La Tortuga...updated 05-03-15

[roach711]

Originally Posted by bansil

Thanks,
Roach yes I do,I am a beginner big time (don't have time to learn everything...thank god for internet forums )

Well, they look awfully professional to me!

So do you cut it by hand or use a computer & plotter? What sort of stock do you use? I'd like to do something like that myself.

[bansil]

I have a 34 sc cutter/plotter it was cheaper to buy a plotter than pay someone to do graphics...best part? like this morning I said "self we need to greet folks"....so I made this and applied it to a pc of stock and riveted to the side

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ooohhh look.the KILLING FIELDS
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.and I quickly rattle canned the ac mount

[bansil]

Headed out south for a Glamping trip

more driving.......


Ugh ohh.the road ends, deep in the N.C. back woods!!!



Lisa decided to see if she could capture some wild life


heading to campsite


campsite





Dinner first night after long day/drive


just cruzin'

more later....

[bansil]

this was posted at another site (isuzu)

"we approached the elusive La Tortuga and snapped a quick picture"

[somewhereinusa]

Looks like fun. I have a step stool just like that, I use when parked at home. It does tend to sink into the dirt.

[bansil]

I see it in your Avatar

At home I have a few 4 Inch solid cinder blocks, that have sunk in just perfect to be there forever

[turf]

hiya bansil,

i am sure enjoying your thread. i'm just starting my conversion, and am gonna steal as many good ideas as i can!

ima pulling up a chair and subscribing.

[bansil]

Thank you

Grab a cold one and enjoy

if the ideas work for you go for it, everyone does it alittle different....thats why Skoolies are so much fun


So I need to go to the store for some plywood tommorrow, and I was so tired of the factory light switch going out every time I hit a bump or moved the wires (the copper pins are not tight in the switch--stock 70/80's chevy type) after 2 switchs, I put 2 rockers in last night.

1 for the headlights, and I pulled a hot wire from fuse panel and hooked up parklights and dash seperatly(I can now "flash" thankyou lights w/o tapping brake pedal or turning headlights off)

[JakeC]

Love the camping pics, man...gets me all fired up, haha!!

[bansil]

I found a couple $1 lights at a garage sale


took them apart, sand blasted and then sprayed them


added a yellow LED with a stock 1156 mount


next was to mount them


looks crooked because it is(mounts loose, I need some SS allthread)


Started working on front AC unit,




access to roof


lights off, they will be replaced once modified for airflow (bottom 1/2 will be notched between screw holes)


screens installed



And walla' here is the roughed in version



Still need to mount a drain pan and send the hot exhaust air out the roof vents,I ran it today as a vent/fan and it

pulled nice cool air in.



oh and found some more curtain hooks




next Major project will be to fix the door and paint the whole bus...Lisa found a green she likes...

[Diesel Dan]

I love the way you installed that AC! Very creative, outside the box thinking. Also, the exterior light is really cool looking.

[browncrown]

Bansil, excellent install on the air system!!!

[syke]

Very nice AC install. Bus is looking great

[bansil]

Thanks all

Been out in bus this morning~

well it's supposed to rain so i modified the light covers this morning

marked

cut out with 4-1/2 grinder with .04 cut off wheel


remounted



The 3" tubes are about 9-1/2 sq in, and my cut outs are almost 8 sq in and with the 2+ in behind the lens air flow should be fine

And it still looks stock in an old skool bus kinda way

hopefully get roof vent and drip pan done next weekend

[lornaschinske]

It's 100°F. We have a small 5K BTU 115vAC "window" air conditioner built into the food cart doing NOTHING. I think we will be installing it into the rear bulkhead of the bedroom over the emergency door. I don't know why they call them "window" air conditioners. We've owned several and they were NEVER mounted in a window. Two were mounted into the sidewall cabinetry of the pop-up (at different times)! For under $200 we can buy an 8K BTU (Sam's Club's GE is $10 cheaper than Wal-Mart's same GE) and stick it over the windshield in the front of the bus. Tomorrow it's supposed to have a high of 99°F. but it's supposed to cool down starting on Wednesday... high of 91°F down to 86°F on Monday. Tuesday is supposed to be 97°F with a 20% chance of precipitation. What that means is scattered "not quite rain showers" where most of the rain evaporates in the dry "convection oven" heat before it ever hits the ground.

I'm living in a place where they have "mud storms" (light rain mixed in with a dust storm) and it "almost" rains.

I think I will go take a shower and evaporate.

[bansil]

I went with 5k units for power draw,I can run both units,fridge a box fan for circulation and still use my saw's and grinder....all on a 20 amp breaker (house) the "perfect" storm of all 3 compressors kicking on when I fire up the grinder could trip it...

[Hvbuzz]

I just tried to read most of your thread. I think the last time I looked, it was only a few pages. That took awhile I really like how it has come along. I had been thinking about doing the same kind of thing with my front door. Now I know for sure, I will put it on my list of things to do. Nice work. Also, I really like how you did the front AC. I keep looking at the pictures and I can't figure out where you are draining it though? Any pictures of that? Keep up the nice work.

[bansil]

Nope not yet,I am going to add a drip pan under it behind the 2x4 shelf....we'll see,one step at a time

[Tango]

Hey Bansil --- Depending on where you are, the "drip" thing can be minor or major. Here in coastal Texas, the mini-split unit that cools my office can easily put out over 10 gallons of "drip" a day where a comparable unit in a climate like New Mexico might produce only a couple of ounces. I built a large permanent drip pan under the 8K in my bus along with a half-inch drain line just to handle Southern humidity. And it is a good idea to make any drain lines easily accessible for cleaning since they are very prone to bumper crops of algae inside that can quickly plug them up. A healthy blast of compressed air will usually do the trick. Ahhh...life in the Tropics.

[lornaschinske]

The AC unit we have has a good sized drip hole in the built in drip pan. We will simply add a tube to it the same as we have for every other "window" AC unit we have built in. We've never had a problem with algae build up. And we were running the AC units in high humidity areas (90% and up). It's amazing how much water a little AC unit will put out.