Skinning your bus. Any regrets?

crazycal · 10-16-2012, 01:14 PM

I can't remember if I asked this before. Go figure. Has anyone skinned their bus only to have second thoughts afterwards. Not so much about the skinning but maybe taking out too many windows. One minute, I want to skin the whole side then half, then not. I like the light. I'm afraid of it being too dark inside. Your thoughts and experiences please.

browncrown · 10-16-2012, 01:30 PM

I like having it light as well, although I ended up skinning about half my windows because of my floorplan design. One thing I found with windows, they generate a large amount of heat, so I'm glad in that respect that I covered quite a few of them.

bansil · 10-16-2012, 01:45 PM

I would like to add this:

Folks said that tinting windows helped with keeping the heat out...I disagree you could still see in and they felt like huge radiators

I tried limo tint,then said screw it and painted the back ones black they look good from outside and you cant see in at all...same problem as above...huge radiators the heat was unbearable.

I had some left over flat white from something and said "I wonder" I rolled on just a quick coat over the black and that made a huge difference...dunno why it did tho'

The bedroom is very dark...open the windows and it becomes a different room...so I can understand the concerns you have about the "cave" look.

I plan to cover the lower window sections with bubble foil and panel over that to help keep the heat out.

usmcbay · 10-16-2012, 03:24 PM

The rolls of bubble foil did it for me... I was having a hard time getting the heat down. I coated the Roof with the Ceramic Coating - that with the Bubble Foil~! Bingo!

dirtygoat · 10-16-2012, 08:41 PM

I'm still converting mine, but I'm glad I skinned over all the windows... It allowed me to add better windows and choose where I wanted light to come in... Granted, my bus is only 25 feet long so I still get a lot of light from the windows in the nose...

crazycal · 10-16-2012, 10:08 PM

Thanks for the input. I'm soooo confused about how many windows to take out. No matter what, there needs to be one window on each side in the very back for airflow while I'm driving. I have four emergency windows that will fit into any spot. I will move those to keep them. Can't have enough exits. Two doors, one wheelchair door, four emergency windows and two roof hatches. If I need to make a quick escape, I will probably die in the bus because I couldn't chose which exit to use. I think I will keep 2-3 windows in the front. I guess it's settled...until I change my mind again.

syke · 10-16-2012, 10:56 PM

No regrets at all but I suppose if I was to do it all over again, I might add a window above the kitchen sink and maybe one in the office/desk area.

bapos · 10-17-2012, 05:51 AM

I bought mine semi skinned (in process of riviting some more) which I would have done anyway. Im not a fan of a lot of windows. Yes I like it cave like but the good thing is.... I can put the windows where I want them.

I know from doing manual J calculations windows are a HUGE factor. This is why houses with very good windows are expensive so if your wanting to keep your heat and cool in then I would suggest making a change. Im sure those factory windows are efficient.... NOT.

Diesel Dan · 10-18-2012, 12:51 PM

Most of my covered windows are in the bedroom area. I left one window on each side of the bus in the bedroom, mainly for ventillation. I also have curtains over those windows which are usually closed, so it is rather dark in there except the light that comes in through the roof hatch. But then again, the bedroom is primarily for sleeping - why would I want light in there? The other windows I covered are behind the kitchen sink and stove areas, and that was a necessity due to needing cabinets, etc. The kitchen still gets some light since it is an extension of the living/dining room which has plenty of open windows. I have no regrets.

kimberlink · 10-18-2012, 05:16 PM

My plan is to skin most of the windows, keeping the front three on each side just behind the driver area, one over kitchen sink, one in the bunk area, and one on each side in the bedroom area. later I plan on replacing them with double pain as suggested by the full-timers to help with the weather. I also plan on using indirect LED lighting to get rid of the cave effect. This is my plan as I just dont like the looks of all the windows, plus I hate being cold or hot.

bus-bro · 10-20-2012, 09:52 PM

I blanked 9 windows on a 13 window (per side) bus. Probably should of done a couple more. My mistake was the window blanks where made out of FRP laminated to plywood with epoxy resin. The epoxy resin is ridged, and when the sun hit the blanks the FRP expanded, but the epoxy didn't; to wit, I got bumps in my blanks--and it bummed me out.

kimberlink · 10-21-2012, 09:31 AM

I read on here in some other topic and I thought it worth mentioning again. If you apply the sheet metal to skin the bus, apply heat via a heat gun to heat the metal. This expands the metal and when it cools and contracts it'll keep the metal from buckling as the temperture fluctuates. Do this prior to drilling the holes of course otherwise your holes won't allign and defeat the purpose.

crazycal · 10-22-2012, 10:58 AM

After reading people's comments and looking closer at the bus, I think I am gong to skin 2 windows at a time. That way if I want to make changes down the road, it will be easier(I hope).

ol trunt · 10-22-2012, 08:55 PM

CC, To expand on Kimberlink's coment, drill the holes in the patch panel where you think they should go. Using a centrally located hole at the top of the patch, match the repair panel to the bus and drill this first hole on the bus as a starting point. Rivit this hole. Next begin heating the patch panel starting at the top and moving down as if you were spraying paint. Repeat this procedure until the patch is too hot to comfortably touch. Then use a marks-a-lot (or something) to mark through the holes on the patch panel and onto the bus itself. Let the patch panel cool, remove the first rivit, drill the bus body as marked. Next, put the patch panel on the bus again with a single new rivit, heat the metal as before and install the rest of the rivits starting top to bottom while the metal is hot, proceeding left to right, top to bottom. It works great and doesn't require multiple people. It's a good idea to use sealer of some kind between the patch and the bus but don't use any more than necessary as it will tend to distort the patch. My two cents worth, Jack

You may also like: