Spray foam and water/electric lines...

[family wagon]

Doesn't take all that much vac to pull a string through a tube. Just a regular wet-dry vac works fine. I had to use the sewing thread for that 120 foot tube because it wouldn't pull anything heavier! Shorter runs can use heavier string.

Originally Posted by Robin97396

I've never heard of anyone spray foaming a floor on the interior. There have been a number of cases where people have foam sprayed from beneath the floor. That would be my number one choice because it doesn't steal any headroom.

You might be thinking of any number of them.. but the one I remember is this one I posted from my bus a couple months ago. Except I didn't have it done; it looks to me as if it came from the factory this way. IMHO it's too neat and clean to have been done by a dealer before delivery or at any time after.

[Robin97396]

I'm going to have to examine the underside of my floor very carefully before I commit to trying to spray it. That sounds like a very frustrating and miserable spray job.

Spraying the underside of my bus wouldn't be as difficult for me as it would be for those of you with numerous tanks and plumbing down there already. If I were planning to go to Alaska again I'd probably spray the floor from underneath. I'll likely take the simple route and put in a floating floor with a bit of insulation.

[mysty]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Speaking of solid, does anyone use stabilizer jacks? I don't, but I feel like I'm on a boat sometimes. Gotta have sea legs for that rocking feeling.

I bought 4 scissor jacks to make sure the bus was level and steady before we did the roof raise. With those in place, we tried jumping up and down inside the bus, and it didn't budge. My plan is to bolt them to the frame so we can steady the bus when parked. I may not bother with them all the time, but if anyone starts feeling seasick... down they go!

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Yeah, I don't trust the foam guy I used to do a decent job under the floor. At least I wouldn't have to trim the foam under the bus, but that's one area the tougher foam would shine.

Previously someone was talking about spray foaming the underside of the floor and then spraying bedliner onto the foam to keep it dry and safe. It would certainly be sad to have to cut the foam out to be able to fix things under the bus. At the same time the foam would protect anything down there.

If you're building a stationary bus, I would do that in a heartbeat. Keep it from further rusting, keep critters out, etc. But a bus on the road? Only if you're stripping it to the frame and building up from there.

It looks like a lot of work to spray underneath the floor. My alternate, lazy, plan would be to install a floating floor inside, loosing about 1 1/4" of headroom.

Plans keep changing. I also didn't have a real floorplan in my bus. I let things fall where they may basically. There is a pattern developing.

I'm waiting to hear back from my Interior Designer on the floor plan. She's a little slow. But not as slow as my Travel Agent. My Social Secratary is somewhere between the two. Now my Press Release agent is an A gamer.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Seems some of us don't even bother with floorplans. I have a rough one in my head, sorta.
Then some folks have a floorplan and 3d model built before they own a bus.
Different strokes, I reckon.

I've never owned an RV before. My sum of RV experience is a weekend at the races. One wekend at that. I am most certainly "building" my bus with banana boxes before the first stick of cabintet wood goes in.

Dave's bus is awesome! Sounds solid when you walk on those floors, man!

Don't know him but he certainly talks a good game at the very least. Flipping thru his pics now looking for his soup bowl.

[EastCoastCB]

SuperDave in his natural habitat.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Speaking of solid, does anyone use stabilizer jacks? I don't, but I feel like I'm on a boat sometimes. Gotta have sea legs for that rocking feeling.

If you thing a bus feels like a boat, you've never been on a boat. Ex-squid so when people were bitching about the cruise ship, I was floored. If I stood still, closed my eyes, and leaned back a little I could just feel the ship moving.

If you want sea legs, try going thru these at a run during general quarters. The name "knee knocker" is kinda misleading. They catch you square in the middle of your shin. It doesn't hurt any less.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Scooternj

My bus also has that penetration for the filler as well. And, like I said, make sure you design in access for your fuel pump. Guy I know used to be a heavy mechanic, working on buses. He has horror stories of that access in conversions being blocked off and the shop having to tear apart the interior

Ok, I get that blocking the fuel pump is not ideal but tearing apart the interior??? Can you not drop the fuel tank from underneath?

Maybe my ist Gen RX-7 spoiled me. Fuel pump was on top of the tank with no access. Not that they ever go bad, but the tank is hend up with 2 belly bands and 4 bolts. Granted it isn't 60 gallons. The cool thing about teh RX-7 tank is it had a drain plug in the buttom. The tank was a bit of a pain to line up wiht the filler neck and bolts one handed while trying to get the bolts started.

