Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-19-2013, 11:06 PM   #281
Bus Nut
 
Das Mel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Landlocked... for now.
Posts: 285
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Oooooo, snazzy light, I like it!

Then again, I'm just really enjoying this build, sooooooo. Yeah.

__________________
'Tace

Dog is my copilot. As I have no dog, I have no flight plan.

"If all porkchops were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs!" -Steven Universe
Das Mel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2013, 04:25 PM   #282
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by Das Mel
Oooooo, snazzy light, I like it!

Then again, I'm just really enjoying this build, sooooooo. Yeah.
I'm glad you're enjoying it. I just wish it were moving along a little faster.

Kinda hard to work in this weather. Even if I use the garage to cut wood, getting from the bus to the house is an adventure when the rain is really coming down.


Still, I managed to get a few things done today. I printed a label for the breaker box:


And installed a few more wall panels:
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2013, 04:37 PM   #283
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
LED ceiling light update

An update on the LED ceiling light I installed earlier in the week: I had installed a pull chain switch in the light and intend to do the same for all the ceiling light fixtures. I want to be able to turn them all off at the wall switch by the door when I leave the bus, but want also to be able to turn them on or off individually to conserve electricity.

After having the light on for a while, I noticed the light output was flickering. It would drop down to about half its brightness for a few seconds, then come back up to full power. It was maddening. Switching it off and on would fix the issue, but I didn't know why it was happening.

This morning I checked the extension cord I'm using from the house to the shore power connection, and cleaned the conductors really well, then taped the end of the extension cord to the 50-amp adapter to minimize any chance that the connection was intermittent.

As I worked all day I watched that light to see if the problem was gone. I think it's okay, but the rapid response time of LED lights tends to show every fluctuation in the power delivery, so every little increase in the load (AC or freezer condenser kicking on, power drill being used, etc.) shows as a momentary flicker in the ceiling light. Maybe this is something I'll have to get used to, or maybe the circuit I'm plugged into at the house isn't sufficient for the load I'm putting on it. We're planning to replace the outlet with something a little heavier duty.
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2013, 05:32 PM   #284
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I can't believe how much work I'm getting done lately! It's so nice to work in the air conditioned bus that I really don't mind spending all day in there.

So, today I finished all the walls that need to be covered in the luan paneling. The bed wall is a separate task and I'll do that tomorrow. I studied it for a while today and I think I've come up with a good design for that wall. It has to be strong enough that I can build some handholds into it for climbing into bed. That's tomorrow's job.

There are lots of little gaps where the corners meet, but all of that will eventually be hidden behind cabinets and shelves.

Passenger side:


There is a gap in the paneling where the shower walls will cover the studs, so no need to panel that area. The gridwall panels (white things) are part of my photography display booth for an upcoming show.


Towards the front (lots of tools and stuff in here):
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2013, 07:18 PM   #285
Bus Nut
 
wmkbailey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: West Lafayette, IN
Posts: 832
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Engine: 3126
Rated Cap: 72
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Looks like it is coming together really nice. So will your AC be freezing your feet or your head when you sleep?
__________________
William

visvi Cherokee for Journey, Sounds Like Oeesha

https://thejourneyvisvi.com/

My Conversion Thread:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=464989
wmkbailey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2013, 09:56 PM   #286
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by wmkbailey
Looks like it is coming together really nice. So will your AC be freezing your feet or your head when you sleep?
Well, my feet will be under the AC unit, but I'm going to fabricate a duct from the AC all the way to the cab area that will distribute the cool air all around the bus interior. The duct will have registers that vent the airflow across the ceiling and one of the registers will be in the bedroom, pointing towards my head. The registers do have louvers that should help to keep the airflow spread across the area, but we'll see what happens once it's installed.
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 09:27 PM   #287
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Got my new Johnson Controls thermostat controller today and used it to convert my chest freezer to a refrigerator:


The chest freezer is so efficient that it took a couple of hours for the temp to come up to the new set point for the A419 controller. Once this thing is filled with food and drinks, it should be even more efficient (the contents will add a certain amount of thermal inertia).
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-24-2013, 12:54 AM   #288
Bus Nut
 
eyedeal.ink's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kelso, WA
Posts: 253
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT360
Rated Cap: 72
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Perfect! That's our plan, we'll hit you back for an update in the next few months and see how it works out for you.
__________________
"That's,. like,.. your opinion, man...." - the Dude.
eyedeal.ink is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-24-2013, 11:15 AM   #289
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by eyedeal.ink
Perfect! That's our plan, we'll hit you back for an update in the next few months and see how it works out for you.
I looked at a few different options for the thermostat controller, but found the Johnson Controls model had the most features. I like the "Anti Short Cycle Delay" that prevents the freezer/fridge from cycling too often and should help the compressor last a bit longer. I bought this freezer used on craigslist ($50) and the JC controller cost about $75 on Amazon, so my total cost for a chest refrigerator is a little less than a new freezer on sale. In fact, I saw this same model freezer on sale at Target for $127 and should have bought one to use as a freezer, but missed the opportunity. Still regularly scanning craigslist for another one.

