Her name is Tulip

[Magzilla]

Hello all! (just a C&P of our intro)
Hubby & I just jumped off the cliff & bought our Shortie *Tulip* I think hubby subconsciously named her after a character on Preacher - I didn't realize until I said "that's a cute name for her!" LOL
She's a 2002 Chevy 3500 bus with a Vortec 5700 V8 - we believe it's a "Collins" bus? Still learning LOL
She came with most of the 'hard' stuff done; seats removed, spray foam insulation, 2"subfloor, 200W complete solar set up (not the cheapy ones) 4 deep cycle batteries, 2 new kitchen cabinets(not using) , NIB camp oven/stove(not using), NIB solar oven, a brand new air compressor, NIB impact tools, wiring for just about everything, a nice new steel garden bench? :/ (gave to mom for mother's day LOL), a fresh(?) white paint job... And ALOT of reflective tape!
She runs spectacularly - no smoke or leaks so far!
All for just $4500! I'm hoping I did good on it - all the "extra" stuff was supposed to be taken out before we left but the guy was like "Meh" & didn't feel like taking it to his storage unit I guess AND he took $500 under his asking price.
YAAAAYYYYYY US!
I will slowly be posting (I hope) the reconstruction of Tulip - hubby & I aren't in the greatest health & we do things a little slower LOL
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Maggie & Mo
Yulee Florida

[Magzilla]

We've only had her 2 weeks but we've picked up a few things for Tulip...
AHHHHH OOOGA horn ;) $18 @ Harbor Freight

B&D Portable AC unit $250 Amazon

A urine diverter for our composting toilet - $35 Johnny Compost on Etsy

Our SS sink is actually the inside of a new street light $15 at a *dig til ya find it* store

We've also gotten the flooring $80 (I don't like the new one that was in it) & today we picked up NIB shower stall walls $75 Craigslist.
I'll put up more pics as I get rolling

[peteg59]

You folks did really well. No doubt the previous owner(s) had more than that tied up in it.
I'd consider that a score, depending on engine condition...

[Sleddgracer]

I think you did fine

[Magzilla]

Thank you! She purrs l like a kitten - shifts great - no smoke. We drove her about 50 miles home & she was cruising at 75mph easily but we're still taking her to our mechanic for a once over /tuneup before any travel. Prior guy converted her to full synthetic oil as well.
He planned on taking her to Alaska to some property he owns but then found out the cost to ferry her to her home was $5k and he just gave up on the project. His loss.... We hope to show her Alaska some day LOL

[HazMatt]

You are well on you're way. You've already got the most critical component for your mod,
The, "Ah-OOO-ga" horn! [emoji111]
I like the sink idea too. I've long thought the dishwater out be illuminated from below...
Welcome to the Booby Hatch!

[Magzilla]

Originally Posted by haz.matt.1960

You are well on you're way. You've already got the most critical component for your mod,
The, "Ah-OOO-ga" horn! [emoji111]
I like the sink idea too. I've long thought the dishwater out be illuminated from below...
Welcome to the Booby Hatch!

Lmao! Our next thought was a train horn ;) but it would be waaaay too tempting when we're at the tracks & the guy in front of us just starts crossing the track... *insert evil laugh*
We'll have the RGB color lights in the kitchen pool so depending on the washer's mood...the color can adapt lol

[Rovobay]

nice score! and welcome

[Native]

Congratulations.


I really like the idea of using a street lamp as a sink! Is the *dig till you find t* store a local store, or one with branches?

[Magzilla]

It's a local dive they had a few & @$15 it was a deal - it's 14" ID 1"lip - 7"deep - all the other things I found were shallow I'm going back this week to dig some more - I did get a matching Faucet at HF for $17 LOL

[Magzilla]

The solar stuff we have to figure out... Yikes!
We're determined to get this thing running!
We want to be able to run:
- small fridge (would like a7cuft but will settle for a 4cuft :/)
- small AC unit & hubby's CPap @night
-outlets for charging
- a couple different kitchen appliances (not all at the same time of course)

We'd like to run on demand site hookup power for AC & fridge

We're thinking of using a small HF solar setup dedicated to just the outlets we have (2) 100w HF panels & 2 sets of the HF inverter & such that comes in the box with the panels - we had bought 2 sets for a different project - we also have 4 of the small medical "scooter" batteries & 2 of the HF batteries.

