Nobody's Business

[Robin97396]

Finally, an explanation of how to disconnect the door safety switches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcdQ0_IrA2M

I haven't done it yet but this is about as clear as it can be explained.

[Robin97396]

Finally, these pics bring everyone up to date. I've seen a number of other builds that look very familiar with the wood interiors. Soon I'll be wanting to install some puck lighting. I kept my speaker and light wiring available through the insulation process because that was one less thing to reinvent. I feel like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest while working on this thing.

I've put a few thousand miles on this bus last year, all without taking any pleasure trips. I want to go boondocking this summer.


Just a look at the way the ceiling is closing up in the front right corner.



This is how I attempted to retain a little bit of functionality from the chair rail so I can still use some of the original dividers and probably bus seats until I get something better.



Demonstrating the corner where the ceiling meets the wall.


This was the hardest corner, dealing with the seatbelt, wiring and new speaker.


My final full sheet of plywood. I started in the back of the bus so I'd be good at attaching plywood to the ceiling by time I got up to the front. I wasn't having much luck with self tapping screws so I ended up drilling and screwing each hole individually hanging this stuff with more screws than would normally be used for sheetrock.

Yeah, I do things the hard way. Anyway everyone is all caught up for now. My camera died following these last five pics. If the weather breaks soon I'll be outside cutting more plywood to finish the ceiling, but meanwhile I'm not going to dust my bus by using the skillsaw inside.

[TAOLIK]

Robin!
You foamed your bus with the good stuff! Your build looks great so far, and I had the biggest chuckle of my day when I read its name.

As far as ideas to lock your roof hatch, could you rig up a locking mechanism with a lock of your choice and a gate latch of some sort? Or you could just bar up your hatch/block it off entirely with a sheet of perforated metal? Or you could throw a skateboard/banana peel below it so when your intruders drop down they'll slip. Security systems are also really cheap. I got my cheap china security system for $120 off craigys.

Regardless good to have your back!

[Robin97396]

Thanks, I'll have to check into the security system. However, I do like the banana peel idea, but they'd probably sue me for their broken hip and win. Oh well, you can't squeeze blood out of a turnup.

[Robin97396]

I didn't know if anybody would get the name. Some people think it's on the virge of being rude. It reminds me that my kids are grown and gone, and life moves on.

Originally I thought I'd be in warmer southern locations this winter. It got cold in the SW this year, so that might have been a wasted trip. I got more done staying here while I get things (insulation) together.

I'm looking for a larger pancake diesel generator from an RV. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need that second fuel tank too, and it sure will make it easy if everything runs off diesel or 12 volt. They make 32" 12 volt TVs with DVD players that were recently on sale. I do plan to have a 110 volt system for shore power and a generator for AC if it's really really necessary. Oregonians wilt easily.

[TAOLIK]

I believe most LCD/LED screens are already DC and many can operate off a 12V converter adapter. I haven't gotten to that point yet but it could be something good to look into. I am 100% planning to run my screen off DC though. If it shortens the life, it will give me a good excuse to buy another. The vibrations from driving the bus will probably accelerate the depreciation anyway.

I don't want to be liable for burning your bus down, I'm glad you have fireproof insulation.

[joeblack5]

Nice going, Looks good. How tall is the interior of your bus? Were you able to get foam inside the roof ribs?

Later J

[Robin97396]

TAOLIK; I still like the idea of boondocking primarily on a 12 volt system. I was talking about an actual 12 volt TV that doesn't need an inverter. A decent generator will fill my more ambitius electrical needs. I don't want to run the generator for simple everyday appliances.

joeblack5; Thanks. My finished ceiling height is 74.5", however if I add an insulated floating floor I'll loose at least another 1.25".
I certainly did insulate inside the ribs. It was a move of desperation. Apparently when insulating the side pockets beneath the chair rail I should have made provisions to allow for water drainage. I thought these things were skinned better than to channel and drain water from the side walls. I don't know if I missed that tidbit of information from reading other builds or what. After about the first three solid days of rain this past fall I started being acutely aware of the drainage issues. At that time the commercial foam was in and the ribs were still exposed on the interior. Somehow the water builds up, being unable to drain properly, and fills the rib tubes until the water begins coming out the lowest rivet hole in the ribs just above the chair rail. That means each rib was draining water into the interior at the lowest rivet hole. I used every towel I had dealing with the inflow of water, and it was still raining. Out of desperation I used canned foam to block the water flow from where the rib tubes were draining. The plastic nozzel fits right into the rivet holes perfectly. Blasting a bunch of foam into the tube actually caused the water to be ejected as the foam expanded, so it did stop the leaking into the interior. I went ahead and foamed every rib as full as possible all the way across to the other side wall. In some of the photos you can see the expanding foam exiting the rib tubes like worms as it expands. I know that doesn't thermally help keep this bus warm by foaming the rib tubes. I also don't know where the water is going at this point, but it's not leaking to the inside of the bus anymore. Hopefully I've prevented the water from entering the walls completely.
Like I say, there's a bit of guessing involved in this build while being offline for ten months. I know I made mistakes in this renovation but I'm not willing to back peddle with on my insulation progress. I roll with it, justifying that this probably won't be my last bus anyway so it doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to work.

