2003 International 3800 Bus Conversion

[keons500]

I wasn't going to post anything in my downtime waiting for tools and supplies, but receiving feedback on ideas never hurts.

Air Conditioning / Heat

I am removing the heating unit in the bus. The pump/heater core will stay on board as a block heater only. As far as air conditioning, I only found one 12V roof top unit with the fan/condenser/compressor all in one unit. The cost is around $3500 if recalling correctly. Other Red Dot units are nice but required the motor running. The other option was going for the conventional RV system with an inverter and 110v rooftop unit. Depending on how the summer trip goes, I will re-evaluate heat and ac. For now, a Fan-Tastic Vent 2250 will provide good ventilation. The fan pulls/pushed around 900 CFM.

Fan-Tastic Vent 2250 Off White w/ Reverse Thermostat

Refrigerator

The cost of this puppy would be around $1,700 - by far the most expensive addition to the bus. I haven't found another refrigerator with a 12v system, good size, and low energy draw. I'll definitely velcro a thin sheet of protective plywood on it while the guys are on tour, haha!

Isotherm Drawer 130 Stainless Steel

Battery Bank

As the options above show, keeping everything 12V is the goal to maximize efficiency. Eventually I want to add a Magnum 2800W inverter/charger. Magnum seems to make the best inverter. A few other options are out there, but I would trust the Magnum most in reliability and safety for battery charging.

After tons of research on batteries, I want to go as simple as possible - Duracell Group 31 M Dual Purpose RV Battery 700 CCA. Does anyone have feedback on these? The other option I liked is Lifeline batteries. The amp hours between the two are the same, but I'm sure the overall quality is not. I haven't read anything negative on the Duracell so why not get the lower cost option?? The cost for three batteries is compared below:

$426.09 Three Duracell Group 31 M Dual Purpose RV Battery 700 CCA
$900.00 Three Lifeline GPL-31T

Paint

Most states have made driving a yellow bus illegal, so one of the first things is paint the bus. We also want the bus to look decent for the summer trip. From my research, Bus Kote didn't have much better, if any, heat dissipation than Henry roof paint. Tropi-Cool is also as simple as running down to Home Depot and grabbing a five gallon pal. I also looked around for body paint and a lot of people painting buses use house paint. That's not my style. I prefer an automotive paint with hardener. The Valspar line looks great for my application. The gray is a bit darker than I wanted, but I'm going to stick to standard colors incase of repair.

Roof - Tropi-Cool 887 4.75 Gal. White 100% Silicone Roof Coating
Body - Valspar Tractor and Implement Paint Massey Ferguson Gray w/ Hardener
Rims & Bumpers - Valspar Tractor and Implement Low Gloss Black Paint w/ Hardener
Rims (white walls baby!) - Valspar Tractor and Implement High Gloss White Paint w/ Hardener

Hopefully in a couple weeks we'll be tearing in with a game plan and the real fun can begin!

 

[dlh62c]

Heating and A/C will only be as good as your insulation and the single pane sliding windows.

RV A/C units require a 14"x14" opening, same as roof vent fan. The power required is 120vac, 12vdc and a thermostat control line.

A roof mounted A/C unit could weight as much as 110lbs.

Place one of the fans near your sleeping area. It'll either blow air onto you or pull air across you though an open window.

Now is the time to cut any holes in the roof. You can install roof fans and add A/C later.

Check your local yellow book, RVs tend to go to places to die.

 

[keons500]

I'm on the same page as you - focus on insulation, reflective roof paint, and a single 14x14 fan through what is currently the emergency exit. A/C will come eventually. We spent a while power washing the bus today. I have a couple whizzy wheels on the way to strip the decals.

View attachment 397778

Pretty stoked to find out the rear axle is a Dana 17060-S. If I ever want an air locking diff, I can swap the carrier assembly for the "-D" model.

View attachment 397780

A random side note... I was touring a facility for work and turns out they do the polyurethane coating for Jeep's bumpers, running boards, and tow hooks. Pretty cool stuff right down the road from us. I wonder if they'll do some bus parts...

View attachment 397779

 

[java]

I used that same fridge. Its a nice unit, even at the price. For an under counter mount its sooo much better than a swing door. It draws about 12.5AH a day in moderate temps.

 

[keons500]

Started back up on the bus last week and tackled the suspension. One of the brackets was cracked, so I had to do a quick repair with the welder.



This past weekend I had a change of plans and decided to fully gut the vehicle, reskin, and insulate. I only want to do this bus once. Wednesday we began tear down. The bus is probably past half way gutted. Hopefully the roof and floor are gutted by Wednesday this next week. Time will tell!





I've lost a lot of sleep on this project already. It'll be quite the accomplishment to have it on the road July 1st. Fingers crossed!

 

[keons500]

Last night at the end of day seven. This is stupid.



The handicap rails have hardened bolts every 4". There's around 120 to cut out.

 

[keons500]

Day eight! Exhaust is re-routed out of the side to make room for one rear external storage box and an insulated gray water tank, more of the floor and sanding are done, and we've cut some holes for the storage on both sides.

 

[keons500]

One more just because

 

[java]

Awesome progress! I'm jealous of the size of your work shop/space!

 

[keons500]

Awesome progress! I'm jealous of the size of your work shop/space!

Thanks! The building was abandoned when we moved in. We made it through half the first Michigan winter with no heat and then started making it our own (with heat).

Today we got the last handicap rail out, wire brushed the floor, and removed the front control console. I also cut out and welded a 20" x 25" area of the floor with 12 ga galvanized and fabricated three passenger window frames.

Progress is slow but fast all at the same time. Making the July 1st date is pretty much impossible. I'm bringing on a carpenter starting tomorrow to begin designing/framing the interior. I can't make the time to handle electric, body, interior, and fabrication all myself.

 

[keons500]

Two external storage boxes mounted (one driver side, one passenger side), floor ready for a phosphate solution, more wiring gutted, and game plan to get to framing on Monday! What a rat race!

 

[Buddha.]

Subscribed

 

[keons500]

Today we picked up the refrigerator (Vitrifrigo C130), ordered an alternator to battery charger (Sterling Power 300A), phosphated half of the floor, and began fabrication for 60 gallons of insulated gray water! Fun tonight then finish the floor tomorrow.

(not sure how to add photos via mobile)

 

[dwh]

(not sure how to add photos via mobile)

I do it by telling the browser to "request desktop site", then just zoom in and do it the normal way.

Yea, it's a kludge.

 

[keons500]

I do it by telling the browser to "request desktop site", then just zoom in and do it the normal way.

Yea, it's a kludge.

Good idea! Below is a photo from yesterday after cutting the gray water tank area. I chose to keep the fabrication along two frame rails. The resulting 60 gallons will have to be adequate. I planned 1.25" for the spray insulation and an additional inch around the tanks for air flow. This will keep the onboard water from freezing during mild winter trips.

The center tub is 2" shallower than the driver side tub. The driver side is meant to be the drain. The frame is split on the top for wiring and venting the tanks together.



Big problem! I don't know how to half *** something. That is in no way claiming knowledge to do things correctly. I am way too much of a perfectionist. When I find rust, I chop and weld in. When I'm fitting everything, I measure like a machinist. The gray water tank area is stitched in place, and the front half of the floor is phosphate etched, cleaned, and rubber sealed.






On Sunday I plan to finish weld the tank area, patch the last rust area, and finish rubber sealing.