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Old 05-19-2016, 10:39 PM   #41
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: chicago, il
Posts: 220
Year: 2003
Chassis: IC CE
Engine: T444
Quote:
Originally Posted by New2Skool View Post
I am 6'4 and the interior height of my bus (3800 international) is 6'2 and 6'4 to 6'5 with the roof hatches up but not open.

Now, I plan to do a lift just for my general brain health.

At first, I was going to lift the roof 16" but due to heavy outer skin rust and other big issues. I am going to lift it roughly 20" and extend the outer skin skirting down about 8-9". I want to give my Bus a semi-couch bus look with a lower skirt and it also helps with mounting under carriage storage containers.

If, I lift 20" I can hang new sheet metal panels vertically to include the lift and skirt extension. An interesting concept and hopefully it will pan out properly.

Also, being in Northern Minnesota our temps often vary 140 degrees from season to season.

I plan to add two layers of 2" insulation to the floor giving me roughly 4" of insulation. The same with the roof in time if possible. A flooring interior floor is the overall game plan.

Two inches of wall insulation should be plenty. I have always applied general home construction rules to my bus. A good set of boots and a good cover solves a lot of problems down the road.

Hope my words have helped a little.
Best of luck, keep us posted.
Just remember underpass heights in town

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Old 05-21-2016, 10:15 AM   #42
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Posts: 4
Lizard Skin

Had anyone tried insulating a Skoolie with "Lizard Skin"? I've been reading and learning lots of great things about this product.
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Old 05-21-2016, 10:29 AM   #43
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,758
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
I looked into lizardskin in my last hotrod project as an alternative to Dynamatting.. it looks liek a decent product.. at least for interior use.. I dont know about using it underneath the bus where its exposed to the weather.. or what its R-value is.. I might try something like that on the underside of my doghouse cover..

dynamat would be weight and cost prohibitive to do a whole bus..
-Christopher
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Old 05-21-2016, 01:22 PM   #44
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Location: Kent, WA (Seattle)
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Year: 1987
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Originally Posted by KatBus View Post
Had anyone tried insulating a Skoolie with "Lizard Skin"? I've been reading and learning lots of great things about this product.
I don't know much, but the popular consensus up to now seems to be hy-tech insulating beads/paint. From glancing at the lizardskin page for 5 minutes, they both seem to use ceramic beads so I would imagine they are similar products. Everyone who uses insulating paint seems pleased with it. Some get the insulating paint, some get the insulating beads. I got the beads without the paint because it's really expensive to ship from Florida.
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Old 06-21-2016, 02:38 PM   #45
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Originally Posted by Docsgsxr View Post
I was reading in another thread that someone on here only had the rubberized flooring in their skoolie when they bought it......can't remember for the life of me though.
All I had was the "linoleum". No wood. I'm 6 foot even and I am the perfect height for my 1993 International 3700
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Old 06-23-2016, 09:38 AM   #46
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Join Date: May 2016
Location: colorado
Posts: 29
Year: 2002
Engine: chevy
What if the original bus sub-floor is a piece of sheet metal or steel after I strip the rubber off the floor? Will a piece of plywood screw to the metal or do I remove the metal too?
Shawna
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Old 06-23-2016, 09:41 AM   #47
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Location: colorado
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Year: 2002
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Can I just spray foam in where the original insulation already is without taking walls and ceiling apart and replacing the old insulation? Im new to this and not a carpenter just an ole gramma who wants to live in her bus!
Shawna
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Old 06-23-2016, 10:57 AM   #48
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There will be a layer of sheet metal down there; the only question is whether there is a layer of plywood between the rubber and the steel. The steel layer must stay because it's the last thing standing between interior and exterior. Wood wouldn't resist weather under the bus as well as the factory steel does. If you want a new plywood layer, it could be fastened with adhesives or bolts/screws. My factory floor was held with a mix of screws and nails actually.

