Project Atlas - my first skoolie renovation - Page 2

enthe0gen · 02-16-2014, 08:15 PM

I am happy to report that all of the structural framing throughout the bus is complete! I was able to finish framing the bathroom walls and countertop, as well as the remaining master bedroom walls. I roughed in the bathroom and kitchen countertops - i am planning on finishing them with a pre-fab countertop from home depot, after which point i can make the cutouts for the sink and propane range.

I'm looking forward to what i would consider to be the most challenging part of the renovation next weekend - plumbing in the bathroom and kitchen sinks, as well as the toilet and accompanying combo black/grey tank.

Some pics of the finished framing:

enthe0gen · 02-16-2014, 08:21 PM

gusbus · 02-17-2014, 06:59 AM

Good progress.
between being sick, going home to see family & -20 temps; I've not worked on my bus for a month nearly.

enthe0gen · 03-06-2014, 05:32 PM

I'm happy to report some major progress on the bus renovation. I took a week off of work and was able to get some serious, uninterrupted time to work on the bus.
MAJOR MILESTONE MARKER: I have COMPLETED the freshwater plumbing! I installed Hepvo valves under each sink and then connected the bathroom and kitchen sinks with a single run of PVC.

The 40 gallon combo black/grey tank arrived at my door on Tuesday and i will be installing the last remaining pieces of the waste water system this weekend - i purchased it from Tankdepot.com and was very happy with their customer service and shipping times.

I was also able to get all of my planned 120v electrical outlets installed and wired up throughout the bus. I have a friend who is a professional electrician coming over this weekend to help me wire up the breaker box, battery charger, and 50 amp power transfer switch.

enthe0gen · 03-06-2014, 05:39 PM

I installed a Home Depot laminate counter top for the bathroom and kitchen. I dropped a 15" RV sink (found on craigslist for $20!) and a Wedgewood 3 Burner Propane Range in the kitchen counter, and installed another 15" RV sink in the bathroom.

Bathroom Sink:

I'm hoping to spend some time this weekend installing the black/grey tank and the toilet, as well as getting all the electrical wired into the breaker panel. More pics and updates to come! Thanks for looking.

LandLubber · 03-06-2014, 10:10 PM

nice man. great work.

White99z · 03-09-2014, 04:22 PM

Great job on the bus! I love your countertops!

enthe0gen · 03-11-2014, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by White99z

Great job on the bus! I love your countertops!

Thanks! They are a laminate counter top that i bought from Home Depot ($170 for a 10 ft length). Cheap, but effective!

orangepeel91 · 03-11-2014, 07:13 PM

I like your counter tops.
If you are married now would be a VERY good time to re do your sink drains.
You did not install P traps.
You are using a COMBINATION grey and black water tank.
So what exactly is going to stop the smell of shi7 coming up through the sink drains?

Believe it or not I'm not trying to be a jerk here but my wife is against my bus project so I know I will have to do everything possible to make it pleasant for her to use it.

orangepeel91 · 03-11-2014, 11:03 PM

Does my wife's cooking count??

Do you have any idea how happy I am she has no knowledge of how to find this board??

enthe0gen · 03-12-2014, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangepeel91

I like your counter tops.
If you are married now would be a VERY good time to re do your sink drains.
You did not install P traps.
You are using a COMBINATION grey and black water tank.
So what exactly is going to stop the smell of shi7 coming up through the sink drains?

Believe it or not I'm not trying to be a jerk here but my wife is against my bus project so I know I will have to do everything possible to make it pleasant for her to use it.

No need for P-Traps!! I installed Hepvo valves under each sink. ;)

enthe0gen · 03-13-2014, 09:34 AM

No worries at all - and orangepeel is correct - as a married man, had i neglected to put in Hepvo valves or P-Traps, my wife wouldn't step near the bus.

enthe0gen · 03-25-2014, 02:43 PM

Blackwater tank and toilet installation completed! I have to admit, with the hurdle of getting the blackwater tank mounted, i feel like i can breathe a lot easier and just enjoy the project now that all the hard parts are done!!!!

