Converting to a hauler/camper

[jpatton1493]

I'm thinking of backhalfing my Bluebird to make a flatbed to haul my rock crawler on. I'd like to keep about 4 windows worth of the body of the bus, and move the rear up to recap the body and still be able to use the rear door. Has anyone ever done this type of body work? What do I need to look out for? Is the floor of the bus strong enough to hold a truck that weighs 4-5k? Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[the_experience03]

First things first...we need a picture of your crawler (at least I do)

The floor will be fine. Say the crawler will take up half the length of the bus....that's 31 seats at 150 lbs per person...that's 4650 lbs. You'll be fine. The floor height is kind of high though and even with a good breakover angle you're going to need some long ramps. Look into Millicient. Elliot dovetailed the rear and it gained a lot of drop that way.

[jpatton1493]

Well, deck height isn't a problem, the trailer I haul on now has a 34" deck height. Here's a few pics of my trucks. One is an '85 S-10 on 39.5's, 350, granny low, on 3/4 ton axles. The other is an '86 4runner on 42's, 400 chevy small block, granny low, on one tons. There's also a pic of the trailer I built to go behind the S-10 when we want to get off the beaten path to go camping. My biggest concern is how to cut the body, and reattach both the inner and outer walls and make it look right. Also, the bottom of the rear door hangs below the floor, and I have to figure out a way to make it work at floor height without letting any water in.

[Sojakai]

Video of a Unimog parking on the back of a bus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boocVLUncQA

[jpatton1493]

Thanks for the link to Millicent, good thread. I had thought about making the bed tilt, but I think it might be too slippery if it's wet, or the tires get muddy.

[Sojakai]

Mount this somewhere, use your winch to keep from sliding off or launching over/into the bus...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/D-Rin...Q5fAccessories