Roll your own

[cadillackid]

I wonder on our busses wherew tires are likely to age out if every couple years it helps to rotate inner to outer to keep the UV off of the tires.. at least on the drives..

for the steers, they might wear down quite a bit in the 10 years it takes to age them out.. wonder if Dayton rims can be flipped over ...

someone like cowlitz probably knows..

-Christopher

[DoubleO7]

do like the rv guys do, cover the tires to block the sun when stored.

[superdave]

or build a house for your bus, mine was only 5 grand

[EastCoastCB]

A good pole barn will be going over my bus, whenever it ends up at its final "home".

[EastCoastCB]

RAIN DELAY!
At least a couple inches of rain today, and mowing all morning meant no work on the RYO bus.
Got dave over to Lowes for supplies so we can get his roof painted soon.
Gotta get some steel ordered and a couple pieces plasma'd out for the transition part. Should be skinned up by the weekend.

[Njsurf73]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

RAIN DELAY!
At least a couple inches of rain today, and mowing all morning meant no work on the RYO bus.
Got dave over to Lowes for supplies so we can get his roof painted soon.
Gotta get some steel ordered and a couple pieces plasma'd out for the transition part. Should be skinned up by the weekend.

You stalked a bit, then went full bore!
Can't wait to see it skinned and you building it out.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Njsurf73

You stalked a bit, then went full bore!
Can't wait to see it skinned and you building it out.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Doubling down with bus #2 made me even more determined!
I just can't seem to get enough BUS in my life!
Yeah, I sorta picked away at the tar, rust, and paneling. The sheer amount of rivets was maddening.
But I spent a year or so of my spare time doing prep work most people never even consider doing. I got almost the entire inside of the shell wire wheeled down, ospho'd, and primed. Once the last few ribs get the flanges welded on, all the latest work will get ospho and primer, too.
Then I'll spray it all with a top coat for good measure.

When the time comes to build out the interior I'll be relying heavily on help and ideas from my buddy who builds tiny houses professionally.
Rolling your own is always better with a little help from your friends!

[cadillackid]

We got rained on like crazy here too..

Ha!! I love doubling down with bus number 2.. I think you got the bug like the crazy me who drives a bus all over as a daily driver..

You def got RYO in high gear now too! Getting it skinned up and sealed up will be sweet , it won't take on water during rainy season.. keeps all your interior prep work intact .. and rainy season lets you see if there's any leaks to fix.
Christopher

[superdave]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

We got rained on like crazy here too..

Ha!! I love doubling down with bus number 2.. I think you got the bug like the crazy me who drives a bus all over as a daily driver..

You def got RYO in high gear now too! Getting it skinned up and sealed up will be sweet , it won't take on water during rainy season.. keeps all your interior prep work intact .. and rainy season lets you see if there's any leaks to fix.
Christopher

no leaks so far in my roof, good test the past few days. cant tell you how much time I have sealing this thing up.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by superdave

no leaks so far in my roof, good test the past few days. cant tell you how much time I have sealing this thing up.

that rocks!!

only leaks ive found i nthe redbyrd after the last 2 days of rain are the roof hatch still leaks a little but not nearly like it once did before I made an attempt at sealing its cracks..

and my windshield.. I think I just need to find a way to get it up to ECCB's window glass guy, have the rock chip on the glass fixed and then the whole windshield re-sealed or replaced if it gets damaged during re-seal.

-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

Spotty showers most of the day. I drove the shorty out in the rain and took some measurements on the Senator that I needed to get.
Gonna figure out windows, doors, and skinning in the next couple days.

[EastCoastCB]

I'm gonna find a bunch of 20 x 30 vertical rv slider windows and a few in the same size that double as emergency exits.
The doors I'm gonna weigh my option on and look around.
I can get a 36 x 60 cargo trailer door that's insulated for a lil over $200 that would be almost perfect for the rear.
The side door I can find in rv size and I want a window on it.
Gona look for a big RV door to replace the bi-fold, and with as MUCH glass as possible so I can see while driving this big-arse beast!
Taking a template Dave made over to my stepdad to see if he can plasma it out of 18ga. Was gona try 20ga but they'd have to order it and since the 18 would be free, I gotta go get it!
Thinking of ideas for the rear of the bus. Got a big dent in the left corner, thinking of reskinning. Custom led trucker lights, small window ac unit.
Getting the 18 ga cut for the side panels, should be done today, but if not I can definitely get it monday. Free is always good, but waiting sucks. The weather is supposed to be better though.

[cadillackid]

I like the idea of a solid rear door ESP if that's your bedroom, if you put a window unit in the back then you have it nice n cold to sleep.. which if you are like me that's the most time I want AC.

I talk about AC for driving a lot just because of engine heat really is bad in a doghouse equipped bus.

But if I'm not driving I don't use AC except to sleep.

The way you are insulating you could probably do a little 5k in the back and be nice n cool.

I wouldn't mess with that dent, I'd just skin it over with something cool like black diamond plate, would look like the corner guards jeepers use.
Christopher

[DoubleO7]

you can even get diamond plate pvc sheets/panels via Home Depot.
Slap it on and rivet down.
Does your rear door need to tilt in part way up to match the rear shape of the bus?

[slaughridge85]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

The way you are insulating you could probably do a little 5k in the back and be nice n cool.

I insulated the be-jeezus out my bus and tried a 5k unit out the back wall at first... The price was right but it just wouldn't keep up with Kansas heat even in June so you might be disappointed in the FL heat with only a 5k unit. I would err on the side of caution and get a 12k. That's the second a/c we bought and it cools the bus very well...

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

you can even get diamond plate pvc sheets/panels via Home Depot.
Slap it on and rivet down.
Does your rear door need to tilt in part way up to match the rear shape of the bus?

Nah, that's only Thomas that tilts the top of the bus. A raise on one of those would be a little more involved.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by slaughridge85

I insulated the be-jeezus out my bus and tried a 5k unit out the back wall at first... The price was right but it just wouldn't keep up with Kansas heat even in June so you might be disappointed in the FL heat with only a 5k unit. I would err on the side of caution and get a 12k. That's the second a/c we bought and it cools the bus very well...

The 5k window unit will be in addition to a mini split in the front/living area.

[EastCoastCB]

due to time restraints, I wasn't able to get the materials together in time to skin it while Dave was in town. He's heading out today some time.
I've got a sheetmetal/fab guy coming out to take measurements, though, for the transition from the low to raised section. I'm gona see if he's able to make me something that ends up as a one piece unit with flanges front and rear that I can simply rivet right on.
Getting some 18ga sheets for the window skins. Goin galvanneal for that.
I think I'll end up having to pay around $40 a sheet, but way better than the $70 I was quoted from the steel shops in the area. I may even get em free.

[cadillackid]

in my opinion you have made great progress on the bus!! it is really comin g along great!!!!
-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

Thanks!

Met the fab guy- he's gona send me a price later. As long as he's reasonable I'll have him come out next mon or tues to get that done.

Saw Dave this morning. We're all gona miss that guy, he's really cool.
Wishing you all the best in your travels, Dave!