1998 Genesis Bus (unnamed for now)

[gypsymama]

Hi! I posted an introduction with a few photos but thought I should start a thread here to track the progress. We purchased a 1998 Genesis IS3600 71 passenger bus that was in service to the end of the 2017/18 school year so it's in great condition!



This bus will be converted to live in for a family of 5. We will be homeschooling and likely traveling for work again. We won't be doing extreme work like removing the interior panels so things should progress fairly quickly for a bus conversion. We're having debates still about the exterior paint color and the floor plan is ever changing. So far there are tons of notes and I'll just update with final decisions as things actually happen since we know these things tend to change on us with renovations like this.


So far we have...


-sent off the paperwork to get it titled and tagged
-purchased some supplies

-removed all the seats
-purchased undermount propane tank
-collected our apartment stove and small sink from our 32' foot camper to be installed in the bus


This weekend we worked on installing a Maxxair fan and prepping for interior paint. We need to pick up supplies to wire the fan in but it's otherwise ready to go. Rain came and ruined our paint ideas today so it's just prepped for next weekend now.



Next weekend we plan to do some caulking and *hopefully* get that interior paint sprayed. If all goes well with the paint and caulking we will start laying insulation and flooring after that with any remaining weekend.

 

[gypsymama]

*** Sorry, I can't get my phone to upload more photos right now. I'll have to attempt adding the progress photos later on.

 

[Rovobay]

hey great stuff. are you insulating the entire bus or just the floor? I got my maxx air fan installed. I love it. I also salvaged a used a/c roof top unit from a camper and have that installed too. look forward to your progress and more pics!

 

[djdalfaro]

I'm reading that you do not plan on removing the interior panels. I urge you to reconsider. My conversion is nowhere near complete but I can already see that removing the ceiling panels is a must to ensure that any roof leaks are eliminated as they are not apparent with the ceiling panels on as the water travels between the skin and the interior panel. The extent of the leaks was not apparent until I removed the cable tray cover above the windows. Additionally without removing the interior panels you lose out on the best way to add insulation which if you are planning on full timing, should be of the utmost importance. Regardless of what you decide, best of luck on your conversions and travels.

 

[gypsymama]

I still can't get my phone to connect to the computer to upload photos right now so I have a ton of photos to upload later! We have continued work on the bus and it's progressing nicely. Currently we have:



- interior ceiling paint done

- hot water heater shipped
- floors finished up to front area except for finishing work
- wall framing and insulation finished except for front area


Big news! - Plates arrived and we're registered as an RV!


This coming weekend we'll be doing another large shopping trip and searching for a few more parts, mostly the captain's chair. Next to finish are walls and trim then staining and painting. Still a lot of work to do but it's coming along very well (assuming we FINALLY decide on an exterior color that is )