The Daily Driver Bus

[cadillackid]

it shows that i really should gear down a little in the rear.. (not often a sakoolie talks about gearing down).. but it ran better in 5th than it did in 6th.. I think I was crowding it all the time in 6th.. I didnt notice black smoke but im guessing that 100% load at 1475 RPM isnt great on the engine.. at least not that engine..

maybe a Big CAT class 8 its OK..
-Christopher

 

[Tango-SKO]

"Lugging" be bad.

 

[cadillackid]

"Lugging" be bad.

thats why I shifted to 5th and left that as the max gear.. ran fine that way and it kicked down to 4th on some of the larger hills..
-Christopher

 

[Thomas1985]

We are leaving to finally go get it tomorrow! It was 60 miles north of Houston and miraculously didn't receive flood damage. It'll be around 11 hours on Thursday, we'll camp somewhere, and then Friday morning go pick it up first thing where my buddy from Houston will be meeting us. My two friends and drivers will remove the seats right away and apparently the handicap door is screwed closed as well. We are hauling a motorcycle ramp so we can get his bike in easily. After that I found a wheelchair lift in Dallas we will install that afternoon before driving back to Arkansas.
It'll be an adventure!
I'll get some pictures once we get it back.

 

[dopamine16]

Well.????? were is it.?

 

[Tall Grass]

Trust but verify.

Can you take the vin to a dealer and see what it came with.

 

[Thomas1985]

Happy new year!

I realize I haven't updated my build thread since going to get my bus. It made it an hour from home before smoking and nearly catching fire. It's been sitting at my buddies shop for a couple months finally getting worked on now. Turns out the rear axles seals were worn away and it spilled out differential fluid everywhere. My friends motorcycle was in the back but it's alright.
The front end needs new bushings minimally and it turns out the guy lied and it's not the overdrive transmission. I didn't travel 14 hours to turn around at that point though. I'll be putting a different one in when the funds are available. My next step is to get a ramp and get in there so I can check it out. The doorway is unusually small 39 inches wide by 53 inches tall. Regular lifts like I have in my other bus are typically 42 inches wide and almost 60 inches tall. SO before committing to buying an expensive ramp and making a larger door I'm going to get a long steel ramp and at least get inside to make sure I want to keep it. My only worry now is that the windshield is too low and smaller than my other bus for me to see out of without ducking. I don't want to travel the country staring at the metal above the windshield. I'm wondering if I could find a large windshield, cut away some of the upper metal, and build a new one in. So far my good friend at the metal fabrication shop doesn't like that idea and suggests maybe cutting out a large window in that space above the windshield. That sounds like my field of vision would be split up too much for me.
I'll report back after getting inside. All of that aside its a great size vehicle 4 window which will be great for driving into regular parking lots again if I can make it work.
Any ideas, suggestions, or opinions welcome ofcourse.

 

[dopamine16]

Dam that sucks bro, i been wondering what happend , is it possible to lower the seat bracket.? i lowerd mine 2" made a huge diffrence on how i see out my windshield.

 

[Thomas1985]

Well I would be sitting right behind the doghouse next to the driver in my wheelchair which is already taller then the driver's seat.

 

[Thomas1985]

Finally got in! Looks good from in here. Next week they should be done with it as far as mechanical repairs. Probably going to wait until it's a little warmer to get some guys together and rip it apart.

 

[dopamine16]

That is awsome, finally ay.? That smile say's it all, one step closer. First step gut it.?

 

[Thomas1985]

Yeah. We didn't do that on my shuttle bus so we've been fighting the heat on our trips the last several summers. I'll have to get some pictures of that one sometime..
This should be a lot easier to keep a comfortable temperature being so small.

 

[dopamine16]

Are you planning on putting better insulation in the walls.?
I was battling the cold on the trip to Colorado with no insulation at all, up all night but worth it. Is it not possible to sit on the passenger side with a removable floor cover in the entry door.?

