Just Call Me Bobert

[Dbacks2k4]

Let the road trip begin!

I think it's only fitting as my screen name is dbacks2k4 that I take in an Arizona Diamondbacks game at Chase Field on this trip to pick up the bus! I'm slightly bummed I can't bring it all the way home and get started on the conversion, but think storing it local until I can come out for a week with parts to make sure she's roadworthy is the wisest course...

 

[Albatross]

Hmm....

That other photo kind of makes me want to figure out some way to rig up a supercharger system to the bus batteries. But there's probably some kind of software bs that will interfere and need to be hacked out.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Hmm....

That other photo kind of makes me want to figure out some way to rig up a supercharger system to the bus batteries. But there's probably some kind of software bs that will interfere and need to be hacked out.

Are you talking about your house lithium batteries? That would be cool! Tesla's superchargers wouldn't work.... All proprietary connectors and no payment options (at least currently in the US). My car authenticates directly to the network through the charging cable, and Tesla charges my credit card on the back end.
Might be possible on third party chargers like Charge Point or Electrify America that use standard J1772 or CCA connectors if you work out a way to handle the incoming high voltage DC current. I'd love to see schematics on that lol

 

[Albatross]

Are you talking about your house lithium batteries? That would be cool! Tesla's superchargers wouldn't work.... All proprietary connectors and no payment options (at least currently in the US). My car authenticates directly to the network through the charging cable, and Tesla charges my credit card on the back end.
Might be possible on third party chargers like Charge Point or Electrify America that use standard J1772 or CCA connectors if you work out a way to handle the incoming high voltage DC current. I'd love to see schematics on that lol

Yeah. Currently running some Blue-Top AGM's, so I know they couldn't handle the current, but the thought entered my mind when I saw your dash screen or whatever.

And yeah, I figured there was something like that in them, which is a big part of why I'm such a FOSS (Free Open-Source Software) ****. I honestly believe we would be so much better off if everything were open source.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Road Trip Success!

Got the bus picked up from the district without issues and moved to its temporary storage yard. Visual inspection looks good and hooking up servicemaxx showed no diagnostic codes. On the drive up to the storage lot it hiccuped once and checking out the IPR pigtail revealed the expected burnt ends and separation. So far it appears my initial remote diagnosis is correct! (knock on wood!!)

It's almost like it wasn't real until I pulled out of the school district's lot with it and now I'm gung ho excited can't wait to get going! One thing I noticed that was kind of odd is they had removed both the accessory and the noise kill solenoids and hard wired everything in.

I did get some measurements taken down but wasn't able to get many photos as my phone kept overheating and shutting off everytime I'd try to take one... I grew up in Phoenix so I'm used to the heat but we didn't have smartphones back then lol I did get a few shots in though between reboots.

I'm working on locating a hitch to get ordered and getting the tow bar on my Corolla installed and then ordering the new IPR and pigtail for my next trip out to bring her home. Also working on my undercarriage plan... is definitely crowded under there with the two AC condensors and the storage bins.

 

[fo4imtippin]

Nice bus! That's funny your phone overheated! Mine overheated and the battery died when I was on my way back from Tucson to Phoenix to inspect my bus before auction. I didn't know the area at all so I had to plug in at a fast food joint while I charged my phone back so I could get back to where I was staying.



I took a billion pictures so I could start planning before I went back to drive home. It just made me stay awake at night wondering what the dimensions were. Hopefully you don't wait 2 months like I did.


I thought about driving and towing a car back, but decided to wing it and fly. You'll have much more piece of mind with a toad in case you need a part or something.


You better have a plan to protect that cherry bus from the Iowa road salt...

