Missy Conversion - 1998 MCI 102

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by JDOnTheGo

Oh... that reminds me - going back nearly a year and a half.... To save headroom, I also considered installing the radiant heat UNDER the floor. Meaning, install it on the basement ceiling. This seems to be a common retrofit in the S&B world where the underside of the floor is accessible. They basically run the tubing between the joists under the floor. I decided that, for me, this approach was more complicated, more potential for leaks (although they would probably be seen (dripping coolant)), much of the ceiling is inaccessible (various parts and things mounted there), and would mean that I could not add much/any insulation to my floor.

One of the single most significant fears I had with this whole approach is the fact that I will occasionally mount something by running a screw thru the floor with a drill/driver. After doing so, I stop and wonder what I may have hit. I've been trying to change that style of operation for nearly my whole adult life, it hasn't happened yet... Sounded like a recipe for disaster...

That would be bad.

And you wonder why I don't document the entire decision making process.... Since there are only about 50,000 decisions to be made, this thread would overwhelm the servers!

Personally I think it's all good especially for newbies. I've started shooting some video (not just stills) of the build. I was going to edit out the "oops" but everyone does that. If all you see is a guy that cuts a 10 foot length of sheet metal free hand that is straight as an arrow, then you get the idea that anyone can do it. I'd rather see the build video where the guy used the wrong side of the T-square to mark the line. He goes to install it and it's exactly 2" short. What does he do about it? A build video with nothing but outtakes would be awesome. Not a video where he's tripping over words in commentary but all the real screw ups.

[alpine44]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

Alpine , do you have more info about your TEG generator/ webasto, I am only familiar with teledyne. I have build some 20 watt units with TEG modules but thatis all DIY.

The decoy heater I mentioned was designed to suck in cold outside air, heat it up, and blow it into a decoy simulating the heat signature of a tank engine, etc. It was built by Teledyne Brown most likely in low volume. It uses a regular Webasto HL32D with the aluminum heat exchanger milled down, lined with Peltier elements and wrapped with a porcupine style heat sink. The whole assembly fits into the steel housing of the heater like the factory heat exchanger. The output from the Peltier elements is fed into a DC to DC voltage converter to recharge the small 12V starting battery and keep the heater running.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by alpine44

into a decoy simulating the heat signature of a tank engine,

Nice. This whole time I'm thinking of a hunting blind and you freezing your a$$ off trying to blast ducks or geese.

[alpine44]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Nice. This whole time I'm thinking of a hunting blind and you freezing your a$$ off trying to blast ducks or geese.

There is no need to freeze my rear end off for hours when I can shoot geese from my warm bedroom. Seriously, we have a cottage on the upper Chesapeake Bay and when the goose hunters start blasting from their blinds on the opposite shore, I grab the shotty, crack the sliding door, and pick off one or two birds coming in for landing on what they thought was the safe side. Not exactly rugged sportsman style but it puts great meat on the table fast and easy. My wife found a recipe that also cuts down the cooking effort to almost zero. Submerge the goose breast under cream in a crock pot, add fresh Thyme or Rosemary, and cook slowly for several hours. Simple and delicious.

I bought the decoy heater to harvest the Webasto HL32D from it but decided to keep the whole unit in original condition since it is so handy for heating up spaces that have no power or need only temporary heating. Places like an ice-fishing tent, a garden shed I am rebuilding an engine in, an addition under construction, etc. With a couple feet of flexible exhaust hose and a matching hole saw I can get clean heat into any space within minutes. If I ever get a bus, this heater will most likely keep me warm in there as well during the conversion.

My small machine shop (20'x16') is kept comfortable in the winter by a similar but bigger combustion heater, an Eberspächer V7S. Military uses them for ambulances, radio operator shelters, shop trailers, etc.

I got the bare heater for cheap and lacking the control unit I built a micro controller system that achieves a variable heat output from barely running to full blast (12 kW ~ 41,000 BTU/hr). Depending on the difference between thermostat setpoint and actual air temperature, the burner motor speed is set via PWM and the correct fueling for that combustion airflow is looked up from a fuel map stored in the non-volatile memory of the controller. The fuel map can be user modified if the heater is run at a different altitude or with different fuel. There are four distinct power levels that are fine tuned with an exhaust analyzer (or your nose if you know how a properly fueled combustion heater smells) and the rest is interpolated in the code.

The bottom line is that rather than cycling on-off, this heating system adjusts a continuous heat output to maintain the thermostat setting. My bus conversion will be treated to something similar rather than having one of the dreadful on-off forced air systems found even in the more expensive RVs.

[Gustav]

I'm curious if there is a US dealer for the V7S? How difficult would it be for someone who had to read the last half of your post 4 times to understand the operation, to purchase and install such a unit?

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by alpine44

My wife found a recipe that also cuts down the cooking effort to almost zero. Submerge the goose breast under cream in a crock pot, add fresh Thyme or Rosemary, and cook slowly for several hours. Simple and delicious.

