We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Mr Bean · Post by **Mr Bean** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:36 pm

yeah...prob not gonna toady the stro...looking at a 4runner with manual hubs...just drove the bus 250 miles today...half-way to home. gonna finish the trip on monday. never driven something this big before...amazing.

LiftedAWDAstro · Post by **LiftedAWDAstro** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 3:28 pm

What type of license do you need for the bus?

1Gary · Post by **1Gary** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 5:14 pm

Dean,I think you need the same regular license as you would need for a class A motor home as long as the vehicle is licensed as a motor home RV and not for hire.I remember seeing a old Dolly Partten tour bus that the guy converted to a motor home at a fleamarket in Hartville,Ohio.Man that was sweet.Belly storage,wood flooring,full bathroom, completely self contained, just lush front to back.But expensive to run down the road.

T.Low · Post by **T.Low** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:09 pm

MB, here is a link to my favorite bus conversion. There's got to be atleast one idea in there that you will like.

http://www.vonslatt.com/bus-main.shtml

1Gary · Post by **1Gary** » Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:45 pm

Here is a ref link to threads about bus conversions:

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f20/

Hope it helps you.

Mr Bean · Post by **Mr Bean** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 8:52 am

Dean,

yup...only need a normal operators license. CDL always refers to a commercial drivers license which always means "for hire". Driving a bus non-commercially isn't a problem. My 5 foot 110 lb. wife just drove it from Petoskey, MI to Berrien Springs, MI (250 miles) in a nice little snowstorm last night. she's amazing. i tore my rotator cuff snowboarding on Sunday so there's no way i could drive it. drives really well. it's gutted and ready for a complete wall, floor, and ceiling strip. as for the site on RVing, thanks guys...keep throwing them at me...i check them all. The skoolie conversion stuff doesn't quite apply since the buses have different dimensions and ceiling types. but any MCI, Eagle, or Prevost stuff comes in handy. I've already learned a ton about these buses from the web. Got it stuck last night trying to park it...6 people, 4 shovels, 1 pail of sand, a front loader BobCat, and 2 hours later, we freed it!

don't get a 30,000 lb bus stuck....EVER!

Mr Bean · Post by **Mr Bean** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:02 am

Here's an interior floorplan we like. Colors would be adjusted (blue doesn't quite fit us) but blonde or light red cabinetry, light wood flooring, almond leather furniture...keeps it light and airy...we also like the ceiling lighting...

Exterior could look like this when done. Once again, not our colors:

1Gary · Post by **1Gary** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:51 am

What I suggest you do while you go threw the remodel project of this Rv is take one section/topic on at one time.Don't let yourself get distracted by all the things needed to be done.It is kind of one of the failures of my remodel of my Winnebago project.Take a very close look at the roof and be very sure you don't have any leaks before applying any ceiling finish work.These vehicles where built from the top down and it is because of that you need to start the work the same way.Once you know your ok with the roof,I would glue blue board installation to the ceiling first to cut down the noise and keep the A/C and heating inside.Then a finish ceiling materiel glued and screwed to the blue board/roof bows.If your taking down the old ceiling make sure you look very closely to that old material.It will give you clues to a source of any leaks.You will find a leak in a roof will travel a very long distance on the ceiling.If you see anything that is a suspect leak on that material,make sure you trace it back to the source leak on the roof.Yeah it could start like in a bathroom and end up behind the driver's seat.It is common place for the older RV's to develop roof leaks.Snow Roof systems is one of the best products to resolve it.

T.Low · Post by **T.Low** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 2:44 pm

Wow. That's gonna be cool. I'll be watching, keep us posted.

Mr Bean · Post by **Mr Bean** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:03 am

1Gary wrote:What I suggest you do while you go threw the remodel project of this Rv is take one section/topic on at one time.Don't let yourself get distracted by all the things needed to be done.It is kind of one of the failures of my remodel of my Winnebago project.Take a very close look at the roof and be very sure you don't have any leaks before applying any ceiling finish work.These vehicles where built from the top down and it is because of that you need to start the work the same way.Once you know your ok with the roof,I would glue blue board installation to the ceiling first to cut down the noise and keep the A/C and heating inside.Then a finish ceiling materiel glued and screwed to the blue board/roof bows.If your taking down the old ceiling make sure you look very closely to that old material.It will give you clues to a source of any leaks.You will find a leak in a roof will travel a very long distance on the ceiling.If you see anything that is a suspect leak on that material,make sure you trace it back to the source leak on the roof.Yeah it could start like in a bathroom and end up behind the driver's seat.It is common place for the older RV's to develop roof leaks.Snow Roof systems is one of the best products to resolve it.

Thanks for the free advice Gary! :-) We're excited about the project...we already have extremely detailed plans that we'll be working off of since the MCI is a coach/bus not an RV, the process is quite unique. I'm not sure that MCI buses are built from the top down, and the roof rarely if ever leaks since everything on the bus is stainless or aluminum. We will be coating the roof with a sealant more to keep it cool than seal off leaks. There is special spray-in foam and aluminum foil-sided insulation that is typically used with great success in these buses versus the blueboard. As for looking at old stuff, definitely...it will tell the story for sure. Window seals will all be replaced for preventative maintenance...going to photograph the inside of the bus today. Will try to post.

Mr Bean · Post by **Mr Bean** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:39 pm

Inside Shots as promised.

1Gary · Post by **1Gary** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:46 pm

Cool.Looks like it is really clean inside.It must have a black tank,clear tank,gray tank already.Does it have a shower already??.If not are you going with a full bathroom??.Does it have a hot water heater??.Seems it said not to drink the water.Have you chosen the brand name for the frig yet??.Are you looking for a two way or three way frig??.What's the power system like??.Does it have a inverter??.Does it have a propane tanks already??.Is that on the ceiling a roof A/C??.

Tell ya what..........once you have it done,it's a smile a mile.

BTW-Snow Roof Systems is for your kind of roof with If I remember right has a 10yr guarantee if you apply it as they say how to do it.It's a rubber coating that keeps you cool in the summer and warn in colder temps.

Mr Bean · Post by **Mr Bean** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:13 am

1Gary wrote:Cool.Looks like it is really clean inside.It must have a black tank,clear tank,gray tank already.Does it have a shower already??.If not are you going with a full bathroom??.Does it have a hot water heater??.Seems it said not to drink the water.Have you chosen the brand name for the frig yet??.Are you looking for a two way or three way frig??.What's the power system like??.Does it have a inverter??.Does it have a propane tanks already??.Is that on the ceiling a roof A/C??.

Tell ya what..........once you have it done,it's a smile a mile.

BTW-Snow Roof Systems is for your kind of roof with If I remember right has a 10yr guarantee if you apply it as they say how to do it.It's a rubber coating that keeps you cool in the summer and warn in colder temps.

You're as excited as we are!!! Snow Roof Systems? I'll have to Google it...10 yr guarantee against leakage? That's pretty nice of them! I like the "Smile a Mile" part

The restroom was completely yanked last night around 9pm. It is a very cramped space and doesn't utilize running water...rather it is a pit toilet with chemicals in the pit just like a Port-a-Jon...so it is useless. The tanks are also much too small. We will be running with 180-200 gallon fresh water, 100 gallon grey and 100 gallon black tanks. We'll need the ability to boondock for a week. as for the other questions...not there yet :( still in the strippage stage. have some amazing pics from last night i'll try to post....

Mr Bean · Post by **Mr Bean** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:54 am

Ok...so we got a blog going to follow the progress of the bus we have now dubbed "Titanic" In any case, it will be easier for all of us to just update and follow the blog rather than posting here, on my website, on facebook, and facebook fans...thank goodness i don't have twitter...i hate twitter. "tweet: um...i'm eating a hamburger right now: untweet" how dumb is that? Anyway...here's the link:

http://freshdaymusic.blogspot.com/p/tit ... oject.html

Follow it...you guys rock on this forum, so feel free to post your thoughts on this thread still, but updates in terms of photos will be on the blog. right now, we're prepping for a roof raise of about 8 inches!

Kabey's Van · Post by **Kabey's Van** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 5:00 pm

I've been following this bus build along in silence, but 400 gallons of holding tanks equals 4000lbs, when they are all full.
Thats a lot of weight when you consider everything else that you will want to put in it.
I have no idea what this bus is rated to carry, but now is the time to consider your weight totals and it's distribution, ie; interior, mechanicals, electrical, the placement of the holding tanks, etc.
You will also want to take into account how much stuff you will be traveling with. If you have a band, I would assume you will be packing amps, speakers, musical instuments and the like. You will have to keep in mind your axle weights so as not to overload the front or rear of the bus.
You also mentioned towing the Stro.
All of these things will need to be considered now and during construction.

Peter

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We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)

Re: We bought a VERY VERY BIG van :-)