My new skoolie!

[IronChariot]

Nifty! I really like the way that door looks on the outside after the strip was installed. I've seen others do something similar to the stock doors but this is the best looking execution I have seen. Kudos.

[Tool Amour]

Some recent additions/modifications on the bus:

A fixed gear shelf for when parked at camp--the electrical box on the right will be a 12V charging station.


A movable gear shelf--small duffle bags, sleeping pads, etc can fit while it's up for transport, then a ton of stuff will fit when it's lowered at camp. Definitely helps with organizing and keeping all the junk (errrrr....essential camping gear) out of the path.
URL=http://s921.photobucket.com/user/tool_amour/media/07232014cabshelving-3.jpg.html][/URL]

Shelf stowed for travel.


Last year I built a basic and very simple kitchen for A) getting it licensed and B) going camping. The kitchen was not well organized, wasted a lot of space, and had to go. This is the work in process for the new and improved kitchen.
Original kitchen


Step 1--a cabinet to fit over the wheel well. A second cabinet will fit to the right of the wheel well, to be sized for a sink and either watercans or a mini-fridge, depending on where the camping is happening. I'm looking for a small microwave but that will most likely fit on the shelf above the kitchen.


Here's a couple of pictures from our most recent camping trip. The canoe is 16' long and will NOT fit inside, so rooftop transport is necessary.




More pictures on the way...another camping trip next weekend.

[Wooftfd]

Nice Leggo!!!!

[Tool Amour]

This morning was pandemonium at my house today--loading up for a long weekend at the beach, visiting friends and possibly doing some deep sea fishing. Everything was stowed, stove and cooler strapped down, luggage rack above the cab filled and ratcheted tight. My son and his buddy were riding with me, my better half had a couple of stops to make on the way so had already left in our car.

I tell they guys that they'll need to move the wheel blocks as soon as I start the bus, put the key in, turn it--nothing! No clicking, no starter noise, just silence and then some foul language as I tried again with the same result. The battery must be dead, so dead it won't even click. I must have left the key turned on.

I get out, move my van so I can jump-start the bus. Remind the boys of the particulars of how to jump a car. No success. Grrrrr. A phone call from my better half--have we left yet? I explain the situation and say to call me back in 10 minutes.

I roll the battery charger over to the bus, turn the van off, and turn the charger on. Hmmm this is weird, the charger is at 0 amps. Verify that the charger is set to charge 12 volts, still charging at zero. I find the electrical tester gizmo and test the van battery, noting how the needle jumps all the way to the right. Disconnect the battery charger from the bus, and test the bus battery. Once again the needle jumps all the way to the right---huh?? The battery isn't dead, so why won't it start?

Another phone call to check on our progress...

Open the hood and try the tester on the distribution center (not sure what it's called, a pair of bolts sticking out of the firewall with wires and cables connected to them. One that the hot cable from the battery connects to, the other bolt's wire is obviously the ground). No power.

Say a few more choice phrases, the boys are busy with their computer games and hopefully not listening to me. Come in the house and do a quick search on the Skoolie website. Someone had a similar situation and the recommendation was to try to start in neutral, maybe the transmission shift lockout wasn't working right.

No luck. No power...WTH is wrong with my bus???

It was running perfectly 3 weeks ago. The battery was replaced less than a year ago. I even tried to turn the lights on to see if it was just the starter that pooped out on me, although it was working just fine, no grinding or skipping or turn the key on, no turning over, turn they key off and try again, rinse and repeat a few times until it starts (just had to replace the starter on my van a few months ago). The lights don't work, so it makes me wonder there's a master fuse somewhere that's blown.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
TA

[crazycal]

Not that familiar with your bus but I would check starter, solenoid, starter relay if you have one. Check all the connections of cables. I hope you went on your trip.

[dcbergstad]

Funny you mentioning the Oregon/Washington title problems. I just picked up a larger version of the same bus in Washington last weekend and I'm currently going through the same pain to get it licensed here in Oregon. You'd think there would be a simpler process!