Might need to give that a try tho I'm still very skeptical. I've had goose twice; once store bought the other blasted. Both were way too greasy and too gamey.

I bought the decoy heater
...

My bus conversion will be treated to something similar rather than having one of the dreadful on-off forced air systems found even in the more expensive RVs.

Nice.

Originally Posted by Gustav

I'm curious if there is a US dealer for the V7S? How difficult would it be for someone who had to read the last half of your post 4 times to understand the operation, to purchase and install such a unit?

Lol. I understood just about everything he said from a single read-thru. Doesn't mean I could do any of it after a dozen read-thrus.

What I want to know is where he's getting all this cheap stuff from!!

[alpine44]

Originally Posted by Gustav

I'm curious if there is a US dealer for the V7S? How difficult would it be for someone who had to read the last half of your post 4 times to understand the operation, to purchase and install such a unit?

Here is contact info for the USA office of Eberspächer. Their direct competitor is Webasto.

I use systems from both companies and make my brand choice dependent on what I can find for a good price. The products of both companies are pretty pricey new. Justifiably so based on quality and support but too much for me personally. A new V7S with micro controller similar to what I rolled on my own will cost more than most people pay for their skoolie.

Stewart Warner also makes combustion heaters for the military but the units you find in the surplus pipeline are stone-age technology compared to Webasto and Eberspächer.

[alpine44]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Might need to give that a try tho I'm still very skeptical. I've had goose twice; once store bought the other blasted. Both were way too greasy and too gamey.

If you use the recipe I mentioned, it is not easy to tell the difference between goose breast(!) and beef.

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

What I want to know is where he's getting all this cheap stuff from!!

Patience like the bus bargain hunters here on this forum.
Also often buying incomplete stuff and finding or DIY-ing the missing parts. The VS7 for example was brand new but missing the controller circuitry which is unobtainium for reasonable money.

[Gustav]

alpine44, thanks a bunch!

[JDOnTheGo]

With my work in Minneapolis complete, it was time to head south. The next destination was near Sullivan, MO where my Mom and sister live.

The drive south was fairly warm and by mid-afternoon I was feeling sleepy. I had already stopped for a couple of cat-naps so it was time to call it a day. My handy-dandy phone app found a nice looking RV park in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. I called and they had a spot just for me.



Crossroads RV Park was the place. Very nice folks and easy to access pull thru spots.



I spent the night, had a relaxing morning and hit the road again.

I ended up in the parking lot of the church where my brother in law is the minister.



Missy is scheduled for some service/maintenance today at a nearby coach/tour bus company. I have a friend that works there so I feel like she will be taken care of. This is the same place that gave her a good going over and changed all the fluids when I purchased her.



Btw, I should mention that I'm looking for a bikini model (female) that would like to permanently travel with me and star in all these photos. They are mighty boring with just a plain white bus. Though one must admit, the Jeep does dress them up quite a bit.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by JDOnTheGo

With my work in Minneapolis complete,


...


already stopped for a couple of cat-naps



...


in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. I called and they had a spot just for me.

Btw, I should mention that I'm looking for a bikini model (female) that would like to permanently travel with me and star in all these photos.

You should include a disclaimer for your model that there won't be much traveling. It will be laying around most of the time.


I dunno how fast your bus will go nor how fast you are comfortable to go but 350 miles in my skoolie is still less than a 7hr day. You must be one of them union drivers.


On a related (???) note, I saw a truck on the way to work that advertised $0.60 a mile starting for OTR drivers. Had to grab the phone for a calculator. 55mph * 8hrs a day * 5days a week = $1320 gross. Not too shabby!! Granted I don't know squat about the trucking industry but 8hrs a day shouldn't be too hard. I believe they are allowed 11hrs. And OTR; I'd want to be home every weekend. But it might be better than riding a desk all day.

[JDOnTheGo]

Darn! You busted me Bob... I am definitely old.

These days, I start driving and about 30 minutes later I'm yawning and can barely keep my eyes open. Something to gnaw on helps but just makes my wide mid section even wider.

Missy cruises very comfortably at 65 mph but I tend to be under that. I suppose 62-63 mph is typical. Depends on traffic and roads and all that.

I would tend to sell the 'not much travel' to the model as 'many photo opportunities' or 'relaxed work environment'.

[cadillackid]

awesome trip you got going... and looks like missy isnt misisng a beat!!! cool stuff..


Bob, the issue is that your day will likely be 14 hours.. 10 or 11 are allowed as driving hours.. But with new ELD rules once you start your day you cant go out of service till 14 hours later.. so if you spend 2 hours at docks waiting to get loaded or unloaded, do paperwork for an hour.. then computer says massive traffic ahead.. " you cant just pull off at a rest area, go out of service and hop in the bunk for a couple hours till the traffic clears.. you must stop your day at 14 hours clock time regardless of how many hours you put in the WheelChair.. you have to take a 10 continuous hour reset.. every 7 days a 34 hour reset is required at some point, so you cant just drive 7 days a week.



if the work is drop and hook then you stand a chance at being able to actually roll wheels for the full allowed time.. i'd definitely ask around said company's drivers online to see what their average miles per week actually are..

