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Old 06-25-2016, 11:55 PM   #81
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Just over a gallon, 2 coats.

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Old 06-26-2016, 12:05 AM   #82
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Day 2 of SD to Miami or bus...t is almost over. Go figure our first few driving days would be 115 degrees and that the a.c. hooked up to the solar would decide not to work.

So, the good news is the bus has a ceiling, a bed, walls, solar, windowsills, seatbelts, a motohauler on the back, etc.... And we left the day we were planning to.

Obvi, the bad news is the heat... Two cats and two humans in a metal box in a heatwave is no fun. On the plus side when it drops down to 90, we are happier campers. I've spent the last two days putting Ziploc bags full of ice onto the cats. I believe they have come to enjoy it.

At this point my brain is too scrambled to remember all that has really gone wrong, but off the top of my head.... Blinkers (twice), something up with shifting gears (turned out to be a loose vacuum hose), headlight out, the darn a.c. (lots of fiddling there)...

And... Hitting the road again. Updates and pics as soon as I've got them!
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Old 06-26-2016, 06:29 AM   #83
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny View Post
Day 2 of SD to Miami or bus...t is almost over. Go figure our first few driving days would be 115 degrees and that the a.c. hooked up to the solar would decide not to work.

So, the good news is the bus has a ceiling, a bed, walls, solar, windowsills, seatbelts, a motohauler on the back, etc.... And we left the day we were planning to.

Obvi, the bad news is the heat... Two cats and two humans in a metal box in a heatwave is no fun. On the plus side when it drops down to 90, we are happier campers. I've spent the last two days putting Ziploc bags full of ice onto the cats. I believe they have come to enjoy it.

At this point my brain is too scrambled to remember all that has really gone wrong, but off the top of my head.... Blinkers (twice), something up with shifting gears (turned out to be a loose vacuum hose), headlight out, the darn a.c. (lots of fiddling there)...

And... Hitting the road again. Updates and pics as soon as I've got them!
If you have the time- Stop by on your way through FL. We'd love to cook you dinner and see that beautiful bus in person.
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Old 06-26-2016, 10:01 AM   #84
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Day 2 of SD to Miami or bus...t is almost over. Go figure our first few driving days would be 115 degrees and that the a.c. hooked up to the solar would decide not to work.
...
Obvi, the bad news is the heat... Two cats and two humans in a metal box in a heatwave is no fun. On the plus side when it drops down to 90, we are happier campers. I've spent the last two days putting Ziploc bags full of ice onto the cats. I believe they have come to enjoy it.
...
And... Hitting the road again. Updates and pics as soon as I've got them!
With the low ceiling of our short bus, I've been concerned abut the heat. You've insulated yours pretty much the same as I've insulated ours.

Did you tint the windows? How about one of those insulated windshield shades to keep the sun out when you're parked?

Does yours have a roof vent/escape hatch? Mine does but I keep eyeballing it thinking I'll replace it with one with a powered fan built in, just to pull that top layer of heat off the ceiling.

Best of luck on your voyage.
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Old 06-26-2016, 10:09 AM   #85
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Just over a gallon, 2 coats.
Sorry, as I re-read your thread, I see you already posted that. Thanks for the reply, especially since you're on the road.

I don't do color very well ... I leave that up to my wife. I'm getting to the point where the outside needs to be painted and she hasn't come up with a color scheme yet. Your pictures have provided a lot of motivation for her. Also, your tip about the industrial enamel is very timely as well. Thanks again!
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Old 09-16-2016, 09:22 PM   #86
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With the low ceiling of our short bus, I've been concerned abut the heat. You've insulated yours pretty much the same as I've insulated ours.

Did you tint the windows? How about one of those insulated windshield shades to keep the sun out when you're parked?

Does yours have a roof vent/escape hatch? Mine does but I keep eyeballing it thinking I'll replace it with one with a powered fan built in, just to pull that top layer of heat off the ceiling.

Best of luck on your voyage.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tedd View Post
Sorry, as I re-read your thread, I see you already posted that. Thanks for the reply, especially since you're on the road.

I don't do color very well ... I leave that up to my wife. I'm getting to the point where the outside needs to be painted and she hasn't come up with a color scheme yet. Your pictures have provided a lot of motivation for her. Also, your tip about the industrial enamel is very timely as well. Thanks again!
Heya, missed all this. Life's been a lot of figuring out a new life on a different side of the country. Glad to hear it provided some inspiration.

As to your earlier questions, I haven't tinted, but after that trip I'm thinking it might be a necessity. And, no roof hatch, and no shade thing.
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Old 09-16-2016, 10:00 PM   #87
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Let's do this! It's the long overdue picture dump of getting Penelope nearly finished before our move.

Last time I posted, poor little bus looked like this:


And, then lookie! Once those wheel well boxes were built, we got in the slide out bed and a panel of canvas up on the ceiling. Yes! A canvas ceiling. Inspiration struck as I became dejected about not being able to get the wood I wanted... I started thinking about what could be a temp solution with the fast approaching trip. To be honest I don't think it's going to be temporary. It turned out so beautifully. I'd like to put brass nail heads over the tops of the staples eventually.


