'95 Chevy Short Bus - Full Time Living

MEllison · 01-26-2018, 05:46 PM

Hey everyone,

I've recently purchase a 1995 Chevy 5.7L V8 short bus. Only 106,334 miles. Parts have been ordered to redo the brake system, full tune up, shocks and air springs.
I'm quitting my job at the end of February and want to have this bus complete and ready to live in by the beginning of July. I've installed and designed solar panel installations professionally for 3.5 yrs, so I'm excited to finally do some solar for myself.

ben2go · 01-26-2018, 05:54 PM

I'm onboard. I can't wait to see what you come up with. Time is ticking.

Robin97396 · 01-26-2018, 07:01 PM

Considering your expertise in solar installations, what's your opinion on using flexible panels on a bus?

Thomas1985 · 01-26-2018, 07:23 PM

Very cool. I'm about to start a very similar project. Mine is a in 1991 GMC with a wheelchair lift. Otherwise looks almost exactly the same. It's a great size vehicle you'll be able to travel anywhere in including big cities like Chicago where I had a very hard time parking my 28 foot bus.

MEllison · 01-27-2018, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Considering your expertise in solar installations, what's your opinion on using flexible panels on a bus?

I've never worked with them, but I bet it would work and might be a cheaper solution. I'd consider a few things, though:

- Make sure they're made to adhere to a painted metal surface. A lot of them are made for membrane roofs like TPO and EPDM. And make sure that surface is ridiculously clean and smooth, because that adhesive is the only thing keeping those panels on your bus at 65mph on the interstate.

- Make sure the voltage output works for your electrical design. They are usually thin film instead of crystalline, so the voltage can sometimes be 2x that of a normal 60 cell crystalline module. Not necessarily an issue, just something to design around.

- I have a theory that having the panels off the roof by a few inches will provide a shading/cooling effect, which would be lost if they were adhered to the roof

Robin97396 · 01-27-2018, 11:14 AM

I love the idea of suspending the flexible panels several inches above the roof, although then attaching them becomes a problem as does having them flapping in the wind. I've long considered the land cruiser type roof design to help dissipate heat, but that dumb solar shield is just about as expensive as making an entire roof deck. I'd like to have a veranda on my roof. I visualize having a couple drinks up there and then falling off.

I was under the impression that gluing the flex panels to the metal roof would ruin them. Someone else mentioned that had been tried and that and the panels melted or otherwise self destructed because of the hot metal skin of the bus. Even here in Oregon the bus skin gets to hot to touch in the hottest part of the summer. I know that's nothing compared to tejas heat.

I'm a back road driver. Since my paint job last summer I've already got numerous scrape marks on the new paint Job roof and upper exterior skin. So far solar hasn't even been a consideration, but at some point I intend to hit the road on a cross country trip and leave my brushy back roads behind. I'm looking for a little power without the generator noise while I'm parked. At the same time if I can find a brushy road to drive down I could easily wipe out a lot of solar panels real quick. The flexible panels are obviously lighter weight than the crystalline panels, so I'm trying to think of a way to use them and still be able to protect them when on the occasional back road.

I feel like I'm peeing into the wind when looking for power through solar. I feel like we need a large capacitor, that could be charged with a geny in less than an hour, to last overnight. Batteries are to slow to recharge.

I'm not one that can afford to park in a RV campground every night to recharge my batteries from the grid. That'll be the day when I pump over a thousand a month into staying at RV parks with no elbow room. If I'm going to put up with other people's noise I'll stay at a truck stop. At least I could run my geny at a truck stop so I could run my AC to enable some decent sleep for a few hours.

It's becoming exceedingly clear that overall this is a very complicated way to run around the country.

Defjr333 · 01-27-2018, 12:57 PM

A quick google search shows multiple companies recalling flexible panels due to fire hazzard:
https://www.renogy.com/voluntary-product-recall/
https://incompliancemag.com/bendable...o-fire-hazard/
I had heard of the problem from gonewiththewinns blogsite as they had 3 melt on them. The coating is very thin and easily scratched past allowing damage to cells as well compared to a true panel. Sad, I too was thinking about using them.
Doug

Robin97396 · 01-27-2018, 02:19 PM

I'm thinking a lot of that is because of the way they were used. It may take several more years before the panels become durable enough to make them practical and safe.

