Short Bus Conversion

[Bullet]

So I finally did it! I bought a short bus for $2000 and am in process of converting it into a living space (completely off the grid). The plan is to take it (slowly) out to Santa Cruz, CA from Asheville, NC, and of course, my karma dictates that I pick up every single hitchhiker I see on the way! Hope to see you on the road in a few months before I isolate myself somewhere along the coast
You can follow the project on Flickr here: Bus Conversion - a set on Flickr
And add me on Facebook if you want. (Bullet Miller)
Any suggestions, help, advice, questions, etc are MORE than welcome!

 

[Mouse]

and tips or advice you learn on the way would be great! I'm currently saving $$ to get a van or bus or truck, haven't decided yet. but I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I start

 

[Bullet]

There's really nothing you can learn without doing it. At least for me. I would recommend having a basic idea and plan on it changing a lot. Think about the things that you want to include and the things that you don't. (are you going to install a shower of any kind? a toilet? what kind of cooking do you want to be able to do? How many people are going to be using it? Will the bed be big enough for more than one person? Are you going to be driving it a lot or parking it? How are you going to supply energy if you want to use it at all? What kinds of things need separate storage?)
Ask yourself a lot of questions and do some basic research on things like propane, solar power/batteries, prices of things that you can't obtain for free. (You'd be surprised at how many things you can get for free. I've been simply walking out of a local supply store with things larger than my entire body for the last few weeks. Just be creative and confident).
Try to find things that have multiple uses to save space. Build little nooks and crannies and secret hiding spaces for things if you're going to be driving it around (my guns, for example, need to be well hidden).
Be prepared to spend a lot of money on gasoline.
Feel free to contact me with any specific questions. I've started from absolute scratch, without knowing how to do much of anything at all. It's been a continuous and humbling learning experience.

 

[blacklines]

is there any reason you went with a standard gasoline engine rather than diesel? Looks like its beginning to come together, i hope the trip goes well, if you ever end up passing through baton rouge and need a place to park it for a few days, let me know

 

[Bullet]

It is diesel.... :-/
I might take you up on that offer of a parking space!

 

[blacklines]

What kind of mileage did you say you were getting with it? Also, do you know what engine youve got in there, and what tranny? Depending on what you have, it might be worth looking into at some point changing the gearing out in the rear end towards something more highway oriented, but again, that depends on whats in there now. Keep me posted if youre planning on heading my way, a couple days notice is always nice

 

[Bullet]

I don't get why people always ask about the mileage, lol. It's like a 7,000lb work horse, not a cruising vehicle. It gets somewhere between 5 and 10mpg. It's a GM 8.2 Liter engine. It's an automatic.
The way it is build it can only go a max of 55mph. Right now it still has the road speed governor on it (I can't find the damn thing to disconnect it) so it can only go 45mph. It's not a highway vehicle either. I'm not going to do much messing with the engine. I might at some point change it over to veggie diesel, but that's a long way off. I plan on driving it out to Cali and then basically not moving too much.

 

[Mor]

Congratulations to the new home owner!

I've been living in my campervan for over a year now and love it.

The only suggestion I can make is to make everything modular so you can break it down and take everything out if need be. I went on a few big roadtrips this summer and didn't pay a cent in gas. I coordinated my trips with moving peoples personal effects across the province and they paid for everything. I just charged them half of what U-haul rates are.

 

[Mor]

hahahhaha... in one of your pictures:

"NC SCHOOL BUS

BODY FLUID
CLEANUP KIT"

hahahaha

I wonder how many little kids have barfed in your van...

 

[finn]

Have you seen this: Skylights for Jake's School Bus RV Conversion | The Steampunk Workshop
It's a tutorial for installing a skylight in the roof instead of the usual hatch type thing.

 

[rideitlikeyoustoleit]

I'm also going to be buying a short bus next month, so Bullet, if you don't mind, I may be PMing you a lot in the future for advice.

 

[Matt Derrick]

as you may already know, i have a full sized school bus too... we should trade notes

 

[mkirby]

I'm saving for a van or bus at the moment, I'd appreciate any tips also.

 

[Matt Derrick]

you have any recent pix of your bus matt?

yes! they will be up very soon on punkplanet.tv! im going to try and blog the whole building process there.

 

[Deleted member 20]

Bullet: Mileage is everything!. Diesels always get better mileage & they last forever. Have you ever tried siphoning gas out of a modern day car, it sucks & there isnt enough. There is plenty of gas around to steal in a pinch but its in small quantities. Diesel is the fuel choice for all serious equipment, busses, tractor trailers,construction equip, freight trains, commercial fishing, boats, farm tractors, generators etc. & the volume of fuel available is far greater, not to mention the tanks & fill tubes for diesel are old school, simple straight setups, no small tubes & theft prevention devices, just large 50 gallon tanks that will accomodate most hand operated 55 gallon drum pumps just perfectly. You take 5-10 gallons every hundered miles or so & no one even misses it. Also heating oil,kerosene & as we know veggie oil will all burn just fine. But please kids stay away from wvo/grease unless you are truely experienced, the repair costs are way too much after you destroy that diesel.. I am unsure if you would or would not steal fuel in an emergency but I will & do & have no problems about it. Hey I liked this idea a few years ago when I origionally posted it & happy to see you doing it., just next time diesel is the way to go. Good luck.