 

[sportyrick]

OOoooooh lots of air conditioning.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Nice bus! That's funny your phone overheated! Mine overheated and the battery died when I was on my way back from Tucson to Phoenix to inspect my bus before auction. I didn't know the area at all so I had to plug in at a fast food joint while I charged my phone back so I could get back to where I was staying.
I took a billion pictures so I could start planning before I went back to drive home. It just made me stay awake at night wondering what the dimensions were. Hopefully you don't wait 2 months like I did.
I thought about driving and towing a car back, but decided to wing it and fly. You'll have much more piece of mind with a toad in case you need a part or something.
You better have a plan to protect that cherry bus from the Iowa road salt...

I went back and forth on having to make 2 trips down there to get it home. Since I plan to tow my car when traveling anyway it just made sense to get setup for that ok the initial trip back.
I wanted to take a million pictures with the tape measure to do my detailed plans but alas it wasn't meant to be. More motivation to get the towing pieces in line and get the bus home sooner rather than later.
My plan with rust prevention is to have a plan, haha. We've used an aerosolized rubber undercoating on my party buses before where we've had to repair rust damages so may do something like that. Definitely something I need to research more. That and winter in the south with the bus and not drive on salted roads lol

 

[Dbacks2k4]

OOoooooh lots of air conditioning.

That was a must have! It blows ice cold too, you never know what kind of shape they'll be in when the districts decide to unload the older fleet.

 

[JA6net]

Man, your planning is spot on. I went with the lobster in hotwater approach.... Didnt know how far I was gone till too late .

Recirculation on shower, that's takes gross hot tub to whole new level... Lol. I'd look for a stream or lake first. Totally dog the outside box thinking though.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Recirculation on shower, that's takes gross hot tub to whole new level... Lol. I'd look for a stream or lake first. Totally dog the outside box thinking though.

I haven't uploaded the revised schematic for the recirc shower yet. My initial design as pointed out by many people following this thread was too complicated. I have a new plan I just haven't drawn out yet. I plan on having about 200 gal of freshwater on board so I'm not limited by freshwater capacity like many people who design recirculating systems are.

But basically the idea is two separate "sides" to the shower setup. One side is typical RV or home style setup - basically freshwater from tank through a heater, then down the drain to the grey tank for iniital showering with soap, etc. Gets all the loose hair, grime, dirt, grease, and whatever else I got into that day off me and in the grey tank. Also keeps the soap from clogging up the filters.

Then flip over to recirculating with a fresh 5 gallons of clean water that goes down through a separate drain into the recirculating tank to be routed to the filters and heater for "stand under the hot water until my the muscles in my injured back relax after a long day" portion of the hot shower. Kinda like a standing hot tub, which is how I treat my shower at home The water should already be pretty clean at this point so once filtered and ran under a UV light should be good enough.

 

[Veloc]

Then flip over to recirculating with a fresh 5 gallons of clean water that goes down through a separate drain into the recirculating tank to be routed to the filters and heater for "stand under the hot water until my the muscles in my injured back relax after a long day" portion of the hot shower. Kinda like a standing hot tub, which is how I treat my shower at home The water should already be pretty clean at this point so once filtered and ran under a UV light should be good enough.

That's actually a neat idea. An endless soaker shower in an RV that never wastes water. Probably be best to do two separate shower areas for that though. The recirc would just need a stall barely large enough to stand in since you wouldn't be needing room to wash. Trying to do both in one will result in the clean side getting contaminated by the dirty side.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Got home from Arizona over the weekend. Successful road trip!

Saturday night I validated the part numbers for the IPR and pigtail and then got them ordered. I also bought a few other odds and ends on Amazon.... wiring harness for trailer hookup, new LED brake and turn lamps (could've waited on that but as long as I'm tapping into brake lamp wires), a set of relays and fuses, a spool of wire, and a vinyl cutter for some decals I want to do (again, could've waited on that, but one of the party buses needs the vinyl decal with the business phone number redone so figured two birds/one stone).

I also asked for an updated quote on the tow bar for my car from a local RV shop that does tow-bar installs. Initial quote was very reasonable but they were quoting a magnetic light-bar and I'd like to see what it'd cost to actually wire the car's lights.

