Liesel the Diesel - Sixteen going on seventeen.

[srponies]

3-20-18 Roof fan
We had removed a leaking rooftop A/C unit, and it left a 14x14 hole in the roof. We decided to install a vent fan in the hole, and went with a MaxxAir unit. The roof had been a bit sunken/low in this area from the weight of the A/C unit. I used dicor sealant and eternabond tape around the fan to keep everything watertight.

Steve

[srponies]

3-22-18 Skylight
We removed our rooftop emergency exit to install a skylight in its place. Many of the skylights that we found online were quite pricey. We ended up going with a 24x24 poly skylight from Menards. It was $25, but it was slightly too small to cover the hole. I built a frame from 1x4 pvc trimboard. Then mounted the skylight to it. We used butyl tape between the pvc frame and the bus roof. Then I used dicor sealant to seal all of the seams and screws.

[srponies]

4-17-18 Side door removal.
Our overall plan includes using a different side entry. We were looking for something that seals better, is more secure, and is narrower than the 48" double doors. In order to install something different, we needed to remove the original door setup.

[srponies]

4-23-18 Step repair.
The lowest step was in poor shape and needed rebuilding. The sheetmetal was rusted, and the angle iron support under it was flimsy. We were also planning to install a 32" wide residential door into the door space, so it needed to be framed accordingly.

Steve

[srponies]

4-23-18 Battery box build
We are planning to use an aluminum truck storage box to hold our house batteries. It is going to be mounted/sunk into the floor under our bench on the driver's side. If we need to access it, we can remove the items stored under the bench and open the lid. I built a frame of angle iron (bed frames) and welded it in place within the floor framing.

[Mark_In_MA]

Great idea on the battery box just check if it needs to be vented to the outside somehow. Some batteries release a bit of gas over time, but modern fully sealed ones might not.

[Tango]

Any gassing whatsoever and it will eat all that pretty aluminum in a heartbeat. Check an aviation supply house for "Acid Proof Paint" (yes...it is real). Many aircraft are mostly aluminum and have the same battery/acid problem and the paint was their solution.


https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...clickkey=36572

[srponies]

thanks for the ideas about the battery box. We had been planning to add some vents for cross ventilation of the box. We had also looked into acid neutralizing mats, but the reviews seemed mixed as to whether they were worthwhile.

Steve

[srponies]

A little out of order, but I found some other photos....

3/29/18-4/10 Floor framing and bedroom floor.

A continuation of welding in the framing for the lowered center aisle. At this point the majority of the framing has been welded in.

We also worked on the floor at the back of the bus, which is our bedroom area. New sheetmetal, firring strips, polyiso insulation, and 3/4 plywood over it all.

[srponies]

More photos found...
4/11/18 Driveshaft safety loop.

The driveshaft safety loop was originally attached to the wheelchair lift framing. Because we removed that framing, it needed to be relocated. I welded it to a new framing crossmember.

We also began piecing in sheetmetal over the new framing. And we painted a coat of primer on the metal. We still needed to extend framing for our side entry.

[srponies]

4/27/28 The side door - initial installation.

We had removed the original double side door and had planned to install a residential house door (of some sort). We wanted better sealing, quieter, more security, easier to open, etc from a new door. We chose a security style storm door that had a dead bolt lock and interchangeable glass and screen panels. It is a 32" wide door, which also means that our side entry will be over 12" narrower than original. That means that we could gain 12" of additional space for our kitchen area, which is on the passenger side. All of those ideas meant lots more planning, fitting, framing, welding, grinding, sheetmetal, etc. All of it took a bit of time to figure out. These are the photos from the first positioning of the door. At this point I had just tack welded the vertical channel framing in the entry, as well as the flooring framing crossmember that attached to the vertical frame.

Steve

[srponies]

4/29 - 5/1 More framing....the saga continues.

Framing and sheetmetal pieces around the side entry and the battery box. Welding, grinding, priming and painting.

[srponies]

5/5/18 - seat belt brace.

Our couch/bench will be positioned on the drivers side above the battery box. We are planning to install seat belts for this bench. I welded in a piece of channel behind the battery box, where we can bolt the seat belt mounts.

[srponies]

5-5-18 Extending the kitchen framing and floor to the side entry.

Because we installed a narrower door, we gained an additional 12" of kitchen area. I welded in framing that extended forward from the original, and covered it with new sheetmetal.

Steve

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

Quite an undertaking and it's obvious you know your tool's.
What do you do for a living?

[srponies]

JRb223 - Definitely a complex project. I like most of the challenges that it presents. I've been a tinkerer of anything mechanical since I was 6... and spend my days now (for the last 15yrs) working as a mechanic from my garage at home. It's a great gig.

Steve

[srponies]

6-24-18 Side door trim mockup.
Because our side door was a foot narrower than the overall opening, we needed to add a filler panel next to the door. I just happened to find some diamondplate sheets on Craigslist for a good price, so we used those. I bent up a piece to cover the lowest step. Glued and screwed it into place. Then began cutting and fitting a piece to cover the gap next to the door. We also decided to paint the original side door frame green.

[srponies]

6-26-18 Floor framing gets painted.

Finally finished with lowering the center aisle framing. Time for a coat of paint.

[leadsled01]

Looks great !

[srponies]

Hello to all. We are still working on our bus, but have actually been able to use it a couple of times recently. It has been almost 2 years since I have posted build pics. Since then, we have removed all of our windows, resided with fiberglass and some RV windows. We have finished our plumbing, and electrical (except for solar panels). Our shower, wood stove, convertible dinette, and kitchen are complete. We also built a rear deck that holds our propane and a toolbox. We still need to finish the cab over area. I am posting recent pics of the bus. If you have any questions, please let me know. It has been a lot of challenges and hard work to get to this point.