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Old 10-18-2015, 10:17 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 27
1977 amg 35'

Converting a bus into a tiny house on wheels has been a dream of mine since I knew what tiny houses were. I've read every page of "Hank bought a Bus," perused YouTube videos of countless conversion projects, and at one point even purchasing a 28ft trailer in a spur of the moment decision, one I was less than happy with, but I was living pay check to pay check, so I didn't have money for much else.

Then back in July my uncle passed away from lung cancer. Turns out he had an insurance policy naming me as the only beneficiary. I immediately paid off all my debt, gave away the trailer, and started looking for a bus. After an exhaustive search through Craigslist, Uncle Henry's, local RV places, a bus salesman, and eBay, I finally found the right one.

She's a 1977, AMG, EQ-2. Basically she's the bus that comes and rescues people in California when there's an earthquake and she's only got 52,000 miles on her. The guy I bought her from and one of his friends drove her 3,000 some odd miles from Arizona to Maine.

She got here this Friday and she's beautiful!









Very little's been done except she's been moved. I plan on taking out the cots and maybe the back set of seats today. Regular seats are going to need to be ground off as they're encased in a riveted, chrome bottom (probably with bolts underneath). I'm hoping to clean her all out by the end of next weekend. Somehow in the three days she's been here my father's broken and fixed the front door and the bus has officially died. Charged it for an hour this morning, but I think our 28 degrees we had last night officially murdered the Arizona batteries. Had to buy new ones anyway, so it's not entirely a big deal, just frustrating.

Ah, the trials of bus ownership.

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Old 10-18-2015, 01:20 PM   #2
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Welcome

Looking forward to updates.

Nat
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Old 10-18-2015, 05:54 PM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 27
After double charging at the battery and in the back right on the starter, she's up! And I moved her to flat ground myself. Definitely time to check the battery fluid/possibly buy new batteries.



And this is today's progress:




Next weekend the rest of the seats and all the chrome and maybe some of the floor.
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Old 10-19-2015, 10:47 AM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 27
Only had a couple hours today, but I got the backs of the seats out and some of the chrome railings...broke a flathead in the process. Oops.



Sadness under the back seat. Hopefully it hasn't rusted through much over the engine.


Other side's a little better...maybe
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Old 10-21-2015, 09:51 AM   #5
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NUNYA
Posts: 4,236
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: DT408, AT545
Rated Cap: 23 500 gvw
I think I spy a military extreme cold sleeping bag in the back.


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Old 10-21-2015, 10:59 AM   #6
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 27
Good eyes. That's one of my favorite things I've accidentally gotten from an ex.

So we're at day 5 of having this bus and such is my progress. Popped the rivets holding the casing to the front seats off with a flat head and unbolted them, so no seats, yay!The two seat frames over the front wheels need too be ground off because the bolts are turning, but not coming out...they must have nuts under there keeping them in place. But otherwise I'm happy with what I've accomplished today.




Hello engine that won't start for the third day in a row even after the batteries got topped off and the bus was jumped. You were running fine last night...

Considering making my bed fold up and putting a hinge on this hatch that was below the rear seat.

...

And perhaps the most important update of all, she has a name! People of skoolie.net, meet Penelope Winters because she damn well will survive this winter if I have to give my soul xD
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Old 10-28-2015, 02:07 PM   #7
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Join Date: May 2015
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 238
Year: 1998
Chassis: VanHool T945
Engine: Cummins M11
Rated Cap: 47,000
Nice bus! I look forward to seeing this build
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