I got the tow hitch ordered as well. Curt 14082

Today, I got title and registration completed at the DMV as a motor home.
I detailed it on a thread specific to Iowa registration: https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f18/iowa-registering-a-bus-as-a-motor-home-32818.html#post471171
$25 for title, $305 in 5% sales tax (Iowa calls it a "new registration fee" after they raised state sales tax a few years back), and $43 for the partial of the $85 annual registration. It's a partial as my plates renew in October.

Spent another $63 ordering a personalized blackout license plate after I got home. Iowa's county standard plates are ugly, the blackout ones are way better. Takes a couple weeks for them to get in. They will raise my annual registration by $15.

The new networking gear is in for my internet setup, but alas no playtime tonight, have actual work to do.... maybe tomorrow

Tomorrow I'll pay a visit to my insurance agent and start that process. Will also stop at Farm and Fleet to get new batteries for the bus as well as pickup the welder I've been keeping my eye on. One of the party buses needs a new support bracket welded onto the steps, so good time to get that welder and start practicing before I need to do my water tank cages, etc.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Tslabus

Local RV shop is ghosting me on updating the quote on installing the tow bar on the Toyota, so annoying!! I got a couple quotes from some shops in Phoenix. One ridiculously high, the other quite reasonable so think that's the route I'm going to go. They can get me in week after next which is exciting. Just waiting on the written estimate to validate the part numbers they want to use before giving them the green light.

Sat down with my insurance agent today. I use a fairly unknown carrier called American National Prop and Casualty and have a good relationship with my agent since my dad used to be an agent for that company. Wanted to give them first shot since all my other insurance business is with them; but I wasn't surprised when the underwriter came back with uninsurable and recommended reselling through progressive... who also immediately declined.

So, went down the street to state farm and got the agent there started on the underwriting process. Probably could've called one of the well known state farm agencies on these forums but I prefer working with local people as much as possible... I'm all for electronic communication and remote support but I like to have the option walking into someone's office and refusing to leave until they've fixed my issue if there's ever a major problem. I can be an a-hole like that

I also decided on a name for the bus... TSLABUS. I've mentioned before my Tesla Model S that I love. I'm a bit of an Elon fanboy with some of the stuff he's doing with starlink and Mars. As a libertarian I like that he pisses off liberals and conservatives alike. My family and friends give me so much grief for being a Tesla owner and not being politically motivated about EVs, green energy, or environmentalism and operating a party bus fleet of emissions-deleted diesels. It's only fitting as my bus is going to be loaded with high-tech and plenty of solar and lithium batteries for house-power. I've already got some ideas for some logos and exterior badging to play off the Tesla theme.

Too bad I can't rename this build thread

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Moving right along!

Got a slot booked with an RV shop in Arizona for week after next to get the tow bar installed on the car. Hotel and rental car arrangements are now made and I'll be driving the TSLABUS home pulling the Toyota behind it at the end of that week!

Insurance is set. State Farm got me full coverage for Commercial Vehicle/Private Use for $57.90/mo, $500 deductible, 250/500 limits. After conversion they can rewrite as RV.

I got some time to play with my technology toys this evening. I now have a fully working bench test of my mobile internet setup.
Wound up with:
1. FortiWifi 61E running verison 7.2 (Fortigate with integrated wifi - used for wifi-as-a-wan)
2. FortiAP 224D (access point for my devices)
3. FortiExtender 40D (LTE 4G connection - dual SIM)

The system balances my uplink conections of Starlink, public wifi, and Google Fi cellular (Tmobile). I replaced the integrated antennas with an external outdoor antennas for both the LTE and Wifi-as-a-wan radios. I'm writing this post from the Starlink connection

There are three "internal" networks, one wired, one wireless, and one guest. I chose the 10.76.0.0 subnet in honor of the bus' 7.6L diesel. There will be a little more config work to do yet once I put cameras and the like up, but for now a good start. Security cameras will get a dedicated VLAN as will some IOT stuff like Rokus, Jeff Bezos' spy devices (amazon echo) and Sonos gear. I'll also eventually have a VPN tunnel back home for a few odds and ends but I need to swap out my home firewall first...

