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Old 03-21-2007, 04:44 PM   #1
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'75 INT Loadstar- our first skoolie project

We did it. We decided to fix up a skoolie. We found a '75 Int Loadstar that was already a conversion and already titled as a motor home for just $200. It will need alot of work. The original conversion was not done very well so we are tearing everything out and starting over. This site has been a huge help so far. I am so glad we found it. It's only been home one week but we've got alot done so far. The interior is now stripped and I've started painting the ceiling. We hope to have the floor done by this weekend. I'll have more pics soon. http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/v/Skoolies/jterry/

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Old 03-21-2007, 04:54 PM   #2
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Is that a 1600 or 1700 series? I have a 1603.
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Old 03-21-2007, 08:07 PM   #3
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'75 INT Loadstar

It's an 1803.
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Old 03-26-2007, 08:25 PM   #4
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Well the floor didn't get finished this weekend. In fact we thought we were going to have problems. Or actually we do have problems but thankfully we have a family full of fabricators that are going to help fix things. We have rust outlining the wheel wells and it's rusted through to outside. So now we are rebuilding the wheel wells. We're dropping them down a bit and squaring them off to give a little more storage space and fixing the rusted areas. We really had to step back and assess the situation carefully. Rusted, Neglected, Old...So far it's still worth it though. So far. This week: fix wheel wells, put down flooring, remove 4 total windows, put up window tint and start framing all this while moving all of our belongings to storage before the 1st. Ambitious week but I'm optimistic.
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Old 03-26-2007, 09:06 PM   #5
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floorplan

Finally agreed on a floorplan. We'll be full timing so comfort and storage is going to be very important. Hopefully this will work well for us.http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/v/Sk...rplan.JPG.html
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Old 03-26-2007, 09:29 PM   #6
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Looks pretty good, but the shower looks like you may have it located over a wheel well, that won't work very well if thats the case.
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Old 03-26-2007, 10:06 PM   #7
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The shower will be just behind the wheel well. It's not a very good drawing. The stove will be centered above the wheel well on one side and a cabinet above on the other side. I tried and tried to figure out how to have a full size tub instead of just a shower but couldn't figure out how to get everything to fit right and not sacrifice storage. I chalked it all out today and that was the only solution that was agreed upon. If there wasn't a bird cage to allow for... I'll probably tweak the plan a bit as we go.
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Old 03-27-2007, 08:14 AM   #8
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Looking good.

The only thing I couldn't find is a kitchen counter. Will you not cook aboard? The stove in a corner like that is a pain to cook on if you're doing much of it without a bit of space on either side (even 6 or 8 inches helps).

A full-timer without a permanent bed? Have you tried that before? I don't mind dropping a dinette or folding out a futon for a few days but not every night every day of the year.

I think you could tighten up the rear and gain alot of usable space. My Class C Beaver motorhome has a full-width rear bath and it only takes up 3-feet of length of the bus (you could go to 4-feet and still gain). The layout in the Beaver is a large closet/dresser on one outside wall, a tub/shower on the opposite outside wall, and the toilet and vanity along the back wall between the tub and closet.

It looks to me like you given over a lot of space to areas that will get little actual use and compromised the areas where you'll spend most of your time.

Only you know what you truly like and can live with and how you'll utilize the bus. My observations are strictly from the outside looking in and meant to generate some thought and questions for you, not to tell you how you must do it. I have a strong background in space planning and layout in small spaces (primarily boats but the science of ergonomics still apply) and just wanted to provide some food for thought.

