Here's what happens when you follow the package directions. While drilling for the strike bolt for the new (expensive, premium-quality) lockset, I found out the the instructions were incorrect in calling for a 7/8" hole, and instead, I found myself faced with the task of enlarging the bore to 1", with the help of a plywood jig.

Here's what things are looking like today. The door and windows are all installed and have been surrounded with custom aluminum trim, which helps seal them against the weather, and blends the wood with the metal of the bus body. Not apparent in this image is the caulking that seals up the joints, and the careful trimming and fitting of the wood parts to the back of the bus.

At the end of the day, I thought I'd fool around a little with the bumpers and stock trim, getting a feel for what it will look like when it's finished.

Two and one half hours of preparation for a 15 second cut. It's not like I haven't cut down doors before, I just never cared as much about the results as this time. To remove 5/8ths of an inch for the threshold and door bottom, I made a large plywood 'shoe' for the base of my circular saw, layered the cut line with masking tape, laid down a slick piece of plastic, and sprayed silicone lubricant on the path to minimize drag on the saw. The result, as close to perfection as possible... Four layers of varnish from this point, the door will be finished and back on it's hinges for the final time (I hope).

Two images from October 16th. Morning was spent making mock-up sills and plates for above the door and below the upper windows. These foam insulation, packaging tape and aluminum spray paint facsimiles are standing in for the finished products, which will be made out of rectangular aluminum tubing and bent to match the arc of the rear of the bus. The mock-ups are necessary to help me decide what dimensions they need to be. It turns out that atop the door, a 1½" square topped by a 1½" by 2½" gave the right weight, projection and feel. Photographing them and then looking at the image on the computer monitor helps me get things in perspective.

Afternoon, I applied another coat of varnish to the door bottom and threshold, drilled and set a couple dozen rivets in the top of the rear window, and, as this images shows, dug out some salvaged cedar and filled in the overhang at the back of the bus. This wood is just for looks right now, and will be replaced with something less pecky that has been properly sanded and varnished. For now, it really changes the appearance of the overhang, accentuating the arc and curve of the roofline.