Kazetsukai's Build

[EastCoastCB]

I like those 6.0's. Nice shorty!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

Sometimes I wish I could start over with a 40 footer, an 8.3L Cummins, and a top-grade transmission.

Ha, I've been thinking how cool a 6-window shorty would be.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

It's the worst thing I've ever seen on a skoolie. This is why they don't let us into RV parks!!!

Worry not my brother, I will not bring shame to the way of the skoolie.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

Worry not my brother, I will not bring shame to the way of the skoolie.

Dude, the quality of your main bus gives you more than enough skoolie karma for you to proudly drive whatever other POS bus you want.

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Dude, the quality of your main bus gives you more than enough skoolie karma for you to proudly drive whatever other POS bus you want.

It would be fairly hilarious to tow around some jalopy trailer behind that gorgeous bus though. Pretend it's a mother in law suite.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by JDSquared

It would be fairly hilarious to tow around some jalopy trailer behind that gorgeous bus though. Pretend it's a mother in law suite.

My SO told me she thinks its hilarious that we're thinking of towing the van behind the shortie on a dolly. Big bus with a boatload of solar on it followed by small bus with a little less solar pulling a van with even less solar on it. What a circus.

[Native]

Your shorty fits soooooo well! I really dig the back "door" loading ramp.


I bet the "SO" will feel better driving that 350 over the "mother bus".

[WIbluebird]

I've played around with the idea of picking up a rusty shorty locally and just throw out the seats, paint and put a heavy duty trailer hitch on the back and use it for a tow pig.



Only problem is people around here want 3k plus for the rustiest of shorties with C7s and MBE's. Most I'd pay for a secondary/fun bus would be like $1500.

[kazetsukai]

So I'm still parked in the driveway, but I think I can safely call this one our "first day of bus life". Yesterday we brought our pair of 50" 4k TVs out to the bus to install on the rail. The rail runs the length of the passenger side wall between the wood stove so that the displays can be positioned anywhere on the wall.


This is so we can move them near the stove for relaxation/movie night and over in front of the windows for use as a monitors in our "office". A 4K TV without overscaling is the equivalent of four 1080p monitors.


This lead to us working our jobs out in the bus yesterday, and later, moving the beds in...


And the kitchen necessities for this morning.


As eager as I am to get into this, I didn't feel ready. In reverse of current trends, my SO was the driving force behind yesterday's move. There's a few problems we've identified:

1. Light control in the morning
2. Beds are low enough that temp drops significantly
3. No bathroom door yet!
4. Probably good idea to add vents in the bathroom, too.
5. Cable management will be a challenge.
6. The Nature's head will take some getting used to. Will probably also implement the liquids mod most other folks I've seen have.

Overall, it was very cozy. I am amazed sometimes at how little the interior feels like I'm in a bus, or vehicle at all. The wood look was the right choice, its very homey.

Hope your coffee tastes as good as mine this morning.

[musigenesis]

Congratulations on your move-in!

[banman]

Great way to trial run everything while you can still make mods easily (hopefully easily...)

Love the wood work -- very much like a little cabin.

[Native]

Way to go!

[Phatman]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

So I'm still parked in the driveway, but I think I can safely call this one our "first day of bus life". Yesterday we brought our pair of 50" 4k TVs out to the bus to install on the rail. The rail runs the length of the passenger side wall between the wood stove so that the displays can be positioned anywhere on the wall.
Attachment 43363

This is so we can move them near the stove for relaxation/movie night and over in front of the windows for use as a monitors in our "office". A 4K TV without overscaling is the equivalent of four 1080p monitors.
Attachment 43364

This lead to us working our jobs out in the bus yesterday, and later, moving the beds in...
Attachment 43360

And the kitchen necessities for this morning.
Attachment 43365Attachment 43361

As eager as I am to get into this, I didn't feel ready. In reverse of current trends, my SO was the driving force behind yesterday's move. There's a few problems we've identified:

1. Light control in the morning
2. Beds are low enough that temp drops significantly
3. No bathroom door yet!
4. Probably good idea to add vents in the bathroom, too.
5. Cable management will be a challenge.
6. The Nature's head will take some getting used to. Will probably also implement the liquids mod most other folks I've seen have.

Overall, it was very cozy. I am amazed sometimes at how little the interior feels like I'm in a bus, or vehicle at all. The wood look was the right choice, its very homey.

Hope your coffee tastes as good as mine this morning.

Great build KZ. Congrats on the move in !!

[Native]

Here is one for the for what it is worth category ....


We have made four trips between Fort Worth, TX to Cocoa, FL with our bus as a moving van. Granted, we did only the minimum to make the trips livable but on every trip we find so many new things that need to be addressed, some big some small.


