Pilgrim Days

[Skrooloose101]

The propane rack is a awesome idea!! I put my fresh water setup underneath my couch/bed, so that way its insulated inside the cab

[DrDanger]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Also, the things attaching the chair rail to the ribs aren't rivets (unless they changed the construction methods between my bus and yours). They're actually massive short sheet metal screws with rounded heads (I assume they're driven in by friction since they're not meant to ever come out and you definitely wouldn't want there to be any way for kids to unscrew them).

If you have a splice somewhere in your chair rail (I have one, not sure if everybody does) you can peek down in the gap and see how these screws look.

Sure enough, some kind of weird screw. How bizarre?

[DrDanger]

Originally Posted by Skrooloose101

The propane rack is a awesome idea!! I put my fresh water setup underneath my couch/bed, so that way its insulated inside the cab

Thanks! Now I just have to decide where to hang it!
Yeah, I considered putting the tank under the bed in the back like a lot of people do, but I wanted to maximize storage space inside the bus. Plus I wanted the center of gravity further forward and lower. Not saying I'd do it the same way again, but I think the bus will handle a bit better this way.

[DrDanger]

Started work on the rear deck. Got the everything bolted up just to see how it would fit and to brainstorm what to do on the sides between the bumper and the skirt. I am thinking of putting two pieces of angle iron between them to frame it out and then skin it with sheet metal, but I am open to other ideas.
Again, I apologize for the rotated pictures. Does this site not recognize pictures in portrait?

[DrDanger]

...and I got the rear kid/dog window installed for the bottom bunk area (you know, so it will be less cave-like).

[EastCoastCB]

I love it!!!!!!

[Frochevy]

Love the lower bunk window and your start to a rear deck! If you could happen to find some "Jr channel" iron from your local scrap yard etc you might be able to find the right width to match your bumper. Jr channel is a thinner wider version of normal channel iron... Or if you already have the angle and sheet metal... That's pretty handy. Alot of times I design things based on what I have laying around! Keep up the good work!!

[DrDanger]

As Jeremy Clarkson would say...SITREP: I used a piece of flexible exhaust to relocate the rear section of my exhaust from the right side to the middle. The purpose is to free up that right side area for more activities! Now I have to decide if am going to put the propane cage there right behind the wheels or take out the small stock storage box in front of the wheels and put the propane there. I kind of want to put it in front of the rear wheels to get it closer to where the propane needs to go in the kitchen, but also, I am lazy and don't want to take that little storage box out. Thoughts?

[musigenesis]

My propane rack is going to be in front of the wheel, underneath the raised platform for my oven. Just seems natural for it to be right under the appliance that is going to use it the most, and you have to deal with an exploding tire no matter which side of the wheel it's on.

You have a mid-mounted fuel tank?

[DrDanger]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

You have a mid-mounted fuel tank?

No, it is actually right next to the front door on the right side. I have seen some buses that have the fuel tank in the back, but not me. Maybe it depends on the length of the bus.

[Frochevy]

FWIW... My propane locker is behind my rear wheels. (Short bus) I made the frame out of tubing that should resist a tire blow out. It uses two normal grill tanks so I can swap them out anywhere they sell propane bottles. I've only used it for my heater so far and it has worked great for that!

[DrDanger]

Finally got the propane cage installed. As usual, I finished in the dark so the last few pictures look a bit weird because of the light from all the reflective tape I still haven't scraped off.




I don't have the other tank at the bus right now, but I'll have two tanks with an automatic change-over valve.

[musigenesis]

Very slick.

[Frochevy]

Looking great!

[DrDanger]

I've been putting in some time on the grey tank. I decided to build my own using plywood and fiberglass.
I took the frame I had made for the 55gal drums and remade it so that it slants up toward the back to prevent it from dragging on the ground at any point.

I made the tank tapered as well

I installed baffles to minimize sloshing

Then started on adding fiberglass to the lid (I figured I should start on the lid since that is where the waterproofing is least critical)





I guess I didn't coat the wood well enough because is sucked the resin out of the cloth and left a few voids



I built some straps to hold the tank down to the frame. The welding didn't turn out so well obviously, so I built the second one using bolts



Oh, I also found a great deal on a used tow bar. I had to drive out to "the sticks" to get it, but I think it was worth it.

[musigenesis]

Nice job on the gray tank, that's an interesting approach to the problem. If the chop job on my RV step tub fails, I may end up having to build a custom shower pan in the same way, so it's cool to see somebody here doing it. Looking forward to seeing how it works out for you.

That strap was galvanized?

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by DrDanger

No, it is actually right next to the front door on the right side. I have seen some buses that have the fuel tank in the back, but not me. Maybe it depends on the length of the bus.

Mine is in the center just behind the rear wheels. I thought it was a safety thing so the tank couldn't be directly impacted in a collision, but I guess not.

[DrDanger]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Nice job on the gray tank, that's an interesting approach to the problem. If the chop job on my RV step tub fails, I may end up having to build a custom shower pan in the same way, so it's cool to see somebody here doing it. Looking forward to seeing how it works out for you.

That strap was galvanized?

Hahaha! Yeah, I'll let you know how it turns out. It actually got me thinking the same thing (I started watching videos on custom tile showers and that seems pretty challenging)


Yes, it is galvanized. It is apparently used to keep mobile homes from blowing away. https://www.lowes.com/pd/35-ft-Mobil...-Strap/3438360

[DrDanger]

Well, it took more time than I imagined, but I am now done with my grey water tank. Definitely a lot of lessons learned since this was my first (and likely last) time working with fiberglass. I will gladly share what I have learned in detail with anyone considering embarking on this route, but for the sake of brevity and getting sleep I'll just recap.


After my test run on the lid I started on the main tank. The first step was to create fillets (smooth curves between two surfaces) to allow the fabric to bend smoothly

Then I did my first layer of fabric

I almost forgot to mount my See-Level tank level sensor

I was afraid that the fiberglass resin would melt or damage the sensor so I covered them with rubberized undercoating per the sensor manufacturer's recommendation

After that there was a lot of mixing resin, cutting cloth, and muttering under my breath...and then POOF!

Steps not documented with pictures: paint exterior of plywood, complete hydronic heat loop inside tank, cut inlet/outlet holes, solder sensor wires together, and the final and most important step - use an angle grinder and sander to make up for my inability to use a tape measure correctly.


I'll get a got shot of it tucked up under the bus if it ever stops raining here.

[DrDanger]

...other than that I've been chasing leaks...



...and I started on the fold up extension on the back deck




Step by step