Hey all, the following are posts summarizing the three days we spent designing the inside furnishings of the bus. Enjoy!
Day 1: Brian and I knew we wanted two beds but how would we make them? Perhaps more important how would we make them strong enough to support our weight? We sat down, put pen to paper, and drew up some possible sketches for the beds. We needed something to support the beds on the ground but didn’t take up too much space so we could store things underneath. We came up with an idea to make four box/legs for the base of the beds. The legs would be constructed from 2×4’s so they would not take up too much space yet they would be sturdy. Immediately we took a trip to Home Depot. After wondering how much wood to get Brian and I threw one piece of treated Plywood (treated plywood deals with water better than regular plywood) and three 2×4’s onto a cart and checked out. We arrived at our newly created construction site a.k.a. the front lawn, and began cutting down the 2×4’s. To our surprise Brian and I were making quite a few mistakes. The pieces of cut wood were either too long or too short and often times were not cut even. We came to the conclusion that our cutting by eye was insufficient and we retreated to Brian’s house where we used a much more accurate saw. By the end of the night we not only had all the wood cut but were able to nail together two finished blocks.
Day 2: We learned from our mistakes quickly as today we use our time much more wisely. We nail together all of the wood which would be the legs for our beds. Do to miscalculations we had to make a run to the Depot to pick up two more 2×4’s and hinges to screw the legs into the base of the bus. Although our short side-trip put us back an hour or so we were still able to complete one full bed by nightfall, leaving us with a feeling of accomplishment.
Day 3: El Wanderer hasn’t started up in nearly three days which is kind of worrying Brian and I. Having already nailed down the second bed to the box/legs we decide to remove the battery to get it charged. The charging takes an hour and costs only ten bucks, which is really sweet. While we are waiting in anticipation we use the time to staple and nail down some garbage picked carpet to the beds. Only one bed is complete before the hour is up and we quickly focus our attention on trying to get the bus started. We put the battery back into our soon to be home on wheels and give the key a turn. Ear to ear smiles run across our faces as our yellow maiden is brought back to life. The bus is still running and Brian and I are now finishing the carpet on the other bed along with making some shelves with the extra wood (in the past couple of days we have managed to become quite the carpenters). Its been about twenty to thirty minutes now that El Wanderer has been running and we decide that we don’t want to push it. I turn the keys only to hear our bus stutter a little and then… “BOOM”. A shotgun like explosion erupts and me and Brian are cracking up. “What the hell was that?” I say Brian laughs a bit then says “It just backfired it’ll be fine” I agreed. Cars backfire all the time no big deal plus it was probably a freak thing anyway. Just to check I start the bus up and then shut it down only to hear the stuttering of the engine begin. I glance over at Brian and he’s got his hands over his ears already. Good idea, and I put my hands over mine…”BOOM” Both of us again laughing. In reality we shouldn’t be laughing but when you think about it, it’s pretty damn funny. Brian and I look out the rear doors only to see a woman who was coming down the block flip her gears in reverse to avoid passing us. This threw us over the top as we laughed even more. We came to the conclusion that it be better to give El Wanderer some time relax before starting her up again, so in the meantime we went back to the lawn to finish the shelves. We glance over at the bus only to see the entire hood smoking along with some sort or liquid pouring down into the street. We run over to the bus I pop the hood and Brian opens it. Smoke fills the air but thankfully nothing is on fire. The bus simply overheated which accounts for the smoke. The liquid was anti-freeze, the bus had gotten so hot that the anti-freeze began to boil and pour over the top into the engine and eventually down into the street. We waited awhile and the smoke subsided. Brian hosed down the anti-freeze in the street as I brushed it down the sewer. We wait until the bus cools and we pull it into the driveway. I slowly turn the keys back and look at Brian sitting on one of the beds. The bus stutters a little but no explosion, which is a success in our book. After the long and eventful day we had finished the furnishings inside the bus which now was becoming more vibrant and alive.
Ant :: Jan.03.2007 ::
Preparation ::
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