The Beast - 1997 Thomas Conversion

[CaptSquid]

Christopher, Montana and the Dakotas get pretty darned toasty in the summer. We just don't have the humidity. Even now, the humidity is only 16%.

[cadillackid]

you also dont have quite the sun strength even in summer...yes the sun stays out a bit longer up north than in the south but I think its the azimuth thats not as high up north as it is in the south..

Humidity can eat upwards of 30-40% of your air-conditioner capacity... its not uncommon to have dewpoints in the upper 70s in the south.

humidity % is not a good measure of the amount of moisture an A/C will have to remove.. dewpoint is a better number to use..

you can have 100% humidty at any temperature... at 20 its not gonna "feel" humid.. at 78 and 100% humidity it will "feel" humid..
-Christopher

[slaughridge85]

We got you all beat. In KS summers are usually 118 degrees and 96% humidity with mandatory lynchings for believing in evolution or having an abortion... Lord I need to move soon...

[cadillackid]

true that on kansas. ive been through it on seering hot days and also been stuck in traffic in a blizzard all in kansas.. just not on the same day like colorado lolol
-Christopher

[Justin McCormick]

Did my first round of painting over Thanksgiving! I hate painting. Hate it. I will do the rest of the painting latter, I mostly wanted to make sure that the roof was not going to leak on me while I work on the inside. I used Bus kote #2150.









I also did the top half in rustoleum enamel.











Then I painted the inside floor. I used Oshpo rust treatment (although there really was not much rust), sealed the holes and painted.

[FlyboyHPD]

Awesome progress Justin. Keep up the great work !!

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by FlyboyHPD

Awesome progress Justin. Keep up the great work !!

Thanks! It was lots of work over the holiday weekend. I am just glad I got the painting done before the weather turned bad.

[Marceps]

My bus has the same body as yours. It's definitely one of the more aesthetically pleasing styles out there. Thanks for posting pictures, and congratulations on getting work done before winter sets in.

Is it normal to paint the floors? I can see that being beneficial for corrosion prevention. Is that the main reason?

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by Marceps

My bus has the same body as yours. It's definitely one of the more aesthetically pleasing styles out there. Thanks for posting pictures, and congratulations on getting work done before winter sets in.

Is it normal to paint the floors? I can see that being beneficial for corrosion prevention. Is that the main reason?

Yep, rust prevention is the main reason to paint the floors.

[Justin McCormick]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy-JSdBcgtY

[Justin McCormick]

More progress, before the weather started to turn on us.

[Justin McCormick]

Making more progress over the holiday:

Removed the front heater. I plan on keeping the fans, and using a different heat source.












Also Jacked up the bus and made it level before beginning carpentry.





Installed LED lights in place of the flashers








Also got our grey water tank.

[cadillackid]

it takes a TON of heat and air to defrost a school bus windshield.. esp in an RV where you may be making moisture while driving or bringing it in when raining.. that front defroster is priobably the one original heater id put back together.. esp on a flat nose wherre it doesnt take up anyt real usable space otherwise.. its typically a 90,000 BTU + heater coil and High CFM blowers..

things are lookin good!! i wish I had done what you are with the school lights.. gives you extra utility light when needed.. and looks good i think.

-Christopher

[WanderWoman]

I love those HUGE front windows!!!

[FlyboyHPD]

Awesome progress Justin. Would you mind giving the links to the LED lights and gray water tank?

[budbud7]

Justin what type of heat do you plan to use? Also I like what you did to your electrical enclosure. My bus looks a mess. I guess it comes from years of maintenance and trouble shooting. I have disabled my flashers so I guess I can remove some of the wiring. Your LED lights, are they spot lights or general illumination?

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by FlyboyHPD

Awesome progress Justin. Would you mind giving the links to the LED lights and gray water tank?

I got the LED lights off Amazon on sale price here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Grey water tank I bit the bullet and got off of Plastic mart.

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by budbud7

Justin what type of heat do you plan to use? Also I like what you did to your electrical enclosure. My bus looks a mess. I guess it comes from years of maintenance and trouble shooting. I have disabled my flashers so I guess I can remove some of the wiring. Your LED lights, are they spot lights or general illumination?

I really like the idea of using one of these, except for the price. I am keeping my eyes open for one that is either on sale or on ebay: https://www.webasto.com/gb/markets-p...aters/air-top/

[Justin McCormick]

latest video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_nRUBXiW6Q&t=1s

[oredigger]

Thanks for the update. Your build is coming along nicely. Great to see the cheap labor being put to use.