Swinada's Bus Conversion progress...

[swinada]

Automatic chains you lost me there, why do you figure it has automatic chains?
For the length, I will measure it today, need to know anyhow to start drawing plans.

There is still a few things that I dont know yet about this bus, I need to find somebody around here who can explain it to me.

[boojiewoojie]

Between the rear wheels check to see if you have chains hanging down. In your picture w/ the bus coming toward you there appears to be chains. If so, you have a switch somewhere on the dash that lowers and engages the disc w/ the chains on it. The chains rotate under the rear wheels for traction in the snow. It's an option on buses that seems to be pretty rare. Maybe not up in Canada, though
Ask away w/ questions- there's plenty of opinions around here!

Check out Jake VonSlatt's bus (it's the same as ours). GREAT conversion. (Jake VonSlatt is famous post)

[swinada]

Have to check this out with the chains. I know there is some hanging there but I didnt crawl under the bus yet to see how it looks like.

All the seats are now out, cleaning can start. I couldnt find the long measuring tape before i had to run to work, so no measurements yet.

One or two questions, I noticed that many are using rigid insulation boards. Why?
It seems to me they are way harder to fit then pink / yellow matting insulation. Also the matts will be quiet were i think the stiff panels could be making noise if the move inside the frames.
I also didnt see anybody use any poly as a vapor barrier, wouldnt a barrier improve heat retention a bit?

[the_experience03]

The rigid foam is way thinner than fiberglass. Unless you want to frame up the floor with 2x4's or 2x6's and lose that headroom I think the rigid foam is the only way to go. The rigid foam also isn't going to hold water, a threat on the floor. It really isn't hard to work with. A circular saw with a blade with many teeth mounted backwards or a Rotozip both work well as we found. Easier than a utility knife anyway.

As for the vapor barrier...I used a 5 mil plastic on my floor. It is all one sheet and comes about 6 inches or so up the walls on every side. I think most people run a vapor barrier although I guess I'm not positive. It was easy enough to do and cheap so I saw no reason not to run one.

[swinada]

I will not be able to do anything with the floor anyway. Since my inside standing hight is only +6ft. (I am 6"and a bit) And I am not going to takle raising a roof on a 40ft bus.

[swinada]

POR 15, how crucial is it to use the special cleaners and etchers before applying POR 15? Will a powerwasher not clean surfaces good enough to apply these products?
What kind of experience did you guys have with POR 15, how and where did you use it and how good did it stand up to the test? Long term satisfaction?
Anybody use their chrome paints?

[the_experience03]

Inside height....by the time you rip out the old floor and replace it with the new insulated floor you're probably only going to lose an inch or so of headroom. After doing my floor I have exactly 6 feet in the middle. I'm 6'5" so I understand your pain, but since I was going to be ducking anyway I thought I would try and quiet the ride a little.

I've used POR-15 on lots of underbody stuff. Toyotas, especially the older ones, are not noted for their rust resistance. I never used a special etcher or anything. Heck, I didn't even read the instructions. The only thing I did was wirewheel off the area I wanted to do as best as I could (not necessarily bare metal, but no big flakes either), shot it quick with brake cleaner and wiped, and started spraying. So far, so good. Rustoleum is good. POR-15 is gooder.

[Elliot Naess]

Quote: "...not going to tackle raising a roof on a 40ft bus."

You rang, Sire?

Sounds like I'm bringing the Magic Jacks to Canada also in 2008.

Honest, guys, I really believe that you can do it. The roof is not heavy. All you need to do
is build a sturdy guide system, so it doesn't slip out of place. The jacking can be done
with anything -- or ten anybodys.

This is turning into a challenge, all right?! I know you were scared by our Skoolie member who
almost lost the roof off his bus. Well, I mean him no offense, and he came across as a
wonderful human being and an all around good guy and all that, but he just didn't
take the time to prepare properly for the Task At Hand. An easy mistake to make,
if you are in a hurry to get it done. But with all this foresight, you can plan
and build proper guides. End of problem.

And OF COURSE I would be happy to consult via this forum as the job progresses.
Wouldn't that be a worthy project for the Skoolie Forum?
Maybe I should start a Roof Raise Challenge - Team Effort thread?

[swinada]

Sorry Elliot, I'll pass on this one. Main reason, I live in BC, and BC has its own little rules. I am pretty sure I wouldnt be able to pass BC inspection If I raised the roof. I was hoping to bypass BC inspection by buying a Bus in BC. However I'm out of luck there, if I want to insure it as an RV I will have to have everything I do inspected, plumbing, wiring, etc. They say I'm making structural changes to the bus hence it has to pass inspection.
So no roof raising for me.

oh almost forgot, I do have automatic chains on this bus, will see next winter if they work.

[the_experience03]

If you're already getting inspected for structural changes as it is....

