In a previous lifetime, I removed my overhead racks and was left with two bundles of wire about the size of garden hoses snaking down the chase at the drivers window jamb. I wanted to use this chase to run some new wires and decided to pull these wires out. No problem.... just cut em' off....grab em' by the tail.... yank em' out. Right? Sure. No problem. ::) Good grief. Those two big rattlesnakes of a wire consisted of a bunch of little wires that were wrapped together in a stiff, tight, bundle of tape (hardened over years )making them impossible to bend and pull around any corner. (unfortunately, a bus has corners >:(). But of course I didn't know this and thought "Hey, I'm just not pulling hard enough." I needed some help. So I invited my two teenage daughters to the party and we tackled those snakes with a gusto. Since there isn't much room to maneuver, you can imagine the tangle of arms and legs all trying to find room under the dash to get a hand hold on a piece of that wire and pull with all our might. It was kinda like playing twister, only a lot harder. (and a lot less fun.) That wire didn't budge a fraction.... I mean not a bit..... and by the way .....what is up with the wiring in a MC-9?!!!! Throughout the whole bus, every inch of wire....no matter how big or small.....is individually hand wrapped in black tape! (to insure freshness?) How would you like that job? Hello, my name is..... (insert unlucky name here) ....and I've been with MCI for 24 years. Yes, you heard right , I'm what's called a wire wrapper....I take individual rolls of tape and hand wrap miles and miles of wire together, into a snake, all day. (then I do the next bus) This bus was built in the 80's!!! I remember the 80's!!! I'm almost positive I saw things like plastic wire chase protector thingy's back in the 80's!! But Noooooo!!!! were going to make some poor factory worker hand wrap miles and miles of wire looms with a roll of tape. (Dang, that dudes handshake must have been like gripping a gorilla.)
OK, I feel better.
Where was I ...Oh yeah, under the dash ,twisted around the drivers seat, flat on my back, with with my head in my daughters armpit, yanking on a piece of wire that ain't going nowhere. This was not working. Something had to be done . Something different. Something a little more drastic. Something.......Unfortunately, this leads me to my question about the rivets. You know those little flush rivets that go around the edge of the windshield ,(under the rubber gasket) that lay flat on both sides? They hold the inside and outside pieces of fiberglass together. Anyone know where I can get some? And what kind of tools are necessary? (for that matter tell me everything you know about those little rivets if you would)
Second question..... can anyone tell me where I can get a drivers side windshield?
Thanks.
Chazwood.
P.s. Hey....At least I got the wire out.
Chaz, Call Mr. Bowen at Choo- Choo Express Garage. Chattanooga, Tn./ Rossville, Ga. ... Google it. 147 Prater Rd., Rossvile, Ga.
He has lot's of new windshields cheaper than MCI wants, plus he has some used ones available... I ain't for sure, but i heard him mention a price for them that was only $15 above what's allowed to be mentioned in the "Spare Tire" section.
He's also got gaskets, and will do the install if you need it.
BTW, I don't get a thing out of this, other than knowing I've done some less intelligent things in my life.......
Lest you think the worst....I will say this.... as far as the windshield is concerned, it already had a crack..... I just made it a "manly man" crack. ;D
Rivets anyone?
For rivets, try the 'Search' button at the top of the page. There have been many threads on how to rivet, tools required, suppliers, etc.
Quote from: Stan on March 16, 2008, 11:35:35 AM
For rivets, try the 'Search' button at the top of the page. There have been many threads on how to rivet, tools required, suppliers, etc.
The search button hates me. (gives me every article ever written, since the dawn of time......I think I saw something written by Moses in there once. ) It would be faster to start at the beginning and search by hand.
Quote from: chazwood on March 16, 2008, 02:24:09 PM
The search button hates me. (gives me every article ever written, since the dawn of time......I think I saw something written by Moses in there once. ) It would be faster to start at the beginning and search by hand.
I use search a lot. It can be frustrating at first, but honing keywords and other search parameters is an acquired skill. With practice the results get more useful. Then it becomes the fast way to get well discussed answers. And, when the issue is related to troubleshooting, you often get the benefit of seeing if the advise worked for someone else before you try it.
Chaz,
Have you been to gumpy's site -- he has several sections about those rivets -- i do belive --
david
Chaz,
What David said. Gumpy Dog's site is the absolute best ever. If you haven't read that you are really missing the boat. :o No No...don't sink. ;D
John
chaz,
here is the link --- http://www.gumpydog.com/bus/MC9_WIP/Structural/Windshields/windshields.htm
talks about those funny little rivets --
david
You guys are great!!!!! ;D
Thanks.
Chazwood.
Chaz,
I just ordered a Riveter Kit from Harbor Freight Tools. It's item 94669, cost $79.99 plus shipping. this is an air hydraulic gun. This is the gun that Fred Hobe uses, and Fred knows his bus stuff. You will need both aluminum and stainless steel rivets.
Oh yes, you'll need a compressor that produces 85-90psi, 4.5 CFM
Hope this helps,
Bill
Thanks. I'll look into it.
Edit: Yes, that's the gun I bought to replace all my "POP rivets" (inside structural panels under the windows) However, around the windows you will need something completely different. I call them "squish" rivets.
Quote
Edit: Yes, that's the gun I bought to replace all my "POP rivets" (inside structural panels under the windows)
Most 'POP' type rivets are not good for structural panels (poor shear strength). I hope you used the proper type.
For your squish rivets, there are two ways to set them - the air hammer/bucking bar method or the rivet squeezer which is like a compound plier.
What I call a "pop" rivet is one that goes "pop" when you rivet it. The rivets I used on the "structural" aluminum panels under the windows were an aluminum body with a steel shank, button head rivet. Like all the ones I took out. (all 769 of them :P) Incidentally, I drove around without the panels for a while waiting for my foam worker-guys and when I put them back in, every single hole lined up perfectly. Had the bus settled 1/100th in., those panels would have been impossible to get back on without multiple reamings. If those panels are structural......they are MCI's overbuilt definition of structural. You might need them if King Kong jumps on your bus.
The rivets around the windows are squish rivets (no "POP" .......just a kind of quiet squeezing sound like when you squish a bug between your fingers.)
Hope this helps...cuz I believe in trying to help.
Charnwood. (it's what spell check suggested.....go figure)
The MCI manual details every little piece.
you have both books, Maintenance and Parts?
In the body section will be detailed blown up drawings and parts lists, right down to the different rivets, by name, size and type.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Your rivet description tells me nothing. "Cherry" one of the large rivet manufacturers make a lot of different break mandrel (POP) rivets. Most are classed as non structural and only good for holding two pieces together. They also make "Type T" rivets and "Monobolts) which are high sheer structural rivets.