fo4imtippin
Senior Member
About Birdie
BlueBird TC2000
28ft 9 Window
Flat Rear Floor
Handicap Lift
Cummins 5.9 24v
Allison MD3060
5.29 ratio
Rear Air Ride
Air Brakes
21k rear axle
13k front axle
Curb Weight Full tanks, seats = 17,000lb 8900lb steer 8700lb drive
Came from Tucson School District
About Me
For my day job, I am an Infrastructure Engineer at a Fintech company. I also have a small side business that does website building and maintenance. Never owned a diesel before, but I have replaced engines and transmissions in cars. I’m fairly mechanically inclined and throw myself to learning about things I get myself into. In the last 5 years, I have gotten deep into construction. I completed a whole guest house and down to the stud remodel in my own house after. I did everything from concrete, framing, plumbing, electrical, A/C, tiling, and roofing. The only thing I won’t do again is drywall (yay buses). I have a few other building projects that are going on at the same time as the bus build. I am trying to get grid tie solar going on my house during 2022. My son and I started a 16x12 treefort in our Live Oak, that I’m waiting for lumber prices to recede before continuing. And I typically have one weekly project to target (paint pergola, put up pool fence, powerwash house, etc).
Use for Bus
My family never desires to live on a bus. We want to take 1 month vacations to boondock mostly out west. We usually take one or two small vacations to the east coast Mountains. My family does think it would be awesome to homeschool one semester and do a 6-month excursion. I’m a remote worker and signed up for Starlink, so this could probably work out. My wife and I have two kids, currently ages 6 and 1. We want the bus small enough to go almost anywhere and easy to drive. We want it under the 35ish limit of some parks. We also want dedicated beds for the kids, so they don’t have to fold up a dinette or couch to have breakfast. That’s a lot to pack in a tiny bus.
The Workspace
I have a 35x12 gravel space next to my house that stored a boat. It’s the buses new home. I have an already full single car garage to store all my tools and treasures, so it will be a tight fit. Also, there is a fiberglass pool next to the gravel parking spot, so no metal cutting/grinding can be done where the bus is parked. This requires commutes to the front yard for dirty work. I also live about ½ Mile from the Atlantic Ocean. Metal brackets and things outside seem to rust quicker because of the salty air. With our humid climate, I am trying to get a nice coat of paint on, change to stainless screws and fluid film the pristine underside. When I remodeled my house, I put a 50amp RV Panel on the house next to the bus. I can run welders and shore power from here.
Updates
I'm sure things will change, but i will try to update this first post as i go. I wanted to make a list somewhere so its not just in my head. I will also post notable progress below on my adventure.
The Overall Plan
My build timeline is flexible. I have no needs to finish by a certain point, but would like to have something usable Summer 2023. I also have no fixed budget, I have a decent amount money to start the build, buy the bus, but I’m trying not to spend over a certain amount each month on the bus so that I can pay as go. This is for vacations. It is much too small of a platform to live in full time with the garage and bunks. I would love to have higher ceilings but don’t want to get into a roof raise. I don’t love the look and I’d rather not mess with the exterior. Did you know when my bus was built, high roof was a $400 option? Umm, why weren’t they all high roof?
Garage
So we are keeping the handicap lift and going to partition a wall separating the finished area from the garage. We plan to keep bikes, tools, hiking gear, grills and stuff in this back area. We can also hang inverters, batteries, panels and stuff on this wall. The space will be about 5x8 to fit all we can.
Rear Deck
3 or 4 ft extension of frame rails to allow 2 dirtbikes and other gear to be tied down outside. This brings total length to 31 or 32ft. Deciding how much tailswing I want. Will also be doing a headache rack from the platform up to a level bar crossing roof as a back support for the solar rack. Plan to put a swing out boom on the passenger side corner to be able to hoist things onto the platform. I can mount the minisplit to this rack and use the free side as a ladder to the roof. I’m hoping to replace or supplement my current 60 gallon diesel tank with something bigger extending under the platform. Under the sides, I would like to have a hatch/bin where I can store extra bus fluids. I also want to add a gas tank fill so that I can fill from either side of the bus
Roof Rack/Solar
I haven’t decided on whether to just run two rails along the roof, bolted through each rib or to build a C shaped rack bolted to every other window channel. Either way, the only roof appliance will be a maxxair fan in the middle. This leaves me room for 8 commercial sized panels giving me 3200-3500watts of panels. Ideally, I would run one row of 4 on each side and then run an aluminum bleacher seat down the middle as a walk platform.
