Bike For The Light Skoolie - Page 5

bikeforthelight · 11-02-2009, 10:01 PM

Thanks Smitty. Its actually my girlfriend, not a daughter. The test went well, but wont get the results for a few days. I haven't plugged in the freezer yet. Need to find a thermometer to do it. I will do it tho. If it runs close to fridge temps for more than ten hours I may forgo the thermostat cut off. As for the drill, I have a quick change bit and am using it like crazy too, but having the two drills has been so awesome. Especially since one is an air drill with a ton of torque for driving in the screws. But on the plus side, I believe I am done with most of the sheet metal drilling. I will still have some, but the majority of it is up already and I will not have to do it again, so switching bits is not something I will have to do quite as much. Those screws made for wood to metal that say no pilot drilling required are crap. The screws work fine, but you have to pilot all of em in that metal. Especially in the cross struts along the roof line. I am working on the bus the next couple days, then I have a road trip up to Alabama to speak at some public schools, so I need to get as much done as I can before I leave. Fun times.

bikeforthelight · 11-03-2009, 11:17 PM

Thanks for the tip Smitty. The thin sheetmetal is easy to just use the metal screws right into without a pilot hole. I was speaking more towards the Thick gauge steel beams crossing the roof that my frame attaches to. I basically figured out what size the screw is and went two sizes smaller on my pilot drill bit. So the screws ended up being really snug anyways. I wont be driving the bus on this trip. Taking the old RV instead. Don't have the bus near done to drive (drivers seat isn't even attached). I also dont have it tagged and insured yet. It just gets started and runs for a few minutes every week, and I drive it around the parking lot a couple times. Figured why pay for insurance till I have to. On the plus side, I am gonna be taking a greyhound back from Alabama because I sold the RV to a guy up near there. Should give me enough money to finish up the bus. Oh, and if your wondering, the name for the bus gets released tomorrow night at another place I am speaking. I will post it here after that. I am happy with the name that won the contest. Its always a bit scary when you let other people name something for you, but it is a good one. My RV last year was named Gerty, and this one is another great old lady name too.

So today, I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted. No new pics to post. I did start mounting the spacers on the ceiling for the duct work I am building. Also started working on the frame work for the rear storage room wall. Also moved all the cabinets into the bus. Had to before I built that rear wall. The cabinets may fit through the front door, but it would be really close, and I would rather be safe then sorry. Would suck to have these great cabinets and not be able to use them because I cant get them in the front door. So they are in, which helps some other things too. I am gonna have to move the living room wall back about a foot to accommodate them. Glad I didnt build that wall first. Guess my measurements were off somewhere. Oh well. Just takes a foot off the bedrooms. No biggie, they are just for sleeping and relaxing anyways. As long as there is enough room for a bed and to change clothes then they are fine. More pics tomorrow....and the name.

ezbme · 11-04-2009, 09:23 PM

Hope all is well with the sweety... Good to hear Gerty has a new home... Did you keep the hood?
Name?

bikeforthelight · 11-04-2009, 11:28 PM

Ok....the name of the bus is Grace. But I am gonna call her Gracey. Such a great old lady name.

bikeforthelight · 11-09-2009, 11:11 PM

Ok guys. I am back from Alabama. Had a great trip, but happy to get back to work on Gracey tomorrow. I have no idea who you were talking about by the way. Im a yungun. Anyways, last week I was looking at some drawer units to put in the bedrooms, and was getting annoyed. I am gonna be using them for clothes, and my riding gear. Nothing really heavy, but they need to be sturdy. What I found was horrible. Either I would spend a couple hundred on legit drawers or $50 on cheap plastic ones. Either way I would have to figure out a way to keep the drawers from opening up on the road. Then before I went on my trip I went by the habitat restore here in town and say file cabinets. It was perfect. Five really sturdy deep drawers. The case can be mounted to the studs. And every drawer has a push button on it to stop it from opening. So today I went back a found a couple really nice units. Not too deep or wide, but really strong metal drawer units with 5 drawers each and push button latches on each. The best part is I paid only $30 for the pair. I am very excited about having them. I think they are gonna work great. I also spent some time at the orange store today. Got all my 12 volt and 110v lines and double gang boxes. Gonna start putting all that in tomorrow.

