3) Front and Rear clearance lights installed. These are factory new with glass lenses (not plastic). I also have spare lenses just in case one brakes.
4) The inside is being prepped so that it will be ready to have wood veneer installed once its delivered. They’re making it special for us with a dual-play wood backing instead of the standard paper-backed stuff that often causes a wavy finish.
A drivers side rear door has been fabricated. That will allow access to many of the bus’ electrical systems including generator (which is under that white cover in the bottom two photos), inverters and more.
Here are some misc. progress shots, clockwise from upper left:
1) One of the pull out pantries that will flank the center area of the kitchen. They’ll feature a countertop on top so that the who ever is cooking can be surrounded in a big C-shaped workspace.
2) I have no idea what this is… looks like a bunch of clamps holding something important together.
3) Fresh water distribution manifolds, one for hot water, one for cold.
4) The corner cabinet for the toilet room. That horizontal opening will be for extra elbow room and the boxed in area above it will hold the toilet paper roll. The roll is accessed from the elbow room area… just stick your hand in and reach up to touch the almost invisible roll. The button for flushing the toilet will also be in the elbow area. The lower doors are for TP storage and the upper area will have doors for misc. storage.
Exterior progress, clockwise from upper left:
The bus originally had round taillights. I’m having them changed out for more interesting arrow-shaped ones that were found on some Flxible buses.
1) Here the bottom of the original round hole is being filled in to make it the right height of an opening for the different style taillight.
2) The round hole is being enlarged to make room for the larger arrow-shaped taillight.
3) Hole modification complete and ready for fixture.
4) Final installation: This style of taillight has three functions built into a single fixture: a) Running lights above and below the “STOP” area, b) Stop light in the middle, c) turn signal arrow.
The one area where I knew we had rust was were the gap between the two windshields touched the dash. It was just starting to look irregular through the paint. The dash has been stripped of all paint and the rust was cleaned up as much as could be expected without taking apart the entire front of the bus.
Clockwise from upper left:
1) After stripping the paint, the hint of rust was revealed.
2) After cuttings away the metal, the extent of the rust was revealed.
3) After getting rid of as much rust as was practical, the area was patched with fresh steel and welded in place.
4) A little body filler to smooth out the patch and we’re getting ready to prime and paint the dash.
The interior is being prepared for paint and wood veneer application. Clockwise from upper left:
1) All the spots where screw heads were used to secure the plywood have been smoothed and the metal around the windows has been stripped of all the old paint.
2) The curved section next to the engine cover is now covered with wood.
3) Masking off any areas that shouldn’t be painted.
4) The dash has been stripped down to bare metal and any unneeded holes have been filled.
More random progress clockwise from upper left:
1) The openings for the front turn signals have been modified from the original round to an arrow-shape to accommodate the type of turn signals I like. They will be similar to what was used on the rear of the bus, but are amber and just have an arrow shape surrounded by black.
2) What used to be a round hole has been enlarged and reshaped. This is where the center channel speaker for our home theatre will be installed. We’re using a total of five Paradigm MillenniaOne speakers for the theatre.
3) Here you can see the finished speaker hole.
4) The workstation booth has had a flip up panel installed so we’ll have extra storage between where the printer drawer comes out (under the seat) and the edge of the booth.
