IH 3800 - plenty of seats to go around!

[Repstock]

5 hours ago, Mopar - D said:

Awesome progress Jeff. looks like Tom has provided proof that this bus can be done. 

I built that bus many years ago. The school bus yellow is just Testor's spray enamel yellow. It's about time we had some newer ones. I'll be watching this build.

Edited January 26, 2023 by Repstock

[gotnitro?]

Little update for the wknd. I taped all the body parts I had together to keep the mojo going. Everything is still roughed in, but definitely showed its going the right direction. The original axle position is incorrect now, and needs to be shifted back. 

Peek inside...oops floor pan was flipped around lol

Added a few angle strips to tie the floor into later, and verify where my lower rub strips would need to be. 

I found my drawing was causing more questions than answers, so I reverted to photos and Mk. 1 eyeball. 

 

[leafsprings]

On 1/25/2023 at 5:57 PM, Repstock said:

I built that bus many years ago. The school bus yellow is just Testor's spray enamel yellow. It's about time we had some newer ones. I'll be watching this build.

Beautiful job on the IH Loadstar bus. Very inspirational build. Maybe I can do something with this Ford someday.  School bus used in the Clint Eastwood movie?

[gotnitro?]

Fabbed up the bus heater, and the first section of roof was added to close off the front bulkhead. The heater console will get the switch panel detailed 

The left side wall got its battery box door and slam lock from Don Mills.

[Dutzie]

Nice work!

[gotnitro?]

The bus body is one huge piece now !! I added tabs under the floor to keep the walls aligned, then soaked the joints in tamiya extra thin. The wheel openings were filled and recut before mounting the floor.

The frame and axle will finally get matched to the body now. I messed up measuring from the fuzzy drawings..the sides were longer than I planned.

Next to go..the roof ! Wish me luck ! 

[Gary Chastain]

Outstanding fabrication work

[gotnitro?]

1 hour ago, Gary Chastain said:

Outstanding fabrication work

Thanks Gary ? Its been a really fun build

[Perspect Scale Modelworks]

This is like a TV series we're I can't wait for the next episode. Great work.

[Rockford]

It's a credit to you that it looks so clean and sharp. Any misalignment in those windows would stand out like a sore thumb. I don't know how you do it, I can't seem to cut a straight line anywhere. 

[gotnitro?]

12 hours ago, Perspective Customs said:

This is like a TV series we're I can't wait for the next episode. Great work.

Haha thanks! hopefully I won't make you wait long for the next episode. 

 

3 hours ago, Rockford said:

It's a credit to you that it looks so clean and sharp. Any misalignment in those windows would stand out like a sore thumb. I don't know how you do it, I can't seem to cut a straight line anywhere. 

Thanks!  Those windows were drawn out a couple times to find a pattern I liked, and they still turned out narrower than I planned. I used a machinist square to cut the lines but they still needed shaping. 

[Tcoat]

The level of detail in this is going to be amazing. Don't forget lots of gum under the seats!

[tbill]

Looking good Jeff!

[Mopar - D]

Continues to look better and better every time you post Jeff. Looking forward to seeing your next progress updates. 

[TarheelRick]

Really taking shape very nicely. Almost makes me want to go back to driving - NAH, must have had a brain fade.  Anyway, really like the way this build is going, keep those updates coming.

[Bainford]

Very cool project. Nice, clean work. Looks like a fun build. 

[gotnitro?]

Wknd update..pics are gonna look familiar. I found out the cowl was wider than the body. After many long minutes of staring at the parts, I decided to get busy fixing it. I removed the front section, and rebuilt the entire area today. I built the windshield and A pillars stronger this time..allowing me to sand the round corners.

The next focus was the seats and aisle walkway. My manual showed a standard aisle was 22 inch, so cut the seats down to 36 inches wide. 

Thanks for everyone following along  !

Edited February 12, 2023 by gotnitro?

[peteski]

Nice to keep seeing progress. Looks like you took care of that little setback very well, and improved the model at the same time.
Are you planning on building all those individuals seats, or you going to take the set you made and resin cast the remaining ones?

[TarheelRick]

On 2/12/2023 at 6:03 PM, gotnitro? said:

My manual showed a standard aisle was 22 inch

Thanks for that information, I have often wondered how wide those aisles were. It was always a bit tight for me walking down to do my 'sleeping kid' check.   Really like watching this build, you are doing some excellent work.

[gotnitro?]

12 hours ago, peteski said:

Nice to keep seeing progress. Looks like you took care of that little setback very well, and improved the model at the same time.
Are you planning on building all those individuals seats, or you going to take the set you made and resin cast the remaining ones?

Thanks I have 22 seats i ordered, those will get cut down and sanded. I need to add legs to window side still.

[peteski]

7 hours ago, gotnitro? said:

Thanks I have 22 seats i ordered, those will get cut down and sanded. I need to add legs to window side still.

I had to go back to the initial post to see that you had the seats even back then, but I didn't see any mention where you got the seats.  Who makes these?

[gotnitro?]

15 hours ago, peteski said:

I had to go back to the initial post to see that you had the seats even back then, but I didn't see any mention where you got the seats.  Who makes these?

Plaskit resins in Canada cast the seats. Daniel had a mold available from another project, and offered to make my bus seats. 

[gotnitro?]

Today I worked on making bows for the roof. Several different shapes were tried until I found a suitable size C channel. I modeled them after the bows found on our military trucks I worked on in motorpool.

Bending each w a dowel until they matched the rear then sliding a tab into the groove to lock it against the body. 

Only 8 more to go lol

Thanks for following along! 

[DRIPTROIT 71]

To say that I am impressed would be an understatement! This is amazing work! I can’t wait to see it finished!

[Perspect Scale Modelworks]

1 hour ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

To say that I am impressed would be an understatement! This is amazing work! I can’t wait to see it finished!

Seriously!