Project Transformation

[gusbus]

A little update on the bus here. I drove the bus back to my work location after January 1st. The drive went well but if a feller was going to do a lot of driving in this thing the seat would have to go It is terrible4 uncomfortable!

After a little over 1000 miles the bus has used around a 1/2 gal of oil. I was pleasantly surprised; not bad for an inline 6 diesel with close to 300,000 miles on it.

This week end I worked on the end walls, they are all done, all I need to do to have it completely closed in on the inside is build doors for the odd sized door ways on either end. I put a window in the back end wall for purposes of light. I used a sheet of hand made glass with some character as you can see in the pic below. I also started on the electrical; mounting the box, tying in the main cable and a couple outlets. I need to get some 12V lights to put where the old bus isle lighting used to be.

[gusbus]

Electrical panel is a small 30 amp box out of an old camper. it has 1 20 amp & 3,
15 amp circuits and multiple 12V circuits. Just right for my needs. The electrical
will be stored behind the rear passenger side wall; along with my little Yamaha
gen-set, tools and what-not.

I needed to finish the small sliver of a wall in the front passenger side too.
Thought I'd add a pic of some of the corner work. It's a bear sometimes.
It's not perfect but a little trim goes a long way

[RedBone]

Some flex trim, acouple brads, some liquid nails and only everyone on here will know the difference...

how difficult would it be to replace the captain chair?

[gusbus]

I got to the point where it looks like this project will come together. I love when I reach this point on a project. I've got nearly all the 110V electrical hooked up and working. I just have a couple lights and outlet to put in. Closet is done except for the door & shelf above hanger bar. Still looking at 12V lighting; any suggestions out there I'm all ears.

[sdwarf36]

You're covering those great looking walls? A shame..

[gusbus]

Originally Posted by sdwarf36

You're covering those great looking walls? A shame..

What you see there is all the interior walls there will be. When I did the side walls in fir I used the roughest part of the material to do this back corner. Some of it has holes in it and is cracked pretty bad; you just can't see it in the pics. The sauna walls will be done in white cedar inside and the head will be done in whatever I can find cheap because I'm going to paint off white inside the head.

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by gusbus

. Still looking at 12V lighting; any suggestions out there I'm all ears.

This is what I am looking at after hours (mucho) of searching, short of finding used ones.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221231401085?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

and

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230814570177?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

I wish they were they kind you can dim... but they are more proud of those!

[nat_ster]

Why not RGB led strip lights? Really efficient on electricity, can be set to any color you can think of, any color can be dimmed from 10% to 100%, strobe, flash, fade, ect.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... trip/1572/

This kit contains 16 feet at 265 lm a foot. I just stick the adhesive back to 1/2 aluminum that you can buy a lows or home depo. The aluminum gives it form, and acts like a heat sink to prevent it from over heating and burning out. Depending on your preference, you can set it to shine off the ceiling indirectly, or shine down. I like indirect due to LEDs being so hard on the eyes.

The strip light can be cut into smaller segments, and joined with the many parts available on the web site. There are also many different controllers available that do some real cool stuff. The company also sells track made for the strip lights.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/search/l ... %20lights/

Nat

[gusbus]

Natster I've actually looked at that strip lighting. Just a little hesitant about the amount of light one would get from those LED's Are they bright enough?

[ol trunt]

Gusbus, Those light strips put out a lot of light--though probably not the best to read by. I'm using four spools worth as indirect lighting in my bus (I only have 11' of living area) and will add a couple of strips inside the stove hood. I've wired for a couple of LED "spots" over the dining table and in the bath so I can read without going blind and shave without cutting my throat. Some people don't like the odd light quality of LEDs but I find it to be OK.

[bansil]

Jack,
those will look ol Skool pimp bouncing off the disco ball

[gusbus]

I'll have to order some BLING-BLING and see what it looks like in De ol' bus!

[ol trunt]

Bansil. I doubt there will be enough room for the disco ball what with all the equipment I'll need for the three Sweedish pole dancers Tango promised to provide.

PS. keep this up and we'll both get thrown off this family site

[inkblots84]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Bansil. I doubt there will be enough room for the disco ball what with all the equipment I'll need for the three Sweedish pole dancers Tango promised to provide.

PS. keep this up and we'll both get thrown off this family site

I politely request video.


They'll never kick you guys outta here, you keep this place kickin!


We've been considering strip LED'S also, they seem cheap and versatile. We've used them in a few cars and small projects and haven't had any problems.

[bansil]

I picked up a bunch of square led lights on strands,like 20 ft long.

Green and white they can be cut off individual and have a screw hole in the center as well as 2sided tape.

Used them for under truck "rock lights" and etc....waterproof and damn cheap

When I turn on factory inside lights bedroom is green

Pimp I say....wife says...ugh...whatever, they suck...where is the "click" real lights (white)

Of course she see's no need in 2 12's behind drivers seat for driving down the road.....sheeeees woman folk

[BUBB]

I just installed one strip and am waiting for a second strip, I didn't didn't think it Was strong enough to survive my kids so I put the strip inside some clear plastic tube, one inch internal diameter, then I used some small brackets to screw it to the ceiling down the center of the bus, I have a 22 inch wide path down the center of the bus and it is on the ceiling but down one side of the path, almost bright enough to read, plenty bright to do everything else, it helps that my bus and all it's contents are gloss white. I had to slice the tube open lengthwise to get it in, I installed one other light in the bathroom, I won't install any more hard wired lights, too expensive and time consuming, will use magnetic led battery operated lights from now on,

[gusbus]

Well guys I've been busier than a 1 armed paper hanger. The wife tore apart a bedroom at home and then came to me to help her put it back together. So between that and the extremely cold weather up here I haven't gotten a lot done on the bus. I did, however, get that derned narrow red oak flooring nailed to the floor. It seemed to take forever and I used 5 1/2 lbs of 8d finishing nails in the process.
One thing I discovered while removing a piece is this. Those nails are long enough to go through the subfloor, then up against the steel floor where they then tuurrrnnnn back up through the subfloor and boy howdy are those flooring strips locked in hard! I had a dickens of a time getting that piece up without rendering it useless!
Anyway here are a few pics of the floor after it was done.

[gusbus]

views rear to front.
I'm happy with the way it turned out. If I scratch it up a bit and put some finish on it; it will look real nice. All for $100.00 and that 1/2" red oak will be tougher than the geewillickers. I couldn't have found anything better in the big stores.
Now, I got to thinking. That was only about 100 sq. ft. @ 5 1/2 lbs. of nails!!! Must take 500 lbs. of nails to do a gymnasium floor

[nat_ster]

Steel floor = best clinched nails ever.

Nice looking hardwood.

Nat

[scgwagner]

I really like your flooring. Will you insulate and/or build box structures over your wheel wells?