The "Behemoth" is For Sale...

GoneCamping · 02-20-2007, 08:59 PM

Edit... Though it is not quite complete, I managed to live aboard it for 9 months, but now I've got another project and have decided to let this one go... for sale as-is, it's about 90% complete, runs great but smokes when cold, stops smoking when it is up to temp. First $6500 (firm) takes it... Email me for phone #... cliffm @ maurand . com

I'm still going to post most of my update info over on my camping forum, no need for too much reduncancy! However, thought I'd share a picture with you. I did start doing some of the finish work this weekend. Maybe I'm getting carried away, I should have waited for the valance piece until I had a jig saw handy, just can't cut curves very well with a skill saw!!

As my original plans to start in the back and work my way forward got turned around, I've done everything forward and worked my way back. However, I've now reached a point where I have to get the back started, and finish it going forward. To that end the Bedroom started taking shape while I watched the Daytona 500 out one corner of my eye on Sunday....

There are more images HERE

eggman · 02-21-2007, 12:26 PM

Looking good Cliff......as always, best laid plans go way awry when dealing with a bus.

oldog12 · 02-21-2007, 03:19 PM

NO plan survives first contact

Les Lampman · 02-24-2007, 09:07 AM

Doggone! Looking really great there Cliff.

GoneCamping · 02-24-2007, 08:05 PM

Bought five more pieces of the white paneling today...guess what I'm doing tomorrow??

GoneCamping · 03-04-2007, 08:26 PM

Well, I managed to get most of the paneling done today... but my camera took a dump on me, so I only got a few pictures before it crapped out...

GoneCamping · 05-06-2007, 09:33 PM

Guess I'm kind of guilty of not posting much here lately. I built the frame work for the upper cupboard today...at least one of them, it's a three door unit over the sink, another 3 door unit will go forward of the range hood, and a 4 door unit will go on the passenger side...

GoneCamping · 05-13-2007, 08:40 PM

Got doors on those cabinets now...

And I got the frames for the other two units constructed and hung. They were still wet so the doors won't go on until next week....

I also added an extension to the counter...it goes in front of the side E-exit door, but it is hinged and flips upwards....

The whole days work and more pictures are posted HERE

GoneCamping · 05-21-2007, 08:20 PM

The upper cabinets are done, at least for now. I may add in a couple more, but I'm satisfied with what I have there...

I start installing the ceiling material next weekend!!

GoneCamping · 05-26-2007, 06:31 PM

This week I started installing the ceiling. I'll get at least 2 days work done because of the Holiday...

I used starter strips down the length of the bus.... then placed the tile using "T" insterts that go into the strater strips...

Now, I lost an inch or so due to the tile wanting to run straigh across....something I'll just have to live with, I still have about 2-3" clearance above the top of my head...

I still have a lot to do, but it's looking good so far!!

Complete story and more pictures are posted HERE

lapeer20m · 05-27-2007, 12:35 PM

i love the ceiling tile idea! I just might do that in an upcoming skoolie....

GoneCamping · 05-27-2007, 08:44 PM

I worked on the ceiling some more today....got done as much as I could until I ran out of materials.... I still have about a half dozen tiles left, but ran out of starter strips, locking "T" strips and side angle pieces... It does look very good....

This stuff is quite flexible, but it didn't handle the hard curve very well.... I cut out one piece and pushed it into the curve (piece on the right)....it krinkled up pretty bad. I took a smaller piece and made some relief cuts in the back and tried again (middle piece)... it was better but still krinkled.... I tried a third piece with deeper relief cuts and it seemed to work pretty good (left side).... I think if I cut them even deaper and change the location of the cuts it'll come out pretty smooth....

GoneCamping · 06-04-2007, 08:54 PM

Some more ceiling tiles are in place...

Oh, and that picture above with the bent up curved stuff.... the answer is not to try and make it curve, I'll just put them in straight like this....

More of the celing... that'll be all on the ceiling til I get the rooftop a/c installed....

GoneCamping · 06-12-2007, 09:05 PM

Well, more got done last week. I managed to get most of the shower stall done, though I chipped the back surround piece pretty bad on top. However, it's not so bad I can't hide it with ceiling and trim stuff one way or the other. I have now learned that cutting that plastic surround stuff is better done with tin snips than it is to use the skill saw!!

After installing the rear surround, I then built the side wall that faces the kitchen. I had to take down the counter extension and cut it to size, then used a piece of finished oak to use as a holding cleat when it's in the down position as shown. That thing flips up so that you still have access to the emergency exit....