Ok, back to the less tech dumb deck on top of the bus.

MEllison · 03-22-2018, 08:47 PM

I have more done than these photos show, but here is the bus without the seats.

MEllison · 03-25-2018, 07:27 PM

Floor and heater removed. I've got some Ospho on order from Amazon. My plan is to hit the existing rust with a wire brush using my angle grinder. Then apply the ospho. Also, the one picture shows where the sheet metal is sagging. I'll either try to use rivets or just use roofing screws (with neoprene washers) from underneath. Anybody have a better idea on that one?

I don't own a welder, but have access to a borrowed one and could figure out how to use it. Now is a good time and excuse, I guess.

Twigg · 03-25-2018, 07:30 PM

If the floor is "sagging", it is likely that a cross-member had rotted out.

On most buses they are "C" channels running the width of the bus and welded to the ribs and/or chair rail.

Damage in that area needs cutting back to good metal and a proper repair.

It's not hard, but it may take time.

ol trunt · 03-25-2018, 07:56 PM

It's interesting that the only rust on the floor is in the area where the bus body builder widened the floor--probably saved a few pennies by not painting it. Since the original van floor is rust free you'll only need to make sure the cross member extensions aren't too rusty. Also check for rust where the extensions meet the outer edge of the body. If all that is OK, patch in light sheet metal in the badly rusted areas probably with steel pop rivets as welding rust is not possible for even experienced welders. Mu 2 cents worth. Jack

MEllison · 03-27-2018, 08:57 PM

Here's some pictures from underneath the sagging area. I hope that black sealant wasn't the only thing holding that edge to the rest of the body.

It looks like the cross member is doing well. The interior portion of the lowest end of the sagging area is hidden by a chase behind the driver's seat. When I get the chance, I'll pull that off and see more. Since that chase is also the paneling holding in the windows, I may have to wait to repair the sag until I'm ready to skin over the window gaps.

Also, today I removed the rear heater hoses as well as the A/C evaporator and blower, condenser fans, refrigerant lines (they were practically empty due to a leak), and A/C electrical lines. Removing those hoses really cleared up some working room in the engine bay!

I'm going to look into adding front A/C, but have no idea if that's a possibility.

Thomas1985 · 03-27-2018, 09:10 PM

Is it right behind the driver's seat and stairwell? If so, mine is also like that. It's a 91.

MEllison · 03-28-2018, 07:33 AM

Yep. Exactly.

MEllison · 05-14-2018, 07:05 PM

And now for a long overdue update.
The bus is now starting reliably and running smoothly (

), after lots of work:
Drained gas tank
New fuel filter
Cleaned and tested fuel injectors
Cleaned and rebuilt throttle body
New spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor
New MAP sensor
New O2 sensor
New air filter
New heater core (the old one was leaking coolant into the cab)
Cleaned and tested radiator
New thermostat
New water pump
New radiator/heater hoses

I've finished removing all of the interior paneling and fiberglass insulation.
I removed the air conditioner above the rear door and patched over the bolt holes using some of the old interior ceiling panels, stainless steel pop rivets, and NP1 roofing sealant. That was my first time using the harbor freight rivet gun. The assembly was more involved than I was expecting, but got it working after a trip to pick up hydraulic fluid.

The windows are now removed and I'm almost ready to add the skins. I was initially planning to reuse the ceiling panels as the exterior skins, but am going to check on the price for a single sheet of metal for each side of the bus. I think the fewer seams to line up and keep from leaking may be worth the price of the new sheet metal.

I spent all day scrubbing the bus. It is probably the first proper bath it has seen in at least a decade.

Next up, finish removing rivets in preparation for receiving skins!

MEllison · 05-14-2018, 07:12 PM

Also, in case anyone has a similar generation Blue Bird like mine, the ignition interlock relay looks like the one in the image below. One of the purple wires passes through the firewall to the left of the brake pedal and up to the emergency exits. Those switches/sensors on the emergency exits are just providing ground to that purple wire. You can cut the wire from inside the cab, pull it into the engine bay, and attached it to the battery negative like I did. Problem solved. Then you can remove as many emergency wires as you want, with no issues.

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