Converting The ChuckMobile!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by ted@campbycanoe.com

Hey, Musigenisis...what's your bolt hole welding technique? Just picked up a stick welder...maybe I'll give it a shot!

For the bolt-holes (3/8") I basically run a bead along one side, let it cool, then run another bead next to that one (basically across the middle of the hole), let it cool, and run a last little bead to close it up. For the smaller screw holes, one little tack-type shot fills it up. For holes larger than 3/8", I enlarge the opening so it's rectangular then cut a patch that overlaps 1/8 to 1/4 on each edge, then I keep that pressed down with my knee on a crowbar and weld the edges of the patch to the floor.

It's definitely not easy, so you'd want to practice your technique on some scrap first. If the metal around the hole is rusty, it's even more difficult to get it down right and coax that stuff into the melt pool. I do mig so I'm not really sure about what you'd have to do (for mig sheet metal work you want a pretty low voltage and wire speed, and thin wire).

Good luck, though! I think welding is pretty important for skoolification, really opens up the possibilities of what you can do and keeps you from getting screwed over by the local vultures.

Edit: one tip I got from someone here (that I haven't tried out yet) is to hold a block of copper up against the hole from the underside, as this will keep the melted metal from dropping through (something that happened to me a lot when I first tried doing this). You'd need a helper underneath to do this, though, which is why I haven't even tried it yet.

[chiggins]

Time to recap from my last post through the end of the year!


Started to get the rails to hold the solar panels in place. This is superstrut from Home Depot, and I have enough that'll run the length of the bus.





Next up is getting the bus emptied and putting up plastic sheet to cover the windows and other areas for spray foam. In hindsight, I wish I would've gotten some sort of construction-paper to roll down over the floor, the spray foam made QUITE the mess. I used the four of the kits from Home Depot. I know that it could've been put on thicker, but I think that I've got plenty enough in for the budget I have.







Used a piano-hinge for the propane tank holder cover. I need to install some sort of locking mechanism still, so it doesn't bang around all over the place while driving.



Next up was getting the subfloor installed. I know there's a ton of back and forth about if you need to lay down "studs" in the subfloor, I just felt that it was appropriate and I haven't regretted it yet. Can't hurt to have a little more strength. Created a little bit more work but that's fine with me.





If I remember correctly, everything is 1/2", leading to a total loss of 1" on the floor.





It's a wonderful feeling getting the floor in and kind of starting to see things all come together.



Started to get the side walls up. Most of the walls won't be visible so I went cheap with the plywood used. For whatever would be visible, I spent a little bit more money for nicer sanded plywood.



I still need to finish getting the rest of the walls up as it was getting really late the last time we were out there. Walls are attacked at the top and the middle with the furring strips, and then pocket holes at the bottom.



We still need to finalize a few parts of the design, namely the bathroom and the shape that it'll be. I've been trying to get better at SketchUp so we can visualize what we want, and then use painters tape to kind of "see" it in the real world.

Next up would be finalize design, start on my couches and bed, framing out the walls, and finalize my solar/electric setup. Thanks for the read!

[musigenesis]

Nice progress, looks good. I'm planning on the same sort of piano-hinge flap door for my propane storage - it's nice to see the concept working well in advance. I don't know how I'm going to keep it closed, either. I'll keep an eye on what you end up doing.

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Nice progress, looks good. I'm planning on the same sort of piano-hinge flap door for my propane storage - it's nice to see the concept working well in advance. I don't know how I'm going to keep it closed, either. I'll keep an eye on what you end up doing.

Thanks! I imagine I'll use some sort of latch to secure it. Haven't spend too much time thinking about it yet, I've got plenty more to tackle before then

[chiggins]

Quite the update since my last post!


Installed some marine Kenwood speakers on the passenger side of the bus. Should be able to stand up to the weather since they're meant for boats. The idea with these speakers is that they'll be ran off of a Raspberry Pi running Android Auto. I'll have a three-way switch so that audio can be routed to inside, outside, or both at the same time.