Next week I'm hoping to work on the roof a/c as I can't finish the ceiling until that a/c has been installed....

GoneCamping · 06-20-2007, 08:19 PM

Now that the board is fixed and I can get things done in here!!

Fathers day was spent doing Daddy a big favor for himself, I installed a roof top a/c unit. It's an oldie but a goodie. I placed it in the back where the bedroom is because it's a low ceiling unit to begin with, and this thing comes down a hair lower than my ceiling panels do. Since there won't be much traffic back there it's the best place to put it. That way we won't have any head banging in the middle of the bus!!

I'm going to "Duct" the air to the front of the bus in the space between the top of the panels and the bottom of the bus original ceiling. I'm going to glue some foam or reflectix to the original ceiling to use as an insulator/heat break...

GoneCamping · 06-24-2007, 10:20 PM

Moving right along, today I built a 220vac splitter and wired up the coach power distibution center. I don't have all the wires run at the other end yet, but did complete the circuit to that roof top a/c unit.

Once I had everything hooked up, I moved the bus over to where that 220vac plug was and tried it out... I now can run BOTH a/c units at the same time...this is surely going to make working in the summer heat a little easier to handle.

I also played around with the air flow and the space above the ceiling panels... this is going to work very well as a duct to move the air forward, and as such I went ahead and placed a bid on ebay for some roof duct vents....

GoneCamping · 07-15-2007, 06:45 PM

Ever wonder what to do with that fowrwad compartment above the windshield? I looked long and hard at it, and decided to remove the mirror, drop the fan down a little and add in a pair of cabinet doors that match the rest of the cabinets I'm installing...

So we went from this...

To this....

swinada · 07-17-2007, 02:22 AM

looking good, I'm impressed. How tall is your bus inside? Or are you verticly challenged that you have the freedom of installing dropped sealings?
I can barely stand in mine with the floorboards removed. Once I got the floor in (1/2" hardfoam and 5/8 plywood TG) I will have to bend walking down the middle, so for sure no sealing pannels.

I got one big question, where did you get your RV windows and for how much$? What are the measurements? and how easy have they been to install?

I also just looked through a whole bunch of your other pictures and I gather that you have been able to strip an old damaged 5th wheel trailer. After putting the effort in of stripping how many things did you actually reuse in your bus?
Do you got pictures somewhere of the window install? (Rv Type)

GoneCamping · 07-17-2007, 09:31 PM

Pictures of the window install are buried on my forum somewhere... you'd have to go look through a bunch of threads. Not much to the install really, bought windows that were 22" high, width didn't matter too much, cut out any pillars that were in the way. I bought the windows from an ebay power seller named Tri-State Surplus... He's got bunches of windows available, and he's got the lowest prices anywhere! I've got a lot more than windows from this guy too... Shower pan, light fixtures, rolls of trim, storage compartment doors, plumbing hardware (shower faucett), and a whole host of other stuff...

As for ceilings, well, I'm only 5' 7" and didn't really raise the floor up any, so I could come down a little with the ceiling. If I were to do this all over again, I'd buy a bus with the 6' 6" ceilings, but I can live with this. Right now I've got 5' 11" clearance, so it's not too bad unless someone really tall tries to enter. I've got room to spare so it's no problem for me!!

Stuff from the donor RV was useful, but some of it was pure junk. Stuff I did use was the Sofa (cleaned up nicely) and I have it in the bus, as well as the kitchen sink, the power converter, stove-oven, the 120v circuit breaker box, the water heater, fresh water tank, two of the windows, a couple of the light fixtures, one of the cargo doors, the LP mounting system, propane furnace, batwing antenna, and toilet.

I still have the refridge but it needs a cooling element, the Magic Chef 14.0 Cu Ft refridge was bigger and cheaper than a cooling unit. I'll give the refridge away to anyone that wants to come get it. I also still have the original ducted a/c unit, but the fan motor is seized so I don't know what I'm going to do with that.

GoneCamping · 07-17-2007, 09:38 PM

Here is a link for TRI STATE SURPLUS

Also, if you are interested, I got the cabinet doors from another ebay seller called NORTH STATE SALES

I've bought from this guy 3 different times so far, and getting ready to place another order from him for a few more cabinet doors. Building the frames are easy enough, so all I gotta do is add the doors. I've still got 4 tall doors for the 2 closets yet to get installed, and I'm going to put in a small linen closet in the bathroom, and convert the existing pine kitchen sink base to appear like brand new oak...

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