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05-25-2005, 12:21 AM
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#1
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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The Doodlebus
Well, I am throwing my hat into the ring so to speak. My bus is nearing completion and I have updated my website.
I still have a couple major projects left on the bus, however the list is getting smaller.
-Richard
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05-25-2005, 11:16 AM
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#2
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Off-Grid
Posts: 740
Year: 1982
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: IH S1723
Engine: IH V345 Gas V8
Rated Cap: 66
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Can't find a link to yer website - would love to take a peek!
__________________
~(G)Q Arduously Avoiding Assimilation
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05-25-2005, 12:24 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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Sorry it wasn't clear Griff.
The link is available through the WWW buttom at the bottom of my message. Once at the site just go to pictures section. I hope this helps. I would love to hear what you all think. -Richard
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05-25-2005, 12:46 PM
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#4
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Central Iowa
Posts: 1,839
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What is your door and the windows made out of?
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05-25-2005, 12:54 PM
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#5
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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door and windows
The door is two sheets of five eighths plywood glued and drywall screwed together. The windows are from the split doors. I kept them because they are double paned and very solid. I installed them like they were stock. There are latches inside that are closed while driving. I resused the rubber air seals from the split doors to keep outside out.
-Richard
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05-25-2005, 08:11 PM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Idaho
Posts: 448
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Looks like a really nice rig. I like how you installed the A/C. Bet you can't wait to go camping.
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05-25-2005, 08:39 PM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Grundy, Virginia
Posts: 632
Year: 1985
Coachwork: ThomasBuilt
Chassis: International Harvester S-1700
Engine: 9L IHC V-8 Diesel 180HP
Rated Cap: 60
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Really Nice Work!
Wow, you have made a whole lot of progress, and it looks really good! I like the superstrong door lock. I especially like the paint color you have chosen. That's pretty much the color I wanted to go with originally (....but you live in Canada where solar gain is a GOOD thing much of the year).
Good job!
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05-26-2005, 01:07 AM
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#8
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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doodlebus
yeah, it's coming along. I can't wait to get on the road. We'll be living in it for a couple months, so once we start we're in it for a bit.
The rest of the bus will be rasberry also with an aluminum colour as trim. It should look pretty slick.
There will hopfully be an aluminum roof rack going on once I get back from bc to recover what was found from the stolen bike chop shop.
I'll post more updates then.
-Richard
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06-01-2005, 01:19 PM
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#9
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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New engine
I realize that after all the discussion leading up to the descision to ge the engine rebuilt I never told you all how it turned out. Well...
It cost a bit more than expected because the mechanics at the bus garage had done a few mickey mouse modifications to the bus that were difficult to spot until everything was removed.
However the 366 small block coverted to propane is now great! I averaged 6mpg fully loaded (helping people move, both ways) through the rugged and high mountain passes in BC. She pulled solid. Cruised comfortably between 60-65 MPH. The governor kicks in then. On the passes I was passing big trucks, most RV's and recreational boaters (and volkswagons but that doesn't count ).
So, for those of you who were wary of sticking with this engine I must say it performed much better than anticipated. Over 3000 kms and all was good. Well, accept for the aluminum cover over the fuel pumps hole. It warped in Banff, so a mechanic came out from Calgary to replace it roadside. No biggie. There are worse places to sit on the roof and look at the scenery. .
-Richard
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09-10-2005, 10:07 AM
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#10
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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Well, we're here in Halifax.
almost 7000 km's and seven weeks later we are now on the other side of this huge country. I will post some more photo's of the bus once I figure out how to do so. Some updates from somone who lived in the front of their bus with a wife a two large dogs.
- Propane powered engines are a good idea in Alberta - ONLY!! What a pain. The bus was loaded down with our stuff and towing a 14' long pace american cargo trailer plus the roof rack was full. So it was working. The trip became where could we find propane to fill up with. The further east one goes the less automotive propane is available. Those that do have propane are open limited hours and the guy who certified to pump it has usually just gone home for the day. ARHHGG!!! We had a list of "all" the available vendors in canada which helped but was not always acurate. A few close calls. The closest was driving for 45 minutes on empty.
- Air conditioning is must. I have a 6000 btu home unit mounted in the living compartment of ours and it was barely enough. The roof rack made such a huge difference in keeping the heat off the bus. I would highly recomend one.
- Don't get cheap (like me out of nessisity) when it comes to your water system. I installed two pump style faucets (bathroom and kitchen). They work but are a pain because they are so slow. A water pump would make a huge difference.
- Buy good matching new deep cycle batteries. Seems obvious eh?
- Even a cheap genereator is worth it. We lived for free on a beach and surfed and swam for two weeks. All the while watching movies on laptops and drinking coffee. Good Stuff. It was days like that I appreciated all the work that went into converting a school bus.
- Truck stops are great. They don't mind overnight stays, are safe and have some of the cleanest showers I have seen. My wife and I were in shock. And they're free!!!
- Walmart parking lots are great. Free, easy to access and safe. Usually close to grocery stores and such also.