Dinette
We like the kids being able to have a seatbelted space up by the driver to hang out. We also want the table to be able to be up all the time. The plan is a 30-32in wide dinette with the front seat made like a flip flop boat seat. The backrest will slide to the front of the bus to face backwards during eating. It will slide to the rear of the bus to be forward facing with seatbelt while in motion. The flat front wheel wells will help save space here.
Bunk Bed
The bottom bunk will be framed and have under mattress storage like a couch. Under it will be driver heater and passenger heater. There will be plenty of other space for the kids stuff. The top bunk will be removable where the cushion is added to the top of the lower bunk and the frame will either get stowed tight to the ceiling or fit in the frame under the bottom bunk.
Bathroom
I didn’t really want a wet bath, but gotta sacrifice somewhere fitting all this stuff. We will have a 32x42ish shower pan and an rv flush toilet on a riser behind it (total bath area is 60x32). My wife and I really don’t want a compost toilet. There is room under the toilet for a 30-35-gallon black tank. Under that, I have a 60-gallon square aluminum fuel tank to be used for gray water. This will also shield the plastic black tank from rocks and things. I can fit 150gal of fresh in a 24x24x67 footprint under the bed.
Kitchen
I have a bit over 6ft of space to build a kitchen. We are planning on 4 feet of drawers and counter with sink. We have 2 feet for the fridge with a convection oven thing on top. Kitchen is opposite of all the plumbing. I can run the pex under the bed frame and for the drain, I think I should be able to easily cross the frame to the gray tank in the 2 in body channels.
Electrical
I want to be able to run off grid and I don’t think I have enough space for an undermount generator. I plan an all-in-one inverter that can also backfeed my house with surplus solar. I plan one or two server rack batteries for storage. All bus appliances will be 120v so that I can accept shore power anywhere needed or run on a small 2000w inverter generator if my All-In-One fails. I plan a 48v battery system to keep wire costs down. Additionally, I have a free-ish 48v 180a alternator available. So I can buy a Balmar charge controller and have an engine driven charging in case solar output isn’t keeping up. I can mount it where the remove A/C compressor was. I want to keep all systems electric that I can so I don’t have to deal with propane. Everything that can be, will be run as 12v. Water pumps, fans, lights, etc. I will have a 12v charger to push power from the solar/48v/120v system to the 12v house battery (one 8D). I also have a battery isolator on the alternator to directly charge this while driving.
Insulation
½ to 1in of XPS on the floor, 1.5in closed cell foam on the ceiling and walls. Sound mat on the steps and everywhere by the front engine. 90% roof airgap coverage by solar panels. Finished ceiling will have an insulator between hat channels and tongue and groove pvc boards.
Air conditioning
Going with a 120v 12k BTU minisplit heat pump. This will be mounted on the back bedroom wall. The outdoor unit will go under the bus if there’s room or above the rear door.
Heating
So far, we don’t usually like cold trips, but it has gotten below freezing on many of our mountain trips. I have a 16kw diesel coolant heater. I will install 2 jegs heaters under the bottom bunk bed. The dash bus heaters are also in this loop, so there should be plenty of heat to go around. The Heat Pump on the minisplit should provide enough by itself for mild cold weather.
Water Heater
Originally was looking at doing a 120v/propane rv hybrid water. I really don’t want to have a propane system on board. After realizing the power of my diesel coolant heater, I have decided to go with an 11-gallon marine water heater. This system has a 1500w element that will run off my 120v system to always keep 11 gallons hot for handwashing, one shower, etc. It takes one hour for 1500watts to heat 11 gallons. So typically on vacations, my family always showers back to back. Now I can flip on the coolant heater when showers start and have unlimited hot water (until the water or diesel tank runs out at least). Thinking of having a mixing valve outside the shower and only a ball valve on the heads. I can shower in 2 minutes, but everyone else takes forever.
Towing
Would like to flat tow a Jeep behind the bus on typical trips. Would like to be able to also tow boats or 10k enclosed trailers as well in future. Will wire in 7 pin hitch and possibly an air coupler for brakes. Currently I’m sitting at half the GVWR. A longer wheelbase would tow nicer, but I’m estimating adding 5-10k lbs during conversion. Even after I’m fully loaded, I think I’m still 10k under the GVWR. With my lockup transmission, low rear end, and some of my performance upgrades, I think I’ll be able to get where I’m going at a decent speed.
Paint
Roof will stay white. Will be waterproofed with seam sealer and use white Tractor Rustoleum. Not sure if it will be rolled on or sprayed. White will go all the way down to the top of windows. Body will be light gray. We want something muted and can be touched up easily. I looked at Eastwood single stage automotive paint, but it would cost over 1k for the body paint and I don’t know how easily I could touch it up. I plan on Ford Gray Tractor Rustoleum. I plan to spray with HVLP and Majic Hardener. I am painting before converting as I don’t want to paint around roof rack, solar, lights etc. I also want it all protected from rust during the build If I have to touch up, I can buy it in a rattle can and tape off affected area. All of the chrome fixtures will be blacked out if possible. The bumpers will be painted black and the rub rails will be body colored.
[FONT="]
[/FONT] Notable Tools gathered during the build
YesWelder Mig 250 Pro
Bestcut 500DP Plasma Cutter
Harbor Freight 20 ton Air Bottle Jack
Harbor Freight Creeper
20v Dewalt Impact Wrench
Husky Dedicated Bus socket set
BlueFire Data Reader
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
Index of Activities (My to-do list)
Bring Bus Home 2000 Miles
Mechanical
Change Engine Oil
Grease Everything
Change Transmission Oil/Filters
Pressure wash dirt and grease from underside
Transmission Hose Leaking (Replace)
Oil Pan Gasket Leak (Replace)
Steering Gear Leaking from input shaft (Replace)
OEM Fuel Filter Leak (Replace O Ring)
Unlock Allison 6th Gear
Extend Puke Tube/ Add filter
Change Thermostat
Change WaterPump
Change Serpentine
Flush Radiator
FASS Fuel Pump
RV275 Injectors
Cummins Insite CAL Flash for higher HP
3 in spacer lift on suspension
Upgrade to 11r22.5 tires 42in instead of 36in. Open Shoulder
Air Ride seat
Relocate MCC Engine A/C to above dashboard or upgrade to IW-1
Relocate House Battery to share compartment with starting battery
Relayout Dash and new gauges
Meritor Air Locker Third Member
PPV to Regulator for air tools.
