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Old 09-08-2006, 12:07 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Location: Payette Idaho
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Help! floor plans are driving me mad!

I just traded my harley for a 1949 chevy bus. (It is the most beautifull thing I have ever seen!) I am in the process of stripping the carpet from the ceiling! The problem that I am having is this.....I dont know what I am doing! But I deal with that problem everyday ....seriously the problems seem to be many fist off I have a short bus only 17 feet from the back of the drivers seat to the rear off the bus.(interior) second there is not a lot of clearance. I am 5 foot 5 and Id say there is only 4 inches above that, to the ceiling. I am not nearly ready to think about raising her roof , I would like to have a shower toilet comboas ther is not room for much else. Anyway... ANY help with floorplans that incorporate a bath would be great. ANY help with anything would be great. What about insulation on the floor and ceiling? Is there anything besides carpet? Keep in mind that I dont have the space to frame and insulate the floor.Also this is the first time that I have joined a group or whatever, I am trying to put a picture of my bus near my name and can not figure it out. what is this watermark thing the gallery talks about any help with that would be greatly appreciated also!!!
Thanks

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Old 09-08-2006, 10:35 AM   #2
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hey foggymourn, congrats on the new bus. i keep waitin to see one of these shorty busses fixed up, or at least on the road. what make is your 49. ????? ford- chevy-international ??? is it a wayne body.??? 17 feet, thats a shorty alright. i got a 64 international / wayne 20 footer but it kind of went by the wayside for that project. i bought a 21 foot 1981 international/wayne s-series ive been working on. we bought one of those outside shower things from cabelas. its got like a little tent like thing you stand in and theres a tank you fill up with water and heat with those disposable propane canisters. heck get you a portapoddy. theres not much room on the shortys, but they sure are coooool. good luck and post some picks when you figure out how. i still havnt figuered it out. westport_wayne
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Old 09-08-2006, 12:23 PM   #3
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Yea another Idaho guy

I'm in Twin Falls, Idaho. Our bus is a Crown 35 ft. Come on over to visit. We have lots of room to park and talk. You can come anytime. My bus progress is at Bustropolis.com look under Crown bus.
Frank frank-idatvelocitus.net
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Old 09-09-2006, 12:35 AM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Hey! thanks for the response. Man its takin me a while to figure all this forum stuff out. Before this I only used my computer for banking and shopping, oh and those damn school papers. Anyway it seems everytime that I ask a question I find the answer a few minutes later. So can anyone tell me if there is a place to search for the model of my bus with only the serial number? It is a good thing that my husband is in the body, paint, and frame business! Cuz my bus is in sad shape. She is after all 57 years old. She does run and doesn't leak oil, but she needs new tires and brakes pretty bad. We still need to open her up and go through everything. So it will be at least spring before we take a trip. The good thing about this bus is....It's MINE! We have a fith wheel that we take hunting and camping with our three kids. But the bus(still thinking of a name, maybe myrtle) Is my space a good thing to because she is short. Actually our friends with bikes are calling her the snack shack. Since I traded my bike for her, which by the way was not a popular desicion when talking to the gang at gails custom cycles, untill they step aboard that is! Anyway ...She is mamas harley now! But I have a feeling she will also be the porta potty/ dinner on alot of "rides" My husband wants to make a trailer for his bike that I can pull I am guessing so that we can go to stergis or something someday. Well I should go I have an early appointment with the rv salvage man in the morning. One more question, the bus has been started, it has alot of woodwork all of the walls have slat wood pannels. Do I need to remove everything or can I leave the walls and pay attention to the floor?When I say walls I am meaning the actual inner shell of the bus. I have already disassembled the interior walls so that I can change the floorplan. I sorta want to strip it bare incase the person before me didn't do a complete job.
Still trying to download all the stuff for gallery, hopefully pics are comeing soon.
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Old 09-09-2006, 01:26 AM   #5
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As much as you may not want to go with carpet, I think an industrial carpet like you'd find in a school is a safe bet and it's not expensive. That's what's in my "living room" in the bus and I love it. The taller pile stuff in the back was nice until I had to tear it out becaue it got too yucked out and I've only had the bus converted for maybe 2 months!

From a mechanical standpoint....as much as I love restored cars and trucks, I'm all about the resto-mods. I like the old look, but prefer somewhat modern technology both from a reliability standpoint and a parts standpoint. That said...you said your brakes were bad. I have a feeling parts might be difficult to find for them and even if you do, they will likely be expensive and have lackluster performance. What I'm going to suggest is a bit of work, but I'm sure it will pay off in the end.

I would suggest swapping to a modern engine. By modern I mean in the last 40 years or so. If your current engine is running, it will likely have some resale value amongst a collector or restorer. I know I might catch some flack for not suggesting a true MDT engine, but why not go with a simple carbed 350? It will still be chevy and you can darn near buy parts at a seven eleven. An SM465 tranny from a truck (4 speeds, granny low) would be more than up to the task and will be simple to drive. A true medium duty tranny would be even better if you don't mind double clutching. Heck...you could even go with an Allison or TH400 or TH475 for pretty cheap if automatic is your thing. I just think parts availability and new motor reliablity would be nice.

As for axles...a Dana 70, 80, 135 (F-450+ rear axle) or even a dually 14 bolt from a 1 ton chevy would probably be sufficient for the rear end. It would be important to make sure Again....what you gain is parts availability and MUCH better brakes. Your front axle choices are more limited, but even if you kept the stock front end with new brakes you'd be well off with the new rear axle. The new axle would also allow you to run a more modern wheel lug pattern which means more modern wheels which means more modern tires. I think a set of 19.5's would give that thing a cool lowered look and give some REAL piece of mind.

Or you could prove me wrong and find parts at NAPA and keep it all stock. If you are able to do that, I'll be even more impressed and surely tip my hat to you. That's the beauty of skoolies.....everyone gets to make theirs.....well....THEIRS.

Good luck with your conversions!
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Old 09-09-2006, 03:32 PM   #6
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Well I thought that I could post a picture of my bus but I guess not. I will keep trying. I went to boise today and came home with a recycling toilet, nver heard of one before, a stove, a converter, and a fridge. I decided to go ahead and pull all the cabnetry out so that I can get to the bottom of the floor. when I pulled up the carpet it still had the original red and black laminate flooring. I think I should at least go down to the plywood to see what it looks like. I will decide more from there. [img][/img] only one more week befor I start school again, I had hoped to be finished with the tearing down by then. We'll see
Happy trails
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