Da4ofBus

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A little about us for some background... My name is Derek. A little over 2 years ago I moved back to the States after working in the Caribbean for almost 9 years. Instead of going right back to the rat race I decided I wanted to build out a 4x4 van and travel around the country with my dog.

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About 4 months into my trip I met a girl (Melissa and her dog Cooper). As I kept traveling, we kept in touch and eventually it blossomed into a relationship. After a little over a year of traveling I settled down in Salt Lake City with her for the winter to snowboard. We've fallen in love with each other and decided that they're going to join us for the rest of the trip back to Florida. So I sold the van and bought a bus for some more room. So were thinking this route.

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Just for reference, here's where I went with the van.
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It's just a rough plan. Any and all suggestions are fully welcome and greatly appreciated.

Here's the story of our conversion...

I found the bus in Florida and I just so happened to be flying back there to visit family. So I checked it out while I was in town and ended up buying it.

2003 Freightliner/Thomas, MBE 904, Allison 2000


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Took all the seats out

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Went out to freightliner to bump the governor up to 70.
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First thing to happen is the hinge broke through the fiberglass. I guess it's pretty common.
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Pressure washed the inside, outside and underneath.
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Threw in the couch we got for the ride to utah.
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Wiped down the ceilings and console area.
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So before we left I needed to fix the hood. It didn't really fix the issue, but it was enough to get me back to Utah.

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NOLA bound...

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I contemplated for a long time on what to do in NOLA. I didn't really have a great way to lock the bus and I was bringing a lot of stuff back (drone, gopro, surfboards, etc.). I was looking at airbnb's for a night for a secure spot to park but that seemed to not be the case; everywhere was street parking. The parking lots were around $50 for 24 hour parking but still no real security. I thought about doing the harrahs free parking if you gamble thing but the garage was too short. So I actually found an RV park 4 blocks away from bourbon st right in the french quarter. Near louis armstrong park if you're familiar with the area. 6 foot block wall with 24 hour security, a block away from the police station. Works for me... It was ridiculously priced at $118/night but it had a pool and shower, etc. Oh and we had the place practically to ourselves.

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So my buddy has never been to NOLA so thats why we made it our first stop. I had to show him around. Well, the second we get to bourbon street this is the view.

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Needless to say I was bummed. So I showed him around a few local spots and grabbed some food. We ended up at harrahs and actually won like $350. Our next stop was in Dallas to meet up with my old college buddy. Stayed the night there then headed to Cripple Creek, CO because we had the gambling bug now lol.

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The thing drove like a beast in the mountains... Slow going, but nice and steady. The air brakes were a nice difference to what I was used to in the van.

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Stopped for some pizza...
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Wouldn't ya know it? We killed it in Cripple Creek too. I walked away with a little over $400. Basically paid for all the gas and a few cases of beer.

Onward to the Black canyon and continuing to utah.

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Here's a little view of what it was like riding to Utah.

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So we made it home. Time to start the project! This is the color were thinking of doing it. Thoughts?

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The boys love the new yard addition; neighbors, not so much...

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Instantly put her to work.

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The workspace for the next couple months

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All the stickers are removed

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Started gutting everything out.. I took off the stop sign and the guard rail so I'm just getting rid of unnecessary wires and air lines. I'm also taking out the heaters.


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Took out the heaters. I'm going to use the lines that are already there to utilize a flat plate. The hoses go right to where we wanted the shower so this will give us hot water without having to run any plumbing.

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Cleaned up the engine a bit yesterday. I'm going to start cleaning, prepping, taping for paint tonight.

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Masked and primed today. And of course it's the first day in about 3 months we've seen any rain. And the wind that came with it. ugh.

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[Thomas1985]

Women are great motivators aren't they? The things we accomplish with the right motivations are remarkable.

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Laid down the first coat.

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[Rovobay]

new here, I am interested in a bus of similar size. what kind of milage did you get on your trips? I am 5'11" will I be able to stand up straight? Thanks. keep the pics and progress coming!

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we were looking at like 9-11 mpg. I'm 6' and can stand straight up in the middle, but I have to dip a little bit on the edges.

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My gf came up with a great way to keep the lights off the bus while we paint.

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Laid down a couple more grey coats and the black.

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We just need to touch up some spots and paint the lights and get those back on.

[cadillackid]

that shortie is Lookin good!!!

[toplessartist]

Hey, give me a PM if you want to touch base. My bus is pretty much done but I would love to meet up and see your interior plans, help if needed… or I could stand back and supervise/yell suggestions, if that would help! haha I'm in Murray… and I'm jealous of your travel plans!

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Not much to update. Just painting the other side so you've already seen all that. Put up the backview camera and hit all the trim pieces and lights.

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[vtxvette]

The bus is looking good! What kind of paint and sprayer did you use?

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Originally Posted by vtxvette

The bus is looking good! What kind of paint and sprayer did you use?

Rustoleum and HF HVLP

[vtxvette]

👍
Thanks for the response

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Started working on the hood. I bought the repair kit from TAC bus parts. https://tacbusparts.com/sections/cat...sp?cat_id=1478

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Washed the inside again.

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Made our first interior piece!

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The water tank came in today too. Kind of disappointed with the quality. Not exactly square, thin walls, and there's dents/bulges.

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Got the hood buttoned up.

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Painted the wheel wells.

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Also painted the window trim black. I think it looks a million times better.

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[BlackJohn]

Really good looking bus Derek, good work.

John

[cadillackid]

that bus is coming together GREAT!!!!! i love the black window trim.. what did you use? I keep hearing people tell me if I paint my aluminum window trim black it will flake off quickly from the elements..
-Christopher

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It's all on the prep work. Just make sure you have a nice clean surface. I used rustoleum. The oil base has a tendency to adhere better and dry harder imo.

[cadillackid]

good stuff.. did you just washit down with soap and water? rough it up at all? or prime it?

im thinking ill probably brush mine on.. less masking that way.
-Christopher