My conclusion is ... take a notebook and pen along on each and every trip to keep track of all the things that need to get done.

[Phatman]

Originally Posted by Native

Here is one for the for what it is worth category ....


We have made four trips between Fort Worth, TX to Cocoa, FL with our bus as a moving van. Granted, we did only the minimum to make the trips livable but on every trip we find so many new things that need to be addressed, some big some small.


My conclusion is ... take a notebook and pen along on each and every trip to keep track of all the things that need to get done.

I like that advice

[kazetsukai]

So this last weekend we picked up the shorty. If we weren't already, now we are definitely "those people".





Registered it today, in the process of getting a quote for insurance.




I may have to settle with painting the rear door for now until I can get some sheet metal for it.


BMSes arrived for the battery bank- not much to see there. Now I can start charging my packs to their actual capacity, as they'll cutoff charge if a cell is in danger of overcharge.

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

My family is likely to think I'm nuts and stage some kind of intervention. No matter the rationale. Ugh!

Eh, well, I think that's necessary for you to become an official "skoolie". Mine considered me crazy for a while, until they realized how useful it was for transportation, storage, etc.

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

You know, having a vehicle you can stand inside of at the grocery store or Home Depot opens up some interesting possibilities I bet.

Sure does!

I used mine last summer to haul garage door weatherstripping from menards. We have 16 foot doors at the shop and the strip came in 16 foot sections. My options were to find a hitch, hook up the trailer, find it's plates, and then head there; or to fire up the bus and use that.

I got a lot of strange looks and comments from the workers, but it couldn't have been easier with the bus. Plus I also left them in it until I was ready to install them, something I wouldn't have done on an open trailer.

The gate attendant shook his head and said it was a first for him

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

Anyone replace floor joists under the cab? For the most part the shortie is doing pretty well in terms of rust. For a CT bus, anyway. Certainly not as pristine as my International. But there is one joist that looks like its starting to fade. Can I use square tube of the same width?

I've done it. We had a few that were questionable and would have failed inspection. So a fab shop bent up some 1/8" sheet steel into a u shape that slid right over the rusty joists. Cleaned the metal and welded into place and it was good as new. I'm not so sure if I'd want to remove them first, it depends on how rusty they are I guess.

[kazetsukai]

I have to give a shout-out to AllState, insuring the little one was very easy to add on. Its registered, title is on its way, insured, and the shop is looking at it now. Anyone know how to repair auto upholstery? For the seat I think I'll just put a new cover on it, but I'd rather not have the ceiling coming down on me.


We lost some income due to Coronavirus yesterday. Has me quite worried, and eager to sell. Seems like, in terms of housing, supply is at a premium right now. I just don't know if its responsible or wise to make a move. Financially it looks necessary, but in the context of pandemic/etc... I'm not looking for "Hashtag BusLife"- as in the drone footage of mountain ranges, beaches, constant travel, etc. I'm trying to find homesteading land. I don't know if the RV park I was considering will take new folks at this point. I don't know if I'll be able to buy land after. What should be done, is unclear to me.

*shrug* I'll just have to figure it out.


For the shorty, I'm thinking of building the shelves to accommodate 5gal buckets. I have a bunch of them already, and seems like a good way to organize. Here's what I'm thinking I want to fit in the shorty:

1. Organized space for tools
2. Organized space for parts/hardware
3. Perhaps a space for a larger trash/recycle bin.
4. Space for the combo laundry unit to go, maybe with bins overhead for clean/dirty.
5. A wheel chock (in the center?) for the motorcycle.

I'm going to put one of the old solar panels up to maintain the 12V DC system, but for AC I'm going to plug it into the big bus. No elaborate electrical or giant battery bank for the little guy.

Thoughts? How would you guys build out a shorty for storage/hauling? I may open a separate thread for it shortly.

[JackE]

Just curious, are you planning to drive 2 busses everywhere, or are you going to tow the shorty with the big bus? That would certainly be interesting.....

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by JackE

Just curious, are you planning to drive 2 busses everywhere, or are you going to tow the shorty with the big bus? That would certainly be interesting.....

I intend to use the shorty to tow a van and the bike. You're bringing up a logistical problem for someone using their bus primarily to travel with- this arrangement is highly undesirable in that context. For me the big bus is as means to find and settle on land, and after that, may have utility for travel. The little bus is a hauler for tools, materials and equipment. The van is for the day to day and the bike is for fun.

I intend to do a lot of moving around for a short period of time, then remain relatively stationary beyond that. If I planned to be moving all the time, I'd likely build another rig.


Nice engine/transmission you got there.