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Old 09-25-2010, 06:03 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Henderson, NV
Posts: 21
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Carpenter Crown
Engine: Cummins 5.9L
New Guy!

Hey everyone,

I've been lurking for a couple months now, reading all about your awesome conversions and ideas. A couple weeks ago, I made the commitment and bought a bus of my own! The gentleman that I purchased it from (on Ebay), also had it advertised on here - so some of you might remember it. It's a 1997 Carpenter Crown, with a Cummins 5.9L and Allison AT. It's pretty fantastic, and has less than 100k on it. I just drove it home from it's former residence in upstate New York to my place in Savannah, Georgia. Quite the trip, but it handled it even better than expected and with impressive gas mileage. Anyway, I will start a proper Conversion Thread once it is officially underway - but I figured that I would drop a line and introduce myself.

Ad from previous owner posted on Skoolie.net: http://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=6304
Some pictures for your viewing pleasure (previous owners' photos - hope the link lasts...): http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/2944159/1/Bus?h=28c110



Looking forward to chatting with y'all soon!

-Collin

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Old 09-26-2010, 10:42 AM   #2
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Henderson, NV
Posts: 21
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Carpenter Crown
Engine: Cummins 5.9L
Re: New Guy!

Thanks for the welcome!

As for the plans, we (my girlfriend, Shannon and I) are not doing a full conversion yet. It will not have a bathroom anyway. The kitchenette is roughed in, which we will expand on. The dinette is staying where it is. We are going to rip out that flooring an re-do it. A propane system is in the plans as well. My favorite thing in the works is a a Murphy Bed that my buddy is helping me to build this winter. The goal of the bus overall is to be somewhat habitable as we drive across the country, bouncing from friend to friend starting in March. We will eventually land in Seattle (where our families live) with all of our belongings also in the bus - hence, the lack of full conversion, because we need the extra storage! Anyway, that is the beginning of the plan. Right now, I am working on locking mechanisms for all of the doors, so it's secure before I do anything to it. Then I can hopefully find someone who wants to purchase the hydraulic lift from my bus that was used for wheelchair access. It is in the way!!
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Old 09-29-2010, 06:23 PM   #3
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Location: Tarheel State
Posts: 102
Coachwork: - Still Shopping -
Chassis: - Going Medium/Large -
Engine: - DT466 Desired -
Re: New Guy!

.. gmta .. these are the systems the wife and I picked out for our bed and the beds for our twin boys .. http://www.wallbed.com
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Old 10-02-2010, 08:16 AM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Location: Henderson, NV
Posts: 21
Year: 1997
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Re: New Guy!

Thanks! I will check both of those out!!
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Old 10-20-2010, 01:14 PM   #5
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Wood Dale
Posts: 189
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Ford
Chassis: Carpenter
Engine: 7.8 New Holland
Rated Cap: 72
Re: New Guy!

Hey Collin Nice Bus!!!! im very jealous im saving to get mine now! i was just wondering if you know how long your bus is in FT???



Mike
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Old 10-20-2010, 01:40 PM   #6
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Portland OR area
Posts: 180
Year: 1983
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Carpenter
Engine: 8.3
Re: New Guy!

Welcome! I have thought more than once about a flat nose, but I just love my old skoolie I just cannot justify releasing the old cloud. What is your idea on the bathroom I am curious I have been fighting with myself on this topic a while I do want a bathroom set up but I am not sure I want to do a ton of cutting on my floor as as my family grows and kids leave I want to change my bus up and the porta-pottie has worked for us. Although i am always looking for better idea's. I Look forward to seeing pics and the like!
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Old 10-22-2010, 10:25 AM   #7
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Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,489
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/AT545
Re: New Guy!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Smitty
Something to consider for your bathroom (assuming you're talking toilet).....basically a glorified porta-pot:

http://skoolwheelz.proboards.com/index. ... thread=614

Smitty
Smitty, I think that is the fanciest room in your bus. Planning on spending a lot of time in there I take it?
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Conversion Thread:
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Old 10-22-2010, 05:03 PM   #8
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
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Re: New Guy!

