Big Bertha

[juliol]

Guys, you are an inspiration to me, I have the same type of bus, but is older(1984BB) and with a Cat 3208T engine(jealous for the 8.3 you have), my point is since my bus is a California bus the wood on the floor is in good condition, but after seeing what you are doing(no cutting corners) I will lift it up no matter what, thank you for posting detail pics, I will follow closely to use your ideas. Keep up the flame on your relationship.
J

[M1031]

First, CONGRATS on the wedding!

Second, this is an AWESOME relationship builder (ignoring the hammered fingers and such ;) ). Looks like y'all are well under way! Don't forget to look under the bus for any nasty rust surprises. After getting my first bus I found 3 broken U bolts and promptly replaced them. That got rid of the "floatie" feeling I had when I first got my bus. I also replaced several "J" bolts that were looking kinda sickly. Just passing along some of my experiences so y'all have a safe bus to enjoy.

Me

[big_bertha]

Thanks all for the kind words and encouragement.

Originally Posted by M1031

Just passing along some of my experiences so y'all have a safe bus to enjoy.

Me

Great tip, thanks. I haven't looked at every nut and bolt down there yet, but I will.

[big_bertha]

More progress this weekend! We finished framing the bed area. We now have a platform where slats and a mattress will go. Underneath the platform will be three standard 27" drawers, and below the step will be storage, although we haven't figured out exactly what to do with the awkward dimensions down there. I'm happy with how the area turned out, it feels really solid and sturdy. One thing that really bothers me about RVs is how flimsy the construction is. Walls bend and bow under pressure, latches and doors feel light and cheap, everything has some "give". School buses aren't like that, and I want the construction on the inside to feel as strong as the chassis and the body. Nothing should bend or give. At least, that's the plan.



Steel for the windows we punched out

Not attached yet, just sitting in the openings.






Bus was looking like a disaster!




We organized a little bit, man it's nice to be able to walk around without stepping on everything!















Wire loom!

[Almanzo]

Very nice detailed conversion log so far!
I will be keeping an eye on your build while I work on my bus.

[juliol]

I'm just wondering if you still hear the engine after adding all that insulation over the engine compartment?

[bansil]

Welcome aboard and great build log!!!!

Plenty of pictures

[GreyEagle]

Awesome looking build! Great work..

[big_bertha]

I'm pretty excited. My wife and I (and our 11 month old) just moved in with my in-laws until December to save money and push the build into overdrive. Before, I had a relatively expensive 1br apartment 40 miles from where I work, an hour commute each way. That was $450/mo in gas. I'm now a comfortable 10 minutes from work. With the time I save during the week I'm working extra overtime. AND paying less rent. Thank god for their generosity. This is a boon we desperately needed. There will be progress!

Originally Posted by juliol

I'm just wondering if you still hear the engine after adding all that insulation over the engine compartment?

To be honest, I don't know yet. I haven't started her since we completed that bed platform. My heater loop has a slow leak so I'm going to get that buttoned up first. I will let you know though. It was pretty loud with just the bare steel, you could really hear the whine from the p/s pump. Plus the whole bus vibrated like mad at idle. All those seats, vinyl, plywood, wall insulation and panels help to deaden the vibrations, and without them it's loud. We noticed it get a bit quieter with the subfloor in, but a lot of the vibration still comes through the walls and roof.

We are going to spray foam the walls and roof. After that, I'm expecting it to get much, much quieter.

Originally Posted by bansil

Welcome aboard and great build log!!!!

Plenty of pictures

Originally Posted by GreyEagle

Awesome looking build! Great work..

Thanks for the kind words! More to come!

[missingTexas]

Great progress for such a short time.. May til End of July.. I'm hungry for MOAR pictures please...

[big_bertha]

Hello all.

Last weekend we primed our window panels and cleaned up our cargo bay in preparation for a truck bed spray.


I washed our galvanized sheets down with a weak TSP solution. I say weak because it didn't appear to do anything that dawn & warm water wouldn't have, I guess I expected it to dull the surface a bit. I think I had a cup of TSP in two gallons of water. If I ever do this again, I'll probably take a scotch-brite pad and scuff the zinc lightly and THEN give it a good wash with a stronger solution.












