Our second bus build, WanderLounge

[brokedown]

The only air tool I have right now is the air chisel but it seemed that the bus had no problems keeping up with it. I punched out a few rivet pins and knocked out a couple rivets, need to sharpen my chisel blade though it takes way too long to get the rivet out with a dull one!

And yeah,l the demolition is the "easy" part for sure. Going to get a lot more complicated Real Soon Now, and my vague ideas need to turn into inches and feet that don't change even if I really want them to.

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by brokedown

Going to get a lot more complicated Real Soon Now, and my vague ideas need to turn into inches and feet that don't change even if I really want them to.

This ^^^

I have a 40' pusher, and it has as much space as I could reasonably have hoped for, and I certainly can't complain.

However, that doesn't mean that all the space is exactly where you need it to be. For example ... how I wish the side door was six inches further forward. If that were the case then it would be close to perfect, but as it is the shower now has to go on the "wrong" side of the bus which complicates the plumbing and means I have to lay PEX before the sub-floor goes in ...

1st World problems

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Twigg

This ^^^

I have a 40' pusher, and it has as much space as I could reasonably have hoped for, and I certainly can't complain.

However, that doesn't mean that all the space is exactly where you need it to be. For example ... how I wish the side door was six inches further forward. If that were the case then it would be close to perfect, but as it is the shower now has to go on the "wrong" side of the bus which complicates the plumbing and means I have to lay PEX before the sub-floor goes in ...

1st World problems

If you have welding skills it's not hard to move a door. It most often turns out to have been worth the extra work up front to have exactly what you want in the end. If your build starts with stripping it down to the outer skin, moving a door is pretty easy at that point.

[brokedown]

Ms Brokedown suggested we put the shower in the center, between the wheel arches, and the corridor goes over an arch. Not ideal for walking for us tall folks but a bigger/higher shower is probably worth it!

It helps a lot that we don't have to worry about kids or dogs. Our cat can make do with whatever we do and other than having a litter box somewhere we don't really need to consider her in our layout. If anything I'll make sure she has cat doors between areas.

Also, we've been living in our shortie for a year, this 32 footer has so much room we don't need to maximize every inch any more. I'm planning to use the existing ribs for supporting walls, which means there are only so many options for where those walls can be. Maybe the bedroom ends up being bigger than it needs to be, but we still have plenty of room for the other areas.

In the short bus we have less than half as much length to work with.

[Robin97396]

If I'm driving a bus and it's going over a cliff, I don't want that door halfway back through the bus. Ok, maybe that's just a little overly dramatic. Call me old fashioned but I like a driver's door.

And no, I'm not bailing out of the bus and leaving the kids on board. They're grown and gone.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by brokedown

Ms Brokedown suggested we put the shower in the center, between the wheel arches, and the corridor goes over an arch. Not ideal for walking for us tall folks but a bigger/higher shower is probably worth it!

It helps a lot that we don't have to worry about kids or dogs. Our cat can make do with whatever we do and other than having a litter box somewhere we don't really need to consider her in our layout. If anything I'll make sure she has cat doors between areas.

Also, we've been living in our shortie for a year, this 32 footer has so much room we don't need to maximize every inch any more. I'm planning to use the existing ribs for supporting walls, which means there are only so many options for where those walls can be. Maybe the bedroom ends up being bigger than it needs to be, but we still have plenty of room for the other areas.

In the short bus we have less than half as much length to work with.

the REAL question is are you keeping the Air-conditioning???

[brokedown]

WRT welding I am hoping to graduate from absolute beginner to reliably functional novice. I've got a bunch of practice metal before I start touching the bus, and we've got a lot of vinyl wrap to remove before that happens too. I don't plan on changing professions any time soon but I don't expect window deletes to be unachievable.

[brokedown]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

the REAL question is are you keeping the Air-conditioning???

I think we had this discussion before.. But of course we are! I'm deleting the awful cavernous ducting it has and going with something a bit more space conserving. We're going to have 4 distinct areas in the bus so we don't need 52 freaking vents.

Bigger question is how to handle the heater. I would rather not be pulling water hoses all over the place, so I may just deploy it int he living room/kitchen area.