All the best...
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Old 03-27-2007, 07:11 PM   #9
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Thanks for the critique! These are the things we have been trying to figure out. We've full timed in 5th wheels and a park model but we've always had slide outs for added room and storage. You brought up alot of good points. The fridge and freezer are the short apartment size so they will have countertops above them. It looks like it's back to the drawing board for a little more tweaking. Even though we will be in it full time we are not going to spend a whole lot of time in it. Husband works 7 days a week between building fire trucks and driving tow truck so we don't have alot of free time to just stay home. We do however have alot of stuff that we can't seem to part with so storage is our biggest challenge. I'm gonna work on a few more ideas. Thanks!
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Old 03-28-2007, 02:09 PM   #10
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Revised floorplan

After thinking about it all night and remeasuring things I came up with a revised floorplan. Basically I threw away the old one and started over. I studied all the floorplans I could find and really liked the bedroom and bath area in the plan Vern1 had posted so I borrowed that idea and reworked everything else. I think this will be better. Excuse the really primitive drawing. http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/v/Sk...n0001.jpg.html
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Old 03-29-2007, 11:33 PM   #11
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Much improved in my humble opinion. Hey, do you really need a big tv stand? Why not just hang a lcd tv from the wall (they use less power and are fairly affordable) and mount your components (vcr/dvd) in an overhead cabinet. Just an idea to possibly give you that space for something else (more storage). You always seem to need more storage the longer you plan to spend in the bus. You need a utility closet at least for all the mechanicals and such. Just some ideas to kick about.
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Old 03-30-2007, 01:10 AM   #12
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My old school 27 inch CRT takes up A LOT of room. Thankfully I have it mounted kitty corner so it makes the most efficient use of space. I just use mine because it's the same TV I have in my bedroom the rest of the time. That thing is a PAIN to move. I thought new electronics were supposed to be lighter and more portable, but I swear this 1 year old TV weighs more than my 25 year old 27 inch RCA crt I had before this one did.

Here are some power consumption figures.

# Microdisplay rear projector: 0.11 to 0.15 watt per square inch
# LCD: 0.16 to 0.41 watt per square inch
# CRT: 0.25 to 0.40 watt per square inch
# Plasma: 0.30 to 0.39 watt per square inch

The LCD to CRT difference is pretty negligible, but the weight difference is TREMENDOUS.
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Old 03-31-2007, 01:12 PM   #13
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tv's

We've been tossing around the idea of getting a flat LCD and mounting it up above the windshield while parked. I'm fighting for disability and we have just one income so our budget is really tight. We are doing alot of shopping around to find a good deal on one. In the meantime we'll keep the old one. It's the TV we had in our 2000 Montana 5th wheel. It's fairly light and space saving but as soon as we can it's gone.
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Old 03-31-2007, 03:45 PM   #14
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updated pics in gallery

A little more work done. Painting inside is finished. I rolled on Ace Rust Stop tinted pale blue with a foam roller. It covered the leftover adhesive very well. I had alot of holes to fill in and smooth out. I had to break out the metal stripping down the middle of the bus. The screws were so worn all we could do was grind them out. We pulled out the rubber floor, sanded the plywood, then applied skimcoat to level and seal it. We cut out the drivers side wheel well and started to prep for the new one. I just finished gluing the vinyl floor down in the front. Still need to trim out and put in molding. It looks great. Picked up the mini freezer today. We found a mini upright 5 cubic foot freezer for just $50 so we grabbed it quick. I'll be building screens this week hopefully. I didn't get as much done this week as hoped but we are now moved so any progress is good I guess. Gotta go back out and work on it some more!
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Old 04-01-2007, 09:33 AM   #15
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Re: Revised floorplan

Quote:
Originally Posted by jterry
After thinking about it all night and remeasuring things I came up with a revised floorplan. Basically I threw away the old one and started over. I studied all the floorplans I could find and really liked the bedroom and bath area in the plan Vern1 had posted so I borrowed that idea and reworked everything else. I think this will be better. Excuse the really primitive drawing. http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/v/Sk...n0001.jpg.html
Nice work! It looks much improved to me as well but most importantly I think you're heading toward getting something you'll really like when you're done...even if it doesn't look like what's on paper now. I find once I generate the questions in my mind about what's good and what's bad (everything's a compromise) and get the overall concept I'm much better at recognizing situations that let me improve on my ideas on the fly.

