Thought I'd go ahead and start a build thread to document the beginning of our long road to converting our Phantom. Seat removal and the fun job of peeling off all the lettering on the outside were the order of the day. Fun things I've discovered so far:
1. Like the older Gilligs, doesn't look like I have a steel floor under the wood. Not totally sure what my technique for insulating will be now. I'll work on getting the rubber floor off for now, that looks to be quite the chore anyway.
2. Seat bolts did not have nuts under the bus - which meant taking the seats out only took about 2hrs. nice.
3. Ceiling panels are all screwed in. I took one out to see what was under it. Styrofoam insulation, cut to fit the spaces between the ribs. Anyone know how good this is? Also, my ceiling is some type of plastic, not metal. Which I'm guessing means it won't transmit as much heat? We're planning on a wooden ceiling, but maybe we should leave the styrofoam and plastic ceiling, and just attach the wood ceiling to that?
4. Side panels are also screwed in (with star-head screws). Looks like I won't have to deal with any rivets at all.
5. Tail lights are already LED. Sweet! Not sure how I didn't notice this earlier.
That's a nice looking bus! Love the body style.....looks more modern than an 88'.
Me too And it constantly surprises people that it's as old as it is.
Probably paid more than I should have for it, but I love the style... it's just a little bit unique, and the straight walls, consistent ceiling curve, decent height (6'6"-ish) and tall, high windows were too hard to resist. I also like that the storage bays don't jut down at all, and the whole bus just has nice clean lines.