Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-18-2012, 10:50 PM   #1
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
the wild blue yonder

My name is Allen, and I just bought a 1979 International Loadstar 1653 with a Superior body. She makes me smile. Some of her previous owners have started a conversion of sorts, the guy I bought her from was planning to use her as a hunting cabin (notice the platform on top), and the original owner was the Air Force Reserve. This girl has been around...
True to Turner form, I jumped right in to this project without much knowledge, just the idea of,"Hey, you know, I think making a giant loop around the country with my family in an old school bus that I turned into a camper would be fun. My 5yr old son will love it!". My wife Suzy is on board with this madness also, so we are really going to have fun.
Will be posting pics soon and also looking forward to any comments, suggestions, and assistance you guys can give
Attached Thumbnails
SSPX0034.jpg   SSPX0035.jpg   SSPX0037.jpg  

__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2012, 07:43 PM   #2
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 54
Re: the wild blue yonder

welcome....you have come to the right place
itsme1738 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2012, 07:51 PM   #3
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
Re: the wild blue yonder

My second bus was a 1978 International Air Force bus.. 35' with a 345 gas engine... was a great bus.. Had a bad valve which i ground all of them, drove it back and forth across the states and lived in it for 2 yrs...
about 30 yrs ago...
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
chev49 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2012, 09:15 PM   #4
Bus Geek
 
lornaschinske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
Re: the wild blue yonder

Quote:
Originally Posted by itsme1738
welcome....you have come to the right place
Yep, we're all slightly mad! Makes us interesting...
__________________
This post is my opinion. It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Fulltime since 2006
The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. Zeno (335BC-264BC)
https://lorndavi.wordpress.com/blog/
https://i570.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps0340a6ff.jpg
lornaschinske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2012, 09:23 PM   #5
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

Thank you welcoming us, we hope to post our progress often, since we are trying to get this done before next summer. We enjoy looking at other people's work here on this site, the creativity level here is awesome! I've built a couple of teardrop trailers before, but this will be the first time for a full scale rv.
I got her running after sitting over three years before I bought her, and am looking forward to the shake down ride to my house. I already know we'll need a new transmission shift cable, (already discovered the difficulty in finding parts as well). Hopefully she won't need much of anything else as far as repairs go, the diesel fired right up after replacing the batteries and starter solenoid, smoked alittle at first, but really sounded good... much better than she looks right now.
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2012, 11:32 AM   #6
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Re: the wild blue yonder

Welcome to the MoneyPit --- Looks like you found the two essentials...a solid stater unit & this forum! Keep us up on the fun with pix (we love pix).
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2012, 09:48 PM   #7
Bus Crazy
 
gbstewart's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,208
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: 3800 International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 72
Re: the wild blue yonder

welcome, remember if your knuckles arn't bleeding and nothing is stuck in one of yours eyes, your doing something wrong!!
good luck post lots of pixs and ask lots Qs

gbstewart
__________________
my bus build viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5931
gbstewart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 10:57 PM   #8
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

The Yonder finally got in the driveway last Monday. The shakedown run home revealed a few issues, but nothing too terrible, a busted radiator leaking antifreeze into the transmission fluid, a gradual brake fluid leak, and a few minor electrical items; not so bad for a $500.00 bus (or $500 anything that moves under its own power)!

We are still cleaning her out so that we can assess exactly what we're working with and formulate a game plan. Our son Ian has been very involved with this, he's full of design ideas like skylights and automatic smoothie machines.

I've been kicking around a few design ideas and need to ask some questions,
1- door locking mechanism, Has anyone tried using something like a remote trunk lock like found on cadillacs? My wife loves the folding bus door, I'm not
allowed to replace it.
2- rear wheel clearance, How much do I really need? Can I encroach some for a shower pan?
3- skylights, would like to put two above my son's bed, Would the windows out of the side of a custom van work? are the curvatures of the window and of the bus roof close enough to work?