[boojiewoojie]

Well, shoot dang I was rootin' for Elliot to convince you. You do know that raising the roof could actually make the box stronger, right? As soon as I get started on my bus in the next year or two (cough, cough) I'm gonna follow Elliot's lead and raise the roof on that puppy...By then Les will hopefully have his raised with excellent documentation (and he has the lowered roof like ours). Set the precedent! Raise the bar... I mean roof!!! Stand up like a real man and actually reach up to those overhead cabinets instead of looking down into them!!! Well, okay, I'll simmer down... them guvurnment people and insurance companies just get me riled up a little bit, you know? I mean, that bus would look mighty fine with a raised roof!

[swinada]

YES i AGREE IT WOULD LOOK REALLY NICE WITH A RAISED ROOF, AND IT WOULD MAKE LIFE MORE COMFORTABLE FOR ME TOO. (UUPS LOCK IS ON) i'm not yelling )
But I dont think I'm ready to tackle this yet.
Today I started to rip the old floor out, talk about frustration, way to many screws and none of them wanna come out easy.
My inside lenght from the back window to the rear of drivers seat is 35"
outside lenght bumper to bumper 40", so no different from yours, dont know why Thomas put 90 pAX on the label.
An other frustration I have is that I live way to far up north and no quick access to any RV dealer or salvage yard that has RV's trailers or similar. We arent even permitted to shop, scavange at the dump anymore.
About 10 years ago i billed a wood shed and toolshed all with material from the dump, then about 7 years ago they stopped any taking out of things from the landfill. sucks...

[Elliot Naess]

I understand. I used to live in Norway, and the vehicle rules there were draconian.

But I bet you could build the interior so the roof can be lifted later -- just avoid any
inaccessible wiring, plumbing or permanent structures in the appropriate areas.

[the_experience03]

40 feet=the maximum length a bus can be

They get labeled differently because....well.....they have different numbers of seats in them. The government loosely mandates a minimum and a maximum space between the seats as well as behind the rear seat and in the front around the stairwell. In this way the same chassis might be used for several seating configurations. When I was in school we had 40 foot conventionals rated from anywhere from 66 to 78 passengers. You can imagine which ones I preferred at 6'5"

[boojiewoojie]

Hmm- that is interesting that it's labeled 90 pax. With the wheelchair door it seems that it would be rated less to make more room. However, I still think your bus is slightly longer- you've got a little window behind the driver's side window that I don't have (mine has the same emergency door on that side & the regular windows are the same) and my bus actually measures slightly over 39'. Not a big deal but worth mentioning I guess.
It is inspiring to see you tackle the project with gusto! We're in the process of moving so it's real frustrating to my wife and I that we haven't been able to do anything on the bus. We were hoping to hit the road cross country in June but there ain't no way! Once we get moved it'll be great, though. The bus will be parked in front of a spacious workshop and I will have zero excuses to get cranking on it! So, it's encouraging to read your updates!
Yeah, I am fortunate to live in an area w/ laid back regulations. I've rounded up all my paint and a friend has donated a roof A/C he's not using. With the Amish sawmills around I can buy a variety of wood for cheapcheap (I want a rustic wood interior). I would think that you could get your wood up there cheap too, can't you?

[swinada]

yeah the wood isnt the problem, got lots of that around. its all the other things that I have to get that dont grow on trees

[swinada]

well we decided to rip the old floor up because I kind of suspected that there would be moister under there. And sure enough there was moister between the lino and the floorboards. We only got as far as lifting the first sheet of plywood today but it doesent look to good under there. Moldy and rusty. No holes just surface rust so far. I hope it stays that way with the rest of the floor. This i can still fix.
Just wondering why there is so much moister in this bus? It didnt seem to have any leaks when I drove it home and that was on a pretty rainy day. Could the roof be leaking and all the water seep inside the walls under the floor without ever showing up on the inside of the bus?
I try to figure out if I should rip all the sidepanels off the walls too, just to see whats underneath, but I'm shying away from all the thousands of screws, since they dont come out easy.
her a few more pics

[the_experience03]

Kids with wet boots all winter is what I figure. I had the same type of rust (though not as bad). It was worse along the sides because the wood didn't go all the way to the wall and there was nothing sealing the rubber flooring up either. You have to figure that water works in from the wet boots and never really gets a chance to dry after months and months, year after year. I just pulled all mine up, wire wheeled the bad areas, and gave it a good THINK coat of industrial oil based primer after I had scrubbed with TSP. It is my sincere hope that the single piece vapor barrier I put down that extends up all the walls will be enough to prevent that from ever happening again.

[oldog12]

Hey Ex...

What kind of vapor barrier did you use? How thick was it?

[the_experience03]

I just bought a generic clear poly vapor barrier. I can't honestly remember if it was 4 or 6 mil, but it wasn't tearing. Heck, it was hardly cutting. I bought it at L&M Fleet Supply which is a pretty local thing, but anyone who carries products from Midstates Distributing including Mills Fleet Farm, Tractor Supply, etc. There was literally an entire aisle and it was really just a matter of finding the correct sized rectangular piece for the floor and getting a thick enough one. Like I said, mine was one solid piece.