Only one problem I had was closing the lid of the freezer with the wire for the thermocouple draped across the opening. The wire is about an eighth-of-an-inch thick and the lid and body of the chest are quite tightly sealed with matching rigid plastic parts and a rubber gasket. The plastic parts normally fit very close together and the wire was holding them open, creating a small gap even between the rubber gasket and chest body. The gap let in a little warm air and was causing formation of condensation around the opening, so I added a strip of soft weatherstripping to compensate. My freezer is an Emerson CF450, so this may not apply to other models or manufacturers.

I'm also going to place a bunch of jugs of water into the fridge to simulate a chest full of food and drinks and watch to see if this keeps the temperature a bit more stable inside.
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-29-2013, 09:38 PM   #290
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Busy day today.

I cut and installed the wall between the bedroom and the rest of the interior, including a crawl-through opening with handholds. Once the steps are in, it will be super easy to get in and out of bed. The opening and hand holds were rounded with a router on the front face and smoothed in back to prevent splinters.


Here you can see the AC duct adapter I had to make (back in the dark corner) to get the cool air from the AC unit to the rest of the bus. I had to use two register boxes to adapt the AC outlet to 6-inch round tubing. (The bed platform has become my new storage area while I work.)


I bought insulated flexible ducts to bridge the gap between the adapter plenum and the wall.


I needed to have a place to mount a register for the bedroom and still vent the cool air to the front, so I built this box.


Tomorrow I'll connect the flexible ducts to the box and install the register. With the register closed, all the air will vent to the front (where I will eventually install more square ducting to send it where it needs to go). The only reason I had to use the flexible duct in the bedroom was so I could gain access to the AC if I ever need to remove or replace it. A rigid duct would be too ungainly in the small space and I'd never get it to fit right, anyway. While I would prefer something a little less "ghetto," this is the best I could come up with. Besides, it's over my feet so I don't need a lot of space down there.
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2013, 10:07 PM   #291
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Just a quick update. I'm waiting on my fresh water tanks to show up and in the meantime there is little to be done, but I did get a second LED ceiling light and replaced the first one with a new one, same model. The original was flickering and overheating, but the two I have now are perfect.


These are the lights I installed. Home Depot recently dropped the price on these to $29.88 (plus a 10% military vet discount, if you qualify):


About a week ago I found this chest freezer with bottom drawer on craigslist and picked it up for $140. This one is a bit larger than the 3.5 cu ft freezer I already have (I'll need two for my food chilling requirements). The drawer is designed to be a few degrees warmer than the top chest so you can keep deep freeze stuff on top and "soft freeze" stuff like ice cream in the drawer. Well, that may be fine when it's used as a freezer, but once converted to a refrigerator with my thermostat controller, the drawer doesn't really get any cooler than room temperature. That's no good. I'm thinking of selling it and getting a standard chest freezer.


I should also say that the air duct I installed for the air conditioner works beautifully and is much more efficient at getting cool air around the inside of the space. There is no longer a large difference between the temperature in the bed area and the front of the bus, and this will continue to improve as the duct is further constructed along the ceiling. Plus, the additional structure makes everything quieter and sitting in the bus with the AC on is very rewarding and serene. I could sit out there doing nothing for hours.
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2013, 08:14 AM   #292
Bus Nut
 
wmkbailey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: West Lafayette, IN
Posts: 832
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Engine: 3126
Rated Cap: 72
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

For some reason I cannot see the photos in your last post.

I like your hand holds for the bunk area. I'm curious on how your ducting works. The fan in the AC unit may work for your small area, but I wonder how it would work for a 34 ft bus. I see this setup in some of the converted Vans, but then again they are shorter.
__________________
William

visvi Cherokee for Journey, Sounds Like Oeesha

https://thejourneyvisvi.com/

My Conversion Thread:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=464989
wmkbailey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2013, 08:31 AM   #293
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by wmkbailey
For some reason I cannot see the photos in your last post.

I like your hand holds for the bunk area. I'm curious on how your ducting works. The fan in the AC unit may work for your small area, but I wonder how it would work for a 34 ft bus. I see this setup in some of the converted Vans, but then again they are shorter.
I'm not sure why the images aren't working for you. Does anyone else have the same problem?