 

[Thomas1985]

I need to leave that space open for people to come and go. I use a 4 point tie down strap system in the floor to keep me from moving while we drive.
For the walls and ceiling I want to cover all my bases: conductive, convective, and radiative heat. I don't know why but I don't think I've seen anyone do it like this guy..

Inside Exterior Walls - Hot/Mixed Climates - AtticFoil® Radiant Barrier - Do-It-Yourself Professional Grade Radiant Barrier

I've been reading the forum for a while but I don't remember coming across any builds like this. If any of you guys know any please send me a link.
That's my plan. Creating the air gap for the radiant heat.
This last July 29 we were camping in South Texas near the White Water Amphitheater where we saw Slighty Stoopid and it was over 110°a couple of days. One night we thew all the doors open including the wheelchair lift and the windows while running fans and couldn't sleep we were so hot. This bus we're gonna work hard on getting insulated and using a window unit.
Fun times though. There's a great place called Kraus springs to cool off at and camp.
People choosing to live in Texas are obviously nuts! I admit I do enjoy a good endurance trial from time to time

 

[Twigg-SKO]

I think you need to research that foil carefully.

In a home situation, and especially in an attic, it works because of the large air-space. I have heard of others using it in a Skoolie, but not with anything like those results.

They claim a tremendous R-Value as part of an installation, but there appears to be very little other than their claims to back it up.

You may have seen research I have missed, but I'd hate for you to be disappointed.

 

[Thomas1985]

I found some other sites that were specific to constructing metal buildings that also recommend having an air gap for radiant heat. Any of these aluminum foil products will work for reflecting that while my polystyrene (XPS) insulation does the rest of the work for conductive and convective applications.

https://www.ecofoil.com/metal-building-insulation

So instead of filling the wall panels I'm going to leave them as my dead air space after making sure it's airtight. Then put furing strips with foil stapled over that, foam board insulation, and then the inner wall. I decided I'm not worried about losing several inches of interior width because my bed has more than a foot of wiggle room between the walls anyway.

 

[Defjr333]

Im torn on this topic/ subject. I have yet to see a cooler or fridge with an air gap before the insulation. Plastic or metal, they all seem to be solid foam sandwiched between the inside and outside layers(plastic or metal). In a house, yeah. You can get as much as 6" gap. But when the majority of us need every inch of space possible, I think I am going to forgo the "air gap". Unless I learn something definitive and provable. Never know....
Doug

 

[Twigg-SKO]

I found some other sites that were specific to constructing metal buildings that also recommend having an air gap for radiant heat. Any of these aluminum foil products will work for reflecting that while my polystyrene (XPS) insulation does the rest of the work for conductive and convective applications.

https://www.ecofoil.com/metal-building-insulation

So instead of filling the wall panels I'm going to leave them as my dead air space after making sure it's airtight. Then put furing strips with foil stapled over that, foam board insulation, and then the inner wall. I decided I'm not worried about losing several inches of interior width because my bed has more than a foot of wiggle room between the walls anyway.

Most folk line out their buses so that the wall sits on the edge of the protrusion on the chair rail. So you lose no more than about 3" of the standard 96" interior width.

Helpfully, that gives about three inches of space, each side, to fill with insulation and services (water and electrical).

If you can get close to 3" of foamboard or spray foam in there, you will not be unhappy with the result.

 

[Thomas1985]

It was finally in the fifties today and not raining like it has been for the last two weeks so my friend Eugene helped get the seats and floor ripped out.
Nothing major. Several holes from screws that went too far through the plywood and one small rust whole in the back driver side corner.
My friends at Unique Creations in Fayetteville are letting me keep it there in the corner of the parking lot and run an extension cord for my tools. They are awesome. We've built several metal sculptures together over the last several years and they will do engine work and any metal fabrication we can manage ourselves. It's a great spot to work on a project like this. If anyone even near the area needs and metal fabrication or automotive work they are the guys to go to. They'll build anything.
Also we noticed the inside isn't rivets it's hex screws so the impact drill will make it easy work of it!
If the rain will stay away it's the right time of year to start getting it done. Great weather.

 

[Thomas1985]

This is the end of this thread. The build is being moved here.