After I got back to the bus and put the file cabinets in I started fooling around with my layout, and have decided to go all the way back to my original layout and got rid of the weird wall cuts and strangely shaped rooms. Gonna just go simple and I think is gonna work a lot better and be stronger too. So I didn't do any work on the bus, but I did rework my layout so here it is. Critique it, tear it apart, love on it, lemme know what you think.

ezbme · 11-10-2009, 05:10 AM

Hey Johnny, One question... How you gonna get to the storage area with the bed in the way?

bikeforthelight · 11-10-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezbme

Hey Johnny, One question... How you gonna get to the storage area with the bed in the way?

I am gonna have a door behind the bed. Just to get back there if I need to. Originally I was gonna have to go over the bed the other way too, so its no big deal. That is that door behind the bed in room 1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty

Johnny, Gracie Slick was singer for Jefferson Airplane/Starship. Have you considered a booth & 2 benches? You have seating for 2 people, with 3 tables, seems like a table with a bench (w/storage areas underneath) on either side would be more efficient, plus give you some additional (paper) work-space. Then again, maybe you don't need the space? Are the blue/gray boxes at the beds the rear wheelhouses? You planning under-bed storage?

I should have known that Smitty. I collect vinyl and have a few of theirs. Love older music, just didn't know who she was. I thought about putting in a booth, but since we are not eating in the bus often, but are watching the tv i liked this better. This will give us more storage than you would think though. I have a ton of cabinets that are already built that were given to us and they fit into this layout really well. Those blue/gray boxes are the wheel boxes. I am gonna have the beds raised up a bit, so they will serve as a step up for the beds. I am gonna have under bed storage too. Gonna but some cabinet doors on the fronts to get to it. For the front room I have a few small sized camping sling chairs that will be kept in the back in case we need more seating. But generally, me and my driver are the only two that are in here.

bikeforthelight · 11-10-2009, 10:27 PM

So today was a couple trips to Lowes. On the plus side, found out an old friend is managing there and am now the proud owner of a standing 20% discount. Nice. I got a bunch more framing wood, and some ply for the AC duct. Also got my AC registers and all my 12v wiring. Fun times. On to the pics of the day.

Here is the end of the day view of my skoolie. Way too messy right now. In the back you can see the rear wall for the storage room framed up. On the ceiling you see the top part of the AC duct work. Gonna work on the bottom panels tomorrow. When the duct work is finished the framework will tie into it and help span the width of the bus. Should provide a lot more stability to the walls.

Here is a blurry pic of the AC duct.

Here is the storage wall frame.

Here are the cabinets I moved into the bus for the living area.

Here are the file cabinets that will serve as our bedroom drawers.

Tomorrow I will work some more trying to finish the AC duct work so I can finish all the interior framing. Need the duct to make it all come together.

bikeforthelight · 11-11-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty

Johnny, I'm not sure exactly what your plans are for the A/C & ducting, but it looks to me that your ductwork is going to be improperly-sized. It requires certain sizing at a certain static pressure, meaning you're likely going to have poor airflow throughout the entire system. That's why when you look at any duct system, it starts-out larger, and reduces in size as supply/registers are dumped out of it, in order to maintain a constant static pressure. Think of it like running the garden hose open, then holding your thumb over it to make it shoot farther.

Smitty, it is actually almost exactly what they call for from Coleman for the AC I am running. I am running a smaller AC and we will have the vents in the bedrooms shut when the living room is open and vice versa. If we were running the whole thing all the time it would become an issue, but generally speaking we wont be doing that. Also, the cubic inch they recommend for the duct work is what I based the design on. Talked with the company and shot them some emails about my idea, and they seem to think it will work really well. They haven't had a lot of guys use their system like this. The whole run for the duct is only about 16 feet. It is gonna have 8 registers, but only 4 running at a time (either 4 in the living room, or 4 in the bedrooms, 2 in each). I guess we will see if I am right soon enough. Hoping to get the AC in the next couple weeks. I have to travel again next week up to Pensacola and Panama City Beach. All these trips make it hard to get everything done....but they help pay for it. Haha.

ezbme · 11-11-2009, 09:26 PM

Looking great Johnny & a 20% discount on supplies, well you suck!