Cutting LARGE holes into the floor of the bus definitely made me a little nervous. I used a 4.25" Milwaukee Bi-Metal hole saw to cut out the larger hole in the hardwood flooring to accommodate the lip of the floor flange for the toilet. After cutting out the larger hole for the lip, i used the same pilot hole to cut out a 3" hole through metal flooring:

After the floor flange was installed, it was a pretty simple matter to install the toilet:

enthe0gen · 03-25-2014, 02:53 PM

Here are a few more pictures of the electrical closet components as i got them wired up - My 120v electric is now COMPLETED! (Well, with the exception of putting face plates on the outlets...)

As for the black water tank:
I used ratcheting straps to hoist the tank into place and secure them to the underside of the bus. With the three straps in place and fully tightened, i feel confident the tank will stay firmly in place, even with a full tank of p00p.

Each strap has a working load of 400lbs, and with three of them in place even a fully loaded black tank weighing more than 300 pounds shouldn't put too much stress on the hardware.

alwaysFlOoReD · 03-25-2014, 04:28 PM

Nice looking job so far.
I'd be inclined to use metal straps for hanging the gray/black tank. I have a feeling that once you start traveling that with dust and dirt getting into the fibers of your ratchet straps and movement while traveling the straps will wear through in a couple of years.
Just a thought,

Richard

Docsgsxr · 03-25-2014, 09:22 PM

I agree. I would put some kind of brackets on it and use the ratchet straps as added support. Even if you travel with it empty, the heat from the under carraige is going to weaken it over time. That isnt a mess you want to have to clean at all!

Just mho,

-Doc

White99z · 03-25-2014, 09:59 PM

I third that! I have done a it of work with ratchet straps over the years. They will weaken, they will loosen over time, and they will rip! Just a matter of when. Could be ten years, could be two months. I'd take the risk with some things, but not a P00 tank!

gbstewart · 03-25-2014, 10:13 PM

yup, I would rethink how you holding up that tank, my fresh water tank is in the same spot you have your waste tank, i used metal straps and it still moved around a bit, theres a lot of bouncing behind the wheels, i ended up using steel bars to hold it in, works good
gbstewart

ol trunt · 03-26-2014, 11:14 AM

I'd just ad some bungee cords

. Just kidding. I'd go with metal straps as well and do the same with the drain line to keep it from flexing and breaking off.

enthe0gen · 05-29-2014, 04:40 PM

It's been a while since my last post and i have made some pretty major progress on my bus.
I was able to get the entirety of the electrical system finished:
-100 Amp Hour AGM Battery installed
-800 watt Pure Sine Invertor installed, wired to battery
-60 Amp battery charger, wired into the 110v system. Charges automatically when the bus is on shore power
-5500 watt / 45 amp Generator installed under the bus, and wired to the power transfer switch.

At the advice of all you, i re-enforced the waste tank with some steel beams using a clever little system i designed. I dont have easy access to a welder or someone who knows how to weld, so i came up with my own "weldless" solution - i drilled holes in the floor beams to accomodate U-Bolts. The U-Bolts hang through the floor beams and connect to a turn-buckle. The bottom half of the turn-buckle is fashioned through the steel supports, making an exceptionally strong holding structure for the waste tank to sit on. The smallest pieces on the system are rated for 1500 lbs, so at a very minimum i should be able to support about 4x the weight of a full waste tank. I'll post some pics of this system shortly - i forgot to grab some before i dropped the bus off at the storage lot.

I was able to complete the bunks and put memory foam mattresses in each bunk. I bought a queen size Swedish memory foam mattress of Craigslist for $100 and then used a very sharp knife to cut it in half. Each half fits perfectly in the bunk. I also added some 8" side guards to the bunks to help keep the mattress in place.

Behind the bunks, i had a little leftover space that i turned into a storage area. I decided not to panel off the 2x4 construction and keep that extra 3.5" of space for available use.

I also custom built two bench seats and a table for the front of the bus. I placed the dining / lounge area up front behind the driver so i can talk to my passengers during our road trips. I will be building another lounge style bench directly behind the driver's seat next weekend (pics to come!).

You may also like: