More Planning Needed

Well, the weekend came and went without much progress at all. The main reason was that I had settled on a layout and having done so decided to do side elevations of the cupboards etc. The problem was that I did all of this before I actually got my hands on the bus. The reality is that when I began studying the plans against the bus with all of the interior panels removed, my ideas became a bit impractical.

My idea was to have two single beds at the back of the bus, centrally mounted cupboards on each side, a toilet/shower on the right behind the driver's seat and a small desk opposite the shower. The trouble is I had failed to take the rear wheel arches and the frames of the bus into account. This meant that I had to re-think the layout.

I spent a fair bit of time measuring and drawing plans again over the weekend, and that combined with terrible weather meant that not much was done. On brighter note, I have ordered the fridge.

THE FRIDGE
I had to make a decision about whether to go 3 way with the fridge or settle for 12volt compressor type. Because I am going to need a good 12 volt supply to support my Amateur Radio hobby, I have decided to go with a couple of good sized AGM deep cycle batteries and solar panels with a smart charger.

I found the fridge on the Waeco factory website reduced from $1499 to $800 simply because it was a superseded model. This website has heaps of RV euipment at greatly reduced prices. Its worth a look at www.getawaeco.com.au. The prices are good and delivery is very reasonable ($47.00 to Tassie). The fridge was bundled with a 240v adapter which senses mains power and switches the battery out of circuit. That with a 90 litre fridge fitted with a German made Danfoss compressor (low power consumption) all for $800. A bargain I think. I'll post a pic when it arrives.

More soon...

First Job - Removing the Seats

The bus is at home and in the carport and just waiting to be converted. Today was the first day of work on the bus and before I can do anything else the seat have to come out to give me a blank canvas to work on. From all accounts the seats should have been easy, just undo the bolts on the inside right. No. All of the seats were held in place with bolts and the nuts under the bus weren't locked.I contemplated climbing under the bus and using vice grips to hold the nuts, but that was just too hard. Instead I made a trip to the hardware store and bought some new cut-off discs for the angle grinder and ground the heads off the bolts. Lots of sparks and metal filings everywhere, but much easier. If you wanted to re-install the seats again, I wouldn't use this method as it weakens the mounts which could cause them to break.


This is the before photo with the seats in place. The bus was licensed to seat 20 adults, but I reckon they would have been jammed in like sardines. The seats are so low. The bus was used to ferry primary school kids around so not much leg room was needed. I had some trouble fitting the vehicle into the carport but luckily it has an earth floor and I was able to dig out a couple of wheel 'trenches' to allow the bus to fit under the trusses in the carport.




Well thats the end of the first days work. Seats are all out and just needs a clean up. It didn't turn out to be as hard as I thought. Best thing is that there have been no nasty surprises. The bus looks to be in good order. There are only a few very tiny bits of rust that will be easy to fix. But that will be the last thing. Whats next? I am going to mark out the location of fittings next, but that will have to wait until next time.

The Background

For me the time has come when, for many many reasons, my life needs to change. Living to Work has had to become Working to Live. Since I was in my 20's I've wanted to own a motorhome. More than that, I've had a burning desire to convert a bus or coach into a home on wheels, not to live in, but to get away in.

This has never happened and although I did buy an old Ford bus many years ago with this intention, work and family prevented me from devoting the time to the conversion. Things are different now. The stars have aligned not only to make it possible, but also almost necessary for me to 'follow the dream'.

SO here begins the 'Project'. A project to convert a former school bus into my idea of a holiday home. I intend to do as much of the conversion as I can myself, not only to save money but from the satisfaction I know the end product will bring.

Why a blog? For two reasons; I have a number of friends and family interstate who I hope will want to follow the progress of the conversion, and because I want to put what I am doing out there in enough detail that it might assist those who follow.