This post will again be lengthy as usual but I hope it is informative with information that is new to you. This post is concerning the left Bogie wheel framing & Torsilastic suspension. You will see how I had the bus 1st set up for support on wooden blocks to start work on until I felt secure that the work I do does not make the integrity of my bus weak at time of the work being done.
When I started investigating for any damage I found the actual wheel hub had (4) severe cracks in the bolt flange, the rust was atrocious on the entire bogie wheel asm. Now you may see photos already shown at times, this is difficult information to document without doing that and in a way may help you remember past things discussed and shown. I hope when you get done looking at all this information I share about my conversion you will be thoroughly informed about inspecting a bus or your own bus for failures I found and you did not think about till now. You will see photos again of me removing my fuel tanks for inspection and repairs, the design of the empty AC compartment in the center of the bus I plan to use for a Gray / Black waste water tank storage also.
I did not record the removal of the actual left bogie arm from the tube as if I was to index it and found that RUST of course has welded the arm solid to the spline of the tube. I had to use grinder wheels to cut off the arm from the spline. I removed 70 % of the arm by cutting and the arm was still so solidly welded to the spline and I had to use a sledge hammer to release the rest of the arm from the tube. Jesus! It just never gets easier.
Now removing the torsilastic tube was needed and yep, she was welded to the frame!! I had to use a 10 ton portamatic jack to jack against the back of the right tube to jack out the left tube after loosening the assembly bolts. Look at the 3 decades of road debris between the back of both torsilastic tube housings!! It just never quits. Thorough inspection of the bogie wheel well and all framing included in this area is done, a plan is thought out over many days of just staring between my tears and thinking of what I am going to do.
Inspecting the actual tube after removal from the bus frame shows that the inside tube shock is NG, it is all cracked, shrunk and decayed! What NOW?? It did not take long to realize both of my bogie suspensions had to be replaced. NOW, I purchased used ones from the same guy that lost his legs in an accident with his Eagle named Dan from Florida. Talk about Ironic eh? Look at the tube standing up straight on the ground of the horrible rubber shock. This bus had to have been laying in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for a long time and then pulled out and sold to the next sucker-(ME)!
I inspected the entire wheel well closely and after days of just thinking about what I want and have to do is done in my mind and that is how I roll or work on my own. I also started to remove the outer fluted skin off the bus and YEP, there she is!!”RUSTED LIKE HELL” as you can see in the photos and so I know I have to go to Harbor Freight and get plenty of cutoff wheels for my grinder. After many weeks of cleaning up, cutting out, cutting of new material to replace and or to reinforce (double framing) of my wheel well you start to see my dream plan come together in a finished product with coats of Rustbullet coated with rustoleum dark gray paint.
You now see my new 1 ½” rolled square tubing hoop that replaces the original channel that was mfg’d. Finally you see the fruits of many weeks of labor and see a new reinforced and newly protected bus frame dream come true. You have no idea how hard it was and still is at times to go to work out there and not know what other serious problems you will discover, but like a fool, I NEVER QUIT and cut my losses. You get to benefit from my losses, so I did not lose after all. Enjoy the photos.