TMC MC-8 CRUSADER CENTER SEAT TRACKS

JeffsMagicBus · August 07, 2008, 05:37:10 AM

Hello!
I hope all you bus nuts and your families are well.
I was wondering what the ramifications of removing the center seat tracks in my 1975 TMC MC-8 Crusader might be? My center seat tracks are near the isle as opposed to the other kind which is more in the center of the seats. I know that they most probably offer some strength to the floor and add to the structural integrity of the coach. I'm going to install 100 year old oak boards for my flooring. They were salvaged from a barn and were used as a sub floor, sandwiched between two other layers. They look like they did the day they were first installed! Some of them are 16"-24" wide! I was wondering if it would be better to take a side angle grinder and cut the tops off the seat tracks flush with the existing floor or should I router the boards in the proper locations? Either way it kind of sucks but at first glance it would appear to be easier to cut the tracks. I think leaving what's left of the tracks would counter the affect that totally removing them might have but I've never done this before and was wondering what you would do? It's nice to know from somebody who's been there before!
I have over 1,500 hours in the interior to this point! When I first started the conversion
I was thinking it was "Poor Boy's Cabin Meets Old Bus" but since the ceiling turned out so well, I like to think of it as the "Cowboy Taj Mahal" AKA: "Whippoorwill Lodge"!
I hope you enjoy the photos!
Best Wishes To You And Your Family,
Take Care,
Jeff

redbus · August 07, 2008, 05:50:32 AM

Looks Good are those floor tiles on the ceiling. How about a outside pic.

JeffsMagicBus · August 07, 2008, 06:49:52 AM

Hello!
Yes, those are real hardwood parquet tiles on the ceiling! I haven't touched the outside yet as I'm paying the neighbors and the HOA back for harassing me about keeping it here. I'm probably going to paint tiger stripes all over it or maybe leopard spots! Here's a few photos of the outside. She only has 48K on a total restoration in '99-'00! The clear coat is peeling off but ask me if I care? I don't see it any way as Love Is Blind.
Later,
Jeff (WD4IHS)

www.drycreekcustoms.com

gumpy · August 07, 2008, 08:01:17 AM

I'd take them out (did take mine out). They're tack welded along the length. Just cut the welds with a cutoff blade in a grinder and remove. If you want to leave them, you could add a layer of thin plywood to bring the rest of the floor up to the same level before putting down your oak.

You really should consider resizing those photos and shrinking them a bit. They don't fit on a screen very well, and one can't see the whole image.

Nice work, though.

happydays · August 07, 2008, 04:26:40 PM

Thanks for the pictures, nice bus

Busted Knuckle · August 07, 2008, 04:39:25 PM

Hey Jeff look'n good! 1 question though. Did you just leave the original toilet in it? I see the back wall of the bedroom appears to be about where the original bathroom wall would be, and in the enging compartment I see the toilet tank still there! No big deal, just curious as this is a different approach from the norm. FWIW!

BK

JeffsMagicBus · August 08, 2008, 02:09:08 AM

Hello!
Thanks for the kind word's! I will try to resize the photos as they are a little big but that's what those little arrow thingies on the bottom and side is for!

BK, Yes the original toilet is still intact under my "If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It Rule" and you never know when you might have to go! I don't use it but it's nice to know it's there. I know that Everybody else rips that stuff all out and they center their bed against the wall and put cabinets overhead blah, blah, blah, boring! I'm not everybody any way! I had originally planned to keep it all open back there and leave the three seats and I was calling it the Rear Lounge. It's basically a walk in closet that I was going to possibly put a central HVAC system in. I was going to use it as a closet for seasonal clothes and other items. The door ended up being a little too narrow for my big arse to be going in and out of on a regular basis but you could look at it as what many years ago was reffered to as "The Vomitory" which is self explainatory. Might come in handy during service calls after seeing the bill(s)...
I'm going to have a complete bathroom in the middle of the passenger side wall. The shower will be seperate and will be between the bedroom wall and the crapper. I might have to evict my washer/dryer combo since it was originally in the back where the three seats were. I didn't like it there, after putting it there, of course, and decided to move it after I looked at it for a couple of days. My bedroom ended up being a little larger than I had planned but I needed some room to build an entertainment center. The room is 7.5' x 11' which is pretty big! The bed has a 6 drawer pedestal under it to save on wasted space. The bed is just sitting there so I could get an idea of where to place it. I'm getting my 100 year old (looks new) lumber later this morning! I'm using it for the floor, wainscotting, cabinets, kitchen table, and the end tables for the bed. It will be pretty cool and I don't have to worry about anybody having one like it. It will end up being a rolling advertisement for Loc-Tite if my plans work out the way I think they will but that's another story. So if you ever see a 35' long tube of Grab-It flying down the interstate you'll know it's me! But they're going to have to pay me quiet nicely to do that! Should get them some good publicity. If that doesn't work I'm putting tiger stripes all over it or maybe leopard spots on it and I'm serious. I was going to go with Zebra stripes but that's old news and worn out. At the very least it'll be in flat tan paint or maybe grey primer for awhile. It had a professionally applied paint job in '00 but it was 6" too tall to fit in the previous owners warehouse and the clear coat is peeling off like a bad sunburn. Ask me if I care as I'm getting even with my neighbors and the HOA! I don't get mad... I don't see it any way as Love Is Blind. Nothing to loose their head's over..... Go Greyhound And Leave The Head Hunting To Us?
I have over 1,500 hours in the conversion to this point! After spending hours on installing stronger headliner screws, all of them, it took quiet some time to seperate the 300 parquet tiles in half and then glue the 600 pieces up, keeping them matching. 1/4th of a 1' square tile has 7 pieces. So 4x7=28 pieces of wood per tile x 300 tiles... That comes out to 8,400 individual pieces of wood, and it might be more. And your wives and friends think you're crazy! Hey it's maybe funky looking to the fancy smancy Prevost guys but I don't have any particle board or plywood with curvy plastic veneers in Whipporwill Lodge! It has 48K on a total restoration and I'll put her up against ANY coach, ANY time and it'll leave it behind like it's sitting still. I past a thousand miles worth of semis on the way home and not a single one could pass me and buddy they ALL were trying! While crossing over the river into Memphis on the way home there were two trucks coming up on us on either side. A turbo whinning on the right, a super charger whistling on the left, and Screaming Jimmy, in the middle, went off and left them both. Those turkey's had them so wound up they sounded like they were about to blow any second! I don't condone speeding but sometimes you just have to go with the flow. They started it and I ended it. It isn't a race if they're a half a mile behind me. And it still had the seats on it and all the bays were full of spares to the hilt including two spare 8V-71's! I can't afford the fuel right now so icksnay with the wanna race comments. Let's just say on a closed course Rachelanne would not have any problems whatsoever hitting the speedometer peg which is set on 85. It'll cruise 80-83 and it tops out at 84-85. There's no hurry as I have "NoWhere To Go And All Day To Get There" any way!
I'll keep you posted on my progress.
Bye Bye!