I've noticed that a few of you guys are planning on not putting in a toilet/shower. I don't know how you plan on taking care of your personal hygiene and I would rather not know! I also know that many of you plan on never setting foot inside a campground either. So I'm not speaking to you guys. BTW, some of you single guys might want to talk to a few female types about their bathroom preferences, just to get an idea of what females think about the lack of a bathroom/shower. Just ideas for future planning.

As some one who has camped in campgrounds for over 30 years in 9 states, I thought I might point out a fairly recent trend. There seems to be a growing trend in campgrounds with full hookups (water/electric/sewer connections) either not building bathhouses in the first place OR closing them due to the upkeep required in keeping them open. For long term stays, often mobile home parks are a better price than an RV "resort" and they rarely have a bathhouse. Treks to the bathhouse either in the middle of the night or when it is raining/snowing just isn't a fun thing. The campgrounds' reasoning is that the majority of RV are self contained, so why should they spend the $$ on a rarely used bathhouse.

Our current campground here in NM has closed their bathhouse due to damage caused by campers. They have told us it will not be re-opened (this is our 2nd summer here and it wasn't open last summer either). The local public campground (Escondida) has flush toilet facilities but no showers. The RV/Trailer sites have water/electric/sewer hookups. Several of the NF campgrounds in Chattahoochee NF (for example) have pit toilets and no showers.
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Old 10-22-2010, 06:15 PM   #9
Ob1
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Engine: Chevy 292 I-6
Re: New Guy!

Hey Collin, I have a portable potty I will give you next time you're in Charleston SC. You can use that to get you through to the west coast, then do something more permanent.
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Old 10-29-2010, 08:13 AM   #10
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Location: Henderson, NV
Posts: 21
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Carpenter Crown
Engine: Cummins 5.9L
Re: New Guy!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyBskunk
Hey Collin Nice Bus!!!! im very jealous im saving to get mine now! i was just wondering if you know how long your bus is in FT???

Mike
My bus is 36' overall. It's perfect, in my opinion - and I LOVE the flat nose. I was skeptical at first because of the look, but I am sold. I love it!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ob1
Hey Collin, I have a portable potty I will give you next time you're in Charleston SC. You can use that to get you through to the west coast, then do something more permanent.
I might take you up on that!

>>Yeah, the reason why we are choosing to not put in an proper bathroom, is because we are bouncing from friend to friend across the states. We are also taking advantage of Couchsurfing.org, of which I am a very active member. Also, since Shannon and I are moving at the same time as roadtripping - we genuinely just don't have the room to spare for a bathroom on the bus! That's the reality of it.
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Old 10-31-2010, 08:26 AM   #11
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Adirondack Mountains NY
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Re: New Guy!

Congratulations! I'm glad someone took that beautiful bus off of Anomalous' hands. It was only four hours away from me, and the mechanicals were really tempting. But the timing isn't right, and I'm kind of leaning toward a dog-nose at this point, anyway.

Good Luck!
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Old 11-13-2010, 07:40 PM   #12
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Posts: 1,208
Year: 1999
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Chassis: 3800 International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 72
Re: New Guy!

Im building a a full bathroom, shower, flush porclien toilet, I no longer want to get up in the morning and run out for a pee, then crawle back to bed, my wife feels the same way, or standing in line at a bath house, after all this is one of the reasons we build skoolies for comfort right? Im putting a lot of time trying to build this just right. Its a nice thing to have, Im just getting older!!

thats just my 2 cents
gbstewart
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Old 11-13-2010, 08:13 PM   #13
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Re: New Guy!

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbstewart
....flush porclien toilet....
Do you mean a house toilet, and not a RV type? You better be on sewer and water hookups with a residential toilet. A water saver house toilet uses about a gallon and a half of water to flush, the RV toilet uses a pint or less. You can get either with a porcelain bowl.
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Old 11-14-2010, 07:17 AM   #14
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Re: New Guy!

sure glad I get up before 7

I got a rv toilet, I didnt cheap out, my other camper had no wash room, after 20 years of running outside in the snow, rain, cold, etc, I said this one getting a washroom, I feel its time for some comfort. also with a washroom I think the family will come out more,stay longer, makes for a better camp.
and we all like to be happy campers!!!

gbstewart
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