The Dirtybus...

[Diesel Dan]

Originally Posted by dirtygoat

OK, I've been bouncing around ideas for the bunks...

Sounds like a promising idea! Folks with shorter buses often have to come up with creative bunk ideas since they take up so much space!

[Seeria]

Yeah, looking forward to seein that. Detailed pics and instructions, please

[dirtygoat]

Yeah, I'll be posting up details as they are being built...

Finally got off my ass to start on the lights... Been slacking for a bit with the weather and Thanksgiving...

Picked up some 24 bulb 4" round leds for the brake and turn signals in the rear...

Have to open the existing holes a 1/2" to make them fit...

These should look pretty sweet on the bus...

[crazycal]

Very cool bus. I enjoyed your pictures of your build. I am wondering what you did with the door and the frame that you removed. If you haven't trashed them, I would like to work a deal with you. I wonder if your bus has the same profile as my BB?

[dirtygoat]

I still have the frame and door... I did cut the inside of the door open so I could grind rivets and steal the rub rail... I plan on pulling the rubber for the window out as well... I'm betting that the frame wont match up to yours though... I've looked at the Blue Bird that the kids ride to school and the radius is different than mine...


Edit::: You posted BB, but I see you have International/Wayne in your info...

[crazycal]

I also have a 1989 BB All American RE. The emergency door on the drivers side is tiny. When you get a chance, could you measure the door?

[dirtygoat]

Sorry about that, completely forgot... I'll get the measurements for you...

Well, I'm gonna get back on the bus I promise... I had the county come out and show me an ariel pic of my place and said that my carport was never permited... Now I have to tear it down... I planned on doing it eventually, but it was to easy to use it for semi dry storage... I plan on taking the sides and roof off and dropping the frame to the ground and running it into a deck...

I also picked up a 1980 Jeep Cherokee Laredo for my daughter's 18th B-day next month... It needs some work but she's really excited about it... It's one of the full size jeeps like the Wagoneers but a 2dr... That's gonna chew up some time as well...

On one of the 4x4 forums that I'm on, I have a build thread about the bus... A guy on the forum PM'd me out of the blue and said he has a motorhome that he's scrapping... I went and took a look and it has a nice Magic Chef stove, 3-way fridge, water heater, sink, pump, Coleman furnace that's much bigger than mine, a bunch of lights, all the plumbing, complete bathroom, the list keeps going... I asked him what I could take and he said I can have everything... I just had to bring him a bottle of whiskey... So, today me and the boys went and started dismantling the thing... I'll post pics of the bounty after I get everything out...

[dirtygoat]

So, I got the clear lenses for the upper lights today...



Also got the cot replacement material last week...



A huge thanks to Dan(basher13) for hooking me up with a bunch of stuff...



He let me tear the inside out of a motorhome over the last couple of weeks... I grabbed just about everything I could... I'll post up some pics of what I pulled from the Winnie a little later...



Here's the lenses... They should light up camp really nicely...

[putterspitt]

where did you get yours at? lenses?

[dirtygoat]

http://www.schoolbuspartsco.com

They were $10.50 a piece...

[dirtygoat]

Got the new clear lenses on... I have to figure out what wires make them work... When the bus was decommisioned they pulled all the toggles that work the safety stuff that's ony legal to use on school busses... So, I need to figure out which one works them and remove the flasher...

I like the way they look...

[putterspitt]

the way mine were, there are 4 wires that controlled all 8 of them. just say the RED wire, it controlled the front left and right rear red light, say the BLUE WIRE controlled the front left and rear amber light. the lights flash opposite. I hope this makes sense. I have wired mine for 4 switches for the 8 of them. One switch turns on the 2 front drivers side and so on.

[putterspitt]

when you turn all the fronts on its like daylight.......

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by putterspitt

when you turn all the fronts on its like daylight.......

"Docking" lights! That's what we will do with ours. Be nice to get a little "payback" on those idiots who insist on lighting up the campground because they want to watch TV outside and are afraid of the dark.

[Hearse Driver]

Dirtygoat, got a question for you. I was thinking about doing the same thing with my lights, but I was concerned about the light pattern these lenses would make. From the looks of the fluting in the lens, it would seem to me that they would be more of a flood pattern than a pencil pattern. That would be great on the rear, but not as useful on the front.

Have you turned them on at night shining down a road without your headlights on? If they put out a decently long pattern of light, I would like to do the same as you have done on yours.

My bus is a Thomas and it only had a pair of lights front and rear where you have two pair. But if you look at this picture, there are extra turn signal lights just under the lower corners of the windshield. They just have 1156 bulbs in them but it would be easy to re-wire them to be used as another set of white lights. I still have the sealed beam units from my other bus, so I could use them in place of those lower signals if I wanted.

[putterspitt]

not trying to answer for him, but on mine it is a flood pattern, I have a Thomas also.

[dirtygoat]

I haven't lit them off yet...

[dirtygoat]

OK... I had to comply with a few things around our place for the county... Had a neighbor call on us and most everything they complained about wasn't a violation... I did get bitched at about a truck I was scrapping for parts and my 4'x8' utility trailer that had garbage in it... I've been in the process of tearing down a carport, that was build before we got the place, that was never permitted...

I'm pretty sure it's the "new" woman that moved in next to us that called us in... The other neighbors are concerned now because they are just as bad as we are with projects and such... I'm just making sure that I don't have anything that is in violation and we continue with my shinanigans...

I'm also gonna start a compost bin next to the fence on my side about 15' from her front door... See how she like those apples...


Anywho... I'm trying to get back on the bus and get some progress going... I did pick up a set of seats out of a Dodge van today from a buddy for free... Both are bench seats and he told me the back one folded down into a bed... Well much to my surprise, They both are Jack-knife couches and the front one converts to face forward or backward...

So both seats can be forward facing like a van, facing each other as a dinette or lay down into a full size bed... Got the table as well...

Both have 3 seat belts and are in very good condition... They're red, so I'll have to figure out something to do about the color... I'll have to think about how I want to mount them... But, this should save me a lot of time and money...

[dirtygoat]

They have seat belts for 6... Really good shape, but an ugly red... I'll paint the bases and look into seat covers...

They measure 54" long, so I can't face them forward because it wouldn't leave enough space to get around them with the galley in place... So, I plan on mounting them where they are sitting and build an end table between them...

[PureCummins]

I have got to say that you have the perfect bus! I have been looking for a flat nosed short bus ever since I bought my bus in order to replace my truck and yours is AWESOME. I love the look of it and I love that it probably turns on a dime! Keep up the great work and let me know if you ever see another one like it for sale/auction