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Old 02-25-2014, 06:06 PM   #1
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Posts: 4
Year: 1994
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: 5.9L Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
MissKonception - 94 BlueBird TC2000 - 5.9L Cummins

Hello folks!!!! I finally was able to register! Little did I know that skoolie.net won't allow users with Gmail or Yahoo mail addresses. Who knew?
So far, all we've got is motivation, but the bus is on her way! We have her a little more than half-paid for, so she'll be in our possession within the week!!!!
I want to start by thanking everyone that publishes all of this incredibly useful info, and thank you all for the parts you've played in helping me decide which path is the best for us.
I have been primarily inspired by:
(via YouTube)
Steampunk Bus
Budget Bus
Bryce Phelps
(via Skoolie.net)
porkchopsandwiches
wmkbailey
...So a big shout out to y'all!!

A little about us:
My name is Mick, and I'm married to a wonderful woman named Micah.
We have many pets at the moment: 3 cats, 1 dog, and 4 snakes. (we are rehoming of 3 of the 4 snakes before we move onto the bus.)
Our cats are named Myrea, Miscellaneous, and Metric. Our dog is named Maybe, and she is a dachsund/pit-bull mix. My Burmese python is named Mephistopheles (Mephisto for short), and the others are named Malicious, Menace, and Misfit.
If you couldn't tell, we have a little-bit of an affinity for alliteration, continuing with the name of our new home - MissKonception.
My wife and I are in our mid/late 20's and we have grown weary of the ever increasing stress and stipulation of modern society, and thus have decided to make the move towards self-sustainability and bill-free life. Who doesn't want that?

There are many things I want to incorporate into our skoolie (some easier than others... lol), to include solar power and a small wind generator, wood-burning rocket stove that also serves as a radiant heater/thermal mass/hot water heater/charcoal oven/gasifier/and potential steam source, HHO gas generator, biodiesel/veggie oil, above bed skylight, hooks for hammocks, built in pet kennels and even cat-walks for the, you guessed it, cats.

It's ambitious, I know, but not impossible; so as they say: "Where there's a will, there's a way!!!!"

Currently, we are moving out of our 3-story, 2400 sq. ft. condo, and we will be out by March 1st. Trying to condense is a major pain in the ass, not to mention this last hell-week of classifieds and facebook postings of our unwanted items.
We will be temporarily staying with a friend while we work on our conversion. The goal is to be road-ready no later than July 5th -which is daunting- but due to my current lack of work, I can expect long hours of bus duty.


P.S.- I'm new to ACTUALLY posting in a forum, so forgive me while I get the hang of it all...


Pics and stuff coming soon!!!

Here's the first vid. It's just a link to FaceBook, so I'm sorry, but my wife has the clip, and I haven't uploaded it to my PC... YET.
The video itself should be public, so lemme know if there is a problem or anything.

http://tinyurl.com/mf2jjuy

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Old 02-26-2014, 12:40 PM   #2
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Re: MissKonception - 94 BlueBird TC2000 - 5.9L Cummins

Welcome to the fun!
I am new around here also, great place to learn, some ideas I have for wood heat http://www.graystoveworks.com and wind and solar take all look http://bhasolar.com
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Old 02-26-2014, 12:42 PM   #3
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Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
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Re: MissKonception - 94 BlueBird TC2000 - 5.9L Cummins

A great big Skoolie Welcome! --- Go for it guys. I'm on my second (and final) bus build, just wish I'd started at your age. Don't hesitate to ask questions. There are some folks here with years and years of experience in both building and living in converted Skoolies. You will also find a lot of differing opinions on just about every topic, so...do your homework, read, listen and filter out what you believe will work best for you and your plan.

Once again, Welcome!
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Old 02-26-2014, 12:49 PM   #4
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Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
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Re: MissKonception - 94 BlueBird TC2000 - 5.9L Cummins

Welcome.

I'm eager to see the rocket stove that produces steam and hot water in your bus. Many have tried, all have failed.

Wanting to incorporate that many systems takes a lot of planning, drawing, and planning some more.

Make sure you know every part that's going into the bus before you start. Don't take short cuts with your planning.

Budget?

A few of the systems you mentioned cost big $$$.

Time to build?

Nat
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Old 02-26-2014, 09:29 PM   #5
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Re: MissKonception - 94 BlueBird TC2000 - 5.9L Cummins

What nat_ster said about planning is absolutely true and you’ll do yourselves a big favor by carefully measuring the inside, outside, and underside of your bus and all the things attached to it. When/if you plan to punch holes in the floor in preparation for a long-planned drain tube, it’s terrible to find out there is a beam or other structural member right where you need to cut. Also remember that unless you are perfectly duplicating someone else’s bus, everything you plan is essentially a prototype with no blueprints to go by. You might find that once you think you’ve finished one project, its completion only leads to complications in the next.

But it really is all worth it for the satisfaction of owning and living in a home that was built exactly the way you want it.
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Old 04-06-2014, 03:50 PM   #6
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Location: Virginia Beach, VA
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Year: 1994
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Re: MissKonception - 94 BlueBird TC2000 - 5.9L Cummins

Hey all! Been a little while, I figure it's time for an update!

It took us a bit longer than anticipated to pick her up, as we had some "security deposit return" issues with our landlord... eh... small claims lawsuit against our landlord is coming out the ordeal.

After finding a friend who let us park it in his backyard, I began demolition! ALL interior sheet metal panels have been removed with the exception of a smaller section about a foot wide that runs the length of the walls near the floor. All fiberglass insulation removed to replace with foam board insulation (slightly considering spray in foam, just unsure about the cost comparatively, and I'm concerned about future access/repairs if I spray in, instead of having a solid sheet I can remove, replace or whatnot). Rubber flooring has been removed, it actually came up fairly easily with a pry bar. Most all the interior rivets were removed, first by taking a nail punch and tapping out the centers, then either grinding the heads off, or hammer and chiseling the tops off. Former was used in less reinforced areas, latter was primarily done where the ribs are located.

So far, our bus appears to be in really good condition, although when we got it, the original 24" x 24" emergency escape hatch on the roof was missing and a (really crappy) patch was put in. Does anyone have a extra they're willing to part with, we'll pay shipping and whatnot!? I want a hatch on the roof, to allow for a rooftop luggage rack/deck. Yes, that means I will need to reinforce the hole as well to support weight as you exit the hatch.

Once the hatch problem is fixed, the next step is protecting the floor with rustoleum, then installation of our insulation and plywood. I'm thinking I'm going to have to use thinner sheets, layered, to conform to the arch of the roof. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated, as I've never installed wood to an area with a curve.

I'm leaving the existing heater system, which includes a box mounted under the driver seat, a heater core in the back of the bus, and the main system up front, all connected via rubber tubing to the engine (I'm assuming it's coolant run through it all? It's green fluid). I will build a conduit over the tubing once the floor is laid, for access and maintenance.

I recorded a video doing a full tour in it's current state, but I feel I can do a better recording, so it's going to come later. For now, I got a pic of the interior with all the panels removed. Enjoy!
(ok, so I'll post a pic, as soon as I get an image re-sizer or something as it won't let me upload)
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Old 04-06-2014, 04:24 PM   #7
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Virginia Beach, VA
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Year: 1994
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Rated Cap: 72
Re: MissKonception - 94 BlueBird TC2000 - 5.9L Cummins

Ok guys, in order to avoid having to upload the same pic in multiple places, I've created a Facebook page to follow!

Come check out the pics!!!!

http://www.facebook.com/MissKonception

Enjoy!
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