Sound's like y'all are working hard...best wishes.
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Old 04-02-2007, 01:10 PM   #16
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floor plan

It looks as though you have the loo in the middle of the bus at the rear and I would assume there is a wall around it to enclose it. The access the the bedroom area may be a challenge if you are over 5' 6" if you are not raising the roof. I can get pretty tight working around the shape of the ceiling, especially when you start putting in walls, insulation, roofing material, etc...

If you are smaller and flexible it shouldn't be an issue. However if you are 6' 3" like me, it's the first red flag I see. Otherwise it looks really nice.

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Old 04-02-2007, 01:50 PM   #17
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yeah there will be a wall enclosing that area. the doorway to the bedroom will angle to the left a bit to get around it. there will be about a 3'+/- doorway to the bedroom/bed. we are keeping our queen size so every bit of the back will be bed except a small headboard shelf I am building for the dreaded clock and breathing machine. thankfully we are just the right heights. we are both about 5'8" and we have about 5'9" clearance on the sides unless you really hug a window. I left the ceiling just as it was except for painting and didn't add any more insulation to it. I also took out the old rubber floor leaving the old plywood under the vinyl flooring so we were able to keep pretty good clearance throughout. the only thing I have added to the floor is an even coat of skimcoat to level it before laying the vinyl. granted it isn't summer yet but so far it stays really cool inside with just windows down for a slight breeze so the original insulation seems to be pretty good. it's parked in direct sun in the middle of an open valley area and we have been in the mid to upper 80's with mid humidity and stayed comfortable so far. I'm sure it'll change a bit when we get more of our things in it and we haven't painted the roof yet either. I'm hoping insulation won't be an issue later on. thankfully our winters are mild with only occasional cold spells so my concern is just the heat staying out and cool staying in. I'm going to try to keep the walls to a minimum with the only enclosure being around the loo and shower. as it all starts to go in there still may be tweaks to be done. thanks for the insight. I'll definately keep that in mind as we build.
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Old 04-08-2007, 04:55 PM   #18
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The new wheel well is finally finished. It took a little longer than planned. I found 20 gauge sheet metal at the corner store for $10.99 a 4'x6' sheet. There will not be anything resting on top of the finished wheel wells so this gauge should be fine. The air nibbler was dull so it took forever to cut. I made the height a little shorter but still have plenty of clearance. I cut a 10"x48" piece, curved it along the wheel and riveted it to the side wall. The main piece is 2'x4'. I bent it into a 6" tall box with flaps on all three sides coming out 6". I riveted it to the exposed metal on one side on the floor and screwed it in through the plywood to the metal underneath on the other 2 sides. To attach it to the wall we attached a 2x2x48 board to the side wall with silicone between it, then from the underside screwed the sheet metal to the board- again sealing with silicone. I added another bead of sealant on the underside as well. I was going to have someone stitch weld it to the wall but they didn't show up to help. I am pleased with how it turned out. I had lack of time, tools and help this week so this may not of been the best way to fab this but at least it is done and functions as it should. I am open to any suggestions for doing the other side. I'm definately not a fabricator. I'll post some pics as soon as possible. Visual is always better. Until next time...
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Old 04-08-2007, 07:38 PM   #19
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IS the stuff galvanized or are you planning on treating it with some other method? I'd hate to have that rust out. Did you atleast have a brake to work with or did you have to do it all like I do with some 2x4's and a hammer?
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Old 04-08-2007, 08:32 PM   #20
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yes, it is galvanized and pre-painted. family members use the same stuff for stock car bodies. it's pretty good for the price. the bending was done completely by hand and mostly by myself. at one point I used a 2x2 and c-clamps and alot of brute force to bend it "just right". After trying to satisfy my perfectionist self without much luck I decided it's covered so looks aren't as important as function. I thought about bolting 2 2x4's to help bend the other side. I know there has to be an easier way to do that without buying tools and gadgets. the nibbler gave out with just 2' left to cut and I had to finish that with a dremel. that thing really cuts. I was impressed. I also painted all rough edges of the bus with rustoleum before putting down the metal. I fought and fought that wheel well and to top off the week my 11yr old son broke his elbow racing his bike. What a week!
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