Our Bus, Our Home

[pictureLOVE]

LOVE your woodwork! WOW!!!

[eyedeal.ink]

Working on the final four coats of epoxy on the shower today (after cloth + 2 coats and a final sanding with 60 grit), gotta be back to the bus in an hour (12:30 am) and then again at 5 am to get that good chemical bond but I'm stoked to be able to take the cardboard off the floor and finish the shower plumbing. Here's a pic from last week, we plan to trim it out with aluminum flat bar brake bent with an inside wall to match the total thickness of the shower wall faces and another piece across the top.

[proconsul100]

your shower looks great. what kind of epoxy did you use, ill be getting to my shower area in the near future, and i might want to try it

[eyedeal.ink]

Originally Posted by proconsul100

your shower looks great. what kind of epoxy did you use, ill be getting to my shower area in the near future, and i might want to try it

Thanks, west systems epoxy and special clear hardner, it's not too difficult but it is expensive and time consuming. If you do go that route just watch a few youtube videos on it, buy the metered pumps and yellow thin nap rollers, and make sure to start off with one or two pump batches til you get the hang of it, mix each batch for at least two minutes prior to using it and then paint like you'd paint anything else. You get about half an hour working time to go back and tip the surface off and eliminate any bubbles. West Systems two part epoxy is marine grade and is used in boat building, not all 2 part epoxies are waterproof after 3-4 coats (nothing is technically waterproof I've been told).

[eyedeal.ink]

Janelle's been working hard on the cushion covers, we got a really good deal on some upholstery fabric for the couch (20 yards of fabric, a roll of brown pleather to cover the hinges on the front, matching pleather icord (sp?) for the tops of the cushions, and 200 antique looking tacks all for $100) and she's making the cushion covers with zippers so the foam can be removed and cushion cover washed (she's also making a complete backup set that will store in one side of the back of the couch).



Pantry drawers are in. (2) 5 inch drawers at the top for cans, (1) 4.5 inch drawer, (1) 8.5 inch drawer for baking mixes, chicken in a biscuit etc, and one 11 inch for taller stuff. Top shelf will get a 2/3rd cabinet door and the bottom will get a box on wheels for cast iron and what have you (what not).



Almost to paint with the hitch. Still need to weld a continuous 3/4 inch collar around both receivers and drill a hole in the back for a third receiver, this one pointed forward. We'll be doing an angled drop down center storage tray in the future out of 2 inch square to utilize that space right down the center, a little flat bar in the front for cantilever strength and I might just have a place for a generator (it'll definitely hold it). The hitch itself will be bolted to the tow hook flanges, sandwiched between the hooks, should be nice and strong.

[rocket_kitten]

beautiful!

i bought the same bus last week, only ours is slightly shorter. i wish we could possibly make it look as beautiful as yours. i love the couch/bed/storage pull out! we may or may not try to half ass that ourselves!

rocket

[browncrown]

Your pantry pics are awesome!!! Absolutely beautiful work!!!

[eyedeal.ink]

School bus conversions are not for wussies...just sayin, I'm tired and I kinda want my life back after two years. Belly storage, ladder, hitch and exhaust reroute complete, a few minor details and we'll be on to paint finally...will post pics soon.

[eyedeal.ink]

[claydbal]

great fab skills! gotta keep watching the cargo area build out. thanks for sharing.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by eyedeal.ink

School bus conversions are not for wussies...just sayin, I'm tired and I kinda want my life back after two years.

How would you have liked to live in the bus while you were doing all that construction? Just think of how much you will enjoy it once it's done.

[eyedeal.ink]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

How would you have liked to live in the bus while you were doing all that construction? Just think of how much you will enjoy it once it's done.

Haha, no thank you, as much as i hate to keep paying rent every month, I keep saying that certain things need to be done to move in...don't wanna deal with construction and meal prep, laundry, etc. That seems like it 'd be madness taken to a whole new level. As it is I'm working 7 days a week and I feel like I can't take a day off, our goal is to move in first part of September. I keep telling myself, "sacrifice", my next tattoo will have something to do with that word.

