This was Winslow at first sight. He was straight from the auction; showing his Idaho pride.

1997 Bluebird, Cummins 5.9, 230HP, Allison MD3060. 116,460miles



Seats and all.

welcome to the cheapest money pit I could find

__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton

The Md3060 is a nice transmission. You don't see many FEs with the 5.9 and md3060 combo. It's one of the best combos you can have

Welcome --- and, what a great find!

Agreed. I am jealous. Is that rear cargo a passthrough? Really jealous. If it were a 13 window, I would be VERY VERY jealous.

And welcome to the madhouse.

WITH THAT MD 3060 WHAT IS THE REAR GEARD AT ??

Winslow is completed to our liking, as we are living on it full-time while nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Of course there can always be improvements…so your opinions and ideas are appreciated!

Electrical:
Onan 2500 Watt LP generator, 6-6V golf cart batteries totaling 645 amp hours, 30 amp shore power plug-in, Xantrex Freedom SW 3000W 12V Inverter/Charger with control panel and automatic generator start, 30 amp automatic transfer switch, 30 amp progressive dynamics AC/DC fuse/circuit breaker panel, 4 x 255W Sharp Photovoltaic roof-mounted panels, Xantrex 60amp mppt solar charge controller.

Plumbing:
4.7 gpm pump, 70 gallons total fresh water tanks, 30 gallons black and 30 gallon grey water tanks, 1/2in and 3/4in PEX lines for freshwater plumbing, instant LP hot water heater.

Propane System:
25 gallon vapor tank that feeds generator, hot water heater and a drawer-mounted 2 pan burner.

Appliances:
10 cu.ft refrigerator (residential AC powered), 13.5K BTU roof-mounted A/C, All LED interior lights including a large Thinlite.

-----------------------------------------------
Here is a rundown from start to finish!

The bus as purchased (with nephew cameo):



We laid out the floor plan with actual bus dimensions in google draw (a 3d design program). During the planning we had to consider placement of holding tanks in relationship with bathroom and kitchen. Also hiding/incorporating the wheel wells and having all walls end at window separations. We partitioned off the back 5ft (including wheelchair door) to use as a 'garage' area. This is what we ended up with…

The framing stages :












Kitchen install:











Dinette area:







Bathroom/Bedroom:









Now for the final product!




































There she wrote! I need a wide-angle lens for broader shots, but this is Winslow!

I will go through and further explain the stages on a later post.

Ciao!

wow looks great, like an apartment....

__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton

Thanks for sharing the pictures. You did a terrific job. Looks very cozy.

Love that kitchen!

Nice work on the bus and I appreciated the quality of the photos. Also, I must say that your school bus door is the best one I've seen so far. I really enjoy the colorful chevrons. More inspiration for my new bus!

__________________
-Mikey
Website - https://suziebluebus.com
Build Thread - https://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=468143

Great job on the interior. I especially like the B&W of Gaudi's Basilica Familia. Got to wander around in it last summer.

I have one question....not bashing just curious

where do you (and other awesome buses etc I see and drool over) put everything when you have to or want to move

I know I hate having to move every 4 days or so when Glamping...I fill sink with toaster, coffee maker, ice cream machine and paper towel holder (on counter stuff)

and then pull back bed layers and fill with lamps etc...etc....and a cover...etc...etc...cover, kind of like a huge sammich

what say thee????

and it is beautiful

__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton

A job well done, give each other a pat on the back , and best of all your using your bus, and that's what I like to see
gbstewart

__________________
my bus build viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5931

Thanks for the kind words!

As for the question about storage while on the road...

Obviously we are stationary for the moment because I've scattered potted plants and trinkets all over the place, but all of our cabinets have 'baby latches' so they stay closed when packed with most of our stuff. Also, our back area that is converted to a garage space has built-in shelves (while sacrificing some living space) it is a great area to bungee down outdoor furniture and vacuums, etc... It was originally designated for a motorbike, but the wheelchair lift install is still on the to-do list.

For this most recent move, while trying to minimize, we still ended up buying an enclosed car hauler to pull my CRV and packed it full with bicycles and miscellaneous possessions. It was a better choice for us as opposed to a tow bar, which was around the same price! (Craigslist hustle!)

Living mobile is definitely a lesson in less is more.

*For the tow hitch, we measured the bus frame and matched it to a ford f550 receiver hitch that got bolted down with a 17000lb/2500lb capacity.

thanks and good info on the hitch

__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton

X2!! I have the same bus (except for the tranny and I was looking for a hitch.

Any idea what years fit? Or is there only one generation of the 550?

Sir what is reared ratio ?

thanks

LOVE your chevrons! Care to give some info on how you created them?

He meant rearend ratio: the gear ratio of the rear axle differential unit.