December 2024: Raffle Bus Update

Thank you all for helping out on another busy, dusty, loud and very productive work party.

Many thanks to everyone who came Saturday and helped on the raffle bus. It was another loud, dusty day of sanding, patching, scraping, wire wheel/brush and cutting away rusty areas and getting them ready to weld in real, steel patches.

Big Thank you to everyone for helping do a lot of difficult, dirty, dusty body/interior sanding and grinding at Saturdays work party!  We got a lot done!  

We had a great turnout this Saturday and got a ton done on the new Raffle Bus. A special thanks to Clinton for helping everywhere and to our newest club members, Reuben and Michelle Rettke who just pitched right in and took on removing the Deluxe stainless belt line trim and cleaning and shining it up. Sarah and Sue Rice worked on that trim and on the dash and a bunch of plastic pieces that were a mess. 

We have our new Raffle Bus #34 for our next ABC Jamboree 2025! Here's a few pictures of us picking the bus up and transporting it to our workshop (Russell's garage) for its transformation. Check back often for images over the next several months as we turn this bus into your Dream Bus!

Yesterday was a real turning point in this year's Raffle Bus build. Our to do list was shortened by a lot because of everyone's hard work and tremendous effort.First, we had a very welcomed visit by two members of our distinguished board, Sandi and Rob. It was good to see them. Rob was able to stay all morning while Sandi, very wisely, had other obligations. Thanks for coming.

Monday, March 25th

Who says this group doesn’t know how to have fun? John orchestrated pure chaos as we worked to finish the bus by the self-imposed deadline of April 1st. It’s not looking hopeful, but we are trying. Ed and Bill led the crusade in putting in the non-movable windows flawlessly. They were like well-oiled machines, directing us to push here and there, as Ed pulled the string, and the stationary windows fell into place. Our only hold up is not having a source for the seals for the two sliding (Jalousy-like) windows.  Without the seals, we can’t put the windows in. Dave C. is the guru to put in the wing windows and the rolling front windows. Unfortunately, we can’t progress unless we get a new wing window for the passenger side. The front bumper got mounted (Roy had banged it into shape), but the rear bumper bracket on the driver’s side was bent from a prior accident. Ed and Greg tried some persuasion (a bigger hammer), but it didn’t work. The bumper still appeared lop-sided (you know there’s trouble when someone is swinging a sledge hammer at a freshly painted bus). Jim J. says he thinks he has some bumper brackets that we can use. He will bring them from Prescott next week. By the way, can you believe he is driving from Prescott to NE Phoenix to have this fun? It’s great having him and his wealth of knowledge to help us. Clinton, our youngest helper (here for his 4th bus-build), added sound-proofing material and removed window stickers that Joe Joe said had to go. As is our new tradition, any club or organization supporting ABC financially or morally that wants to add their sticker to our back window, they can. The remainder of the afternoon was spent working to get the pop top back onto the bus. This was a tricky proposition, especially with a newly painted bus. John had erected some scaffolding and, using Plan D (the first 3 plans didn’t work), we got the top into place. This was a major feat, and we could then see that all of John’s hard work to get the sides of the top straight paid off. The edges now sit perfectly in the rain gutters all around. Kudos to John for figuring out the needed fix and implementing it.  One may ask, what did Russell do?  He took pictures, lots of grief, followed orders, and ate seconds of Greta’s wonderful chili and of Sue M’s yummy chocolate cherry cake. Oh, the floors were laid earlier in the week by Ryan and Russell, and the upper bed was installed. Both look nice! I guess that sums it up. There’s still lots to do, and not much time to do it, especially if we can’t find the right seals and wing window.

A lot was accomplished!

Wayne Olsson and Mark Peck were the two shining stars today for the bus club. Both worked tirelessly to get the job done. We prepped the bus for painting the back area inside and floor. Boy, did Wayne do a great job, as always.  All white inside. Some welding still needs to be done, but we left these areas covered by tape so they are untouched. Waiting until the next time the welding crew can finish them off. While Wayne was painting, Mark stained, and then sprayed Varathane on some of the wood for the bed and table.  Although these areas are not really that visible, they will look good!! Oh, speaking of looking good, this bus is going to be real nice (both inside and out). Start saving your money for raffle tickets. You will really want to win this one.There will NOT be a bus-build on Saturday 2/17/24, since many of us are going to Naked Dates campout. There will be one on Saturday 2/24/24. If you can’t make Saturdays and want to help, we are working other days of the week, so get in touch and we can let you know what we are doing on what days. 20 hours of volunteer work on the bus gets you a cool limited edition T-shirt saying you worked on the bus.

What a super week, ending in a super day, all by super players. I’m not referring to Taylor and Travis as the stars. Instead, I am referring to our own bus club members who are making the raffle bus a real super jewel. John Manning has been the all-around player. He started by figuring out a way to straighten the edges of the pop top so it would fit in the rain gutter channels. Russell and he implemented his plan on Monday and Tuesday by gluing metal rails onto the sides with industrial-strength glue that binds to the fiberglass. His calculations worked and the sides of the pop top are now straight as an arrow. John sanded smooth many of the rough spots on the roof and followed Phil’s suggestion of a way to use a special epoxy to fill holes after they were sanded and rust was eliminated. Greg, Mark, and Russell worked on the inside cabinet to make it look great. New doors and a lower drawer were made. The countertop with sink and faucet, along with a slider for the gas stove is being devised. John prepared a nice sheet metal piece for the passenger floorboard. All this was done before the super crew came today to get a ton of work done. It is amazing how the team can do so much.  We had a pleasant surprise with our own Sergeant of Arms, James Jones driving down from Prescott to help us with welding. He and Bill worked as a tag team to get the floor boards mostly done. Ed brought the bus club compressor out of storage, then expertly created a 220 Volt circuit from the electrical panel so that the compressor could be used. He also worked on other jobs that needed his skills. The compressor was found to be leaking, so he figured it out so that all that is needed is a regulator, of which, Bill has spares in his drawers at home. Brian worked tirelessly today cleaning and prepping the luggage rack for the upcoming paint job. Dave C. worked tirelessly hunched over the engine to finish the painting and then worked on the inside body work. He did this, all while, he had a sore back. Mark P. was like Picasso. He created works of art out of the top bed that has to be replaced for reasons not mentionable. The stain job he did was a masterpiece. Through this all, Wayne was working to smooth out spots that needed it and consulting on what was going to be needed for the upcoming paint day. Roy made a special visit with the bumpers he had somehow miraculously straightened. He also brought with him fabric for which we came to a consensus for the upcoming bus interior. It is going to look snazzy. As in the past, Greta made a super feast including Caribbean vegetable stew and a tropical fruit salad. Fresh squeezed lemonade was a hit too.If you want to join in the fun mark your calendar and plan to join us on a Saturday. Check the calendar to see what is planned. If you want to come during the week, let us know, It is likely something can be worked out. There will not be a bus build on Saturday 2/17/24, as many of us are going to the Naked Dates campout. The following Saturday 2/24/24 likely will have one.