We had planned on a short camping trip for the fourth of July weekend but that didn't happen due to needing pictures for the insurance underwriter and having a huge gaping hole in each side and the words School Bus on the top. So we spent our vacation working on her (all 10 days) with the goal of getting her ready for paint and we're almost there (and tired/sore). Still need to add a removable cap for the chimney pipe, attach the ladder to be able to remove the pipe and cap it, and add a locking mechanism for the storage bay drawers all by Sunday so we can get her up the road were she'll get washed, prepped and painted. We are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, still some hurdles (black and grey and plumbing, flooring, etc) but it's getting closer every day.

So as for the black and grey tanks, I'm thinking of building insulated boxes with heat tape or some heat source inside for the tanks to sit in, I'd like to avoid the frozen tanks/plumbing issue and do it right. Couple issues I've been contemplating lately is do I want to build a box for the valve assembly so it can be heated and insulated (we may find ourselves in 20 degree weather) and will this assembly stick down below the bus skirting or should I plan for an access door? I guess I need to get the rest of the plumbing pieces and see where it lands. We plan on installing a macerator with pass thru capability and with all this behind the tires I'm thinking those mud flaps won't be enough.

[eyedeal.ink]

Originally Posted by claydbal

great fab skills! gotta keep watching the cargo area build out. thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the kind words, we plan to take some detailed pictures this weekend and go into a little more detail on the construction, I usually take pictures with my phone and lately when I work on her I try to forget I have one.

On a side note, I think we've settled on "Hunky Dory" for her name....she's gonna be Hunky (large, strong, sexually attractive), Dory is kinda short for adorable and it's a feminine name, the phrase itself means "In satisfactory condition; very good; all right", and most important it makes us both smile whenever we hear it.

[Drgnnite]

Amazing work, great woodworking, and metal fabricating skills...can't wait to see more. Thanks again for sharing, Sir.

[eyedeal.ink]

Just a quick update, finished the belly storage and other body modifications, operation Banish Yellow is well underway. Looks like we moved on to the outside just in time, we've been blessed with dry weather which doesn't happen for very long in this neck of the woods. Also finished the couch cushions and stereo install and have been working on trim for the shower, plumbing is finished (need to take some more updated pics). Oh yeah, and we got the propane fully hooked up and regulator permanently installed, we had lasagna and french bread cooked in the oven the other night and it was delicious.

[eyedeal.ink]

Finally finished the paint just in time for some rain, need to put the mirrors and side blinkers back on but here's a few pics I've taken in the last couple weeks. More pics to come soon.



Here's our propane hookup, the two lengths of black pipe are for the rear bus heater we installed in the kitchen cabinet.

[eyedeal.ink]

We wanted this box to be as long as possible and have the end of it far enough back to be under our electrical panel in the front, also needed to be watertight at this end for mounting the inverter/charger. We notched the box to give ample working room around the rear leave springs; not notched around the spring but notched for wrenching room, not looking to remove either of these two boxes, ever.

[eyedeal.ink]

...and this one is just to show how we attached the boxes, we used 1/2 by 2 1/2 flat bar to make cantilever arms that are as long as the storage boxes are tall. These were used to take up the space of the heads of the cross member bolts and provide a solid secure way of bolting them to the frame. All hardware is grade 8 and all bolts have a lock washer and nylox nut. The boxes are also attached to the floor joists at each end and along the top in the front. This was just to make sure they didn't sag over time, the cantilever arms are providing all the support. We used 3 of them on the propane/wood box and 5 for the battery/other box.

[Ponyracer]

GREAT job man. I love your use of section cut lumber like on the arm rest by the door. I might have to "borrow" that idea! One question, any chance of doing a start to finish "how-to" of the shower? I'm doing an od sized one so I have to do it all custom. Was going with tile but I'm nervous about the grout cracking etc. I LOVE the look of yours and would like to do something similar in redwood.

[sojourner]

I really like the body color. Lori and I have been considering that color as well. What kind of paint and number did you use (if you don't mind sharing)? We're either going with something like that or finding a color that blends in better while boondocking (something like coyote tan with a shade toward olive drab). We don't want to grab too much attention either way, (too flashy or obviously trying to hide kinda thing).