Also ended up getting my 50 amp inlet installed. I was debating between 30 or 50 for a while, but figured why not go big and give myself room to expand if necessary. For the cord itself, I just used an extension cord I found on eBay and cut off both ends. It's routed into the future electric cabinet towards the back of the bus on the drivers side, by where the bedroom will be.





First wheel well box done. It ended up getting filled with more insulation after this picture was taken.



Both boxes done and the frames for two benches getting fitted before being screwed in. The idea here is that we'll have two benches on either side, each being 6'9". They'll both pull out to meet in the middle and create just about a king size bed. Ironically enough, that's for guests, and the master bed will be only a queen.



At the very least, the passenger side bench will not only pull out, but also lift up to access storage as well. I wanted to buy a folding table to put under there, but I don't think I left enough clearance, so I'll probably have to build one myself. No biggie. Not sure if only one bench will lift up or both, still on the fence there.

To make sure we had the idea down, we made a quick proof of concept to ensure things worked out before building out the real deal.

[Drew Bru]

Way to get on it, that's coming along great! Those first pictures bring back memories of building in Chicago in the winter. Fun times, and yes it can be done. I like the lift up storage, that's a clever idea.

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

Way to get on it, that's coming along great! Those first pictures bring back memories of building in Chicago in the winter. Fun times, and yes it can be done. I like the lift up storage, that's a clever idea.

Thanks! Yeah converting in the Chicago area during the winter does suck at times, but I'm glad I got a propane heater. Though honestly, at long as I keep moving, the cold doesn't bother me anyway.


The lift up storage was pretty clever I thought. I saw someone on YouTube do something similar and just adapted it.


I've got a question for you, did you happen to find your solar panels in the Chicago area? Would you have any recommendations for shopping around here for?

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by chiggins

I've got a question for you, did you happen to find your solar panels in the Chicago area? Would you have any recommendations for shopping around here for?

We got our solar panels in Grand Rapids. The guy advertises on Chicago craigslist for DIY Solar, though I don't see an ad up there right now. I can PM you his number though if you're interested. He's had an ad up for years and I checked a few months ago and he was still selling them. He provided us with the charge controller and all the wiring, breakers, connectors, etc. we needed. He sells out of his garage and it looks like he does pretty good business, judging by what he had on hand. We got 4 280w panels, charge controller and all the wiring for just under $1500.

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

We got our solar panels in Grand Rapids. The guy advertises on Chicago craigslist for DIY Solar, though I don't see an ad up there right now. I can PM you his number though if you're interested. He's had an ad up for years and I checked a few months ago and he was still selling them. He provided us with the charge controller and all the wiring, breakers, connectors, etc. we needed. He sells out of his garage and it looks like he does pretty good business, judging by what he had on hand. We got 4 280w panels, charge controller and all the wiring for just under $1500.

Yeah that'd be wonderful, thank you! I gotta drive to almost Detroit in a few weeks for work, making a quick stop in GR to get some panels wouldn't be an awful idea!

[chiggins]

As always, lots of updates between my posts. Just going to dive right into it.



Completed another pull-out and folding bench. The two benches end up making basically a king-side bed. Will be used for visitors. Some slats are missing just because I didn't have enough wood at the time of the photo, which has been addressed.



Since I will have a 24v DC power system, sometimes it's a bit more complicated getting appropriately powered devices. Here I'm using a bench power-supply at home to ensure that my 12v lights will work under a combo parallel/series wiring. Ends up working really well, and I only draw about 0.3A when they're on!



I'm going with 1/4" birch plywood for the ceiling. Here you can see where I have where the lights will be. The full panel wouldn't cross the entire width of the ceiling, so I tried to figure out how to put more plywood around the curve...



