The Gypsy Jack Conversion - Take 2

[mosdottir]

Hey folks,

I haven't posted since 2006. We bought our bus, converted it, moved to AZ and have lived here since.

(http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/index.ph ... es/Nemeton)

Now our gypsy feet are pulling us back to the East Coast. Before we had 2 kids, 3 dogs and 9 cats that ALL lived on the bus. Now it is just us two, 2 dogs and 2 cats. So time to remodel the interior to make it more spacious for us!! I am so jazzed. Instead of 3 months to get ready, we have a little of 16 months. New adventure, new name for it, new facelift and renovation work.

There are things we did not get to finish last time. Some of the wood is still raw, not stained or painted. We never got to finish painting the inside. Not enough cabinets in the bedroom area (we were too worried about making room for the kids and all the books since we homeschooled)

Right now we just can't decide on whether to move the door or not. The thing I like about the skoolie is that it IS a skoolie. I like the bus door look to it. The problem is I want to sit next to/near hubby when he drives. I am the navigator and map reader for him. The metal part of the door is in great condition. The material covering the middle of the door, not so much. The door has air leaks and I am not happy with that.

We thought about moving the opening to the center of the bus, but to tell you the truth, I like my cabinets in the kitchen the way they are, and like I said, I like the look of the skoolie.

What did any of you do to the door if you left it in place to help with the air leaks? Fixing the material??

Looking forward to seeing more of all of you

[Malkieri]

Just an idea off the top of my head would treadmill belt work to fill the door gap? I'm sure you can find a free treadmill on CL.... and others have made seats here that bridge that gap... or you can go with a jump seat like UPS trucks have.

[Gsragtop]

Wait, you home schooled in a Skoolie??? Ohh the irony !!

Looking forward to reading about your new adventures.

[bansil]

Welcome back

[mosdottir]

Hey folks,

Well, I guess we have decided to move the door after all. This will be an adventure. We will have to tear out the kitchen cabinets, move the awning, move our black tank (Yucko) We have had unemployed friends living on it off and on over the past years. Seems they can't understand NO USING the toilet. Finally I duck taped the darn thing. Should be fun cleaning that tape off.

The batteries are old and have been sitting out here in the desert heat for 7years. We had been starting the bus up on a regular basis. Then about 3 months ago, we went out to start it, and no joy. We checked the batteries. They were dead and empty. Cleaned them up, refilled them, and they are charged back up but I guess we aren't getting enough amperage to crank over the engine. So now, we have to find someplace in this one horse town that sells batteries. I heard someone say they bought from a Sam's club?? Our tractor supply carries them, but not at the amperage the original ones were. He's thinking of keeping the current ones since they charged up to use in the battery bank for a solar power unit.

After we get the batteries, then we can drive it to town, dump the tanks, and then continue with moving the door. Did I tell you I live 7 miles down a dirt road that is a bumpy a** road??? OMG, that is going to be fun

In the meantime, I guess I will get some pictures of the inside before we renovate again. Hubby is pretty excited though because he is getting a heavier welder, a BIG air compressor that runs on 220, and a new sawzall. What do you think??

So let the adventure begin. Thank goodness we have a local metal supply store in this one horse town.

Brat

[mosdottir]

Originally Posted by Gsragtop

Wait, you home schooled in a Skoolie??? Ohh the irony !!

Yes, we homeschooled in a Skoolie. NOT very long though. LOL

My daughter turned 18, and my 15 year old was just WAY to distracted by the new town. So I let him have the rest of the semester off, and as soon as we bought a house, started back up again.

[mosdottir]

Woot Woot!! The Gypsy Jack is alive again. New batteries are in, and the dogs went crazy when we fired it up. So we took them for a drive around the yard in it

Well, now to get the black tank cleaned out. FUN FUN.