Cajun Retreat Bus

[JesuitJohn]

I'm working on a 96 Saf-t-liner that will eventually end up solar powered and stationary (in South Louisiana). It will be single occupancy and used for no more than 2 weeks at a time.

Day one, I was able to take some of the seats out. But working alone, I couldn't get some of the nuts on the bench feet that go through the floor. They would just spin. Still, I managed to get 7 or 8 benches out.

I also removed the metal trim down the center aisle. No small task since about half of the screw heads stripped out. Nothing a grinder couldn't fix.

The linoleum on the floor crumbled, little by little. I can tell this will be a massive headache.

The wood under the linoleum looked brand new! And looking from underneath, the floor sheet metal shows no signs of rust.

So I'm planning to spray foam insulate the floor from under the sub-floor for the section I hope to A.C. I don't think I'll take the current floor out; I'll just put a nicer linoleum floor or maybe tile.

I'm planning a sectioned approach, dividing the length of the bus into 4 rooms. The first will be an uninsulated mudroom. The second room will be living room and bedroom. The third room will be kitchen and not airconditioned. I'll insulate it for the short winter and put a wood burning stove in it that could heat the living room if I leave the door between the rooms open. The last room will be the washroom. I won't insulate that room, going with just painting the sheet metal for easy cleanup.

I'll put a video up soon of a Sketchup model I've made. Enjoy the photos!

Any advice on what kind of paint to use? I'm going to paint it camoflage.

[Robin97396]

Glad to see you're off to a good start. Somehow they always look bigger with all those seats in there.

A lot of us use plain old Rustoleum for the paint, but it's known to need some touchup every couple years. Others use car paint which lasts much longer. It's mostly a financial decision.

[plfking]

Originally Posted by JesuitJohn

Day one, I was able to take some of the seats out. But working alone, I couldn't get some of the nuts on the bench feet that go through the floor. They would just spin. Still, I managed to get 7 or 8 benches out.

I had the same issue when removing the driver's seat. Put channel-locks on the bolt head and spin clockwise to brace the pliers against the leg, then climb underneath and loosen the nut. The more bolts, the better the workout for your obliques.


Don

[JesuitJohn]

Thanks! I think Rustoleum is a good option. The camo pattern I'm planning will be labor intensive, but it will hide imperfections well.