Gotta run. I'll upload some photo's in a few days. -Richard
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09-11-2005, 06:07 PM
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#11
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Grundy, Virginia
Posts: 632
Year: 1985
Coachwork: ThomasBuilt
Chassis: International Harvester S-1700
Engine: 9L IHC V-8 Diesel 180HP
Rated Cap: 60
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Wow, another successful long distance haul! Great! It sounds as if looking for propane can be the modern day equivalent of going out to find food for the day...or veggie oil!
If I had to be broken down, Banff would certainly be on the top of my list of places to do it. Never been there, but the pics I've seen are stupendous.
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09-13-2005, 11:09 AM
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#12
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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banff
Yes, Banff is a spectacular.
So, since I have nowhere to park the bus (I have a very small yard now) I have been inquiring into storage options. It seems out here the simplest solution is a winter (seasonal) storage at a campground out of town. One is willing to take the bus (which they have seen since we stayed there for a bit) for $100 until april (ish).
I am interested in where others store their busses? Also if anyone has any great sugestions for the Halifax area? This is such a creative bunch I look forward to the responses. Thanks. -Richard
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09-23-2005, 05:33 PM
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#13
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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New Photo's
I created an album for my bus. If you are interested click the www button and let me know what you think. -Richard
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06-15-2006, 01:36 PM
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#14
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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Complete overhaul
Well, I got the new conversion started a few weeks ago. I will post photo's in the next couple of days.
So far I have sealed up the floor, layed a combo poly/foam 3mm moisture barrier/insulation. Then a 7mm laminate "hardwood" flooring in a cherry finish. Followed by new carpet in the driver's area. Then built a custom stand that holds my batteries in a sealed compartment that's vented to the exterior, on the other side holds my inverters, ac breaker and other electrical "stuff". The batteries consist of 8 6volt house or coach batteries and 2 8d batteries for the bus or chasis. On top of the stand is a vintage (60's ish) sofa that flips forward for maintanance on batteries and such. Then I installed two propane boxes in the rear of the bus that are sealed and vented to the outside and will be located under the rear queen size elevated bed. Next came the furnace which is an older hydro flame 15,000 BTU that is a direct vent unit with no fan, so if the power is a concern their will still be some heat. Then a prodigy brake controller with 7 pin trailer conector. On a side note after we moved to halifax, after towing a trailer for a couple of monthes on the road my trailer lights died. After opening up the rear pannel that contained the tailight converter I saw a puddle of plastic and wires that was used to be a converter. So I redid all the wiring with soldier, heat shrink and a much better tailight converter. It's all aluminum with heat sink fins, and claims to increase brightness by 66%. We'll see if it is that much better . I replaced a few windows and skinned the rear windows. Then spray painted the interior windows we will be covering with the walls inside with black tremclad. It looks lousy inside but great on the outside. So that's good.
That's the big update and I'll try to post some photo's soon.
-Richard
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06-16-2006, 01:20 AM
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#15
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Saint James, MN
Posts: 2,669
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Two 8d starting batteries? I'm more than a little jealous. I bet you get more than the 10 seconds of subzero cranking that I get with my one group 27 battery. Of course I don't plan on doing much in the winter until I get some heat. I'm thinking of using some hydronic baseboard radiators hooked into the coolant lines. We'll see when I get to that bridge.
Anyway...I'll post some pictures if you do. My bus has gone from an empty shell to almost livable in 2 weeks
Reading your earlier post makes me a little nervous as I don't have a real pump on my water system either. Mine uses compressed air because I don't like noise under my bed. I'll post pictures and let people know how it works when it's all done.
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06-16-2006, 01:40 AM
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#16
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Almost There
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Iowa
Posts: 73
Year: 1984
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: Ford B700
Engine: orig.327, now 429
Rated Cap: 66
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????
is it just me or what ???? i dont see your WWW button anywhere...
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06-17-2006, 07:48 PM
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#17
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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It's there now. Sorry about that, I don't know where it went.
Yeah the double 8D's should be nice in cold weather. They're especially overkill since the bus is a gasser and it doesn't take much to fire it up.
After a couple of trips to the hardware store and the RV shop, I think we finally have enough supplies to finish her. Of course there will be things that come up, but the majority is covered. I hope I can finish it by August 1st which is our move out date.
I promise I will post some pictures soon. -Richard
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06-19-2006, 01:29 PM
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#18
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Rossland BC, Canada
Posts: 433
Year: 1985
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: 366 propane
Rated Cap: 56
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I updated the pictures so you all can see what I've done.
We painted the interior ceiling inside the bus, the roof, removed the deck and painted the frame. Then started framing and insulating the interior. It's actualy starting to look like somthing is happening!
Please check out the pictures (probably scroll to pg 4? to get to the recent ones) and let me know what you all think.
More to come soon.
-Richard
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06-19-2006, 05:46 PM
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#19
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Off-Grid
Posts: 740
Year: 1982
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: IH S1723
Engine: IH V345 Gas V8
Rated Cap: 66
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Looks like you've been quite busy! Your time and efforts are really paying off though, it's coming along quite nicely! I LOVE how that floor turned out, I may have to reconsider my flooring options!
__________________
~(G)Q Arduously Avoiding Assimilation
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06-19-2006, 11:05 PM
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#20
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 524
Year: 1993
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: IHC
Engine: Dt360
Rated Cap: 19
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Looking good!
Nicely done.
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