-Christopher

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Bob, the issue is that your day will likely be 14 hours.. 10 or 11 are allowed as driving hours.. But with new ELD rules once you start your day you cant go out of service till 14 hours later.. so if you spend 2 hours at docks waiting to get loaded or unloaded, do paperwork for an hour.. then computer says massive traffic ahead.. " you cant just pull off at a rest area, go out of service and hop in the bunk for a couple hours till the traffic clears.. you must stop your day at 14 hours clock time regardless of how many hours you put in the WheelChair.. you have to take a 10 continuous hour reset.. every 7 days a 34 hour reset is required at some point, so you cant just drive 7 days a week.

7 days a week?!!? Screw that. I don't want more than 5 days a week.

if the work is drop and hook then you stand a chance at being able to actually roll wheels for the full allowed time.. i'd definitely ask around said company's drivers online to see what their average miles per week actually are..

-Christopher

Yeah, I know there are all kinds of new rules. I don't know what they are but I know the drivers don't like them. I also know a commercial license is 24/7. A speeding ticket in your car counts towards your professional license.


I doubt I'll ever get into the industry. I'd rather not start a new career at 50. I'd rather just retire. That said, you can bet your butt that I would research the hell out of anything like that. And there's no chance in hell I would do more than drop and hook. I don't care that Bill is the only one with keys to the warehouse and he ain't here. Nor I do care that your lettuce is rotting in the sun. See ya, bye.


I'd only do it for the 450+/-50 mile routes. Something that even with traffic you can still hit in the 10 or 11 hrs. I'm not so foolish to think a rookie driver is going to get those routes so like I said, not likely to happen for real.

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

awesome trip you got going... and looks like missy isnt misisng a beat!!! cool stuff..

Thanks Christopher! Yeah, she is doing well. I seem to be averaging 8 mpg which is what I've seen on other trips. That is typical for the big diesel pusher motorhomes but since I'm hauling 46,000 lbs around, I'm pleased.

[JDOnTheGo]

After posting the above I realized that, while Missy is doing well, I'm not particularly satisfied.

I was spoiled by my last motorhome and learned to really enjoy the "finished" aspect of it. That is also what bored me and led me to do my own conversion.

I'm now kinda itching to get back to my normal haunts and get the conversion to the next level. That includes some big stuff but loads of small things/conveniences. I suppose a trip like this was a good/necessary thing to kinda encourage me along.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by JDOnTheGo

Darn! You busted me Bob... I am definitely old.

These days, I start driving and about 30 minutes later I'm yawning and can barely keep my eyes open. Something to gnaw on helps but just makes my wide mid section even wider.

Missy cruises very comfortably at 65 mph but I tend to be under that. I suppose 62-63 mph is typical. Depends on traffic and roads and all that.

I would tend to sell the 'not much travel' to the model as 'many photo opportunities' or 'relaxed work environment'.

Getting the same way myself. Used to do 12-14hr drives like they were nothing after working a full day. Now I grab a bag of popcorn when I hit the 7-11 for gas. Eat the bag one piece at a time. That's enough to keep me awake.


Might want to include a weight limit on that bikini model too. Blame it on Missy.. There's only 130lbs left before hitting GWVR else you'll get a size 26 applying for the job.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by JDOnTheGo

I was spoiled by my last motorhome and learned to really enjoy the "finished" aspect of it. That is also what bored me and led me to do my own conversion.

I smell a catch 22 or ironic there somewhere.


I don't have the money for a 40 foot running RV hence the hacking of eyeballs building one. I would probably prefer the skoolie build over a cardboard build but I'd take it if money wasn't the issue.


Will trade '99 empty skoolie for same length running RV. Any takers?

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Might want to include a weight limit on that bikini model too. Blame it on Missy.. There's only 130lbs left before hitting GWVR else you'll get a size 26 applying for the job.

VERY good advice! There is a reason I consult with you guys!!

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

I don't have the money for a 40 foot running RV hence the hacking of eyeballs building one. I would probably prefer the skoolie build over a cardboard build but I'd take it if money wasn't the issue.

HA!! The goal is to AVOID hacking eyeballs - or any other parts!

I've done pretty well on the conversion, so far. A few minor cuts/scrapes but nothing worth mentioning. I had my major (cycling) accident in 2014 and spent enough time in hospitals and operating rooms to cover me for the rest of my life. These days, I try to remember to switch on the brain when the table saw, router, grinder, chainsaw, etc. come to life. Of course, it only takes once... as you well know...

I probably implied that I'm not happy, didn't mean that. Was just trying to say that I need to get busy and get Missy to a "more finished" stage.