Essentially the system will always route my traffic out Starlink when available (I signed up for Portability today), then failback to any public wifi networks available (bench testing with my home wifi), and lastly use cellular for connectivity.

When on cellular certain things get blocked including my cell phone (since it's on the same carrier no point in going through wifi as certain things on my phone automatically disable when on cellular like backups and updates), guest wifi access, general updates such as Windows Updates, and video streaming. I want video streaming disabled by default to save data, I can manually enable when I want it - and when I do enable it bandwidth is severely restricted to force lower video quality. This could change in the future. Today with my Google Fi plan I pay per GB of data since I use so little data I save significant money. Once travelling I'll likely go to their Unlimited Plus plan which is unlimited up to 50GB before throttling kicks in. When travelling I may sign up for either a Verizon or AT&T data plan and add the SIM to the FortiExtender for another option. Google Fi for actual phones will switch between US Cellular, TMobile, and Sprint; but the data-only SIM used by the Extender is Tmobile-only. I'm hoping with Starlink Portability now going that will solve most of my data needs and adding more cellular options won't be necessary, especially since it'll be months before I go anywhere as I still have a full build ahead of me :wink:

 

[TMartineau]

You don't want a 12V battery bank for what you're envisioning.

This link should prove useful.

That link is like 10 years old. Solar and battery tech has come a long way in that time. Is the information in his posts still accurate? Seemed to have very strong opinions concerning certain setups.
-Thomas

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Road Trip #2 - GO!

Got the Toyota back from the shop on Wednesday. This car has mostly been sitting for 2 years so was due for a lube, oil, and filter change, a thorough inspection, and last time I drove it last year noticed the A/C was blowing warm. $2200 later I have a whole new A/C compressor and condensor... apparently when the compressor failed it blew shards of metal through the condensor and took it out as well But overall the mechanics said the car is still in pristine condition especially considering its age and mileage.

Got the proof of insurance yesterday afternoon for the bus from State Farm, so good to go on that angle. Apparently after I got the "approved" quote last week underwriting took a second look before they'd bind which took another few days. Alls well that ends well I guess.

The car is loaded up with parts and tools to get the TSLABUS ready for its road trip home from Arizona next week. The car goes in for its tow-bar install on Monday.

I must admit I've gotten spoiled driving the Tesla - this car is straight up cruise control, not adaptive, and obviously no auto-steer ha ha. I filled up before I left home. I don't recall this car ever taking $50 to fuel up I shouldn't complain, I'm not looking forward to the diesel bills coming back, even with the TSD discounts!

I also completely forgot I had an old REO Speedwagon CD in the stereo in this car. Got myself some good cruising tunes for a while!!

 

[Dbacks2k4]

Not everything is going to plan

Well, not everything is going to plan, but making the best of it anyway.

From what I've seen on various threads and YouTube channels I guess that is the mantra of bus life lol. Even though I intend to be a long-vacationer with my bus.

The drive down to Arizona was uneventful. Just me, my thoughts, and some good tunes. And an hour phone call with my sister planning my niece's third birthday party. I'm looking forward to future trips through the southwest with the bus that I can stop more often to take in cool sights or explore things, like the Hooker Inn Gift Shop :biggrin:

I never cease to be amazed at the beautiful scenery in Arizona. I didn't take a lot of photos but I did capture a couple.

I knew this week was supposed to be hot in the Phoenix metro area, but I wasn't quite prepared for 109. I went to high school down here but I'm a bit out of practice (and shape) for these extremes.

