Transferred to the Coach side!

[skoontz]

I've been looking into those same A/C units for my build. Any more thoughts that you would be willing to share on them? Ease of use, power consumption, anything you wish you knew before purchase?

[cadillackid]

your bus is Looking FANTASTIC!!! I bought one of the Midea units.. previously I had a Climax inverter unit that was at the time the only inverter portable made.. the midea is a MUCH better unit.. I wanted the heat pump units but they are on national backorder..



I bought the unit to use at my house during power outages which seem to be happening more frequently.. but I think i'll also use it in my DEV bus when im parked.. this unit means realistically I can overnight without the need for a hotel and not roast.. it runs nicely on my power inverter.. its good and hot today so im going to get it out and run it in full sun park of that bus and see how long my 400AH of AGM batteries will run it full blast.

[cadillackid]

skoontz - ill be measuring power consumption of mine when I do my testing

[Bus'n it]

I can completely recommend the Toshiba inverter unit (Home Depot $599) and/or the Midea black unit inverter (Same machine different cabinet color and price at Lowes $699) These two units are very quiet and at night you can hardly hear them run. They have an ingenious dual duct within one duct. Duct is huge but that is expected for efficiency. When parked at my house, these save power and wear/tear on the bus basement units. I installed new condenser motors, caps and starters on all three units. They are whisper quiet outside now. Seeing that you can no longer get parts for them, I am preserving them as best I can. I also have a lifetime supply of R22 refrigerant. Chris, thanks for the compliments! I have some trim work to do this weekend along the base. I put aside 15k to have all rubber lines replaced. Not wanting to deal with that and the gallonage of fuel within those lines let alone bleeding that 8v92. From there, it is mechanically solid for another 10 years. I'd like to get a new paint scheme on it next year. The dark exterior doesn't help living in AZ. I would never recommend dark colors on any bus anywhere. (Maybe if you live in Duluth or Anchorage?!)

[Bus'n it]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

your bus is Looking FANTASTIC!!! I bought one of the Midea units.. previously I had a Climax inverter unit that was at the time the only inverter portable made.. the midea is a MUCH better unit.. I wanted the heat pump units but they are on national backorder..



I bought the unit to use at my house during power outages which seem to be happening more frequently.. but I think i'll also use it in my DEV bus when im parked.. this unit means realistically I can overnight without the need for a hotel and not roast.. it runs nicely on my power inverter.. its good and hot today so im going to get it out and run it in full sun park of that bus and see how long my 400AH of AGM batteries will run it full blast.

I would be curious as to your findings. We eventually want to put all solar on the roof. it's alot of free and clear space up there.

[Miles O Roads]

This is an awesome build. I like it dont have slides,less worries down the road. Sucks fuel prices so high. But get out on the road and make it count.��

[Bus'n it]

Originally Posted by Miles O Roads

This is an awesome build. I like it dont have slides,less worries down the road. Sucks fuel prices so high. But get out on the road and make it count.��

Thank you for the compliments! Fuel is going down. Even so, you plan your trips and try not to worry about it. I do have a truckers fuel card that gives me 90¢ off a gallon. Every little bit helps!

[Rochey6957]

What fuel card did you go with? $0.90 is a good reward!

[Bus'n it]

It's through Open Roads and the card is EFS. They ask for your SS number and a checking account number. Basically you get the discount as cash by having it debited from your account. I was reluctant at first but many of the high end coach owners talked me into it. The greatest discount is offered by T/A Petro truck stops.

This is the link.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...Ri6U4_X4FTRIcS

[Bus'n it]

Bus is at the shop having some undercarriage work done which includes preventative maintenance by replacing all air lines, a minor oil cooler leak and some other stuff in the 8k price tag. So while the bus is away, his owner will play… I am building a 16’ long, 5’ deep and 44” wide service pit. This will allow me to do the rest of the work I was quoted 19k on. Since this coach is nearing 30 years, I want to remove and replace anything rubber underneath. Previous owner took care of the expensive bits with new airbags, ECU, tires and such. Pit will have 8” concrete floor with 16” footers, welded rebar drilled into existing 6” slab epoxied in and tied to new concrete/rebar reinforced block wall. It will be a unitized build. I have a high flow sump pump at the bottom for the two times a year of rain we get. No power in the pit as there’s a power pedestal a few feet away. There will be 12v LED thin line up lights however and a 3” angle iron tire guide.

[DeMac]

Sweet! lights, yes. Ooh a fan. Canopy next....
-my imagination loves what you're doing with the parking spot. Probably be cooler down there, too.

Any chance of a your bus has a trapdoor with a firemans' pole?

....To the Bat Cave, Robin.

[Albatross]

[Bus'n it]

I'd have to cut through many layers to get a trap door in! My other thought would be to use it as a firing range. 16' regulation length?! I have thought about putting in an underground firing range in the back half of the property. After this expensive fiasco, I think I'll just stick to fixing the bus with the pennies I have left over! Concrete is priced about the same as an oz of gold per truckload. Crazy

[Bus'n it]

We took a 5800 mile cross country trip with stops in a few states last month. Very pleased with this rig. Towed my Jeep and had no idea it was back there. The 8v92 echoed through the canyons and there was nothing I could not pass! I was smiling the whole time. Of course pushing 52k total worth of weight had its drawbacks of 4.5mpg but I was prepared for it. Kept it at 77-80 most of the time. It’s at my friends shop getting a couple faulty airbags replaced and two minor oil leaks. Once I get it back home I will consider designing a powerful off grid lithium and solar setup. The fridge that’s in there now is a power hog and I have a new fisher paykel euro model being delivered after thanksgiving. Stopped in NYC to visit family. Bus rally in Ar, British car meet in Lexington, stopped for two new steer tires in Springfield, MO and finally a factory tour of where the coach was built in Miami, OK

[peakbus]

Good taste in rigs. and good taste in movies. That was a favorite growing up. Classic!

[Bus'n it]

Bus has been back from shop. All leaks are fixed. I proved it with a 2 hour 78mph cruise to get the wheels polished at a small town south of Phoenix. Once back, I noticed a bubbling sound in the transmission. There is a modulator that was leaking compressed air into the fluid. I found the part and installed it. The onboard compressor went from kicking on every 20 min to just over 2 hours. I want to get this much more air tight so the compressor only runs once a day. I degreased 30 years of gunk which took a few days with several applications of degreaser and manual scraping labor. Finished it off with a grinder and began the tedious process of painting the engine bay top to bottom. I am using high heat sprays along with Clear coat in high heat of which I haven't done yet. The larger portions of steel will get a rolled on coat of Por 15 Chassis black paint.

[TJones]

I do enjoy your thorough engine bay restorations!

Ted

[Bus'n it]

Thanks Ted. It's my sickness to make things look decent even in places no one normally cares. I find it would be easy to keep clean along with keeping track of any possible future leaks. Got alot done this evening since those pics were taken.

[VinHay]

Great job! Curious, how did you get rid of the brass shower with etched glass? Were you able to source a new shower surround?

[Bus'n it]

I disassembled the entire shower and took the parts to a powder coat shop. The glass had translucent stickers which I used a razor to remove.