Least Completed Conversion for Traveling...

[TucsonAZ]

Thanks guys, I'm happy to see some of you have the same struggles, some enjoy the same things and while I know there's no right or wrong answers for any of it and often they're all the wrong choice. That's the amazing thing about the communities we create, they're affirming and make you want to give back to them.



In my case, I've just had a rough year, found out my mother is terminally ill from an illness caused by a couple shots she got last year. Some other family issues with my oldest daughter, and then something happened a couple months ago that I'll talk about after I'm gone but not before. But it Fd me up super good and proper with concerns for my safety which is the priority and this post is just about my finding balance.



Time line for the bus:


Picked up October 20th 2022 and started on is on the 23rd, I try to put in about 2 hours a day on that but I'm also liquidating my business and addressing other things.



Day 1) 2 hours - Half the seats out
Day 2) 2 hours - Remainder of seats out
Day 3) 2 Hours - Removed every screw we could find and cleaned
Day 4) 1 Hour - Tool setup, prep, hammered every rivet inner
Day 5) 1.5 Hours - Removed all ceiling rivets


Day 1-10) 300 Hours - ENDLESS research and watching videos. I was already super well versed but have been updating info and sorting how I want to do what. Also got everything sent to Vermont so hopefully they send me my plates.



So I'm 8.5 hours in and just need to do a little more to get the flooring out and interior gutted.


The next steps are going to be cleaning up the flooring, deleting all the windows and then furring it out and insulation. I'm going to Eternabond all seams and use some TS tractor paint to white the roof and then weld up a solar rack as I'm mounting 5,000 watts of solar up there and that's a must before I'm on the road.



I'm a HUGE Chemlink M1 fan so I spent $400 on 45 tubes of that, I'm also super all about being chemical free so I got 5 pounds of Super Blonde dewaxed Shellac as I'm planning to do the entire interior in that.



If I can get that done, some Toyo 144s all around it I'll be all set and plenty happy on the road even if it's empty on the inside. I have 18kWh of LifePo 4 rack server batteries sitting here so that would be more than enough to run an AC, heaters or anything else I need. I'm not a huge fan of splits but have a spare sitting here so I'm thinking about it.



I have only done time lapse videos every day, I'll post that when I'm finished inside.

[TucsonAZ]

This is after day 2 when the seats were finally out, I'll get one at the end of the next day so you can see what that's looking like. Calling for rain Wednesday so after that I'll likely remove the emergency exits and skin those over as well as the windows so I can start on that.

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by TucsonAZ

I'll be honest, my mental health is about as low as it can get for me and I am ready to just be on the road. I did this once before due to timelines and I know that once on the road I just made due and didn't finish another thing l planned.



This time, I'm moving into the bus, I will have no home but I just don't have the time or energy right now to finish the build the way I need before I have to leave anyway. So I'm almost at a point of just wanting to finish the inside floor and walls and head out in an empty box.



Just curious if any of you have been here or how things went for you at that point? I'll have my truck and two trailers with all tools and supplies and such. I don't know, just a thought to see what I can do in 7 weeks and call it good enough. I know it isn't ideal but, what ever is.

We're not all that far from Tucson, on the way to Texas. We do something here called Boondocking and building. We don't have utilities, but you are welcome to run your generator. We have a well for potable water. Dig your own hole for sceptic. We ourselves live in and drive a bus. It's a very relaxed atmosphere to achieve what you need to have a living space you can be happy with on the road.

Just search for the Boondocking and building thread for more details. Did I mention it's cheap? We are in it for the community not the money.

Best of luck, Rock and Ruth Freedom Field, Deming New Mexico.

[KeyWestPirate]

weld up a solar rack as I'm mounting 5,000 watts of solar up there and that's a must before I'm on the road.



That is some serious solar,,, if you find enough room,, I would like to see how you do it. I have 4500 watts on my roof in Nicaragua and it's more real estate than the roof of the bus

[Rock-N-Ruth]

Originally Posted by KeyWestPirate

weld up a solar rack as I'm mounting 5,000 watts of solar up there and that's a must before I'm on the road.



That is some serious solar,,, if you find enough room,, I would like to see how you do it. I have 4500 watts on my roof in Nicaragua and it's more real estate than the roof of the bus

We just upgraded our 12 327W Panels to 12 415W panels for nearly 5K. We love it.

[TucsonAZ]

Originally Posted by KeyWestPirate

weld up a solar rack as I'm mounting 5,000 watts of solar up there and that's a must before I'm on the road.