Foam poured/injected into a closed wall cavity is sketchy. The existing fiberglass will make it difficult for the foam to spread throughout. A single-part foam won't cure because it won't have the air or moisture it requires for the chemical reaction. I suppose a two-part foam could cure in that relatively sealed environment.. Another concern would be expansion; foams often expand as they're placed and if it expands with too much force the wall surfaces could be damaged (bubble outward for example).
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Old 06-23-2016, 08:42 PM   #49
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I put two rugs down and moved right in. Had planned to do a playwood floor but this one works fine. I figure if i live a winter here then maybe i will put in a nice floor... but then again i kinda like the rubber bus floor, it makes it feel like a bus.
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Old 06-23-2016, 09:04 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carytowncat View Post
I put two rugs down and moved right in. Had planned to do a playwood floor but this one works fine. I figure if i live a winter here then maybe i will put in a nice floor... but then again i kinda like the rubber bus floor, it makes it feel like a bus.
yeah thats why im keeping my rubber floor.. in the one area my rubber floor is shot the wood is still good except for some hydraulic fluid.. but im thinking I might just put rubber floor right back over it..

then agaib my bus is still a bus except for a few changes... my friends like to ride it.. so I need to have seats

if your bus is metal only and no wood im guessing it was a warm climate bus.. if you are going to winter in it.. id seal the metal.. insualte and drop new wood down then the floor covering of your choice...
-Christopher
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Old 06-24-2016, 11:42 AM   #51
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: colorado
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Year: 2002
Engine: chevy
Thanx for all the good info! Do you think I could leave the original insulation in the bus and it would suffice? I'm not going to the north pole and its already a Colorado bus that was used for kids so I'm thinking it was probably warm enough with the factory insulation!!! Feed back?
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Old 06-24-2016, 01:02 PM   #52
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Location: Portland, OR
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Year: 1988
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom Schoolbus
Engine: Detroit Diesel 6v92TA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon View Post
There will be a layer of sheet metal down there; the only question is whether there is a layer of plywood between the rubber and the steel. The steel layer must stay because it's the last thing standing between interior and exterior. Wood wouldn't resist weather under the bus as well as the factory steel does. .
Actually, my 1988 Gillig Phantom has no metal under the floor, just plywood. I took up a section, and can see down to the road. And it's still in good shape, other than a section by the front door/wheel well. Of course, it was used in California it's entire life, but still - 28yrs and still holding strong is not bad. It does have the full-width storage bays under it, which protect a big part of the floor, but those storage bays are ALSO just plywood, with no sheet metal under them. Again, totally solid. I've crawled in there and checked. I suppose those could have been replaced at some time, since that would be relatively easy to do, but I see no evidence that they have been.

Honestly, I'm a little shocked, because I would have assumed the plywood wouldn't hold up, but it seems to be good thick, marine grade plywood, so has done fine.

I'm going to be taking up sections of it, since I'm planning on a step-down shower, as well as a few in-floor storage areas, but overall, I'm going to be able to leave most of it in.
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Old 06-24-2016, 01:28 PM   #53
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Wow, that is quite a surprise. Thanks for sharing. I'll amend my statement to "There will probably be a layer of sheet metal..."
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Old 06-24-2016, 05:22 PM   #54
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Most of the fiberglass rigs have only plywood and there are tin buses built that way too. Personally...I never could figure out the logic.
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Old 06-26-2016, 07:20 PM   #55
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 2002
Engine: chevy
What kind of insulation should I use on the walls and ceiling and what kind of flooring underlayment??????
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Old 07-10-2016, 02:14 AM   #56
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Location: WI
Posts: 24
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I'm thinking polystyrene for the floor..? but I am still not done taking all the seats out. lol
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Old 07-10-2016, 02:16 AM   #57
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: WI
Posts: 24
Year: 2003
Quote:
Originally Posted by SharkBus View Post
Dear Skoolie enthusiasts,

I thought it might be helpful to delineate the basics steps to starting a Skoolie conversion.

Let's assume that the vehicle itself is in good condition to operate.

I will write a list of what I am guessing needs to happen for the interior, just to prepare a nice hull to then continue adding whatever your specific needs are.

Please respond by adding details you think are important, or generating your own list of steps.

From what I understand:

FLOORS:
1. Remove seats, strip down flooring to bare surface. Sand out any rust or uneven spots. Use a sealer to seal up any places moisture could enter.
2. Frame in floor to fit insulation, add foamboard insulation
3. Screw down plywood on top of that
4. Lay flooring down on top of plywood

WALLS:
1. Remove walls, use a sealer to lock out moisture.
2. Insulate with spray foam insulation or foam board
3. Cover with...

CEILING:
1. Same story as the walls?


As you can see, I am unclear on the process and a basic step-by-step tutorial to prepare the "hull" (including any materials or tools that are necessary) would be super helpful at this point!!



Thanks!!
"Use a sealer to seal up any places moisture could enter."

What sealer? Brands? Tell me more, pls about sealer.
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