Jumped in with both feet!

[cowlitzcoach]

You did an amazing job on a Mini-Bird.

The biggest problem with all of the P-30 chassis buses is there was a lot more bus on top than there was truck underneath to carry the bus.

We had a lot of problems over the years with suspension issues (springs breaking, shock mounts breaking), brakes (pads and rotors didn't last very long), and the 6.2L diesel was way short on power.

As long as you have weighed your completed project and know how much over the GVWR you are you will be able to compensate accordingly.

I couldn't tell from the pictures if you had the IFS (bad) or the solid beam (good) front suspension. If you have the IFS you would be smart to invest in supplemental air bags that go in the front springs.

On some of the diesel blogs there are work arounds and fixes to make the 6.2L perform a little bit better. Banks makes some really good kits that will wake the 6.2L up as well. Just be aware that if you put more HP and torque out you are also going to need to beef up the transmission as well.

Again, great work on the conversion!

Good luck and happy trails!

[headinthetrees]

Looks good man, gotta make great use of the space on these short buses and I think you accomplished that well.

[Wooftfd]

Leadsled; yes, the home depot in my area was having a sale on them, half off, I used Minnwax golden oak, and Sedona red for the colors, light 400gt sand between coats, and finished with a poly spray... The floor cabintes were pretty easy, only had to cut off the toekick in the kitchen area, to account for he elevation of the wheelwell, the uppers were a bit trickier...

[Wooftfd]

Cowlitzcoach' yea, solid ft axel, lucked out there... Good quality shocks made a huge difference in the ride... The rated GVW is 14,400, I'm at about 13,950 with a full H2o tank... I still need to turn up the injector pump a little, hope to pick up another 20 hp?

[Wooftfd]

Sweetfarm' no gen, but we want to add 150w of solar on the roof, thought it would let us stretch out our boondocking... Only major thing left on the list is some rear bumper storage...

[HolyBus]

Very nice job! It makes me think I can accomplish what my wife and I want to do to ours. Nice, clean and roomy! I have been working with the original bus seats to create a sectional type couch in ours. I cut one in half and turned it to extend out from another. Making the corners match has been a pain. I make just take a few ideas from your build. It looks great!

[HolyBus]

One more thing, where did you get the couch cushions?

[Wooftfd]

A friend of mine made them... I traded him the wheelchair lift for the foam, and cushion work... My wife and I looked at futon covers, figuring the rear couch/bed would be the same size as a queen bed, when we found one that looked good, I just bought a extra cover, and used that fabric for the cushions...

[Veganvegabond]

I gotta ask, where did you hide the 40lbs propane tank? I can imagine how you put the gray and black water tanks under that bird, but I can't figure out the propane. Also, great work on it

[Wooftfd]

Veganvegabond, Its located driver's side, right in front of the rear bumper... I picked up a old metal file cabinet the right size, and mounted it to the body underside...

[Sharkbaitlin]

I am thrilled to have stumbled across your awesome conversion!! I am planning on quitting my job this summer and travel the US to celebrate turning 30 in my own conversion. I am going to look at this bus tomorrow... http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/4887625465.html

After the research I have done it seems like a decent deal and I am hoping that I can talk them down a bit. If you don't mind me asking, how much did you spend on the conversion? My family thinks I am not going to be able to make this happen inside of 3 months, I cant do the work myself and it will cost me $12,000. I work in the construction industry as a project manager but don't have much experience with actually building though I do know my way around a drill and a rotating saw.

For the more complicated aspects like electric and plumbing I thought I could hire some of the guys I work with could help me as a side job. I don't want to spend the money on the labor but I am worried that I won't be able to figure out how to do it all myself.

Any feedback or advise you can give me would be a huge help!

Cheers!

[Wooftfd]

Sharkbaitin, I picked up the bus for 1401$, at a local auction... I've got about 11,000$ in to it.... I did the majority of the work...