Demolition
Remove Seats
Remove Tracks
Remove Floor
Remove Walls
Remove Ceiling
Remove Rear A/C
Cap Unused Bus Wiring
Remove Wiggle Light System
Remove Stop Sign
Cut out front wheel wells and replace with new flat floor
Weld up holes in bus floor
Brushing and rest converter on floor
Primer over raw metal floor inside bus
Paint Prep
Weld/ Bondo exterior screw holes that won’t be used anymore
Order replacement marker lights and signals to ensure hole placement
Close up roof hatch
Remove extra battery box
Remove 5 windows and insert blanks
Sand entire exterior
Remove all marker and signal lights and detail sand behind them
Seam Sealer for each roof seam
Seam Sealer for each drip edge
Seam Sealer for top side of each rub rail
Remove all Windows
Powerwash and degrease bus
Tape off Bus
Paint Roof
Paint Body
Conversion
Rear Bumper Platform
Front Bumper Platform
Headache Rack
Floor Insulation
Subfloor
Framing
Will add rest here when I get closer
BlueBird TC2000
28ft 9 Window
Flat Rear Floor
Handicap Lift
Cummins 5.9 24v
Allison MD3060
5.29 ratio
Rear Air Ride
Air Brakes
21k rear axle
13k front axle
Curb Weight Full tanks, seats = 17,000lb 8900lb steer 8700lb drive
Came from Tucson School District
About Me
For my day job, I am an Infrastructure Engineer at a Fintech company. I also have a small side business that does website building and maintenance. Never owned a diesel before, but I have replaced engines and transmissions in cars. I’m fairly mechanically inclined and throw myself to learning about things I get myself into. In the last 5 years, I have gotten deep into construction. I completed a whole guest house and down to the stud remodel in my own house after. I did everything from concrete, framing, plumbing, electrical, A/C, tiling, and roofing. The only thing I won’t do again is drywall (yay buses). I have a few other building projects that are going on at the same time as the bus build. I am trying to get grid tie solar going on my house during 2022. My son and I started a 16x12 treefort in our Live Oak, that I’m waiting for lumber prices to recede before continuing. And I typically have one weekly project to target (paint pergola, put up pool fence, powerwash house, etc).
Use for Bus
My family never desires to live on a bus. We want to take 1 month vacations to boondock mostly out west. We usually take one or two small vacations to the east coast Mountains. My family does think it would be awesome to homeschool one semester and do a 6-month excursion. I’m a remote worker and signed up for Starlink, so this could probably work out. My wife and I have two kids, currently ages 6 and 1. We want the bus small enough to go almost anywhere and easy to drive. We want it under the 35ish limit of some parks. We also want dedicated beds for the kids, so they don’t have to fold up a dinette or couch to have breakfast. That’s a lot to pack in a tiny bus.
The Workspace
I have a 35x12 gravel space next to my house that stored a boat. It’s the buses new home. I have an already full single car garage to store all my tools and treasures, so it will be a tight fit. Also, there is a fiberglass pool next to the gravel parking spot, so no metal cutting/grinding can be done where the bus is parked. This requires commutes to the front yard for dirty work. I also live about ½ Mile from the Atlantic Ocean. Metal brackets and things outside seem to rust quicker because of the salty air. With our humid climate, I am trying to get a nice coat of paint on, change to stainless screws and fluid film the pristine underside. When I remodeled my house, I put a 50amp RV Panel on the house next to the bus. I can run welders and shore power from here.
Updates
I'm sure things will change, but i will try to update this first post as i go. I wanted to make a list somewhere so its not just in my head. I will also post notable progress below on my adventure.
The Overall Plan
My build timeline is flexible. I have no needs to finish by a certain point, but would like to have something usable Summer 2023. I also have no fixed budget, I have a decent amount money to start the build, buy the bus, but I’m trying not to spend over a certain amount each month on the bus so that I can pay as go. This is for vacations. It is much too small of a platform to live in full time with the garage and bunks. I would love to have higher ceilings but don’t want to get into a roof raise. I don’t love the look and I’d rather not mess with the exterior. Did you know when my bus was built, high roof was a $400 option? Umm, why weren’t they all high roof?
Garage
So we are keeping the handicap lift and going to partition a wall separating the finished area from the garage. We plan to keep bikes, tools, hiking gear, grills and stuff in this back area. We can also hang inverters, batteries, panels and stuff on this wall. The space will be about 5x8 to fit all we can.
Rear Deck
3 or 4 ft extension of frame rails to allow 2 dirtbikes and other gear to be tied down outside. This brings total length to 31 or 32ft. Deciding how much tailswing I want. Will also be doing a headache rack from the platform up to a level bar crossing roof as a back support for the solar rack. Plan to put a swing out boom on the passenger side corner to be able to hoist things onto the platform. I can mount the minisplit to this rack and use the free side as a ladder to the roof. I’m hoping to replace or supplement my current 60 gallon diesel tank with something bigger extending under the platform. Under the sides, I would like to have a hatch/bin where I can store extra bus fluids. I also want to add a gas tank fill so that I can fill from either side of the bus
Roof Rack/Solar
I haven’t decided on whether to just run two rails along the roof, bolted through each rib or to build a C shaped rack bolted to every other window channel. Either way, the only roof appliance will be a maxxair fan in the middle. This leaves me room for 8 commercial sized panels giving me 3200-3500watts of panels. Ideally, I would run one row of 4 on each side and then run an aluminum bleacher seat down the middle as a walk platform.
