FUELISH MOTIVES

[boxcarOkie]

As diesel fuel continues to escalate in price, it becomes almost a necessity for most of us to find a cheaper way to operate our coaches.  One item that readily came to mind with us, that we have some control over was the "weight issue." 

Let's face it, the fuel crisis or problem, call it what you may, is ours, we own it.  It is here to stay, the price of the commodity that we all use, isn't going back down, and we might as well make the best of it.  Most everything else is out of our hands, but we still have control over what we carry in our busses', all those little things in life we just simply cannot live without. 

We can lighten up and keep on truckin' or we can park it and watch it rust.

If you own a bus, then you know that we operate incredibly heavy machines by most modern day standards, and anywhere we can cut the fat, lean them out, would it seem, increase our overall mpg figures.  Our bus isn't known for its economy, it is known for its comfort and dependability. 

It is our pride and joy ... unfortunately it is also a fuel sucking monster.

My wife and I are what we fondly refer to as "junkers."  We like collecting old stuff, and we hit garage sales, estate sales, on trips we search out the stores or shops that have the older type items that attract our fancy.  I collect old signs for my shop, and she collects, well frankly, "she collects everything!" 

We even plan on some day hitting the two lane in Alabama that runs some 400 miles and is one grand garage sale from one end to the other that we recently observed on the Discovery Channel.  A much anticipated shop till you drop take no prisoners kind of thing, with maybe a bus meet or two thrown in for good measure.

Occasionally when we meet new folks, I will say that "I am the heaver ... and she is the stuffer."  We have one hard fast rule on our bus, "You bring something in, you take something out."  We can ill afford to haul it all around with us anymore, it is just too costly at the pump.  Every pound you take out, translates to a little bit further down the road of life, it seems to me, a fair trade off.

This winter I have been building a trailer for our toad and I wanted something nice and at the same time, not all that heavy.  It was also imperative to keep the hitch weight down on the rear of the bus.  So as I put our trailer together, weight was always in the back of my mind, and how to either cut it or keep it down was one of my immediate goals.  I also wanted something that looked nice and a bit out of the norm.

During this process, I came across a unique product simulated diamond plate sold by United Pacific that resembles "diamond plate metal" but is actually a plastic product.  It gives you the appearance of metal but you don't have all of the weight to contend with.  It is similar in nature to some of the material you see in resteraunts lining the ceilings to give them an old time look.  In other words, it appears to be something it is not which is namely Diamond Plate steel material. 

This product I suppose it could be used for a variety of applications, I chose it to line the sidewalls of our trailer.  I lined our sidewalls with it and it really made the appearance of the interior of the trailer pop, and at the same time, kept the weight down.

It comes in a roll, that measures 24"X46 3/4" and costs about $18 per roll.  It can be cut in several ways, you can cut it with scissors (preferably new scissors) or you can put a cutting wheel to it on a Dremel tool, both will do the job.  It is not all that easy to cut, but after some practice and a little patience, you'll get the hang of it.

I tried several ways to affix the product to the wall, finally ended up with tubes of silicone sealant available at Walmart, Lowe's or Home Depot.  At the same time, I fabricated some 50 pieces of woodtrim to line the panels and placed them over the diamond plate with 3/4" wood screws and snap-caps. 

For all intents and purposes, silicone seemed to be the best route to take.  I used #3500 clear, I did not try any liquid nails but I tried other adhesives with not much success.  For instance, spray on adhesive will hold it, but the solvents in the glue attack the plastic and mar the finish from the inside out.  What you end up with is less than stellar and not all that attractive in the final end.  Silicone however produces no visible discoloration or warping of the material and it adheres well to wood or metal surfaces.

The product is easy to clean, seems to hold up well, light-weight and not all that expensive.    If you are wanting to dress up your old hoopie and make it pop, you might want to check some of this stuff out, it surely worked for me.  If you are interested in the product, PM me a message on it and I will get back to you with the particulars.

Currently have one side done and will start on the other side shortly, watch for our grand opening soon.  There you go a little bling-bling for those of you that are on a budget and as an added bonus, you don't have the weight problem to contend with.

See you in the fast lane .....

BCO

[wal1809]

Pretty neat looking idea!!!  I might want to use it to dress up the box where my battery switches are located.

[robertglines1]

thanks for idea!

[belfert]

My experience is that weight doesn't make that much difference on fuel consumption.  I went from towing a 500 lb trailer to a 3,000 lb trailer to a 5,000 lb trailer.  The 5,000lb trailer dropped MPG by about .2 MPG.  A difference of about 3% maybe.  One of my friends was really worried that the larger trailer might drop the MPG by 2 MPG.

Aerodynamic drag seems to be a bigger issue.  In general, the taller the bus the more drag.  This is really only a choice you can make when buying the bus.  Older models tend to be shorter and newer models tend to be taller.

[Fred Mc]

I would be interested in the name of the product and where to get it.