I would love that with all the buiding we have been doing here! How big is the storage area in the back?

madpsalmer · 11-11-2009, 09:40 PM

Johnny you've been busy... Looks nice and the vent idea certainly looks impressive hope it all works out. How many people you planning on accommodating? I still am looking to figure out the whole bucket seat with swivel thing. The trip from MN to Portland a month ago proved that who ever designed the original equipment for my bus was anally retentive that thing is hard as a rock. Not to mention painfully located just too close to the pedals.

bikeforthelight · 11-11-2009, 10:45 PM

Thanks guys. I am really happy with the way it is all turning out. Smitty, I totally agree. When I called and talked with them I was expecting to have to progressively shrink the duct as it went down, but they said not to. In fact they said if I could make it even bigger it would help. The dimensions I am running are the minimum they said I should use. I just didn't want to go any deeper. Seth, I am gonna have 2 people in it full time. One to each bedroom. The plus side on this new design is that I can pull the center wall down when I get married and turn it into more of a regular camper. The storage room in the back is about 5 1/2 feet long. Should be perfect for my work benches, tools, and 4-6 bikes at any given time. So today was a very productive day. I am super excited with it all. Lots of pics for you all to look at. I am just the kind of guy that likes pics I guess. So here it is.

Started the day by sealing all the seams and cracks in the duct. Used a simple silicone.

After that I painted the duct to help seal the wood if it gets any condensation in it. I picked up some color mistake paint at the depot for $3. Gotta love that. Its an ugly tan brown, but no one will see it.

Then I insulated the duct with reflectix. I am out of it so I need to get more tomorrow.

Then I ran some line for my 12v lighting. The duct is a great wire run for the lights.

Here I have installed the first of the two ceiling panels I was able to get up today. You can see the holes cut for AC registers and the wires coming through for 12v lighting.

Here is what I got done by the end of the day. Two ducts completed.

So I am gonna finish two more of the duct sections done tomorrow. I am gonna have to put in a couple more on top of that at the end, but I want to wait till I get the AC installed. I am thinking of getting something to help seal and smooth the outside of the duct. Any ideas guys? I was thinking of using bondo. Its cheap and I know how to work with it. How well would it adhere to the wood? Is there something else that would work better?

bikeforthelight · 11-12-2009, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty

Why not luan (you can stain/paint), or some sort of paneling (pre-finished)? You could rip it on a tablesaw if you have one handy. Not sure why you'd need to "seal", unless you mean from staining/discoloring. Body filler would work fine, no adhesion problems, but seems like an awful lot of sanding.

Seal is probably the wrong term. I mean, I want to have the duct work corner seams sealed up tight like any duct should be. I want my air coming through the registers, not the seams. I am just looking at different ideas to make it look nice. I like the luan idea. Would definitely be easier than sanding all that bondo. I am gonna be using luan on the walls, and it would definitely make the job easier and look uniform. Some of the easiest ideas are the smartest. Haha.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pied Typer

What kind of wire are you using for your lighting? Are you going to wire wall switches for the overhead lights or are you going to use the switches on the lamps themselves if they have them? The reason I am asking all these questions is that I am working on designing the electrical system for Birdie, and am concerned about wire sizing to effeciency in materials use.

In the instance you are showing you may want to consider something double insulated so there would be less chance of a chafing issue (on the metal un-insulated staples) creating a fire hazard inside a confined wood box that you couldnt easily get into. It also looks like you may be using 16-2 lamp wire which may not be sufficient gauge for that long of a run on 12 VDC and may overheat and melt the insulation. But that of course would depend on how many watts the lamps will draw on the circuit.

Also, if you are using lamps that have switches on them, and plan to use those switches as opposed to wall switches, you may consider running the lamps in parallel if your wire is sized to handle the run to save you a big ole hunk of wire.... lol but then again, you have the end buttoned up already so maybe not...

