Project Rivet | Our Future Toy Hauler “Colleen”

[Pullstart]

Hello all, I made my introduction in the proper area, now it’s time to officiate the build thread.

I like to incorporate YouTube videos in my build threads as much as possible. I realize they take bandwidth to watch, but sometimes I can only type and take so many pictures.

This is a 2009 Blue Bird Vision with a 6.7 Cummins and Allison transmission. It’s only got 134k miles on the ticker and it’s ready to rock and roll!

The video of bringing our bus home:

https://youtu.be/gzLrs7zJkHU

An update / project intro video:

https://youtu.be/XLMloA9-up8

[musigenesis]

Welcome to skoolie building, the best bad idea a person can have. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this.

[Pullstart]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Welcome to skoolie building, the best bad idea a person can have. Looking forward to seeing what you do with this.

Thanks! In the meantime, I’ve been scouring the builds section here and watching YouTube videos of other projects. My FIL is the floor manager of a sheet metal laser / forming shop and I might go as far as recreating the side wall supports and riveting them in to make a factory looking outside. My wife is skeptical, and as mentioned her expectations for a camper are high. I’d love to impress the socks off her more than anything… well maybe not more than myself!

[Pullstart]

If anyone is interested in my garden tractor addiction, the reason for the toy hauler plans… here is my image gallery at RedSquare, the Wheel Horse Forum.

https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/gall...start-stables/

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Pullstart

I might go as far as recreating the side wall supports and riveting them in to make a factory looking outside.

Say what now?

[DeMac]

That's what I wanna see. Tractor porn. Please tell us more about your hauler plans.
Sleeper cab?
Rear ramp?
Flatbed or covered?

[Pullstart]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

Say what now?

Well, it’s project “rivet” right? I know a lot of roof raises are a simple cut and weld deal. Why not pop rivets out and lift the skin, then rivet in extensions for a factory look?

[Pullstart]

Originally Posted by DeMac

That's what I wanna see. Tractor porn. Please tell us more about your hauler plans.
Sleeper cab?
Rear ramp?
Flatbed or covered?

It’s all for the tractors! I just need to figure out how to make it as nice as this…

[Pullstart]

Here is the floor plan that we had on order. Just add a steering wheel, right?

[Pullstart]

This is how we typically get to the shows. I built an 8’5-1/2” wide, 9’ long deck on top of “Norman” our ‘01 CCLB Duramax/ZF6 2wd hauler. Being from Michigan, I sourced this truck from Norman, OK and have done quite a bit of work to it. Engine swap, head studs, compressor wheel, up pipes, lift pump, etc.

The other truck is a 454 powered C3500HD with a 12’ flat bed.

[Pullstart]

Hey y’all, long time, no updates. Just weeks after finding Colleen, we found the toy hauler 5th wheel we were searching for. When camping and doing tractor shows, the ability to disconnect the hauler and drive to town if needed outweighted the idea of building our own camper. We have taken the bus on numerous “field trips” around the property when entertaining guests and have easily put more miles on it off road than on road.

As for the bus, we will likely continue to drive it around the field, until I find a suitable candidate to swap the engine and transmission into. I even thought about trying to pull the body off the frame and simple stick a truck cab on and make it an ultimate flat bed. I have options, but can’t pull the trigger on which direction to go.