I should have called this bus Dumb Luck.

[joeblack5]

I use a older 19" Samsung LCD monitor as TV screen. It has a 12 volt input. Sony made some stand alone TV tuner to rgb video converters. Some laptops have a3 cel batteries and they will work fine directly on 12 volt thru the charging plug. The 4 cell laptops require 19 volt to stay charged but might work fine on 12 volt.

Regarding leaks... I noticed that on our roof they did a horrible job on sealing the rivet joint. Meaning not sealant between the sheets. The only nice thing is that is easy to remove the old sealant bead and pry the top sheet open a little and work new sealant between the sheets.
Later j

[2kool4skool]

SING ALONG !!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trcb0LZfuZA

[cadillackid]

if your laptop requires 19 volts, DONT run it on 12.. thats a sure way to shorten the life of the internal power circuitry..

there are lots of 12 volt car adapters made for laptops that have the proper charging tip and voltage.. these devices are usuyally more efficient than running to a 120 volt inverter and then using the laptop brick..
-Christopher

[Robin97396]

All good ideas. I'm all for those 12v car adapters. I'm still trying to keep things simple. I think of this as more of a camper than a house, even though I am in it full time. I'm trying to stay away from the use of inverters.

While connected to the grid (power, cable, internet and garden hose) in my driveway I end up using numerous household appliances. The TV and everything else seems to be holding up just fine regardless of vibration and relatively extreme temperature changes at times.

Living in a bus is not a good way to go through this build process, however it does give a person lots of time to think about what your most urgent needs are. I'm sure I'm still going to go through some serious changes when I cut my connections to this property.

[Njsurf73]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Thanks guys. If I had realized the regulations had changed on bus/RV conversions in this state I probably wouldn't have started this project. I think a medium duty truck with a commercial appearance would draw less attention than a school bus.

Sorry, but I just dumped the pics without the writing explanation. I wasn't getting it done and everyone can pretty well figure what's going on with the build, and this way nobody hears the cussing. I'm trying to bring everyone up to date. Took five current pics last night and the camera simply quit.

Yeah, I was only snowed in for two months this winter, and after a short break another month of snow. This rig gets stuck on wet grass so I don't even try to drive it when there's snow and ice on the roads. It was an unusual winter. Most of the time the biggest hurdle, when there's snow, is getting out my driveway.

I have certainly missed the advice and varying points of view from everyone on this site. I've had multiple buses in the past but I've never stripped one out and insulated. I'm not sure I'll ever do this again either. In the future I believe I'd frame the interior and then insulate and build from there. I believe there's a lot of structural integrity that's lost when the interior panels are removed. If you were in the bus at certain times you'd want more structural integrity too based on where I go.

I do love the insulation now that it's completed. The sound deadening effect was worth it by itself, not to mention that my heating bill is maybe 25% as much as last winter.

Nobody is saying anything, but I take it that it's bad to insulate and not leave an air space for a thermal break. I had no idea the foam guy would put in this much foam. This is hard foam too. He said it was 3 pound and fireproof. It's like cutting wood. Things just don't seem to turn out like I plan so I roll with it. I had some choice words for that foam guy while I was trimming things down to rib level.

Good to hear from all of you and thanks for the encouragement.

I have given thought to this, just as an academic endeavor... If you remove all the panels, but want to keep the structural integrity and no one wants steal on the interior... What about some reinforced fiberglas. Maybe carbon reinforced. It's fairly light, easy enough to lay up flat panels, or form in place if needed for compound curves...
Maybe it's been discussed.
Just my mind rambling.

Love the progress.

[Robin97396]

Thanks Njsurf73

I had my own more difficult ideas in mind at the time, sticking to the "always do things the hard way" theory. The rather thick plywood I put on the ceiling and walls, following two types of insulation, was meant to replace the rigidity of the metal panels. Also I like to attach sometimes heavy objects to the ceiling to free up floor space. Sometimes looking back things don't make so much sense, but I wanted enough strength in the ceiling that I could use it to support things I haven't thought of yet. I still don't have a scribbled out floor plan, rather just letting the chips fall where they may.

I'd put thick plywood on the ceiling again if I had it to do over again. I'm much better at it now. Yes it's a pain, but I think putting up thin ceiling material would be a pain too.

