Canadian Skoolie Project

[jkindt]

Here are some pics of the recent work that I have been doing. I got the breaker box mounted, the mousehole for the power cord installed, and some outlets installed. I put one power outlet on the wall next to the countertop and another behind the refridgerator for it to plug into, each on its own 15 amp breaker. When I install the converter/charger, I will have to add another outlet under the counter next to the converter for it to plug into. Here's some pics...

[jkindt]

I also sealed the windows that I covered. I used butyl caulking (Dum Dum) to seal them to the window frame, then I screwed them into place with some aluminum angle. I then went around the edges with latex caulking, then finished with some sheathing tape (Tuck Tape) to ensure and airtight seal. I plan to cover this with 1" foam insulation and then panel over that to give it a finished look inside. It will work for this year since our bus budget is only big enough to do the outside of the bus this year. Next year the inside will get redone!

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by dentedvw

ooh, mirrors? Where did you find these mirrors? I went to a semi truck wrecking yard in Grand Rapids, MI, but they still wanted $250 per mirror head for the ones I liked. Craziness. I will keep my fingers crossed to find some another time at a price I can afford.
Can you PM me the place you found the mirrors you mentioned?

The mirrors with the convex section at the bottom ended up being a little more than I wanted to spend. I think they were around $50 per mirror or something. I ended up getting some 7"x16" heated mirrors with lights on the fronts. I then added a 6" round convex mirror below it. I am actually pleased with how it turned out this time. These mirrors were only $30 each, so I can't complain. I bought them at a Canadian store called Princess Auto. Another option is mirrors made by a company called Grote. Most truck shops can get Grote products. Just do a Google search online for Grote and I am sure you will find something you like. If worse comes to worse, I can always ship you a pair from here.

[jkindt]

Well...I did it! I ordered the power converter/charger for my bus. At first I was going to go with a 45 amp unit so that I could run lights, fans and charge the batteries at the same time. Then I found a great deal on a 70 amp unit, so for about an extra $30 I got the larger unit. It is a 70 amp 4 stage converter/charger made by Progressive Dynamics. I also ordered the remote display so that I can visually see what mode it is in. Here's some pics of what it looks like...

[dentedvw]

Hey man, some hooligan wrapped your tires in trash bags.
Wonder if it's the same bozos that wrapped mine in red rosin paper.
World has gone mad, I tell you.

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by dentedvw

Hey man, some hooligan wrapped your tires in trash bags.
Wonder if it's the same bozos that wrapped mine in red rosin paper.
World has gone mad, I tell you.

It's a mad mad mad mad world.

Masking tires is such a pain in the butt that I thought it would be easier this way. Good for one coat, but like Smitty explained, the dried paint flakes off and gets into the new paint on the additional coats. Next time I will be using paper.

[dentedvw]

Originally Posted by jkindt

Just do a Google search online for Grote and I am sure you will find something you like. If worse comes to worse, I can always ship you a pair from here.

I am most interested in these kind of mirrors, if I can't get the fancy one piece units. Still having trouble finding an affordable set.
The front cover incorporates the mount, it looks pretty clean to my eye. Mostly plastic too, less to rust.

[dentedvw]

Originally Posted by jkindt

Masking tires is such a pain in the butt that I thought it would be easier this way. Good for one coat, but like Smitty explained, the dried paint flakes off and gets into the new paint on the additional coats. Next time I will be using paper.

I just cut a large piece out, stuffed it in the wheel well, and taped it once, on top of the tire. They stay for days through rain even so far. Good place to spray test sprays too. I was concerned at first that the sprayer would bust through the paper, but it hasn't happened.
In my project thread, you can see, I just propped it in there and one piece of tape. Boom. I used a clamp to put the paper on the flap too. Lazy, sure. Works though!

Oh, whoops. You were painting the wheels on purpose. I haven't gotten that far yet.

[jkindt]

The updates are a little slow this last week due to another winter storm passing through our area. I am sooo ready for summer!!! I was able to get a #1 cable run (4 feet exactly) from my battery to a fused distribution block under my counter. From there I ran about 6 feet of #8 cable to my 600W inverter on the wall above the counter. In preparation of getting my power converter installed, I also installed a 110V outlet under the counter next to the breaker box. All I will have to do is mount the converter, plug it into the outlet, and run a short cable from the converter to the 12V distribution block. I also purchased another 14x14 roof vent. I will try to remember to get pictures of the install when I do it.

[jkindt]

Here is a picture of what I decided to use for a 'grommet' to get the #1 cable through the steel floor and the side of the battery box. It is standard PVC electrical conduit. The end goes through the metal and has a PVC nut that threads on to lock it in place. The tube is then cemented to the ends to complete the conduit. Waterproof, roadgrime proof, and rodent proof.

[jkindt]

Here is some pics of what I did under my counter.