Here are some pictures from the last week,
Attached Thumbnails
100_5784.JPG   100_5783.JPG   100_5768.JPG  
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 11:09 PM   #9
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

these pics are actually from earlier than those in the last post
Attached Thumbnails
100_5761.JPG   100_5757.JPG   100_5764.JPG  
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2012, 09:32 AM   #10
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Re: the wild blue yonder

Quote:
Originally Posted by atcc77
skylights and automatic smoothie machines.
What else could anyone possibly want in an RV! Have fun with the build.
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2012, 10:16 PM   #11
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

Last weekend I figured out my method for skylights! This week I've been making all the pieces/parts needed after getting home from the job site. hoping to install them this weekend and post some more pics. just not much to show this week yet.
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2012, 07:40 AM   #12
Bus Nut
 
TygerCub's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 784
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Genesis
Engine: Detroit
Rated Cap: 14
Re: the wild blue yonder

Smoothie machine! I Knew I was forgetting something important in my bus!
That boy of yours is a genius
TygerCub is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2012, 09:11 AM   #13
Bus Geek
 
lornaschinske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
Re: the wild blue yonder

Quote:
Originally Posted by atcc77
... 1- door locking mechanism, Has anyone tried using something like a remote trunk lock like found on cadillacs?
Electric Bay Door Locks By Hawk
__________________
This post is my opinion. It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Fulltime since 2006
The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. Zeno (335BC-264BC)
https://lorndavi.wordpress.com/blog/
https://i570.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps0340a6ff.jpg
lornaschinske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2012, 09:47 AM   #14
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Re: the wild blue yonder

Re; "Smoothie Machines"...

Don't forget that they can do double duty as Margarita Machines as well!!!
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2012, 04:50 PM   #15
Mini-Skoolie
 
scott_farmer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 25
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: B5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: the wild blue yonder

How big of a battery bank and how many solar panels will I need to run my margarita/smoothie machine 24x7?
scott_farmer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2012, 09:36 PM   #16
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

Ian says the smoothie machine has to be automatic, you know, it automatically knows when you want a chocolate or vanilla one.
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2012, 09:54 PM   #17
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

Started installing skylights today. I've made frames out of some white oak thats been air drying in the shop for the last 4yrs, using lexan for the glass.
Each lite is 2'x 3', cut into the last roof section, just over Ians bunk location.
Attached Thumbnails
100_5862.JPG   100_5865.JPG  
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2012, 11:16 AM   #18
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Re: the wild blue yonder

I LOVE skylights...but...I would definitely consider engineering some kind of shade/sun block for them. They let in an enormous amount of heat, plus, at times you just don't want the light in your face during an afternoon nap. Saw an arrangement many years ago that worked great. This chap had just routed channels on the inside of his frames and then installed a tambour closure. Tambours are the rolling, slated closures you see on "Roll Top" desks and are pretty common in kitchens these days. Worked great. These days there are some very effective solar tints for windows that should make a big difference as well.

Great idea...best of luck with the build and keep the pix coming.
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2012, 11:25 AM   #19
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

Already thought of that. I have cut grooves in the frames so a heavy curtain of some sort supported with slats every 6-8" or so, can be opened and closed.
Thought of doing a wood rolltop first, but thought the cloth version would ultimately be easier to operate as well as to maintain.
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2012, 11:43 AM   #20
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: georgia
Posts: 117
Year: 1979
Coachwork: superior
Chassis: intl loadstar 1653
Engine: D150 V8 diesel
Rated Cap: 48
Re: the wild blue yonder

Attached Thumbnails
100_5867.JPG  
__________________
Allen,
atcc77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Wild Blue Seeria Skoolie Conversion Projects 80 03-04-2013 06:27 PM
How wild is your A/V setup? NewSkewlHauler Conversion General Discussions 16 07-06-2010 01:13 PM
Into The Wild (The Movie) josetann Everything Else | General Skoolie Discussions 6 08-08-2009 09:44 PM
Question for Wild Goose Davilance Conversion General Discussions 0 11-25-2006 08:39 PM
The Wild Goose ? soused moose Everything Else | General Skoolie Discussions 1 01-21-2004 08:37 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:17 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.