I've often rejected a lot of the ideas on this site. I come around slowly, so there's probably hope for the next bus.

Side note; Hot sauce in your dashboard does get rid of mice. I also used citronella candles effectively to make mice move out, but the mice moved back in when the citronella is gone. Mice seem to have a real problem with capsaicin. I've heard it hurts their tiny feet. I opened up the dash and put a layer on all the flat surfaces. I honestly couldn't smell anything after the first couple hours after putting over a pint of Valentino's in there. Caution; may induce cravings for tacos.

[Njsurf73]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Thanks Njsurf73

I had my own more difficult ideas in mind at the time, sticking to the "always do things the hard way" theory. The rather thick plywood I put on the ceiling and walls, following two types of insulation, was meant to replace the rigidity of the metal panels. Also I like to attach sometimes heavy objects to the ceiling to free up floor space. Sometimes looking back things don't make so much sense, but I wanted enough strength in the ceiling that I could use it to support things I haven't thought of yet. I still don't have a scribbled out floor plan, rather just letting the chips fall where they may.

I'd put thick plywood on the ceiling again if I had it to do over again. I'm much better at it now. Yes it's a pain, but I think putting up thin ceiling material would be a pain too.

I've often rejected a lot of the ideas on this site. I come around slowly, so there's probably hope for the next bus.

Side note; Hot sauce in your dashboard does get rid of mice. I also used citronella candles effectively to make mice move out, but the mice moved back in when the citronella is gone. Mice seem to have a real problem with capsaicin. I've heard it hurts their tiny feet. I opened up the dash and put a layer on all the flat surfaces. I honestly couldn't smell anything after the first couple hours after putting over a pint of Valentino's in there. Caution; may induce cravings for tacos.

I am very close to a bus and starting my own conversion. I have been trawling this site every chance I get. There will be a little piece of every build I have read in my bus and a big piece of me. I won't be living in mine (at least not planning on it) so I am focusing on more of a camper type of conversion... Think glamping. So all the creature comforts, shore power and hook-ups, and the occasional weekend boondocking... All during three seasons or in warm climate. Every bit of information anyone chooses to share saves me having to engineer it. All of you that have answered my questions and have even told about the stuff you didn't like about your rig, is helpful.
I read and lurk and my mind just turns and turns lol.


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[Robin97396]

Njsurf73, I like the way you're approaching your bus project. I bought a bus, then realized I didn't know what I was doing concerning a build. Then again I often back into projects.

[Robin97396]

Does anyone install larger injectors? That used to be a fairly common practice to get a bit more power. I'm aware of the overheating issue and I don't drive fast, but sometimes you need more power climbing a short hill or while merging.
I haven't adjusted my p7100 yet, and I continue to gather information on that subject. I'm ok with people passing me on the road.

So much talk about runaways with adjusting the pump. In the military we would use a CO2 fire extinguisher to shut down a runaway as it simply blocks the oxygen without damaging the motor. I don't plan on adjusting my pump to the extreme edge or even for black smoke. I would like a little better freeway entry speed.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Njsurf73, I like the way you're approaching your bus project. I bought a bus, then realized I didn't know what I was doing concerning a build. Then again I often back into projects.

I bought a bus, had no idea what I was doing other than I had set crazy timeline and goals.. did a build, made those goals..
now I'll probably tear said bus apart and do another build for another set of goals.. and lots of knowledge learned from it being nearly a year sinbce I started..

im sure thats not the "right" way to do it...

-Christopher

[tobeamiss]

As far as locking your hatch from the inside. If you can't turn the handle, you can't open the hatch right.? Rig something up on the inside that holds the handle in place. Even a simple peice of wood that you can turn sideways to allow the handle to move into the open position.

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[Robin97396]

I think we all approach things differently. I admire people that do a project sequentially, but that's not usually the way life gives us stuff. I'm more concerned with missed opportunities. I'd wanted this model of bus for years so it was kind of a gimme when I saw it on auction 40 miles away instead of in AZ or elsewhere.

For me it was natural to get a diesel, and I'm amazed that I actually get better mileage than most of the van based buses. Then again I'm sure the van chassis drive nicer. That's the opportunity/cost of our decisions. As long as you end up happy with your choice you're successful. And yeah, it's easy to change the interior and make improvements. I'm sure I'm going to have lots of improvement changes happening after hitting the road. Right now I have become very addicted to the grid, but that's winter.

I'm amazed that there are so many people stripping and insulating buses for other people. A lot of people here seem to be thinking of doing these conversions half way for other people, or wishing we could take buses to Mexico. All good ideas if we had an attorney to keep our buts out of the wringer.