I personally think that this looks like crap. I make some kerf cuts on the back of the plywood to help it bend, but that doesn't look all that great. I have a few more ideas that involve soaking the plywood, I'm hoping to get a test panel up this weekend and see how it works.



Water inlet system installed. Nothing much to say about that except for that I wish I went black instead of white.




Got my first walls up. They're not perfect, but I knew that going into it. They'll be for the electrical cabinet, so I'm not overly concerned with how great they look.



Solar inlet installed. Probably went a bit overkill with the tape, but hey whatever.



Solar panels installed. I've got 5x280w panels. The attachment points on the outside need to be able to bit on something other than the panels, so I just have blocks of wood up there for now. Will replace with a more sturdy metal, just need to actually get to it. Thanks Drew Bru for the hook up!



DIY solar combiner box. Each panel is fused, the box is water proof, and it's mounted on top of the bus.



Quick little break to show the bus clean and mostly organized. These moments are very few and far between, that's for sure.



After a long day, the supply-side of the electrical system is all tired into each other and working. 50A inlet, 24v system, Victron MPPT 150|70 solar charge controller, and Victron MultiPlus 24|3000|70. I currently only have one 24v Battle Born battery for testing purposes. They're $$$$$, I'll buy more when the time comes.



Here's the inner working of my 50A breaker panel. Question with this: should there be a wire going from the ground bar into the chassis of the bus? I already have the DC system grounded to the bus, wasn't sure if it'd be okay to have a common ground for both AC and DC.



Bedroom lights in and running! This was a pretty cool moment, to have the lighting working while "off-grid". They look pretty solid in the evening too, can't wait to actually use them at night.



Installed four U-bolts per tank that go through the subfloor and steel floor to secure the fresh water tanks to the bus. This one went a little wonky with the measurements accidentally, being too close together and not fitting the width of the banks. I could've redone it, but I didn't want to put any more holes in the floors. Even so, the ratchet straps hold the tank in pretty damn solid.



Paints the floor of the "garage", the space under the bed.



Added this barbed inlet at the top of one of the tanks. This is where the water inlet will connect to, to fill the tanks.



I promise, I added hose clamps here. Just didn't have any at the time of the photo.



My fresh water tanks are two 35 gallon tanks, that are combined together as seen here. At a later point, I'll trim down this tube, add a T joint, and then a ball valve connected to tubing that will allow us to empty the tanks if necessary.



Added four external lights, one at each corner of the bus. Still haven't seen how they are at night, part of me is thinking that I might want to add in two more in the middle of the party-side of the bus.

That's pretty much what I've accomplished over the past few months. My original goal was to get this party-ready by the end of June for a music festival that we go to, but because of the current situation of the world, that plan isn't happening anymore. Which silver lining, gives me more time to work and and perfect the vehicle.

Here's what I have coming up in the immediate future:

* Build new roof hatches, a la Bussy McBusface
* Take out and reseal all windows with butyl tape
* Add external AC power outlet on party-side
* Add external shower
* Remove the flashes and weld over them
* Finish planning out plumbing to I can get started on that, starting from the tanks in the back
* Finish any exterior additions so we can paint!

Thanks for taking the time to read through everything, it's always appreciated. Any feedback and comments are welcome as well!

[musigenesis]

Nice work on everything. Well, everything but that kerfed piece of 1/4" plywood. I was considering trying to do the same thing on my ceiling but now I'm not even going to attempt it. Most of that curved portion of the ceiling on my bus will be covered with airplane-style storage, and for the parts that are showing I will use two layers of 1/8" plywood to go around the sharp curve (and even these I will have to soak a bit because they're prone to cracking when they're bent that much).

[plfking]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

that kerfed piece of 1/4" plywood. (and even these I will have to soak a bit because they're prone to cracking when they're bent that much).

I've always thought vinyl soffit would work great in that curve, but haven't seen anyone use it.

