The square door and terrible approach angle on the curbside has always bugged me. In prep for a new door I’m making the approach match the driver side. Here is what 15 years of service mashing the curb looks like. This is the bottom of the body rib that is part of the forward door […]
frame
Unimog repair
So, some progress with stuff – prerequisites, if you will. The welder has been fixed up. A new wire drive wheel, some offroad casters, and weld the damn cart together because it’s been falling apart on this bus build. To re-christen the welder and get some stuff done, I cut out the rust in the […]
Floor test
My wife wanted to try out the flooring material to see what it would look like. The metal shavings and crap from building stuff finally got cleaned out for the first real time, so the kids came in to play. You can see me mocking up the drawer dividers for the kitchen. I am building […]
Riveting bus sheet metal
I live near Boeing, land of riveted aircraft. I think nowdays it’s mostly robots doing the riveting, but anywhoo, I needed to figure out how to rivet bus skins. Here’s a collection of things I learned when riveting the panels. First, get a 4x rivet gun. You’ll realize that not only can you use it […]
Bunk progress
Got the bunk frames sanded, painted, holes drilled, and installed. The real story that you don’t see all the parts to is the mounting on the bus itself. I had to take apart the insulation and install the brackets with UHMW plastic bushings to keep as much of the thermal break intact as I could. […]
Bunk bed idea
I think at the beginning of this project I had envisioned bunks that were fixed, like little kennels or cubbies that the kids can hide in. Recently though, I’ve come to terms with the limited space inside the bus, and I think that foldable “murphy” beds are the best option. This setup with a tall […]
Heating ideas
The space heater is enough to keep the vehicle at about 66-68 degrees F during the nights when it has been about 28-30 degrees outside. When the temperature is in the 40’s (F) I have to turn the heater down a bit or I get too warm working. I hope that in the summer, the […]
Thinking about the next steps
So, after the exterior is properly prepared to resist the elements this winter, I’ll of course be working on the interior. My thoughts were to first get the insulation installed, followed by walls and a proper floor. Then eventually a few windows.For example, I plan on adding significant solar capability to the vehicle in the […]
Sheet metal
9 sheets of 4’x10′ 20 gauge sheet metal. They’re cheaper when you buy a bunch at once. Picture of the first sheet hung on the side. It’s just held with two rivets, but tucked under the proper roof parts for further fastening. To be honest, adding the sheet metal was pretty straight forward stuff. Measure, […]