The wire I am using is 16-2 but not lamp wire. Its a low volt wire for outdoor use. Its got a nice insulation on it. Its made for use with those solar driveway lights. I am gonna be using this run of lights with the switches on the lights. I am wrapping the staples in a layer of electrical tape to help keep the chafing down. The lights i am using are a 1.5 a light with 12 watt bulbs. So the draw is low. Only 6 lamps will be on that circuit, but they are in 3 different rooms. So they will never all be used at the same time. I am gonna have more that do run off a switch too. But they will be run through the wall and on different circuits.

ezbme · 11-12-2009, 07:23 PM

Ductwork looks good! How high are your ceilings & does your head clear the duct?

madpsalmer · 11-12-2009, 07:57 PM

Sweet set up and I like the idea of versatile living space your thinking ahead...

bikeforthelight · 11-12-2009, 11:00 PM

Thanks Seth. I would just hate to build it up and have it done nice, then have to completely strip it down to change it up. I like knowing most of the work I am doing is still usable if I change it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezbme

Ductwork looks good! How high are your ceilings & does your head clear the duct?

Well my head does not clear it. Almost. If I stand up nice and straight my head is hitting. The ceiling was around 6' 1" before. The duct comes in around 5' 9". I am 5' 10"+ so I am just taller than it. But the majority of it is going down along the center wall where it is no big deal to lose headroom. In the living room is where the duct headroom can be a problem. But honestly when I am in the bus I am sitting most of the time. I spend hours a day on a bicycle when I am on the road, so when I am done, I dont feel like standing much. Haha.

Today I got a ton done. But only got two pics for you. The duct work is gonna end up being about 22 feet long. I am waiting to install the front 6 feet of it till after I install the AC though. So today I finished up the back 16 feet of it. I needed to get that done to finish my framing. So I got the the rest of that part of the duct finished. Then I went to work framing. I only have a pic of one section of the framing. Will post more tomorrow. I ended up getting most of the center bedroom dividing wall frame up. Also got the front wall frame put together. I will install it tomorrow. It took forever because I had to account for two doors in it and try and raise the frame around them so there was a better clearance. Its amazing how sturdy the duct work is on the ceiling. Having the frame work tied in with it makes it like a rock. So nice. It also gave me a nice flat surface to mount my frame to. Really like how it is working.

Today I went to the store looking at doors for the bedrooms. I found these accordion doors that I think will work great. You can trim them for height. They are really light. But they seem to be pretty strong and I think they will work really well. Im excited. Will finish the framing tomorrow then install my electric in the walls. After that I get to framing out the beds, building the desk, building the tables over my cabinets, coming up with a door jam, installing a front door latch, installing an AC, installing the rest of my duct work, installing lights......and on and on and on

bikeforthelight · 11-13-2009, 08:31 AM

I dont know about that. I like my go juice. Trying to decide whether to do a slat platform for the beds or just a plywood platform. Any thoughts?

TygerCub · 11-13-2009, 01:50 PM

Plywood with three supports underneath is cheap, fast & easy. Only 2 cuts on the plywood, 5 cuts on the box shape (2 sides, 2 ends + 1 middle to keep from sagging).

A bed with slat supports doesn't give any advantage unless you need to pack it up into a small space at some later date. Then, having the smaller pieces of wood makes for a smaller package.

cheezypsnookle · 11-13-2009, 04:36 PM

jumping on beds is important work and must be done... so i would go plywood and struts

bikeforthelight · 11-13-2009, 11:03 PM

Thanks guys. Yeah, I pretty much already had decided the same on the bed. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't off base. So today was a fun one. Finished all the interior wall framing. Really turned out solid.

The two door frames for the bedrooms took a little extra thinking to make it strong, but it is really solid and going no where.

The bedrooms are larger feeling than I expected. Here a shot looking forward from the passenger side bedroom.

I finished covering all the windows that arent going to be in use with the thick mil plastic. Then I started running electric. Just mounting the boxes and running the wires to them. My girlfriends dad is a master electrician and is coming over tomorrow to help me wire her all up. The boxes I am using are the low profile plastic ones. Easy to put up and wire.

All the wires are running into the storage room in the back where they will be hooked into the transfer switch and converter/charger. Its lining up really nice and I am hoping the wiring job doesn't take forever tomorrow.

Now I am going to bed. Lots of work to do tomorrow. Peace out my bruddahs.

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