[schoolmarm]

I bought a 1964 Aristocrat Travel Trailer and only had a bill of sale. The guy I had bought it from never changed it to his name although he did have the title with the original owners
name on it. I had to send a registered letter to the lady in California who was the original owner. The letter was returned to me unclaimed, I then took it to DMV and got it registered and licensed in my name.

[EastCoastCB]

Back in high school, I bought a 1967 VW Westy for 800 dollars in a parking lot one night. It took me two years to get a title. The hippies I bought it from never titled it and the previous owners hadn't been seen for years.
Was worth it once I got the title, though.

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted by Tool Amour

This morning was pandemonium at my house today--loading up for a long weekend at the beach, visiting friends and possibly doing some deep sea fishing. Everything was stowed, stove and cooler strapped down, luggage rack above the cab filled and ratcheted tight. My son and his buddy were riding with me, my better half had a couple of stops to make on the way so had already left in our car.

I tell they guys that they'll need to move the wheel blocks as soon as I start the bus, put the key in, turn it--nothing! No clicking, no starter noise, just silence and then some foul language as I tried again with the same result. The battery must be dead, so dead it won't even click. I must have left the key turned on.

I get out, move my van so I can jump-start the bus. Remind the boys of the particulars of how to jump a car. No success. Grrrrr. A phone call from my better half--have we left yet? I explain the situation and say to call me back in 10 minutes.

I roll the battery charger over to the bus, turn the van off, and turn the charger on. Hmmm this is weird, the charger is at 0 amps. Verify that the charger is set to charge 12 volts, still charging at zero. I find the electrical tester gizmo and test the van battery, noting how the needle jumps all the way to the right. Disconnect the battery charger from the bus, and test the bus battery. Once again the needle jumps all the way to the right---huh?? The battery isn't dead, so why won't it start?

Another phone call to check on our progress...

Open the hood and try the tester on the distribution center (not sure what it's called, a pair of bolts sticking out of the firewall with wires and cables connected to them. One that the hot cable from the battery connects to, the other bolt's wire is obviously the ground). No power.

Say a few more choice phrases, the boys are busy with their computer games and hopefully not listening to me. Come in the house and do a quick search on the Skoolie website. Someone had a similar situation and the recommendation was to try to start in neutral, maybe the transmission shift lockout wasn't working right.

No luck. No power...WTH is wrong with my bus???

It was running perfectly 3 weeks ago. The battery was replaced less than a year ago. I even tried to turn the lights on to see if it was just the starter that pooped out on me, although it was working just fine, no grinding or skipping or turn the key on, no turning over, turn they key off and try again, rinse and repeat a few times until it starts (just had to replace the starter on my van a few months ago). The lights don't work, so it makes me wonder there's a master fuse somewhere that's blown.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
TA

Do you have ANY power at all? If not, you might have lost the main fusible link.

[Tool Amour]

Originally Posted by Jarlaxle

Do you have ANY power at all? If not, you might have lost the main fusible link.

A few days after this sad story was posted, I was tracing the cables from the battery box (where the battery was fully charged) to the engine area (which was completely powerless). Lo and behold, there was a switch that was turned off. Once it was turned on, the bus started and ran with no trouble.

I'm at a complete loss as to how the switch got turned off though--it's behind the battery box and the bus was running just a few weeks before.

[James888]

Originally Posted by Tool Amour

A few days after this sad story was posted, I was tracing the cables from the battery box (where the battery was fully charged) to the engine area (which was completely powerless). Lo and behold, there was a switch that was turned off. Once it was turned on, the bus started and ran with no trouble.

I'm at a complete loss as to how the switch got turned off though--it's behind the battery box and the bus was running just a few weeks before.

Was this switch an after marker or factory switch? A few more details as to the location. I have an 1987 p30

[BlackJohn]

I have a 1985 rv built on a P30 chassis with a 454 in it. There was no battery disconnect in the original build of the vehicle. Nor have I added one. Maybe someone added one to yours as a theft deterrent as well as making sure the batteries do not discharge when the bus isn't operational.
glad you found that witch eventually. It pays to get to know all the intricacies of your vehicle.
Enjoy your camping.

John