More canvas and the wood paneling we seated our speakers in. For the speakers we just ran new wire back from the front. We basically ditched all wiring that was in there. Everything insulated back there.


See... insulation.


And then we had floor, and trim, and speakers, and so much canvas stapled into the ceiling. And hitting a bunch of metal with a flat white paint for peace of mind.



Nice little touches like, destroying that ugly vinyl on the doghouse and using the spare flooring on top. And, a little astroturf leftover from the stairs at the driver seat.


Aforementioned astroturf stairs


And, thought it's not the prettiest, here we are completely loading up for the trip. That's the solar box added up next to the speakers.



I think we're still recovering a bit from a month in which we just about finished the bus and moved about as far cross country as you can move, and we've had her put away the last two months we've been here, but getting this post up makes me feel nostalgic and like it's time to get back to work. Hello kitchen! And storage. AND AIR CONDITIONING.
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Old 09-16-2016, 10:06 PM   #88
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Coming along nicely. And sounds like a successful move.
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Old 09-16-2016, 10:19 PM   #89
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Coming along nicely. And sounds like a successful move.
Thanks! It was successful in that the bus made it all the way across country, for sure! In reminiscing and looking at the trip pics, I'm kicking myself for not fixing the air conditioning on the first day. That was a long trip to be hot and pissy. (:
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Old 09-17-2016, 10:21 AM   #90
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Awwww, my little Godbus...
Was wondering how she was doing.

Glad to see you made it back, My life has turned 180° also
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Old 09-17-2016, 10:40 AM   #91
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If you have the time- Stop by on your way through FL. We'd love to cook you dinner and see that beautiful bus in person.
Missed this. We surely coulda used a dinner on the way! Next time and thank you for the offer.
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Old 09-17-2016, 10:41 AM   #92
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Awwww, my little Godbus...
Was wondering how she was doing.

Glad to see you made it back, My life has turned 180° also
Is that like a fairy godbus? (;
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Old 09-17-2016, 10:44 AM   #93
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Is that like a fairy godbus? (;
I named her, so she's my Godbus

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f6/beep-beep-11487.html
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Old 09-17-2016, 11:08 AM   #94
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Hey ... Glad to see you back. I was worried that you may have had trouble on the trip.

Although the electricity (AND the water, AND the propane AND the head) wasn't done in B, my wife and I made a run up to New Jersey and back. Overall it was a great trip.
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Old 09-17-2016, 11:09 AM   #95
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I was wondering where that thread went! I accept your godfathering and my how far the bus has come!
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Old 09-17-2016, 11:13 AM   #96
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Hey ... Glad to see you back. I was worried that you may have had trouble on the trip.

Although the electricity (AND the water, AND the propane AND the head) wasn't done in B, my wife and I made a run up to New Jersey and back. Overall it was a great trip.
I say who needs all those things for just a little fun! Glad to hear it was a great trip. We had the solar running on our drive, great for charging the phones and for our led light strips.
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Old 09-17-2016, 12:48 PM   #97
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Notes to self

Problems to tackle:
*A/C to run off solar
*Hot feet
*Noise: engine and rattle
*Window tint
*Check carbureotor/find that nasty knock
*Shorten cables between battery and inverter to prevent overheating when using induction cooktop

Projects for pleasant living:
*Countertops and cabinets for storage
*Finish up trim where needed
*Above window shelving
*Composting toilet
*Flip windows and get screens
*Underbus storage for things like outdoor shower/chairs,etc..
*Canopy
*Raise bed height for more storage
.... to be continued.
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Old 09-17-2016, 01:45 PM   #98
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Rated Cap: 6 souls and a driver
Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny View Post

Projects for pleasant living:
*Countertops and cabinets for storage
*Finish up trim where needed
*Above window shelving
*Composting toilet
*Flip windows and get screens
*Underbus storage for things like outdoor shower/chairs,etc..
*Canopy
*Raise bed height for more storage
.... to be continued.
Here's something to think about...
Habitat For Humanity REstore

Check out this one's homepage
(About an hour north of me)

Restore | Habitat for Humanity of Washington County

And if you go to their FB page, they list some very reasonable prices.

From their homepage:
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Old 09-17-2016, 01:51 PM   #99
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Here's something to think about...
Habitat For Humanity REstore

Check out this one's homepage
(About an hour north of me)

Restore | Habitat for Humanity of Washington County

And if you go to their FB page, they list some very reasonable prices.

From their homepage:
I love the restore! I've poked around quite a bit in the San Diego one and will probably find myself back there in the future. We may go totally custom too. Hubs was a cabinet maker in his last life.
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Old 09-17-2016, 04:48 PM   #100
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Problems to tackle:

*Noise: engine and rattle

*Check carburetor/find that nasty knock
You have noises in the engine? One or more?

When do you hear the noise:

Sometime
All the time
At idle
On the road while cruising
On the road under acceleration

Can you do anything, like lift your foot off the accelerator pedal a little to make the noise go away?

Do you have an oil pressure light? Does the light come on when the engine is running?

If you have an oil pressure gauge, what does it read? Does the needle drop to zero (or very low) when you take your foot off the accelerator and climb back up a bit when you step on the accelerator?

Does the engine run hot on the temperature gauge?

These are questions a mechanic would ask.
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