My 6000 BTU AC is supposed to be able to cool a 300 sq ft room. I'm only using the first fifteen feet of the bus, plus the half-height bed area over the "garage," so I'm really only attempting to cool less than 150 sq ft of living space. The duct itself is about twice as large as the AC outlet, so I'm not forcing the fan motor to work extra hard. A bus twice as long should still be within the capabilities of an AC this size, although a larger unit might be more efficient (it won't have to work so hard to constantly maintain the temperature). Mine has an Energy Saver setting that will shut it down completely once the set temperature has been attained, then run the fan every three minutes to check the air temp. If it's still cool, it shuts down again and waits another three minutes. I believe this is how the unit got an Energy Star rating.
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2013, 08:46 AM   #294
Bus Nut
 
wmkbailey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: West Lafayette, IN
Posts: 832
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Engine: 3126
Rated Cap: 72
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by PDBreske
I'm not sure why the images aren't working for you. Does anyone else have the same problem?
Thay are blocked at work, I can see then when home.
__________________
William

visvi Cherokee for Journey, Sounds Like Oeesha

https://thejourneyvisvi.com/

My Conversion Thread:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=464989
wmkbailey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2013, 08:54 AM   #295
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I sold the two rooftop AC units that came with the bus. I listed them on craigslist and a week later got a call from someone an hour away who was looking to replace his aging units with something newer. Mine hadn't been used or even plugged in for about two years, so I told him I wouldn't guarantee they would work perfectly, but he is a certified AC repairman and was confident it would be okay. He called me the day after taking them home to say that they were pumping out ice cold air and that he was very happy with the purchase. I love that he followed up to let me know I didn't screw him.

Now my bus is a little under two hundred pounds lighter and I have more room in the garage/storage area. And I'm a couple hundred dollars richer! Everybody wins!
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-22-2013, 08:59 AM   #296
Bus Crazy
 
roach711's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Farmington Hills, Mi (Detroit area)
Posts: 1,968
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Eldorado Aerotech 24'
Chassis: Ford E-450 Cutaway Bus
Engine: 7.3L Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 19
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Pictures are showing up fine for me.

I like your duct system.
__________________
The Roach Motel
roach711 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2013, 07:21 PM   #297
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by roach711
I like your duct system.
Me, too. It really throws the cold air across the ceiling toward the front of the bus. It should be fantastic once I get the rest of the ducting in place and I can direct the air where I need it to be.

In other news, my fresh water tanks arrived today (my bus is soooo dirty!):


These are 100 gallons each and measure 81" x 26" x 11". Each includes three 3/8" NPT fittings and a 1-1/4" fill pipe. I bought them from RVBoatParts.com for $165 each.

They will be laid flat on the floor of the bus with a 3/4" plywood platform over them. The platform will be supported on all sides and between the tanks so it doesn't transfer weight to them, but it will be flush with the tops of the tanks.

The interior of the bus is as tall as it is wide, so this gives an idea of the room I'll have at one end for plumbing once the tanks are on the floor:


Installation begins tomorrow....
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2013, 08:29 PM   #298
Bus Nut
 
Das Mel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Landlocked... for now.
Posts: 285
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

NICE tanks!

...hot DAMN your bus is filthy. Not touching it.
__________________
'Tace

Dog is my copilot. As I have no dog, I have no flight plan.

"If all porkchops were perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs!" -Steven Universe
Das Mel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2013, 08:56 PM   #299
Bus Nut
 
PDBreske's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 635
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bookmobile body by Farber
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: Navistar DT466/Alison MT643
Rated Cap: 1
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

Quote:
Originally Posted by Das Mel
...hot DAMN your bus is filthy. Not touching it.
I know. I'm disgusted with myself.
PDBreske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2013, 11:17 PM   #300
Skoolie
 
LuckyChow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 133
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Phantom
Chassis: Gillig
Engine: Series 50
Re: The Camel Conversion Project

I like the tanks, and the price is good. I went to the site and checked shipping to Atlanta. It was $300. It's too bad that the shipping is so high on these. I'm sure you paid just as much to Ocala.
LuckyChow is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Good News Bus Conversion Project Bus Project Skoolie Conversion Projects 276 02-23-2019 07:50 PM
Jeremy's conversion project swaflyer Skoolie Conversion Projects 40 05-19-2014 06:04 PM
1991 Thomas RE Conversion project tfdfyrman Classifieds | Buy, Sell, Swap 3 10-03-2010 07:04 PM
RyanS's Bus Conversion Project RyanS Skoolie Conversion Projects 11 07-07-2010 08:00 PM
3rd bus, first conversion project Homeskooled Skoolie Conversion Projects 4 11-11-2009 08:43 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:07 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.