[luvrbus]

About any big truck chrome shops sells it I saw it in Phoenix at Danny's 24x48 for 15.95 I just wonder how good it will hold up with cleaning it scratches easy

good luck

[PP]

The Faux Chrome looks good. Hope it stands up for you. As for fuel mileage, I agree with Brian, weight doesn't seem to have that much effect on it. at least not in my personal experience. STill, we have a rule that when something new comes in, the old goes out (and she's still here LOL) Ouch! 

[boxcarOkie]

wal1809  Pretty neat looking idea!!!  I might want to use it to dress up the box where my battery switches are located.

Let me know how it looks when you get it done.
BCO

Robertglines1  thanks for the Idea.

No problem, good luck.
BCO

Belfert:  My experience is that weight doesn't make that much difference on fuel consumption. 

It surely cannot hurt to "lighten up" and there is the matter of hitch weight, that was also a concern.  Thanks for your reply.
BCO

Fred Mc:  I would be interested in the name of the product and where to get it.

The name of the product is Decco Diamond Plate it is distributed by United Pacific.  I get mine from Eagle Interior Accents in OKC, 405-495-1899, Randy Smith.  He ships nationwide UPS, I also purchase my snap caps from him too.


Luvrbus:  About any big truck chrome shops sells it I saw it in Phoenix at Danny's 24x48 for 15.95 I just wonder how good it will hold up with cleaning it scratches easy

I have been using Micro-Fiber rags on it Clifford, and that seems to take care of the scratching problem, being inside a trailer it is not going to require a whole lot of attention to begin with.  That is a good price, I don't know if it is the same stuff, but mine was $17.50 per roll plus a little for the governor.

As I am in a expansive-generous mood ..... I will again .... free of charge, release to you another of my secrets .....

Next time you are cutting your carpet, save the scraps.  Daddy's Hobby has a lot of diamond pate on it, (the real stuff) and carpet scraps make the worlds's best cleaning and polishing pad for diamond pate.  Shorter nap shag doesn't leave threads behind or come apart as it is pushed across the rough diamond plate.  The carpet's mildly abrasive texture removes dirt and grime during the cleaning process, too.

When it comes time to put a show-quality shine on diamond-plate, shag carpet moistened with a good chrome polish allows you to cover a lot of area quickly.  This stuff they sell at AutoZone (Blue Ice) seems to do the job nicely, without a lot of dust residue.  I have several types that I use with some measure of success.

If you don't have scrap carpet, poke around in the trash bins of the local carpet dealer.  One stop and you should find enough carpet scraps to last for several years. 

Well, whadya know boys n girls, almost a techno article there without really trying.  Next time I will tell you how I fixed my RV refrigerator with nothing but a worn out ten year old glue gun and a paper clip. (I mean hell, it has to be true ... you read it on the Internet)

By the way ... Stud Hoss Pitts loves Cinnamon Rolls!  (figure that one out)
BCO

PP  The Faux Chrome looks good. Hope it stands up for you. As for fuel mileage, I agree with Brian, weight doesn't seem to have that much effect on it. at least not in my personal experience. STill, we have a rule that when something new comes in, the old goes out (and she's still here LOL) Ouch! 

TAKE MY WIFE PLEASE!  Small world eh?  We have the same rule.  We also have another and that is the "half-tank rule" which was brought upon us by stretching fuel reserves too far, and falling a little short of the Petrol outside of Atlanta.  This turned out to be rather expensive (lost the prime and all that) and now, when it hits a half tank, we stop and purchase fuel.  As an added benefit or bonus, with the increase in the cost of diesel, it doesn't seem "to hurt all that bad" if you just get 75 gallons at a time instead of 225 (we now use the 65 gallon aux. tank for just that ... emergencies only).

Thanks for your reply.


In the final tally, it doesn't really matter if you hit a home run or not, you just suit up for the game.  I like it, weight or otherwise, scratches and all, and I think it is going to pop when it is done.

Thank all of you for your replies.  Nighty-nite.

BCO

[luvrbus]

Don,13.86 + shipping for Deco diamond plate at www.bigrigchromeshop.com no telling what the shipping would cost you know there will a fuel surge charge  lol
check out the LED head light bezels
good luck

[boxcarOkie]

Don,13.86 + shipping for Deco diamond plate at www.bigrigchromeshop.com no telling what the shipping would cost you know there will a fuel surge charge  lol
check out the LED head light bezels
good luck

That is a little cheaper than I have been getting them, but I am all caught up now, don't need any more material to finish the job.  I checked out the headlight bezels, they are the same as I already have now.

I changed out the bezels and the headlights in 07 or 08 (I cannot remember exactly) and have the same thing.  Only diff being the "clear lens" I do not have the amber, all my lights are clear or appear to have the "white" look to them.  By getting rid of the round headlights it not only improved the night time usage but it brought it up to the stat's of an 89 model and of course, gave it a new look.

Thanks,

BCO