We will then use the big setup (see pics) that came with the bus for the fridge & AC. It came with 4 Monster deep cycle batteries (couldn't read any info directly on the batteries & I couldn't lift them) & a 2000w inverter with a pure sine remote module (?!?) & a 30A MPPT charge controller (WT!? Is that?) plus all the wiring *red=hot* that's the limit of my knowledge.

We're ordering 1kw in flexible panels for this big setup & I'm not sure what we'll do with the (2)100w rigid panels that came with the bus *probably save for another project.

All batteries will be stored in pull out drawers mounted under the bus @working level (no bending & crawling around for us LOL)
This will be an ongoing project & I'll try my best to log everything.

[Magzilla]

This flooring was found at a local hardware /farm store - 12'W - 10 mil *I think* padded - textured like real wood & only $10 RF!! WHAAAA?! $78!
I only needed about 50ft2 so I bought 7RF so I'd have enough to run it with the 'boards' going front to back so the bus will look bigger. Doing that math in the middle of the store was downright embarrassing LOL it was one of those days.
I honestly think this will be my fav part of Tulip!

[Magzilla]

Met a lovely couple who were offering a NIB tub enclosure for $75 ($300 @big box)

Hubby also is going back to get 2 go carts & dirt bike *50-75cc* I think... Gotta love finding new Projects within projects lol

We changed plans today & decided to put the bathroom behind the pilot seat to give the rest of the bus a more "open" feel (its going to be an interesting project so keep an eye on this one LOL)

The stairwell wall will have a steel handrail for the stairs - cup holders on top & shelving on the other side since this will be where the co-pilot will sit.

[o1marc]

I was looking at that wall paneling yesterday, I don't believe it is flooring material.

[Magzilla]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I was looking at that wall paneling yesterday, I don't believe it is flooring material.

The stuff last owner installed is peel & stick crap & he lined up all the tiles instead of staggering them UGHHH & I thought it was ugly anyways - the stuff I got can be installed over vinyl but I think we're gonna take the crappy stuff up - with the hot sun today a couple pieces came up really easy
The vinyl/linoleum we got is Waterproof & scratch resistant plus it's prettier.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Magzilla

The stuff last owner installed is peel & stick crap & he lined up all the tiles instead of staggering them UGHHH & I thought it was ugly anyways - the stuff I got can be installed over vinyl but I think we're gonna take the crappy stuff up - with the hot sun today a couple pieces came up really easy
The vinyl/linoleum we got is Waterproof & scratch resistant plus it's prettier.

So that's a linoleum product, I thought it was the wood panels I was looking at, looks the same. Carry on.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by Magzilla

The stuff last owner installed is peel & stick crap & he lined up all the tiles instead of staggering them UGHHH & I thought it was ugly anyways - the stuff I got can be installed over vinyl but I think we're gonna take the crappy stuff up - with the hot sun today a couple pieces came up really easy
The vinyl/linoleum we got is Waterproof & scratch resistant plus it's prettier.

after 3 experiences of laminate flooring getting wet in my house, ( and having to replace it ), and with full expectations of the floors in my schoolie getting wet during winter adventures, I'm going with sheet vinyl on the floors - bend it up 2 or 3 inches along the sides and have a water proof floor

[HazMatt]

Plumb the bus for pressurized water,

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

after 3 experiences of laminate flooring getting wet in my house, ( and having to replace it ), and with full expectations of the floors in my schoolie getting wet during winter adventures, I'm going with sheet vinyl on the floors - bend it up 2 or 3 inches along the sides and have a water proof floor

You've got a mobile mutt salon!
Doggy day spa? Canine cabana? Canis Interruptis?
Whatever name will net you the most income for the effort!
(Suggest parking nose uphill...)

[Magzilla]

I was amazed at the quality of the vinyl we happened upon lol it does look exactly like the T&G planks. We're even going to use the scraps above the back door as a background for a couple of shelves up by the flashers.
We're going to make the entire floor & "baseboards" waterproof - all wiring & outlets will be waist/Countertop level (ADA) - I'd literally like to make the entire bus a wet room LOL I know it's not completely possible but we'll get a close as possible.
I remember making my dad's pickup into a drivable hot tub back in the day... Tulip would make a great lap pool... Full size buses would be Olympic size...