P.S. Someone at teh school didn't like teh OEM access panel. I need to take a picture of it. It started life as a 13x13 square. It is no longer 13x13 nor is it square. Someone went to town with a sawzall so they could get at the fuel fittings on the hoses.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Sasquatters

Here is how we did our sub floor. It took several times but the thing is wicked solid now.
Subfloor | Sasquatters

Here is about the spray foam we used. We used two different types and our friends used a third. Tiger Foam was by far the best. Lowe's Froth Pak came in second.
Spray Foam Insulation | Sasquatters

The governemtnhates you. I'll have to remember to check it out at home.
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Good thinking about building it all in cardboard first. That was our initial plan but since we are using counter depth appliances we just built the rest out of tape to those depths. Saved time on obtaining, cutting, and then recycling all of that cardboard.

Good luck dude!

I go to Costco often enough I should be good for collecting. At least if I recycle them they will get recycled. Some random mouthbreather is likely to just throw them in the trash. Mine become cat forts until I get tired of kicking them around then get recycled.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

I don't see a lot of choices in the floorplan. Each of us has a bowling alley of varying lengths that can only be set up in certain ways to work effectively. i.e. your passenger area is generally always behind the driver area.

There are certain "standards" unless you are turning the world upside down. Bedroom in the back, living int he front, kitchen/bath somewhere in the middle. Hell, even houses are set up that way. But I've seen some where the living room is shoved against the driver wall then the kitchen/bath is shoved against the passenger wall. Breaks up the long bowling alley. And that's what I want to go for.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

That was my original idea. A nice small sink, shower and toilet combo. Then I became aware that Oregon insurers will not ever insure a self built motorhome. That's when this bus became a van, which can not be a motorhome. So, no mounted tanks or permanent plumbing, no permanent propane tanks, etc. etc. It is a van after all.
My plans are to make modular components that will serve as furniture and cabinetry that can be removed when necessary, because this is a van. And in this state you're not allowed to live in any vehicle for over 180 consecutive days. Loosely enforced if someone complains.
This is my mobile fishing cabin anyway. I'll fit it out nicer as time goes by but I still have to conform.

OR just officially landed on my $hit list.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Yes, and there are so many people with buses and tiny homes that the government is starting to notice. Going off grid means you're not a good sheep.

Mobile homes (single/double wides) can get vehicle or residential stickers in some states. I don't get the government crap. You can't sell beer and booze in the same store because they are taxed differently. SOOOOO? Charge me 10% on beer and 20% boze when I get to teh register. The cash register is smart enough to know the difference. If you are using one of the old manual ones then the dude is probably cheating on his taxes anyway.

I'll complain but pay your stupid tax, just give me the sticker/plate/whatever; don't tell me you can't. Other states have figured it out. You don't have to reinvent much less invent the wheel. Just steal someone elses program.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by superdave

check out my build pics, I used soup bowls and irrigation pipe for the vehicle lights. for the other wires I ran them in the space between the ceiling and the foam board I put over the ribs. keep your wet areas back to back

Where am I looking? I don't see any soup bowls in your pics.

[superdave]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Where am I looking? I don't see any soup bowls in your pics.

2 pages of pics

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by superdave

2 pages of pics

Went to both pages. didn't flip thru them all at full sizze tho.

[superdave]

2nd page top right. Big and orange

[Brewerbob]

I can't seem to get this fto come up with a price but I did see it at my local Home Depot. Anyone use this instead of plywood? Thoughts, comments, concerns? It won't rot when wet..

1/2 in. x 48 in. x 96 in. White PVC Sheet Panel-190360 - The Home Depot

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by superdave

thin wall irrigation pipe and dollar store soup bowls . all wires are run through conduit and backs of lights are covered in prep for foam

So, you left the soup bowls in behind the foam? As long as they are deep enough for the bulbs I guess that would work. Thx.

You do anything along the floors/walls for electrical thru-out?

[superdave]

Im waiting till the walls are in before i start running wires and plumbing. Im going to keep it as simple as i can. Then ill put the barn wood finish on the walls/cabinets. Solar penetrating the roof will come down thru the wall also. Ill have pics of my bus finished in about 6 years

[dan-fox]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

I can't seem to get this fto come up with a price but I did see it at my local Home Depot. Anyone use this instead of plywood? Thoughts, comments, concerns? It won't rot when wet..

1/2 in. x 48 in. x 96 in. White PVC Sheet Panel-190360 - The Home Depot

I'm guessing it ain't cheap, and at 43 lb/sheet I'm not too liable to use it if I don't have to.