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Old 07-26-2011, 09:33 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North America
Posts: 10
Year: 1976
Coachwork: Crown
Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

Hiya Skoolies! me and my bus have been gleaning for a while - thanks for so many informative tips y'all!

So she is a Crown commuter with a flat nose. I'm 'shamed to say I can't tell you the chassis/engine details just yet (gonna post that soon tho).

Mainly, she runs just fine. She's registered as an RV and the seats are out. She's got plywood floors with that nasty rubber mat (appears to be glued down). Generally, I plan to leave as many windows as possible and put in as few walls as possible (walls for captains cabin and facilities only). I want to add as little infrastructure weight as possible so I'm trying to think of out-of-the-box ideas for uber-lightweight materials...

I'm looking to move interior work forward so I can drive her to wet places this winter. There is not much in the way of rust inside the cabin except where there are a couple of cracked windows and the dash. The cargo hold though is totally a rust bucket. My top priority is weather-proofing the cabin.

This is how I'm thinking to weatherproof the interior cabin.. please weigh in!

1. Double-check interior for ceiling/seam leaks. Seal leaks (scrub clean, sand lightly?, brush off, make sure it's dry) on interior. Sikaflex(sp?) the marine product for boats looks like a good choice for sealant (opinions?). Should I seal outside and inside if I a seam is leaking or...?

2. Insulate ceiling; I like the foam insulation w/ moisture barrier glued directly to ceiling following the curve; The Skoolie I saw here using this method glued carpet over the insulation; to reduce weight I thought bamboo matting (like the kind for sunbathing).

3. Fix cracked windows; replace w/ safety glass or plexiglas; there are GREAT instrux here for getting windows out and re-glazing/re-weather-stripping - thanks again! I feel like I know exactly what I need to do

4. Check all the window weather stripping and replace as needed. After reading a bit about leaks here, I'm thinking that the cause of the cargo bay rust (inside the cargo bay but not in the cabin) might be window weatherstripping - any other ideas on the rust in cargo bay would be appreciated

5. Clean up floors/walls. Scrape out the rubber mat. Scrub the walls (do folks still use tsp for this kind of thing?). Clean up, dry out & sand (if needed) the floor.

6. (Hopefully by now I'll have a solid floor plan so I can...) Lay my galley floor. I have tongue-in-groove bamboo meant to be glued in; have to figure out the rest of floor coverings; probably not carpet as I have allergies - any non-carpet suggestions beyond linoleum or wood?

7. Frame half walls along one long side of the bus from floor to bottom of windows (per my infant floor plan). I thought to use 2 x 2s for framing and pad insulation. FYI I'm going to put my 'power center' on the other long side of the bus so this half-wall won't have to handle any wiring or plumbing later; that's my reason for doing this wall first...

Question: What about a moisture barrier film on the metal walls before I frame half-walls and put in insulation? Does anyone do this? Obviously I'm concerned about staying dry... (and not moldy on account of those allergies). Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

What do y'all think of half-walls being faced with that dense foam folks use for mechanic mats? It's pretty tough, flexible, and it turns out you can spray paint it any color - cool! I was thinking to staple a layer of pasture fencing to the 2 x 2 frame to hold in the insulation and provide some rigidity for the foam. Then glue & staple the painted foam pads to the wood frame (through the fence wire). I thought to close the top with a nice long redwood board to make a narrow window sill/shelf. Whaddaya think?

Thanks in advance for feedback. I've already found this forum invaluable! It's so encouraging to know I'm not on my own and GREAT to (finally) be working on the old gal...
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Old 07-26-2011, 10:10 PM   #2
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
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Year: 1986
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Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
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Rated Cap: 89
Re: Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

For Leaky Roofs... use an elastometric roof coating. Seal seams with product's suggested patch (varies by manufacturer). That's all I'm saying for now. I've spent the last two days sealing my roof with Solar Flex (bought from Home Depot). 6 hours each day in the NM heat. I'm tired and I have to work the food cart tomorrow. But my roof looks great and it is so much cooler inside the bus now. Don't use silicone and you need to seal the outside not the inside.

Watch the expiration dates on the Sikaflex if you use it. If it's within a month of the expiration date, you won't be able to get the stuff out of the cartridge. I know from experience. I used it on my pop-up.
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Old 08-01-2011, 07:58 PM   #3
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North America
Posts: 10
Year: 1976
Coachwork: Crown
Re: Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

Oh thanks so much for the great tips and especially with specifics on brands/types. So helpful!

I was just inside measuring and looking at that coving today. I've ripped it out of a house before (linoleum over hardwood - go figger) but yikes - steel coving? Color me intimidated...

I notice she's short on belowdecks storage. I'm finding that engine access panel in the middle of the bus tricky to lay a floor plan around. I'll look at some of the crown buildouts and floor plans to see if I can get some tips on utilizing the space.

Will get some in-progress pics up soon.
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Old 08-01-2011, 08:01 PM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North America
Posts: 10
Year: 1976
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Re: Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

@Lorna - THANKS for the roof sealing info. Duh -of course it has to be outside. I love NM. Lucky you!
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Old 08-01-2011, 09:57 PM   #5
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Re: Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

Why are you so set on keeping all the windows? Why not take some out and replace them with metal to move away from the typical school bus look.
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Old 08-02-2011, 08:13 AM   #6
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Re: Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

Keith has a few RV windows for sale, has them posted here in the forum....... somewhere?? I'll look them up
Grey...

found them, check these out ..... viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10724

posted in the classified section here

Grey
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Old 08-02-2011, 12:29 PM   #7
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ellijay ga
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Year: 94
Coachwork: b/b
Chassis: tc2000
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

Ha Greyeagle

I still have the 8 windows and a door iam asking $400.00 obo,, and they pick them up,,,i can take them to dalton GA for $20.00 delivery fee ...iam a hr east of that..


keith


also have a 29.6 Gal,,, lp tank for $200.00...........
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Old 08-22-2011, 11:12 AM   #8
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North America
Posts: 10
Year: 1976
Coachwork: Crown
windows Re: Feedback? Is this a good general...

@dgorila1 = Why keep the windows... One, I like to do various art/craft with color so I want good natural light (for free) in the afternoons when I tend to work. Two, I plan to spend a lot of time looking out the windows at astonishing vistas

I'll remove them from the sleeping bunks and behind the stove but prolly stop there.

Folks, I'm going to have to replace the right rear curved window. Some <expletive deleted> vandal smacked a rock into it in the storage yard Shattered but not out. Yet. What info do I need (specs?) to be sure I'm getting the right size window? Is this a buy I should make in person rather than online?
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Old 09-22-2011, 07:56 PM   #9
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Re: Feedback? Is this a good general leak-fixing plan...?

Crown rear glass is flat - just make a template and get it made out of tempered automotive glass.
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