[Twigg]

Originally Posted by brokedown

Ms Brokedown suggested we put the shower in the center, between the wheel arches, and the corridor goes over an arch. Not ideal for walking for us tall folks but a bigger/higher shower is probably worth it!

In the Roll With It bus, Scott and KJ put the shower in the middle, directly under the rear hatch. They seem happy with it.

[synestine]

Originally Posted by Twigg

In the Roll With It bus, Scott and KJ put the shower in the middle, directly under the rear hatch. They seem happy with it.

I was going to mention this too. They didn't do a roof raise and having the showerhead at 6' isn't deal (in my opinion) for anyone over about 5'6". They've raved about having it under the back escape hatch, even though it makes their bedroom small.

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[ben2go]

Sorry, I'm late with my response. The last time I saw a front tire worn like that was due to bad kingpins and bushings in the front axle. It was on a Ford 5000 that was our rollback. We removed the front axle because we didn't have a press strong enough to remove/install the bushings or the ability to ream the bushings after installing them so they fit the kingpins. All said and done, it cost us $350 per side with us doing the majority of the labor. That was back in 1994. Things have progressed and now the bushings can be installed, reamed, and kingpins set with the axle in the vehicle. If this is the case for you, invest in a quality grease gun and lube the front end and other suspension points and driveline yearly.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by brokedown

WRT welding I am hoping to graduate from absolute beginner to reliably functional novice. I've got a bunch of practice metal before I start touching the bus, and we've got a lot of vinyl wrap to remove before that happens too. I don't plan on changing professions any time soon but I don't expect window deletes to be unachievable.

Let me know if you want some steel.

[brokedown]

I'm not currently equipped to do King pins, so far I haven't even been able to narrow down which part numbers I need... I'm seeing sets around 450, plus I will need a heavier jack and some other tools to attempt it myself. I do plan to have garage space so buying a few things doesn't offend me that much I suppose.

Is there an actual service manual for these things? I have the operators manual but that just tells you which pedal is go and which is stop.


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[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by brokedown

I think we had this discussion before.. But of course we are! I'm deleting the awful cavernous ducting it has and going with something a bit more space conserving. We're going to have 4 distinct areas in the bus so we don't need 52 freaking vents.

Bigger question is how to handle the heater. I would rather not be pulling water hoses all over the place, so I may just deploy it int he living room/kitchen area.

LOL I know I was just bein funny.. i knew youd keep the A/C..

I only wish I had that kind of ducting.. all my A/C is in the back of the bus and it doesnt keep me cold in hot southern summers.. the back of the bus is freezing but the driver seat is still warm..

free-blow systems dont move the air very well.. your sport bus is perfect because it has 2, one front one rear..
I just havent been able to find a dual compressor bracket for the 444E so I can add a second one.. bracketry systems makes one but its special order and $1000.
-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

FWIW-The dealer in Orlando does king pins for $700 parts and labor. I bet you can find someone to do it for less.

[brokedown]

My short bus compressors stack on each other, perfect fit without an additional bracket.

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[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by brokedown

My short bus compressors stack on each other, perfect fit without an additional bracket.

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how does the belt tension work? on mine there was a pulley added to the front of the serp belt pulley. that runs a single V-belt with an idler (manual tensioner) to the compressor.. there must be some sort of bracket between the 2 or a second belt..

id have to see pics of how that would work.. I knew on the 444Ethey are stacked but when I held a second compressor up on mine. the ears werent big enough so the pulleys would hit and seems like id lose a lot of belt surface area.. so I thought about using the second belt groove between the 2 compressors but id have to have a method for tightening that second belt.. some type of bracket with a slot.
-Christopher

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by brokedown

I'm not currently equipped to do King pins, so far I haven't even been able to narrow down which part numbers I need... I'm seeing sets around 450, plus I will need a heavier jack and some other tools to attempt it myself. I do plan to have garage space so buying a few things doesn't offend me that much I suppose.

Is there an actual service manual for these things? I have the operators manual but that just tells you which pedal is go and which is stop.


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I've never seen a service manny for a specific bus.

[brokedown]

I actually have 2 separate tensioners. It's a bit goofy. I'll post a pic in a minute

[Rusty]

Kingpins-

Meritor- the people who make most of these axles- has the no-ream kingpin kit- anyone try it? ~$450

FastSet No-Ream King Pin Kit