Bus 54 conversion

[Native]

Woot woot!

[cdrobbins77]

Made some more solid progress this weekend on the plumbing. Got both the primary gray tank and black tanks mounted, all pex supply lines are roughed in. Have a small leak where the plastic threaded npt fitting comes off the fresh water tank, but nothing major. I'll just pull it out and put some thread sealant and should take care of that. Also discovered that i have a small amount of water coming in from my escape hatch/skylight. Seems to be coming through the weatherstripping between the hatch lid and the hatch frame. Hope its an easy repair. Have a 3 day weekend next weekend, hope to have all plumbing totally done and leak free, and maybe start on propane lines.

[BusT]

Good motivation to make some progress on my bus . You sure were moving along fast!

[cdrobbins77]

Haven't taken a lot of pictures of the progress, but here are a few. All the plumbing is roughed in, both grey tanks and black tank are mounted and plumbed. Propane lines have been run from the tank underneath to the water heater inside as well as a future line for a cooktop if we decide to add one, and ceiling plywood is going up/lights are going in. Also decided to move the bus to a storage facility 5 minutes from home rather than continue commuting 30 minutes each way to work on it. I'll pick it up on Friday evenings, park it (illegally) in front of my house for the weekend to work on it, then return it Sunday nights.
Its not all good news though, I've had some issues with the plastic threaded pvc fittings where they thread into my tanks. Tried a different pipe thread sealant this time, will have to water test them next weekend. If they leak again I'll bite the bullet and use Lexel caulk on them.

[Ernie]

Dude, don't leave me hanging here. how did it turn out?

[cdrobbins77]

Originally Posted by Ernie

Dude, don't leave me hanging here. how did it turn out?

How did what turn out?

[Ernie]

Originally Posted by cdrobbins77

How did what turn out?

bus 54
As fast as you were working, you must be finished by now!

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by cdrobbins77

Haven't taken a lot of pictures of the progress, but here are a few. All the plumbing is roughed in, both grey tanks and black tank are mounted and plumbed. Propane lines have been run from the tank underneath to the water heater inside as well as a future line for a cooktop if we decide to add one, and ceiling plywood is going up/lights are going in. Also decided to move the bus to a storage facility 5 minutes from home rather than continue commuting 30 minutes each way to work on it. I'll pick it up on Friday evenings, park it (illegally) in front of my house for the weekend to work on it, then return it Sunday nights.
Its not all good news though, I've had some issues with the plastic threaded pvc fittings where they thread into my tanks. Tried a different pipe thread sealant this time, will have to water test them next weekend. If they leak again I'll bite the bullet and use Lexel caulk on them.

I would like to tell you I am very impressed with your bus and your great fab skills on the roof raise. However while scanning through this last batch of photos I noticed something that is very concerning to me regarding the safety of you and your family. The last pic shows your iron pipe gas manifold constructed inside the living space, this is extremely dangerous. This manifold should be outside under the vehicle, look at how many connections are there, every threaded connection is a potential leak.
A proper designed system will have the manifold outside and then reduced to flex cooper pipe below each appliance with a flair fitting at the iron pipe and the appliance. Shut offs at the appliance will also have flaired fittings. This prevents having any threaded connections inside the living space. Please refer to RVIA standards regarding gas pipe and fitting type, location and pipe securement.
You can also see some great RVIA gas videos on YouTube.
Stay safe
Oscar

[Oscar1]

This should give you an idea

[cdrobbins77]

Oscar, thank you for the concern, I appreciate everyone looking out for one another. That said, I am very comfortable with my setup, as I trust iron pipe and fittings for longevity and safety more than any other gas line and connections. I have a generous amount of gas thread sealant on each fitting, and each fitting has been leak tested. I have a shutoff on the tank, a shutoff just after the regulator, and a shutoff at both appliance locations. I have a propane detector that will be installed down low in the location of all the fittings you see, and the bottom of the cabinet that covers those pipes will be removable as to annually inspect/service said fittings. As another safety precaution, the tank and lines will all be shutoff unless they are actually in use. So when showering, cooking, or washing dishes I’ll turn the tank on; when finished I’ll turn it off. As this is not going to be a full time living setup, I don’t mind taking that extra step.

[cdrobbins77]

Mas progress on senor bussenstein! Yes, we have a name for the bus (named after senor loadenstein from The Office episode where Jim, Dwight, Kevin and Erin have to load the truck with paper)
Plywood on ceiling is done. Plywood on walls almost done, just have the bedroom left (and bathroom, but that's a different scenario). Got the refrigerator cabinet framed, closet shelves framed, and started on pantry. Got the mini split hung (still need to get it connected),and built a small storage shelf on the backside of the mini split. Also got my fancy touch dimmer switches installed!

[tlzimmerman]

Just wanted to drop by and say your bus is inspiring. Incredible craftsmanship and workmanship. Cheers. Can't wait to see how you finish it out.

[cdrobbins77]

Got the bathroom almost finished, just need to install the door and a final coat of paint on the walls and then I can set the toilet and sink. The entire bathroom floor is waterproof, did a hybrid system with a curbless Wedi shower pan and then Kerdi over the rest of the floor. Topped with penny round tiles. Walls are all cedar, had a bunch left over on a work project, so I rabbited one side with a 1/2" rabbit and the other with a 3/8" rabbit. The goal was to get a consistent 1/8" shadow line, but I didn't run every piece through the table saw so some pieces are a bit wider than others. This means my gaps vary from 1/8" up to a heavy 1/4" on some rows. My new motto is "its not perfect, but its a just a bus. . ."
Also got the vinyl plank flooring installed. Next weekend I'll finish up the walls in the back bedroom and then get started trimming the windows, walls and ceiling panels

[musigenesis]

Fantastic craftsmanship, like Norm Abram on wheels.

[Native]

Oh, I like the black penny tiles!

[Oscar1]

Fantastic looking interior! You've got a great eye putting it all together. Love the bathroom.

[cdrobbins77]

Thanks for all the compliments folks! Love that others are enjoying my work. Put in a solid 11 hours today, got the couch/spare bed built, started on the kitchen cabinets, and got the shower curtain hung. Also did some miscellaneous things like finishing the diesel air heater connections and putting some sheet metal protection under my propane tank.

[Native]

Wow! Just WOW!!!

[tlzimmerman]

Yep....stealing that couch bed design....thanks! When you pull out the bed what does the front edge sit on?

You should be proud that's some incredible work.

[cdrobbins77]

Originally Posted by tlzimmerman

Yep....stealing that couch bed design....thanks! When you pull out the bed what does the front edge sit on?

You should be proud that's some incredible work.

Steal away! I stole most of the design myself. The entire front face is 3/4" plywood, onto which every other slat is glued/screwed. The plywood face slides out with the slats to support that edge. Behind the plywood face is a 2x4 frame that supports the middle of the bed. If you want more/better pics let me know