The Conversion of "Freedom" , our permanent bus home...

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Nicole...<BR><BR>yeah, we completely covered the whole concept of a raised roof bus and the potential dangers on his original thread...<BR><BR><A href="/post/How-quickly-things-change-!-6484831" rel=nofollow target=_blank>https://vanlivingforum.com/post/How-quickly-things-change-!-6484831</A><BR><BR><BR><BR>most any rig can be a safe one...if driven within the vehicle's limitations. (that's my own quote for the day!) <IMG class="emoticon bbc_img" title="Angel - :angel:" src="/images/boards/smilies/angel.gif">
 
Thank you Nicole. We are going to be very careful, before we proceed. I have looked at it pretty well, and it SEEMS like the bus will be just under that 13.6, the way I plan on raising it. I promise I will make sure first though.
 
Sorry&nbsp;I missed the thread where it was discussed already. <br><br>I just want everybody to be happy----that's my quote for today <img title="Rofl - :lol:" class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/rofl.gif"><br><br>Cheers,<br><br>Nicole
 
I hate to bring this up but you need to check the age of your tires. 7 years is about the limit on the tires. You usually time out before the tread is gone. I posted the routine last year to check out the date code on the tires here... <a href="/post/Tire-date-codes-and-your-safety-6098051?highlight=tire+code" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Tire-date-codes-and-your-safety-6098051?highlight=tire+code</a> .&nbsp; Be sure and read the tire thread.<br><br>My, new to me, 1979 FC-35 BlueBird Wanderlodge has Michelins. But they are 1999. So they are 14 years old. I knew this when I bought it and factored in the $3500 for six new tires. I haven't bought them yet as I'm not driving it at the moment. I'm refitting the interior and slowly working on the rubber stuff; hoses and belts. As I only have one day a week to work on it, when I come home from Tallahassee on the weekend to wash clothes, take in the mail, etc. So it's been slow progress.<br><br>in fact about a month ago I drove in the driveway and was greeted with a flat tire on the right front. So now I need a service call to repair. I'll try and work it into a deal on the six tires. It's so flat I can put hand between the rim and the tire bead.<br><br>I'm not sure why the Michelins are supposedly so much longer lasting than other brands.&nbsp; I would suggest to stay away from made in China brands.&nbsp; ie do you your research on where they are made.&nbsp; Tires are important, don't skimp.<br><br>Oh BTW your BlueBird is a solid bus.&nbsp; It's got good 'bones'.
 
I'm baaaaack ! LOL

After my rather long hiatus, I am finally back in the saddle. Simple reason really : No money.

But my income has gained a new and fresh start. Not anything amazing of course, but enough to start placing funds back into "Freedom". I just purchased the wood flooring, and will be installing it tomorrow on Thanksgiving. I will be taking new photos, and will show everyone the most recent progress. Next week I should be able to get some more interior materials, and build out the mattress platform, as well as buying some new batteries. In the following weeks, there will be funds for my generator and battery charger as well ! So keep posted, as new developments are under way !
 
Welcome back and sorry you had "the hiatus"...gads, medicine won't even cure that, LOL.
Money is the root of all renovations, or so I've heard.

That's a lot of bus and I hope you plan to incorporate lots of solar, batteries, holding/water tanks and other "off grid" goodies. Many RV parks will not accept conversion buses, unfortunately, so it leaves many who have them to their own resources. But, as we have found, you can get along fine without RV parks if properly equipped.

Awesome bus. Wish you the best on your build and happy trails in the future.
 
Unchained said:
Clan Graham said:
I'm baaaaack ! LOL
Click to expand...

Good thing you showed up, we were about to send the search dogs :D
Click to expand...

Ha ha ! I have learned that depression walks hand in hand with a lack of funds, while in the process of converting. I am now fighting the intense fear of facing the electrical system needs on my bus, as it pertains to such a complete lack of knowledge of said matters. It just seems SO very complicated.
 
We have a 40 ft 1986 Bluebird All American FE. We have factory insulation in the walls and ceiling. We kept the original insulatin and interior skinning. What that meant is we could screw our divider "walls" (flat luaun interior doors = $1 per inch finished wall) to the heavy sheet metal. We screwed shimmed out furring strips then ran electric, a little plumbing and 1" foamboard insulation. We did it this way because we understand the importance of a thermal break. A double wall is an excellant way of creating a thermal break. We insulated the floor from underneath. The roof stays fairly cool in summer and warm in winter except the ribs need a bit more help. We coated the exterior roof with Henry's Solarflex. It helped with the heat transfer due to the rivets. Once I get the anaglypta up on the ceiling and painted, I will glue trim strips on each side of the rivet row with a "D" shaped vinyl weatherstrip running down the top of the rivets. A length of screen mouling will cover the weathestripping. This will give me a streamlined art deco style of trim as well as creating a thermal break at the rivets. But that's just us and we have converted our residentail vehicle a little differently than others. Our conversion budget is $6000. We are almost finished and looks like we will not be going over by more than $200 (depending on how much we can get at good prices).
 
