The Freedom Bus

[TygerCub]

WOW, the blue with the school-bus-yellow really pops! Nice job.

[Freedom_Bus]

Originally Posted by chev49

Your 20' pictures of bus roller paint job look great. I bet if you lightly sanded it, you could roll on some clear coat.

Yesterday, I checked a roller paint job in a grocery store, that my neighbor painted for them two years ago. He sandblasted and painted all railings, steps, and exterior metal fixtures, and then rolled them with red synthetic paint. They still look excellent, and look like a spray job. I have painted many pieces of equipment, etc for him on a contract basis, and i think i paint with a roller those parts that will be hard to mask off, from now on.

Are you going to paint the top blue?

Thanks for your pics, rick

I'm going for something like this.

[chev49]

that should look nice.

[Freedom_Bus]

All the seats I'm removing are gone!

Today I used some scrap wood I had laying around to make a kitchen counter. I'll finish it off later and add cabinet doors & drawers. I'll add a real fresh water tank and put it and the pump in the cargo bay below the sink. Right now I'm just using a cheap pump from harbor freight but it seems to work pretty good. I'm going to hard wire it to the battery and add a toggle switch near the sink.

[Freedom_Bus]

Temporary drain

[Freedom_Bus]

I'm mocking up the different areas & taping them off to get an idea of space.

[TygerCub]

Looks like you're making progress. Can't wait to get to that stage myself!

[Freedom_Bus]

I used magnetic hooks to hang moving blankets as temporary partition walls for the bedroom.

[Freedom_Bus]

The area on the right is where the TV, stereo & computer will be.

[chev49]

Magnetic hooks would be a good idea for partitioning off the bus if you have the table saw or something in it while working.

[Freedom_Bus]

It's been a really long time since I updated this page. For a long time I didn't have internet at the bus. Here are some updated photos.

[Freedom_Bus]

A few more

[Freedom_Bus]

I'm using this 750 watt heater to heat my water. http://www.caswellplating.com/750w-titanium-heater.html

I'm controlling it with this high quality thermostat. http://www.caswellplating.com/thermo...r-heaters.html

[ol trunt]

Love the thermostat, don't understand the heater How do you deal with the heated water--pump it to the sink, dip it with a ladel, pour it, what? BTW , I like the bright colors you have chosen for the interior. Keep us updated on your commings and goings. Jack

[lornaschinske]

I like the Christmas lights! We have a string of C7's (night light type bulbs) we have used since we moved into the bus. They were bought at a thrift store and I bought a couple boxes of clear light bulbs at an after Christmas sale. Plus I scraped paint off the the old coloured bulbs to use. At some point we will get lights in the front of the bus.... hopefully before next Christmas. They do make good lights and are very cheap if you buy them right.

[Diesel Dan]

Hi Michael, I must have missed this thread when you started it in 2011. Cool to see another Austinite bus freak on the forum. I like the tie dye motif. Freedom bus indeed! Hope you are staying warm - its getting cold here at night! I've been sleeping in my bus for the past couple of weeks and use two electric space heaters on the low setting (one in the living room and one in the bunk room) plus a vaporizer. When it gets down to 30-35 degrees my bus is about 60 degrees inside. We have down sleeping bags as blankets and it is very comfortable for sleeping though a bit chilly when getting up in the morning.

[Accordion]

Originally Posted by Diesel Dan

Hi Michael, I must have missed this thread when you started it in 2011. Cool to see another Austinite bus freak on the forum. I like the tie dye motif. Freedom bus indeed! Hope you are staying warm - its getting cold here at night! I've been sleeping in my bus for the past couple of weeks and use two electric space heaters on the low setting (one in the living room and one in the bunk room) plus a vaporizer. When it gets down to 30-35 degrees my bus is about 60 degrees inside. We have down sleeping bags as blankets and it is very comfortable for sleeping though a bit chilly when getting up in the morning.

About 30 degrees above the outside temperature is what you can expect in a bus or boat, unless you have a wood stove.

Dan, why are you sleeping in your bus? Just being nosy.

I have a sleeping bag and an electric blanket. It is a good system.

[Diesel Dan]

Originally Posted by Accordion

Dan, why are you sleeping in your bus? Just being nosy.

I'm in the doghouse. Just kidding. My wife and I have given up our bedroom in the house for a couple weeks to elderly house guests. We are enjoying hanging out in the bus in the evenings and early mornings and having babysitters for the kids so we get a little vacation. I think my bus would be a bit warmer if I sealed off the driver's area so heat isn'tlost through the windshield, door, and driver's side window. I plan to hang some heavy curtains behind the driver's seat to section off that part of the bus and I'm hoping that will gain me at least 5 or 10 degrees of extra heat retention.

Wish me luck!

[bansil]

Good luck....oh and wait until someones parents find out they are "just elderly babysitters" you will be in the doghouse

[Freedom_Bus]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Love the thermostat, don't understand the heater How do you deal with the heated water--pump it to the sink, dip it with a ladel, pour it, what? BTW , I like the bright colors you have chosen for the interior. Keep us updated on your commings and goings. Jack

The heater sits at the bottom of my 26 gallon tank I bought from Northern tools. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200337114
I use a utility pump that I bought from Harbor Freight tools to pump the water to my sink & shower. I use a PVC pipe to bring the water from the tank & through the floor (first 2 feet). Then I have water hoses with a diverter valve for the rest of the lines. I have no way to mix hot & cold water.