building basement storage

[Ryan Grimm]

If you look hard, you may be able to find used storage boxes in boneyards for cars and trucks. If rusty but intact, just take them for sandblasting and recoating.
I have found and purchased tool boxes and work boxes of many sizes and conditions, and besides repairs, all they needed was keys. Look inside the box, and you can find the info on the manufacturer to order new keys or new locks...the cheapest key replacements were $9, the most expensive was about $25.

Hope this helps.

[chev49]

i have build several under the bus storage boxes out of metal. some as a side box only, and others that run all the way across the bus under it. The first two busses i had were regular skoolies- not flat nose. At that time i had no welder, so i went to the scrap yard in the state i was in and bought 1 1/2 inch thick walled angle iron. I cut the pieces myself with a hacksaw, and built my own boxes the corners bolted together, and a piece of 2 inch wide flat bar bolted on each angle for additional support. I then slid 3/4 plywood inside on the floor and 1/2 on the sides and bolted them in.
tools i used were only hand tools. drill and bits, with nyloc nuts so the things wouldnt loosen up.
These compartments never gave me any trouble, and i had gen sets in them, propane tanks , holding tanks, etc.
I also built my own doors and used the hinges from the hardware store.
you can buy angle iron from the hardware store, or the steel store, but scrap steel is the same as new when it is cleaned off...
hope this helps.

[jkronmiller]

Can anyone tell me if all factory under bus storage boxes are the same? Will a Bluebird fit a Thomas etc?

[Ryan Grimm]

Sorry for the late reply, I don't know why I didn't see your message earlier!

Factory supplied boxes come in many sizes, just go to different web sites and get the dimensions off them.
Consider mocking up the boxes using large corrugated cardboard sheets, tape and hot melt glue. This will give you a better idea of what to get and where to put it.

This also works for fresh, grey and blackwater tanks and major drain piping...rolled cardboard and leftover carpet tubing can make mockups (and saving money) a lot easier.

EDIT:
Something else to consider is the installed height above ground of the boxes...you don't want to high-center the bus going over tall railroad track hills and speed humps.

[Smoozie]

New to the forum and still looking for a bus. In my early research, I've been thinking about attaching drawer slides with angle iron. Found these on amazon...kinda pricey.

http://www.amazon.com/Sugastune-Stai...442318&sr=1-14

Anyone tried anything like this before?

[Ryan Grimm]

Nice, if pricey....I suggest before you invest in those, figure out what you want to store in the basement, and then weigh the stuff. You might be surprised just HOW MUCH weight you could put in there!
A simpler alternative is to use the ordinary (as equipped, or installed) cargo areas....and use simple but very sturdy drawers with ordinary heavy-duty casters attached to them...either affixed to the sides or bottoms of the boxes.
Or, ANOTHER alternative is a set of rollers like they use for moving boxes off of trucks...fixed in the bottom of the storage area they will permit simple boxes of almost any size to be used for storage.

For example:
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/used-roller-conveyor
The rollers are easy to remove from the frames, just push in one end of the roller axle (you'll see which) and it lifts out.
This can be adapted to any system you choose to use.
I would have the basement door fold DOWN to act as a platform for the drawer to roll out on. Support the basement door with cables or such.
You can also find good cheap rollers at equipment handling places, trucking firms (retired equipment etc.).
And you are not forced to use the rollers fixed in the bus...you can attach them to the bottoms of the boxes themselves instead.

Just make certain that the drawer retention pins or locks you use will not permit the drawers to slide out on hard turns! Not good to see your stuff along the side of the road!