So at long last (3 pages on this thread ) some photos of actual work on a bus, ha ha. Yesterday I got the IPR installed. This at the time unknown bird wasn't very happy with me doing engine work so close to her (his?) nest. I know now its a Lesser Nighthawk.

Install went fine and wired up the new pigtail without issue. But when I started her up she started hard and was idling pretty rough with some knocking. A little research suggested either [1] air in the high pressure oil system (shouldn't be since I didn't touch the ICP or HPOP but possible) or [2] issues with aftermarket IPRs. I've used this same aftermarket IPR from fordiesels.com on others in my fleet without issue but doesn't mean I didn't get a bad one.

I did get the hitch clamped into place and ready to start drilling though before heading up to Mesa.

My appointment at the RV shop was for 10am to have them start installing the tow bars on the Corolla. That all went well, got an Uber over to the Toyota dealership to pick up a rental car for the week. I'm not too impressed with Earnhardt Toyota in Mesa - they seem a tad disorganized. What should've taken 10 minutes to fill out paperwork for my pre-made reservation and get going took almost 45 minutes, a lot of that waiting for them to figure out which service advisor can do rentals, and then waiting for someone to actually go find the car on the lot and bring it up.

At that point it was noon, so I took some time to run to Home Depot and Walmart for some supplies while I wasn't in the boonies of Florence, AZ. I brought quite a bit of stuff and tools with me that I had on hand in my shop, but I also had a list of things needed so go that done.

Back at the storage yard I attempted to start drilling out the holes for the hitch. That did not go well. Drill overheated quickly and it was just too damn hot. That and my battery powered drill just doesn't have enough uumph for hardened steeel. I'd bought some cheap floor mats to lay on (those rocks aren't the most comfortable) but those also got too hot to lay on. :marshmallow: I called it a day and came back to the hotel where my small mini cooler promptly got stolen

Today I gave the drilling a second shot while it was cooler (80s compared to 100s) and although the drill didn't overheat this time it still wasn't making good progress. Over an hour total to get one pilot hole in. With no power at the storage yard and having to charge batteries at the hotel 20 minutes away, it's just not working. There's 6 bolts total so I surrendered and called the RV shop that's doing the tow bars and arranged for them to install it when they do the brake hookups later in the week.

I did manage to get the 7-pin wiring harness in today though which meant officially drilling the first hole in the side of the bus.

I only did a temporary wiring job. I hate having to do work twice but with the limited work time available (the storage yard only allows access from 7am-7pm daily - so I unfortunately can't start at sun-up) I don't have time to take out the rear seats and remove the panels from the back end. Also I wired in the new LED brake and turn lamps and those will have to come back off for painting anyway, and the plan is to turn the top red/amber 8way flashers into secondary brake and turn lamps (on a separate switch/relay for states that don't allow that) so plenty more work to be done on a permanent setup anyway that can't be done in these short few days.

I am getting some extra time to visit and catch up with friends from high school and college down here so making the best of my limited work time. This afternoon I'm going to make some calls to local dealers and see if I can find an OEM IPR to put on tomorrow. Diagnostics mostly look good, the HPOP is putting out enough pressure. Just when cranking the ICP pressure lags a couple seconds behind the requested pressure which I think is the issue. Once running and revved up she runs ok. Will try a different IPR tomorrow morning and also do a test drive with it.

On an unrelated note, has anyone ever used Charlie Ball for an Allison 3000 6th gear unlock? On the main 6th gear thread towards the end he is mentioned. I reached out to him online with my info and he got back to me right away, but would be curious to hear from a satisfied customer first before blindly mailing off my TCM... I'll also post to that thread.

-Kevin

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

i was able to clamp my hitch up and then put the floor jack under the cordless drill.
slow and steady and some brand new bits.
no more struggle after that.
and quicker than taking breaks from tired shoulders/arms.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

i was able to clamp my hitch up and then put the floor jack under the cordless drill.
slow and steady and some brand new bits.

That was my approach as well. Just not enough oomph in my cordless drill.