Dinette
We like the kids being able to have a seatbelted space up by the driver to hang out. We also want the table to be able to be up all the time. The plan is a 30-32in wide dinette with the front seat made like a flip flop boat seat. The backrest will slide to the front of the bus to face backwards during eating. It will slide to the rear of the bus to be forward facing with seatbelt while in motion. The flat front wheel wells will help save space here.
Bunk Bed
The bottom bunk will be framed and have under mattress storage like a couch. Under it will be driver heater and passenger heater. There will be plenty of other space for the kids stuff. The top bunk will be removable where the cushion is added to the top of the lower bunk and the frame will either get stowed tight to the ceiling or fit in the frame under the bottom bunk.
Bathroom
I didn’t really want a wet bath, but gotta sacrifice somewhere fitting all this stuff. We will have a 32x42ish shower pan and an rv flush toilet on a riser behind it (total bath area is 60x32). My wife and I really don’t want a compost toilet. There is room under the toilet for a 30-35-gallon black tank. Under that, I have a 60-gallon square aluminum fuel tank to be used for gray water. This will also shield the plastic black tank from rocks and things. I can fit 150gal of fresh in a 24x24x67 footprint under the bed.
Kitchen
I have a bit over 6ft of space to build a kitchen. We are planning on 4 feet of drawers and counter with sink. We have 2 feet for the fridge with a convection oven thing on top. Kitchen is opposite of all the plumbing. I can run the pex under the bed frame and for the drain, I think I should be able to easily cross the frame to the gray tank in the 2 in body channels.
Electrical
I want to be able to run off grid and I don’t think I have enough space for an undermount generator. I plan an all-in-one inverter that can also backfeed my house with surplus solar. I plan one or two server rack batteries for storage. All bus appliances will be 120v so that I can accept shore power anywhere needed or run on a small 2000w inverter generator if my All-In-One fails. I plan a 48v battery system to keep wire costs down. Additionally, I have a free-ish 48v 180a alternator available. So I can buy a Balmar charge controller and have an engine driven charging in case solar output isn’t keeping up. I can mount it where the remove A/C compressor was. I want to keep all systems electric that I can so I don’t have to deal with propane. Everything that can be, will be run as 12v. Water pumps, fans, lights, etc. I will have a 12v charger to push power from the solar/48v/120v system to the 12v house battery (one 8D). I also have a battery isolator on the alternator to directly charge this while driving.
Insulation
½ to 1in of XPS on the floor, 1.5in closed cell foam on the ceiling and walls. Sound mat on the steps and everywhere by the front engine. 90% roof airgap coverage by solar panels. Finished ceiling will have an insulator between hat channels and tongue and groove pvc boards.
Air conditioning
Going with a 120v 12k BTU minisplit heat pump. This will be mounted on the back bedroom wall. The outdoor unit will go under the bus if there’s room or above the rear door.
Heating
So far, we don’t usually like cold trips, but it has gotten below freezing on many of our mountain trips. I have a 16kw diesel coolant heater. I will install 2 jegs heaters under the bottom bunk bed. The dash bus heaters are also in this loop, so there should be plenty of heat to go around. The Heat Pump on the minisplit should provide enough by itself for mild cold weather.
Water Heater
Originally was looking at doing a 120v/propane rv hybrid water. I really don’t want to have a propane system on board. After realizing the power of my diesel coolant heater, I have decided to go with an 11-gallon marine water heater. This system has a 1500w element that will run off my 120v system to always keep 11 gallons hot for handwashing, one shower, etc. It takes one hour for 1500watts to heat 11 gallons. So typically on vacations, my family always showers back to back. Now I can flip on the coolant heater when showers start and have unlimited hot water (until the water or diesel tank runs out at least). Thinking of having a mixing valve outside the shower and only a ball valve on the heads. I can shower in 2 minutes, but everyone else takes forever.
