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Old 02-10-2015, 09:13 PM   #161
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 584
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: I.H.
Engine: DT360
Ain't it purdy how water drops look on fresh paint? I love it!

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Old 02-11-2015, 12:10 AM   #162
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Black Rock City
Posts: 113
Year: 198x
Coachwork: Crown & MCI
Chassis: 40ft Tandem/40ft MC-9 Tag
Engine: Cummins 855 BCT/6V92TA, RTO-910/HT-740
Rated Cap: 47,000lb/38,000lb GVWR
...love it. I hope you and your family enjoys it for years to come.
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Old 02-11-2015, 12:22 AM   #163
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Location: Black Rock City
Posts: 113
Year: 198x
Coachwork: Crown & MCI
Chassis: 40ft Tandem/40ft MC-9 Tag
Engine: Cummins 855 BCT/6V92TA, RTO-910/HT-740
Rated Cap: 47,000lb/38,000lb GVWR
Oh... BTW- I noticed the composting toilet (an air-head, right?). Good choice. I've used one in my GMC for years and have never thought of going 'back to black.' ...although the better half might say something different when it comes to sorting the piss from the ****. *shrug* ;)
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Old 02-11-2015, 07:50 PM   #164
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Location: ...little north of Toronto Ontario
Posts: 606
Year: 2000
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Chassis: FreightShaker
Engine: 5.9 Cummins 5 speed
Rated Cap: 2 ATV's and friends
Bus looks great.....would of takin' me six days to up load all those pics, nice work.

Any idea how much paint was used? I'm doin' a single stage paint as well.
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Old 02-11-2015, 09:15 PM   #165
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi (Detroit area)
Posts: 1,968
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Eldorado Aerotech 24'
Chassis: Ford E-450 Cutaway Bus
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 19
Mad skills there you guys. The entrance door is a great idea and living at the "petting zoo" will be so cool for the kidsters.
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Old 05-03-2015, 07:25 PM   #166
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Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 92
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC/2000
Engine: Cummins 6CT8.3
Rated Cap: 76
It's been awhile! Much has happened, it feels like we've been moved in for years, and it also feels like we moved in yesterday. Hard to explain. I'll let the pictures do the talking.





























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Old 05-03-2015, 07:26 PM   #167
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Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 92
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Blue Bird
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Rated Cap: 76



















































I hope to update this thread more frequently with actual real-life moments, obviously we cleaned before taking these pics. Real life is hectic and messy 90% of the time. We've been trying to figure out efficient systems for keeping everything clean, organized and maintained, so it's been slowly getting better. Credit for organization goes to my wife.

I have mucho pictures of the in-between from the fresh paint job to present day. If there is anything anyone is curious about, please ask and I'll post everything relevant. I have way too many pics to post all at once!

The bus is about 90% complete at this point. We still have a good deal of work to do, and I'll post updates as we complete things, but at this point this thread is more about completed bus life than the conversion process!

Stay tuned~
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Old 05-03-2015, 09:43 PM   #168
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Moodus, Ct.
Posts: 1,062
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Champion
Chassis: Ford e-450
Engine: 7.3 Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 14
Its beautiful! I take it by how neat it looks its been lived in but not traveled. Do you have stops for the cabinet + drawers?
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Old 05-03-2015, 11:04 PM   #169
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Year: 1996
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Rated Cap: 76
We do have stops, they're actually magnetic child locks that can be turned off.

Haha, no, not traveled. This is our house. We live in this bus full time. It's not going anywhere anytime soon!
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Old 05-04-2015, 04:35 AM   #170
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Location: MNT CITY TN
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Wow great post, amazing the way it looked like 10x bigger in the pictures , I like the overlapped siding look
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Old 05-04-2015, 06:01 AM   #171
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: southwest lowsyana
Posts: 542
Year: 1988
Coachwork: ward
Chassis: international
Engine: dt360a
Rated Cap: 65
looks like yall had your new child. was wondering if yall were going to show up here again. good job!
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Old 05-04-2015, 07:55 AM   #172
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 584
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: I.H.
Engine: DT360
The pictures make me jealous! So many idea to steal!
So what is the thing at the end of the kitchen counter that looks like a cross between a tv and an intercom? Is it a small heater?
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Old 05-04-2015, 02:23 PM   #173
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
I'm so glad all is well for you and your little family.

It gave me great joy seeing your wife prego, and still working with you on the bus. Now seeing her snuggling baby in the bus almost done is even better.

Your doing great. Thanks for the great pics. Give the wife and baby a hug from us all at skoolie.net.

Nat
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Old 05-04-2015, 10:37 PM   #174
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi (Detroit area)
Posts: 1,968
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Eldorado Aerotech 24'
Chassis: Ford E-450 Cutaway Bus
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 19
Beautifully done! Great use of space and a very inviting look.
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Old 05-05-2015, 06:01 AM   #175
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Rated Cap: 65
Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
I'm so glad all is well for you and your little family.

It gave me great joy seeing your wife prego, and still working with you on the bus. Now seeing her snuggling baby in the bus almost done is even better.

Your doing great. Thanks for the great pics. Give the wife and baby a hug from us all at skoolie.net.