[Drew Bru]

That's coming along really nice, dude. The pullout benches are pretty slick. The outdoor shower is one thing I sorta wish we had...would be a nice place to rinse off the dog and my greasy self when I'm working on the bus or in my shop (aka rear storage bin/workbench).
I couldn't help but notice the Bells Oberon sticker. Man, that's one of the things I miss about Chicago!
Keep up the good work! Feels nice to be making progress, eh?

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Nice work on everything. Well, everything but that kerfed piece of 1/4" plywood. I was considering trying to do the same thing on my ceiling but now I'm not even going to attempt it. Most of that curved portion of the ceiling on my bus will be covered with airplane-style storage, and for the parts that are showing I will use two layers of 1/8" plywood to go around the sharp curve (and even these I will have to soak a bit because they're prone to cracking when they're bent that much).

Thanks! My concern with 1/8" would be any possible warp-age from humidity differences. Though maybe two layers would solve that?

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by plfking

I've always thought vinyl soffit would work great in that curve, but haven't seen anyone use it.

Interesting! I hadn't thought of that. Might be something worth checking out.

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

That's coming along really nice, dude. The pullout benches are pretty slick. The outdoor shower is one thing I sorta wish we had...would be a nice place to rinse off the dog and my greasy self when I'm working on the bus or in my shop (aka rear storage bin/workbench).
I couldn't help but notice the Bells Oberon sticker. Man, that's one of the things I miss about Chicago!
Keep up the good work! Feels nice to be making progress, eh?

Thank you! The drivers side bench is a bit of a pain to pull out, I guess I put it together too well. Gonna have to do some sanding in some places.



That was my exact thinking with the outdoor shower. Or if we're at a beach and want to get the sand off, or have dirty feet for whatever reason.


Bells Oberon is a great beer! Coincidentally it was what I had on my birthday a few weeks ago!



Thanks for the support. Got another question for you! Did you happen to get your tires looked at/changed while in Chicagoland? I know that's something I'll have to take care of at some point, want to make sure I'm proactive with it.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by chiggins

Thanks for the support. Got another question for you! Did you happen to get your tires looked at/changed while in Chicagoland? I know that's something I'll have to take care of at some point, want to make sure I'm proactive with it.

We did. We got them at Pomp's tires, in Hammond IN. They beat the other quote by about 600 bucks. I wanna say we paid $2500 for the set of 6 Hankook DH37 and AH37 regional haul tires. There's a few Pomps stores in IN, IL, WI and MI. We got an alignment done too since it was in the shop. I didn't shop around too much since this place was recommended to me, so the prices may or may not be a good deal.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by chiggins

Thanks! My concern with 1/8" would be any possible warp-age from humidity differences. Though maybe two layers would solve that?

My plan is to glue the two pieces of 1/8" together immediately before screwing them in place. If I glued them together and then let them dry flat before trying to screw them to the curve, they wouldn't bend any better than 1/4", but if the glue is still wet the two pieces can slide relative to each other and easily fit the curve, and then once it dries it will keep them from warping much.

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

We did. We got them at Pomp's tires, in Hammond IN. They beat the other quote by about 600 bucks. I wanna say we paid $2500 for the set of 6 Hankook DH37 and AH37 regional haul tires. There's a few Pomps stores in IN, IL, WI and MI. We got an alignment done too since it was in the shop. I didn't shop around too much since this place was recommended to me, so the prices may or may not be a good deal.

I think that price sounds like a great deal! I've heard upwards of $3500-4000 for six new tires. Will definitely check them out, thanks!

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

My plan is to glue the two pieces of 1/8" together immediately before screwing them in place. If I glued them together and then let them dry flat before trying to screw them to the curve, they wouldn't bend any better than 1/4", but if the glue is still wet the two pieces can slide relative to each other and easily fit the curve, and then once it dries it will keep them from warping much.

Interesting, I'll have to keep that in mind. Something else that was recommended to me was luan. I've never heard of the material before, nor have I really been able to source it in the Chicagoland area.