That is some serious solar,,, if you find enough room,, I would like to see how you do it. I have 4500 watts on my roof in Nicaragua and it's more real estate than the roof of the bus

Originally Posted by Rock-N-Ruth

We just upgraded our 12 327W Panels to 12 415W panels for nearly 5K. We love it.

Same here, 12 of the 410 watt panels.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

thought this was a minimal build to get on the road?
slept on the ground walking through the woods most of my life.
dont need a bus to get away from things.
pit and pat will serve you well as long as you are good to them.
many miles that you are not used to in the wrong boots they will tell you.
scouts as a kid hiking infantry marine and then raising my boys in scouts with a backpack trip every month. wasnt just my dogs barking.
my big bus actually hauled canoes and scouts in style for a few trips.
maybe a bus is in your future.
but the minimal and getting out and about from what you have said is more important but you have also said you have several people helping you.
take a weekend a backpack of course water and some food unless you want to kill clean and cook every night and take a break from drama.
or do the basics and hit the road.
there are a few members here that offer build camp sites on your way in new mexico and arizona.
having help is not something you will find everywhere.
you have help that is hopefully not your drama?
take a break and a backpack and just get away for a little bit.
if your help is your drama then tell them to hit the road.
if they are asking for money and it was stated up front then thats a debt you owe.
if not and they expect something from you in return?
the labor and sweat equity they put into for you is hard to measure depending on how much each friend helped.
if they are trying to help you as friends.
anytime i need a hand my one or two friends get feed yes i said feed and drinks of there choice.
heck everytime i go get back to texas and go to the old farm i have to grab a hand full of the feed fall the cattle and for the horses. aint got the mollasses in it like the blocks
and cleaner than a granola bar.
bus or not if you have BS in your life and dont know how to deal with it then a back pack ready to go and pit and pat will help with a break. regroup thoughts and maybe fresher decisions.
just me but i already have a pack that i can grab and headout to the woods as well as my entire family.
aint a prepper but spend whatever back packing and come home clean it and replenish.
i have more tents than i do buses.

[TucsonAZ]

This is where things sit at the end of today, we have clear skies here for a bit so I'm hoping to have the floors out by and start working on the windows Thursday so I can delete all of those.


I went over numbers in my head, yesterday and today were only a total of 2.5 hours combined with 2 people yesterday and 3 of us today so I would say about 25-30 man hours total realistically which feels like good progress for the amount done.


Also worked out the solar panels today and about to pay for those now so it will be 4,920 watts, This works out well so each inverter is handling 2 strings of 3 panels.


I'll be honestly, if I roll out with a box that's finished on the inside, just the box and nothing else done and I have my solar set up I'll be pretty content with that.

[Free Bird]

I saw an add for a bus once, the guy claimed he had put about 6000 miles on it. The pictures showed it all nice and tidy with furniture sittin here and there and NOTHING BOLTED DOWN OR ATTACHED IN ANY WAY!

Yikes!

I was commenting on this to a mechanic friend, he pondered for a moment and said you know, that would probably work just fine if you built a good steel bulkhead behind the drivers and passenger seats.

Food for thought.

[musigenesis]

I built a steel bulkhead wall behind my driver and passenger seats - I still wouldn't want to have a bunch of loose furniture flying around back there.

[Free Bird]

That also is food for thought.

[Byrd Scheit]

Make a list of stuff that you need to have done and stuff you would like to have. If you are missing out on the basics it may drag you down a bit. Knock out any 2 persons jobs while you got some help. Have a plan B just in case

My first place we had to slide the couch towards the corner of the room so no one would step in the hole! The toilet had a obvious lean from the decaying floor. No ac or heat and only the washer machine worked. A hard wind could open the front door and I enjoyed it all. Probably wouldnt like it now lol

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by TucsonAZ

I'll be honest, my mental health is about as low as it can get for me and I am ready to just be on the road. I did this once before due to timelines and I know that once on the road I just made due and didn't finish another thing l planned.

This time, I'm moving into the bus, I will have no home but I just don't have the time or energy right now to finish the build the way I need before I have to leave anyway. So I'm almost at a point of just wanting to finish the inside floor and walls and head out in an empty box.

Just curious if any of you have been here or how things went for you at that point? I'll have my truck and two trailers with all tools and supplies and such. I don't know, just a thought to see what I can do in 7 weeks and call it good enough. I know it isn't ideal but, what ever is.

----------------------------

Your aforementioned statement explains why you would write this ⤵ response to a new member.


"I'll be honest, I think if you can't manage to get your pictures to properly display it may be a larger project than you can do."



(btw: several wks have passed, so I offer to you, your own advice ⤴, skip the roof raise)