Towing
Would like to flat tow a Jeep behind the bus on typical trips. Would like to be able to also tow boats or 10k enclosed trailers as well in future. Will wire in 7 pin hitch and possibly an air coupler for brakes. Currently I’m sitting at half the GVWR. A longer wheelbase would tow nicer, but I’m estimating adding 5-10k lbs during conversion. Even after I’m fully loaded, I think I’m still 10k under the GVWR. With my lockup transmission, low rear end, and some of my performance upgrades, I think I’ll be able to get where I’m going at a decent speed.
Paint
Roof will stay white. Will be waterproofed with seam sealer and use white Tractor Rustoleum. Not sure if it will be rolled on or sprayed. White will go all the way down to the top of windows. Body will be light gray. We want something muted and can be touched up easily. I looked at Eastwood single stage automotive paint, but it would cost over 1k for the body paint and I don’t know how easily I could touch it up. I plan on Ford Gray Tractor Rustoleum. I plan to spray with HVLP and Majic Hardener. I am painting before converting as I don’t want to paint around roof rack, solar, lights etc. I also want it all protected from rust during the build If I have to touch up, I can buy it in a rattle can and tape off affected area. All of the chrome fixtures will be blacked out if possible. The bumpers will be painted black and the rub rails will be body colored.
[FONT="]
[/FONT] Notable Tools gathered during the build
YesWelder Mig 250 Pro
Bestcut 500DP Plasma Cutter
Harbor Freight 20 ton Air Bottle Jack
Harbor Freight Creeper
20v Dewalt Impact Wrench
Husky Dedicated Bus socket set
BlueFire Data Reader
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
Index of Activities (My to-do list)
Bring Bus Home 2000 Miles
Mechanical
Change Engine Oil
Grease Everything
Change Transmission Oil/Filters
Pressure wash dirt and grease from underside
Transmission Hose Leaking (Replace)
Oil Pan Gasket Leak (Replace)
Steering Gear Leaking from input shaft (Replace)
OEM Fuel Filter Leak (Replace O Ring)
Unlock Allison 6th Gear
Extend Puke Tube/ Add filter
Change Thermostat
Change WaterPump
Change Serpentine
Flush Radiator
FASS Fuel Pump
RV275 Injectors
Cummins Insite CAL Flash for higher HP
3 in spacer lift on suspension
Upgrade to 11r22.5 tires 42in instead of 36in. Open Shoulder
Air Ride seat
Relocate MCC Engine A/C to above dashboard or upgrade to IW-1
Relocate House Battery to share compartment with starting battery
Relayout Dash and new gauges
Meritor Air Locker Third Member
PPV to Regulator for air tools.
Demolition
Remove Seats
Remove Tracks
Remove Floor
Remove Walls
Remove Ceiling
Remove Rear A/C
Cap Unused Bus Wiring
Remove Wiggle Light System
Remove Stop Sign
Cut out front wheel wells and replace with new flat floor
Weld up holes in bus floor
Brushing and rest converter on floor
Primer over raw metal floor inside bus
Paint Prep
Weld/ Bondo exterior screw holes that won’t be used anymore
Order replacement marker lights and signals to ensure hole placement
Close up roof hatch
Remove extra battery box
Remove 5 windows and insert blanks
Sand entire exterior
Remove all marker and signal lights and detail sand behind them
Seam Sealer for each roof seam
Seam Sealer for each drip edge
Seam Sealer for top side of each rub rail
Remove all Windows
Powerwash and degrease bus
Tape off Bus
Paint Roof
Paint Body
Conversion
Rear Bumper Platform
Front Bumper Platform
Headache Rack
Floor Insulation
Subfloor
Framing
Will add rest here when I get closer