BUS DASHBOARD PRELIMINARY INSTALLATION
Once we’ve accomplished the tear out (check out that video here), the construction of the components (here), and the EcoPoxy finishing of those components (here), we can move on to the bus dashboard preliminary installation.
Before we start doing the bus dashboard preliminary installation we need to do some final finish work to the panels we covered with EcoPoxy in the last installment. To do this, I simply ran over all of the components with a very fine grit sandpaper (2400 grit or higher), cleaned off any residue with denatured alcohol, and used a homemade polishing compound to make everything shine!
The bus dashboard preliminary installation is a complicated jigsaw puzzle that requires the components to be installed in a certain order. I did this for a number of reasons. By making every piece interconnect with the piece before it, I am able to still remove it for any major maintenance while still having enough stability to feel comfortable barreling down the freeway at 70 miles an hour behind it.
UNIQUE PROBLEMS SOMETIMES REQUIRE CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
Doing the dash from scratch creates a number of unique issues. When the original dash came out of the bus so did the original fasteners for the dash to the framing. I didn’t want to mar the finish on any of the components so I needed to come up with a way to attach things from the sides that don’t show.
To accomplish this, we are using an assortment of angle brackets to sure everything up and keep it all tightly attached. When we are laying everything out for the bus dashboard preliminary installation, we made sure that there was clearance for any switches, lights, or rheostats to be installed afterward.
So once we figure out how we attach the components, we have to do a little bit of preliminary work to the attachment points. Specifically, we need to predrill through the steel framing to allow the wood screws to make it into the wood panels. We figured out that 1 ¼” fine thread wood screws seem to provide enough length and grip without breaking through the face of the panels.
Once we have all the panels attached, I went back and epoxied any inside corners to ensure the best waterproofing we could (especially in the kitty litter room).
Check out the video below of the complete bus dashboard preliminary installation process and don’t forget to swing over to our facebook page (Wanderlust Bus FB)