Nat
yeah, thats what i was thinkin. nat just said it better!
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Old 05-06-2015, 11:01 PM   #176
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Snowflake, Arizona
Posts: 343
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American Rear Engine
Engine: C-8.3-300 Cummins MD3060
Rated Cap: 40 Prisoners
Now that you've put some mileage on living in a bus can you tell us some of the
things you would avoid in a future build if you ever did it over again or things you
would change to make it more living friendly. My wife likes the patterned tin ceiling
only she would like to use it as a back splash in the kitchen. Comments and
concerned advice would be appreciated. Thanks
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Old 05-07-2015, 10:03 AM   #177
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Posts: 231
is your Dickenson heater a LP or solid fuel ?
how do you like it?
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Old 05-07-2015, 11:39 AM   #178
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Quote:
Originally Posted by big_bertha View Post

On some farm property that a sweet lady is renting to a few other like-minded liveaboards... seems too good to be true, but we'll find out tomorrow if Bertha can make the hairpin driveway entrance.

Did you make the hair pin turn?

I think it is nice you have a place to park your rig, I have been kicking the idea around about a piece of property I have in Nebraska doing something similar.

not sure how it all works, if you would mind sharing some details?
thanks
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Old 05-08-2015, 11:29 PM   #179
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Year: 1996
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Engine: Cummins 6CT8.3
Rated Cap: 76
Quote:
Originally Posted by bansil View Post
Wow great post, amazing the way it looked like 10x bigger in the pictures , I like the overlapped siding look
Haha, it feels bigger on the inside.

Quote:
Originally Posted by claydbal View Post
looks like yall had your new child. was wondering if yall were going to show up here again. good job!
Thanks! Yep new baby is fat n healthy!

Quote:
Originally Posted by HolyBus View Post
The pictures make me jealous! So many idea to steal!
So what is the thing at the end of the kitchen counter that looks like a cross between a tv and an intercom? Is it a small heater?
Steal away! It's flattering that someone else wants to borrow ideas. The device you're referring to is a Dickinson Marine "Newport" P-9000, a small propane fireplace.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
I'm so glad all is well for you and your little family.

It gave me great joy seeing your wife prego, and still working with you on the bus. Now seeing her snuggling baby in the bus almost done is even better.

Your doing great. Thanks for the great pics. Give the wife and baby a hug from us all at skoolie.net.

Nat
Hugs given! Thanks for the kind words.

Quote:
Originally Posted by roach711 View Post
Beautifully done! Great use of space and a very inviting look.
Thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragonpop View Post
Now that you've put some mileage on living in a bus can you tell us some of the
things you would avoid in a future build if you ever did it over again or things you
would change to make it more living friendly. My wife likes the patterned tin ceiling
only she would like to use it as a back splash in the kitchen. Comments and
concerned advice would be appreciated. Thanks
If I could do it again?

Things I would avoid:

DIY spray foam kits - have been debated elsewhere on this forum, but basically we figured out that we wasted a lot of money. Contractors are much more skilled, have enhanced capabilities (cold weather/surface) and as far as I can tell they're cheaper and faster.

Rushing - if it's at all possible, TAKE YOUR TIME with your bus. There are many things that bother me about this build, and the vast majority were caused because we were going too fast.

Oil-based paint on galvanized steel - this is a big no-no I learned WAY too late in the game. Something in the paint reacts with the zinc coating and prevents adhesion. (FLAKES OFF)

Perfection - avoid it or suffer.

Other concerned advice:

Be aware of water. This means pressure washing after you've ripped out the seats and inner skin to detect leaks. Fixing leaks should be the first thing you do. Hands down. We started building in the summer, and a bunch of leaks went unnoticed and caused us great pain and anxiety after we'd invested much time and money. If there was one thing that stressed us out more than any other it was water.

Also, in bus life, gray water is a problem. If you're going full-time from apartment or house life, you're used to using way too much water. Luckily we can drain our gray water into the bushes and leave the valve open so we're not flooding the ground. Our original plan was to let our 65gal tank fill up and empty it when necessary. We found that we easily use double that in a day. We're probably on the high end of the spectrum; we have two babies, a full-size washer, use cloth diapers, cloth wipes, big meal every day, dishes cost water, etc etc. If we had to rely on a freshwater supply tank? Forget about it.

I can't speak for people doing a skoolie for occasional use or even just resource-conscious couples, because their needs are probably much different from ours. We're a young family who wanted to go from renting an apartment to living in a bus, and we underestimated how much water we'd need.

I'm sure I'll think of more.

Quote:
Originally Posted by c_hasbeen View Post
is your Dickenson heater a LP or solid fuel ?
how do you like it?

Did you make the hair pin turn?

I think it is nice you have a place to park your rig, I have been kicking the idea around about a piece of property I have in Nebraska doing something similar.

not sure how it all works, if you would mind sharing some details?
thanks
Haha, yes, I made the hairpin turn. Had to drive an eighth of a mile in reverse to do it though. Damn mailbox!

Heater is LP.

It's well made, and it works. I feel like the heat output is a little low for the amount of fuel it consumes though. Maybe I'd have had better luck with a solid fuel. We'll see how it goes this winter. I'm cheating of course, I have two 1500w space heaters.

I'd love to share details, but what all do you want to know more about?
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