[jkindt]

It is official....insured, registered, and on the road. We took the bus for a drive today. If anyone has seen the movie 'RV' with Robin Williams you will understand why I am considering renaming my bus 'The big old rolling turd'. We got about two blocks from our house when the bus decided to start lurching and cutting in and out. I tell you if there is anything in your bus that is not bolted down when this happens it will move...this includes the wife!!! Everytime I pressed the gas pedal it would spring to life and lunge forward until I pressed a little further then it would cut out completely and lunge back. If I held the pedal still it would cycle between accelerating and decelerating. At one point I found that I had limited brakes because the engine had completely died. I also found that when this happens, if you are still moving you can 'push start' a bus, just pop the clutch!!! I got it into a parking lot, of course I didn't want to slow down too far in case the engine completely died so I hit the approach a little hard and sent the wife ass-over-teakettle again! Once in the parking lot the engine died and refused to start again. We made it a grand total of about 5 blocks. Yay!!! My wife closed all the drawers and cabinets, put the bed back together and decided to go get pizza from the store that we happened to park in front of. I got out and checked under the hood. I found a nice white frosty frozen propane converter and mixer. Somehow I had been pumping liquid propane past my converter and into the engine. That explains the cutting in and out...can we say FLOODED with propane!!! After letting the parts 'melt', and after eating a nice warm pizza for lunch, which actually was kind of nice sitting in our bus with everything we need right there, I tried to start the engine again. Nothing...it would turn over but wouldn't fire up. So...I pulled the air filter off and manually moved the propane valve by hand to ensure it wasn't still frozen solid. I tried again and got it running. Yay!!! This time I let the engine warm up before I tried to go anywhere. This helped. I found that the warmer the engine got the better it ran. We drove a few miles to get the hang of the bus. I ended up on a gravel road just on the edge of the city in a new development. The road had a fairly high bank and I knew that the bus was going to lean quite a bit in the turn. As we approached I said to my wife "This is gonna get tippy!" Well, she just about panicked. It did lean, but not really as scary as my wife thought it was. It was one exciting trip for sure. We got it back home and parked. My wife now calls it 'the big old rolling turd'... I found that the reason for the propane system freezing up was due insufficient coolant in the radiator leading to a big air pocket in the converter. Air does not transfer heat as well as coolant so the converter froze up and didn't 'convert' the liquid propane to vapor like it is supposed to. I added half a gallon of antifreeze and I still need to get another gallon. Those big radiators hold a LOT of coolant! I would have got pics but I was a little preoccupied at the time.

BTW - The movie 'RV' was filmed in Southern Alberta....I have camped in some of the exact same places shown in the movie. In fact, Robin Williams stayed at a hotel about a mile from my house when they were here. I really liked that red Flxible bus that was in the movie too. Liked it then and still think it is great!

[JakeC]

Hahahaha...wow, that was great!! Awesome job describing the adventure! Sounds like quite the adventure and I'm glad ya got it going!

[Redbear]

Well, on the plus side, she bought you pizza instead of stomping out, walking home, and changing the lock on the door!
Re: launching the wife, two words: seat belts.

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by Redbear

Well, on the plus side, she bought you pizza instead of stomping out, walking home, and changing the lock on the door!
Re: launching the wife, two words: seat belts.

Yeah...there was a pizza shop and a movie theatre. She was actually considering the movie!!! It is so funny because even though we went about 5 blocks, we circled back and ended up just over 2 blocks from our house. It could have been an easy walk home. Her thoughts were the same...seat belts. She is just mad that I took out the pillar behind the drivers seat, she says she could have held onto that. I told her she is lucky I left the pillar by the door or she could have ended up in the stairwell upside down! I am pretty sure that I have the problem fixed. The propane guys call it the 'low coolant safety feature'. Instead of overheating the engine, the propane system freezes up and shuts down. The bad thing is when you get liquid propane in the engine you go through about 270 times the amount compared to vapor. My 6 mpg turned to 6 gallons per mile instead! It actually shows that I used 1/4 tank of fuel on the fuel gauge! That may have been the most expensive trip around the block ever! Total distance for the day...6 miles...total cost...$25 in propane! I will keep my eye on the fluid levels a little better in the future!

[jkindt]

So I got the conduit installed between my battery compartment and the fuse block. Here's some pics...

Ignore the red and black wire that is run through the metal without a grommet. It is being rerouted to the fuse panel inside the bus. Besides, it is pretty much rubbed through to the metal already.

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Definite improvement over the way it was, looked like a short in the making. If you ever get into a spot where making-up a rigid elbow is impossible, look into non-metallic sealtite (what is usually used to go from a disconnect to an air conditioner condensing unit). Matter of fact you can buy "whips" already made-up with fittings & wire. I had a box of fittings left-over, so I bought a 100' roll (sealtite) to run all my cables through on the roof deck.

Smitty

I looked at that stuff. It is a great idea, especially where there may be movement or vibration. I decided to use the rigid PVC conduit because it is a very short run and cheap. The elbow was $1.50, each end was 50 cents, and the PVC nuts were $1.50 for a package of 5. It is the perfect size to run my #1 AWG cable through.

[jkindt]

Well all the preplanning has paid off. I received my power converter this afternoon and was able to install it in about 5 minutes. All I had to do was physically mount it, attach the 4 gauge + cable from the converter to my fused distribution panel, the 4 gauge - cable to ground and plug it in. It used a total of 3 ft of 4 gauge cable. Works like a charm. I will get some pics this evening. Also got the vent cover installed on the front roof vent, now I can leave it open even if it is raining or while we are driving down the highway.

First trip is scheduled for this weekend!!! We will be heading out on Friday and returning on Monday. Can't wait!

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by timmylc

Dont forget lotsa PICS!!! :P

Don't worry, I will probably take the REAL cameras with us for the trip and get some good pics. I want to get some profile pics and such so I can try out some 'virtual' paint schemes in Photoshop. I saw a BlueBird Wanderlodge yesterday that made me want to change my paint scheme once again. Good thing I am still at the primer stage!!!

[crazycal]

The story about your test ride was funny. The fact that your wife didn't bail on you speaks volumes. Good times.