This is our cargo bay with nasty rotten plywood removed.


Rusty screws holding plywood in place


Chisel made it easy!


Before wire wheel


After wire wheel








Rust reformer








Okay. That's 4" I.D. So, I need a 4" O.D. to 6" I.D. adapter. And some 6" O.D. pipe.

[big_bertha]

This weekend, we installed our window panels over our open windows, tackled some more interior framing, and laid down truck bed coating in our cargo bay.


Had to clean out the sills, they were full of muddy sealant. Screwdriver and a joint knife did the job.


Rustoleum metal primer, off white, for a good stick and so we didn't miss anything.












After curing for a few hours




3/4" angle iron, 1/8" thick.




I love Fastenal.


3/16 dia steel/steel. I got two boxes of these, one with a longer 1/2" grip length.
























Then it was time for a nap.


I tucked some wires into loom.






These are vertical because we needed something strong for the bunks to tie into.








Started framing out the bedroom. The wall panel here follows the curve of the roof, which means the stud couldn't lay all the way against the wall




Made a small cut with the angle grinder, problem solved






And I got to use my Kreg!











That's all for now. We're tired, filthy, and ready for rest (which is working in a factory all week for me, and dealing with a 1-year-old all week for her.)

Next weekend, partition walls are going up to divide the bus into rooms.

[Tango]

WOW! --- You guys are rockin' & rollin' ! Great looking job on the window deletes. Keep the pix a comin'.

[aaronsb]

You guys are making some great progress! I am a lackadaisical sloth in comparison!

[bansil]

great job! and quick too

[Dragonpop]

You kids are doing a bang up job in record time. Have you decided on bathroom and kitchen and holding tanks yet?
I'm in Bellevue, WA and have some spare holding tanks and toilets available if you are interested. We are building
a 1996 Bluebird All American Rear Engine maybe we can get together and compare notes.

[big_bertha]

Thanks guys for the compliments!

Originally Posted by Dragonpop

You kids are doing a bang up job in record time. Have you decided on bathroom and kitchen and holding tanks yet?
I'm in Bellevue, WA and have some spare holding tanks and toilets available if you are interested. We are building
a 1996 Bluebird All American Rear Engine maybe we can get together and compare notes.

Currently the plan is to go with a composting toilet.


We are leaning towards Nature's Head, as they seem to care and have a reputation for great support. Their toilet is compact and the design is simple. We've done a fair amount of research regarding composting vs flush and feel that composting is best, and that this particular toilet is the best for our needs. Here's why:

1. A composting toilet greatly simplifies our plumbing. One less tank, one less drain pipe. Simple is better.

2. Water conservation. Because of space constraints, we can only store a certain amount of fresh water. I'm thinking boondocking and dry-camping here. Any way I can reduce water consumption helps.

3. Maintenance is comparable if not less frequent with a composting toilet. I've emptied black water tanks, and emptying a urine bottle a couple times a week isn't nearly as unpleasant. Maybe this is worse for some people than for others. Right now, when we work on the bus, we pee in an old plastic starbucks cup (in the privacy of the bus) and walk out and toss it in the bushes. So only having to empty every so often will be a nice upgrade.

4. Did I mention there is zero plumbing required? However, it requires a 12v computer fan to run constantly. Not the end of the world, right?

[big_bertha]

I realized I haven't posted any plans or anything.

Here's some early sketchup screenshots. Ignore the dishwasher. We nixed it.




















Ignore the chair. Nixed that too =D













And the plans have changed some since these were drawn.

[thommassey]

You guys are doing a fabulous job! It is a great thing working alongside your partner who will get to reap all the benefits with you! VERY nice build!

[aaronsb]

It seems like there's a bunch of us in the Seattle area that are building on a bluebird platform (me included). It might be fun to meet somewhere and compare experiences! I'm in the Renton/Issaquah area.

Originally Posted by Dragonpop

You kids are doing a bang up job in record time. Have you decided on bathroom and kitchen and holding tanks yet?
I'm in Bellevue, WA and have some spare holding tanks and toilets available if you are interested. We are building
a 1996 Bluebird All American Rear Engine maybe we can get together and compare notes.