That's great to hear compassrose. We have a similiar budget, but it does not include as much interior work as you are doing. We still need $250 for interior materials, $300 for exterior paint, $200 for wiring, $200 for interior lighting, $1000 for a generator, $200 for a battery charger, $500 for new batteries, $200 in electrical parts, $250 for a refridgerator, $600 for a heater, $200 for curtains, $350 for a new mattress, and of course ..... there will be more that comes up. Wes also have to try and source windshield wiper parts, including motor, because ours seem to be missing.

So as you can see .... we still have a bit to do LOL. Look for photos of the finished flooring tomorrow evening !
 
We used the laminate flooring for wallcovering. Right now we plan on using a mix of carpet and VCT tile for our floor. While we love real wood floors, we aren't too sure it would hold up well to the dirt and gravel we find in campgrounds.
 
compassrose said:
While we love real wood floors, we aren't too sure it would hold up well to the dirt and gravel we find in campgrounds.
Click to expand...

Onna the things I LOVE about wood flooring is how easy it is to clean up!

Acouple of throw rugs adds colour and warmth, but on cleaning day you simply shake the rugs outside, and sweep the floors down....DONE!!

Doesn't get much easier then that!
 
We went with a Pergo type flooring in the salon and galley. Got a great deal on some left-over from a homeowner. We like the ease of cleaning and its been very durable, as we have done lots of drycamping in sand and gravel.
We added some contrast by using a pavestone looking VCT in bdrm and bath area in the back.
Throw rugs are good, we but don't want installed carpet. I'd like to re-do the cockpit floor and doghouse, but the carpet there is much better for Bindi's little doggie feet to get a grip up there.
Thought about cutting in some of those rubber pads you stand on at a workstation. They're easy to clean and might provide her with a safe amount of traction when rolling.
 
There was a guy on skoolie.net who had real wood flooring and dogs. After a couple of years the floor was really beat. That is part of the reason we decided on vct. Cost is a huge reason as well. We had put vct in our popup camper and it held up to the abuse very well. We are putting carpet in, at least temporarily, because we have not vompletely insulated the floor and it's cold here in central NM. We are here for two more winters before we leave out for warmer temps. Since we are stealth converting in a campground, we are limited as to what we can do. Once we get out own place, we wil do a little more work. Until then all I wil say is there is no one single way to convert a bus, etc.
 
You're right about that, for sure. There is no single way.Good that you have a plan in place and you haven't let your dream become defeated.

How ya doing on the battery issue??
 
Patrick46 said:
compassrose said:
While we love real wood floors, we aren't too sure it would hold up well to the dirt and gravel we find in campgrounds.
Click to expand...

Onna the things I LOVE about wood flooring is how easy it is to clean up!

Acouple of throw rugs adds colour and warmth, but on cleaning day you simply shake the rugs outside, and sweep the floors down....DONE!!

Doesn't get much easier then that!
Click to expand...

Do I ever agree with that ! I am installing indoor/outdoor carpet in the entrance. ALL shoes will be removed inside on this carpet ... EVERY time. This simple step keeps the wood floors looking new. I just finished the wood flooring, minus the trim, and will be installing the entrance carpet tomorrow. I also want to try and build our bed frame tomorrow, if I do not collapse first ! LOL

I also ordered the 12v LED bulbs for the overhead lights. I am building these fixtures myself, and it is very time consuming. I hope to be finished in a few days at most. After that it is just finishing the interior trim work, and I will be finished with the majority of the base interior work.

Someone mentioned the many ways to skin a cat ... And while there is zero doubt there are better ways of doing our conversion, our budget and time constraints prevent us from doing anything much different than we are. We are living with in-laws while converting, and it is VERY tough. More importantly however, is the time constraint we are working under. my wife DESPERATELY needs to get back to Cali, where she can get some care for her disease. So I am having to try and do a great job, while also making certain compromises for time's sake.

Hi Bindi and us .... Ahh the batteries. We are still flat out lost on what to do. I want to go with the 6v golf cart batteries, but do not know if six of them will crank the bus properly or not. If that won't work, I am VERY torn about if simple non sealed Interstate 8Ds are good enough to also be our house batteries, or if I must bite the bullet and save up for the really expensive deep cell 8D batteries instead ....
 
Sorry Bindi .... but there is just NO way I can afford two different battery banks at this time. Maybe a year from now, but they have to do double duty for now. This is all I can do financially. I wil see what I can find out from a CAT forum.

Ok ... now this truly IS interesting ! I just spent some time looking up starting batteries for a CAT 3208. It seems they actually do not have to have anything crazy special for good starting. MANY parts places list a simple single Group 31 starting battery for a 3208.

This will save me a LOT of money. I can buy a single 8D Interstate starting battery for about $220, and get 6 golf cart batteries for the house battery bank. This is something I actually CAN afford.
 
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