The Beast - 1997 Thomas Conversion

[Justin McCormick]

Just finished putting together the first video of our project.

We are currently scrambling to find a new place to work on the bus, which is stressful and a real pain is the ass. I envy those who have the space at their homes to work on the bus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNo9WX29YD0

[milkmania]

Thanks for sharing

[T-Bolt]

Nice bus. I'm looking forward to watching your progress.

[superduty_59]

Looks like you have an awesome bunch of little helpers! Keep us updated. Good luck on your build!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Justin McCormick

Just finished putting together the first video of our project.

We are currently scrambling to find a new place to work on the bus, which is stressful and a real pain is the ass. I envy those who have the space at their homes to work on the bus.

im not sure how much you plasn on tearing your bus apart on the outside but i know where i store mine i have electricity (and its under roof in the shade) and working on it is allowed as its not torn to complete pieces on the outside...

I store mine at a U-haul lot that offers covered and uncovered storage both.. they are pretty lax as long ass you dont trash the place.. I notice a lot of the U-haul facilities have RV storage some covered some not...
-Christopher

[gobygoby]

You have a beautiful bus, I'm jealous of your engine driven AC units. My bus is very similar to yours, it is a long Thomas with 250HP.

I stored my bus at a covered parking RV storage lot in Lewisville. Then in the evenings after work (and on the weekends) I would drive the bus to the Dallas Makerspace on I-35 and Valwood. I could work on the bus late into the night there where they have all tools, AC, bathrooms, and electric power. The have a 240v plug right next to the truck receiving bay so I built a 240v splitter so I could run two 120v AC units in the bus and not die from the Texas heat. There are plenty of RV storage units south of the Makerspace that would work for you since you mentioned living Arlington.

My tiny home blog: TheBigBusTheory.wordpress.com

[Tampico]

I have same bus out of lufkin tx but no AC. thinging the same thing "what have I got myself into" Wife will not ride with me till I get AC. I wouldn't remove them but if you do let me I could use the compressor and condenser. Good luck

[BurlKing]

Great video, somebody knew what they were doing, cant wait to see more. Favorite part: when he starts the bus, looks at the camera and says "starts" with a shrug. I feel like ive done that at least a hundred times. lol

[cadillackid]

I bought a bus with no air-conditioning then designed, bought the components and added my own..

im sure you can find some take-offs from members here.. i wanted all new stuff so I didnt go the route of used gear but theres plenty of it out there in still-good shape..

red-dot and bracketry systems sell compressor brackets for about every engine and compressor out there..

Burgaclip makes SUPER easy fittings to make your own freon Hoses.. just a burgaclip pliers is all you need and they are very easy so you dont have to use a special shop to make the lines..

ProAir LLC is where i got my A/C pasrts from... they sell about every size and shape of evaporator / condenser you can think of.. in my case I added a rear unit inside a cabinet for vents at the seat and workspace level.. and then I gutted the driver-console heater box and installed a Dashboard system in the old enclosure..

-Christopher

[frankenboom]

Awesome video!
Adorable scene with your son (?) sweeping out the years' worth of trash.
Whats the name of the song that plays at the end? It's wonderful!

[Justin McCormick]

Lots of discussion centered around air conditioning. So here is a video I just did dedicated just to that topic. Certain to get some flack for my decision to remove the A/C, but I moved forward with what I felt would be best for my situation and intended use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXoDcdgfZek

[cadillackid]

the video wont show up for me.. but if you took it out nicely someone would for sure take it or parts of it and use it..

if you dont plan to drive it alot then theres no reason to keep road air conditioning... or if you dont mind sweating on the road till you get where you are going and have access to your conversion a/c.. lots here only have a/c when they are parked..

its all based on how you use your bus..

-Christopher

[Tango]

Drive naked and keep a spray bottle of ice water handy.

[FlyboyHPD]

I think you made the right choice Justin. And regardless of what others think, it's your bus so you do what makes you happy .

[WiredForStereo]

That is a huge bulky system.

The ProAir LLC comment was excellent. You could have the efficiency of the engine driven AC and still be able to hide the condensers in useful spaces through the bus.

I think I agree, you don't need a system near that big, you're not going to be having dozens of people in the bus and I assume you're going to refit the interior with many fewer windows and better insulation.

[Justin McCormick]

Finally got the bus moved to a new location! I was really stressed about finding a new place to work on the bus. I had called several RV storage places and none of them would let me do work on the bus at their location.

Finally a friend who lives out in Alvarado Texas offered their yard. Its a thirty minute drive from my house but I am relived to have found a place for the beast. Now I can continue with the gutting process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMHXPE7gBMQ

[FlyboyHPD]

Congrats on getting it to a location where you can now start working on it. Another month or so this heat should subside which will make working on it easier as well.

[Justin McCormick]

So I have been working on figuring out a floor plan. This is sort of what I am thinking. I want to close off the front door and move it to near the back of the bus.

[FlyboyHPD]

Very nice Justin, I like the concept. I take it you never plan to be in freezing weather, otherwise you're going to need to heat your gray/fresh water tanks?

[Justin McCormick]

Thats a good point, I did not think of that. I wonder if insulting them would be enough in temperatures slightly below freezing?