11.06.15 - Passenger Seat (and other small victories…) - Day 10.

Long story short, Stubbs has a passenger seat, but it wasn't until about 9pm that we finally got that installed. The day was a big push to get the seat in and working, because now that we have a seat, we could pile everything into the bus and make the move to Texas. We won't leave until the 12th, but we could go now, and that's a good feeling.

The morning started with shopping. We bought two filing cabinets at the Habitat for Humanity Restore in town. We love these places. If you haven't been to one, go check it out. It's like thrift shopping for your home, and you get to support God's work at the same time.

Our filing cabinets will be used for general storage, but primarily for folded clothes. Filing cabinets are deep and cheap. Honestly, I'd recommend them for any casual storage need, and if you want to get all DIY fancy, check out Pinterest or do a Google image search for neat ways to resurface these cheap storage solutions.

After the Restore we headed to a Pick-N-Pull junkyard for a seat we found a few days ago. Luckily, it was still there, and even more luckily it came out of its original home with no fuss. Four bolts, 5 minutes of work, and 30 dollars later, we had a passenger seat to mount to our swiveling pedestal.

After gathering our supplies, we put a few hours in on the bus, mostly ripping out the last piece of plywood. I wish I had removed it earlier, but because I need to be able to drive Stubbs around town for mechanic and welding appointments, the plywood had to wait until I could take the drivers seat out for a day.

We hit the welding shop right before closing time, and Wes the GENIUS delivered to us an excellent, strong, and affordably priced swiveling passenger's chair.

A quick note about Ace Muffler and Welding in Searcy, Arkansas. These guys do great work. Their welds are strong, and they are consummate problem solvers. We have spent over $1,000 there this week, and while their prices are fair, realize that their prices are fair. Steel isn't super expensive, but the years of practice it takes to make welds look like beads of silver rather that hunks of blown snot comes at no small price. Go to a welder if you need something welded. Pay them what they are worth. And if you're in Searcy Arkansas, don't think about going anywhere but Ace.

The black line that you see isn't a gap, but a ledge if you will. Its about 1/4 inch to an 1/8 inch tall, and exists because I chose not to insulate under the driver's and passenger's seats. I did this because the seats would have been bolted down so tightly that the floor would have dipped and the insulation would have been compressed to nothingness. I probably could have found a way around it, but it sets up for split-level home jokes. I will probably refer to this area as the "foyer".

Wes at Ace Muffler and Welding punched holes for us in the base of the passenger seat pedestal, but I felt they were too big, so I drilled some of my own. It didn't take too long, but remember to have a sharp bit and USE LUBRICATING OIL. 

With the passenger seat installed, Chels could swivel around. The seat is perfect for driving and sitting in the house. It slides back and forth like any automotive seat, and is nestled really close to the driver's seat to allow for maximum entrance space. I think this will become more apparent in other photos later.