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Old 08-25-2014, 06:22 PM   #1
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framing, and installation of walls.

Howdy there! This is my first post actually, and I'm converting an 1985 flat nosed bluebird. I have seen a lot on here, about taking the metal skin off, and rebuilding the interior wall with wood. I was wondering if that is really necessary, or could you build onto the metal skin. I apologize because I don't know a whole lot about construction, and am mostly getting my expertise from my father, but he hasn't ever done this before either.

Also, how would one frame a partition like wall and stabilize it to the ceiling? Thanks to anyone who can give me some advice, I'm pretty clueless over here. :$

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Old 08-26-2014, 10:53 AM   #2
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Re: framing, and installation of walls.

Welcome
there are many ways to do this, as many ways as there are different people, this is what makes Skoolies so great

It starts with how you will use the bus, we hate cold so insulation in the walls was not a concern for us, others live year round and want to be comfy

Lots of folks just attach 2x4's down the side metal walls horizontally (kind of like chair rail), using self drilling/tapping screws (first couple pages of my build La Tortuga, should give you an idea)

This lets you attach everything to the walls with screws

Others will post I am sure, also look at Bertha thread they used metal stud hangers, others have also

Again, welcome
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Old 08-26-2014, 11:55 AM   #3
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Re: framing, and installation of walls.

Welcome, like bansil said it all depends how you are going to use it, but keep in mine that if you are going to travel to other states you may have to insulate to keep heat out, that is my dilemma now, everybody tells me to do it right. I have a 1984 BB pusher with a 3208 turbo what is yours.
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Old 08-26-2014, 01:15 PM   #4
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Re: framing, and installation of walls.

This is where we used 2X4s in the bus. The shower wall and the toe kicks for the galley


The rest is various sizes of 1X wood... mostly furring strips... LOTS of furring strips


and how we used them


We used flush hollow core interior luan doors ($1 per inch) as partion walls. We could not build a similar "wall" as cheaply. The luan painted up nicely too. We will hang only one oil painting on a hollow core wall. For that I will glue a french cleat to the wall and use a couple of tiny screw to hold the cleat in place until the construction adhesive dries.


We didn't remove the metal panels or the insulation. The furring strips were shimmed out to 1" & screwed to the metal interior. The crappy 1" thick foamboard (no pink or blue stuff available in Roswell, the pink you see was bought in ABQ) has a mylar heat barrier and was press fitted with a little metal tape holding it in place until the wall covering (laminate flooring) was attached to the furring strips with screws and toe nailed in the tongue as needed. The furring strips provided the much needed thermal break. We sit in an area where this years temps ranged from 106F (June 2014) to 8F (February 2014) and a 30 degree change from high to low in a single day (no fronts) is very common.
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Old 08-26-2014, 02:57 PM   #5
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Re: framing, and installation of walls.

I used a combination of furring strips and metal studs, saved on weight and is real strong. Welcome
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Old 08-27-2014, 01:12 AM   #6
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Re: framing, and installation of walls.

Ooooh my goodness thank you all for the reply! Thanks!

Also, don't really know what kind of engine is in it. But here's the back story. I heard of a potential short bus for free back in my hometown in Washington ( we were living in Portland at the time), and so I called and it was a tiny private school that was trying to get rid of some of their buses, and the short bus didn't run. My mom went to go check it out and the principal had mentioned that they had a running full size bus that they would just give us. And a few months later we had a bus! Now we are back in Washington state, and really working to get this thing live able before the snow falls. Thanks again!!!
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Old 09-10-2014, 10:45 PM   #7
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Re: framing, and installation of walls.

You have to absolutely love free!!!!!

I'm in Phoenix so making sure the insulation was perfect is a necessity to me. But being from where you're at, make sure to put some kind of sealing barrier between the metal and your new interior walls. These older buses weren't sealed perfectly and that fiberglass insulation in between the outer and inner walls, not to mention the ceiling, gets pretty moldy. If you look at some of our build threads where we ripped it out you will see for yourself.

Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood!


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Old 09-10-2014, 10:47 PM   #8
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Re: framing, and installation of walls.

Almost forgot, take your VIN and call the manufacturer. They can give you all the info you need about the bus!
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