What's your dream machine?

[captainkf]

I know, a loaded question. However if you (this is to all in the forum) what would be in you School bus conversion. Ok, here is the rules (yah, I know, why are there rules?). My hopes are I will learn new things. I ask all with interest in rv's and such. The more they feel they are an expert the more info I get, both good and bad. So I hope to get all sorts here. .

What are the most important appliances to you?
heating?
inverter, converter, automatic transfer switch, solar, geni?
batteries?
isolator, solonoid, manual switch, wishful thinking?
flooring - lino, hardwood, laminate, stock rubber?
ac, fans, vents?
important bits within plumbing and wiring like winterizing or power outage bypasses like handpumps?
30 or 50 amps
locking water and elec doors (access)

I know this is a bit of an epic list of things. I have my ideas on these topics but I hope the wide variety here will give new idea's. Thanks in advance for some of the examples and for the things I did not think of.
PS. I am doing a second conversion on an 85 bluebird, 32 foot, converted to running on propane.

Thanks all, and I look forward to hearing all opinions. Especially those I don't agree with or understand (those are the funest).

-Richard

[Sharkey]

Well, I'll lead off by giving an opinion on just one of your categories and leave the rest for others to chime in on. I'm not building the Crown as an RV, so my ideas of what's functional and what's not might be distorted.

Unless you have a very specific reason to need the 125/250 volt, 50 amp electrical service in your coach, go with the 30 amp system. I've just gotten over finding a 50 amp female cord end for my Marinco 125/250 volt, 50 amp male power inlet, and I can tell you that the Marinco products are ~very~ expensive new and used gear gets fought over on ebay like scraps thrown to a pack of ravenous dogs.

I ended up finding a Hubbell connector that's basically the same in a buy-it-now ebay auction for $52, and I snapped it up!

The 30 amp service connectors and cords are much more plentiful and sell for reasonable prices used.

[Mark R. Obtinario]

Before you can determine what your conversion is going to look like when you are done you first have to determine who, what, where, and how you are going to be using your conversion.

If you and fifteen of your closest friends and relatives are going to be using your conversion you are going to have a very different floor plan than if the only ones who are going to use it is you and your significant other.

If you plan on using your conversion only occasionally for a weekend or the odd week or two you will have different needs than if you will be full timing.

If you plan to go skiing your HVAC needs are going to be different than if you plan to snow bird.

If you boondock your needs for tanks, power, and fuel are very dfferent than if you will be hooked up to full utilities.

Once you have determined all of those questions you can then proceed on to what sorts of stuff you will be putting into your conversion.

All I can say is good luck.

Mark O.

P.S. One has to wonder why you are reconverting in the first place and why you are bothering with a propane powered vehicle in the second. MRO

[captainkf]

To answer the question of why, well I got the bus because we were needinga moving vehicle for moving form Calgary AB to Halifax NS and it was resonably priced and allowed for much flexibility in timeline. I origonally planned on just a fuotn and blasting out in a week or two, then I converted the front to a simple self contained RV that my wife, myself and two dogs lived in for 10 weeks travelling. Then we moved back 7 months later in the bus in Febuary, Very chilly. So now I have this great bus that I have fallen in love with and is in great shape. I also work at an RV dealership so see what the commercially produced "equivilant" is and it's not pretty, or even safe in some cases. I chose to stay with the propane powered 366 for a few reasons. The emisions are far cleaner, fuel price here is less than half that of gasoline, and I plan on running dual fuel for convience while travelling far from home.

So now I am stockpiling conversion stuff and I should be starting with the flooring, walls and ceiling in the next couple of weeks. I am designing the unit to be a self contained 4 season getaway machine for four (and a couple of dogs). I am able to get solar for half price which should be good, I'd like at least two 110 watt pannels.

Well I hope that helps clear things up. Oh yah, most important, I am doing it beacuse it's fun, it will be safe, more economical and I can.

-Richard

[Dennis The Bus Dweller]

Heres my 2 cents

Besides fuul bath, full kitchen, 2/100 gallon fresh water tanks, 2/ 50 gallon gray and 100 gallon black water tank . The most importent thing might be theespresso machine To run the espresso machine I have 2200 watts of PV solar panels and 8/ 820 amph Rolls 6 volt deep cycle batteries and a 3000 watt Xantrex inverter/charge to keep the light on. Ahh Yes! The sun is a wonderful thing Within the next 6 month or so all of the stuf is going in to the new Buffalo as my new bus/home. OH yes! did I mention a 403 cubic foot basement Hmm? Maybe a pool table is in order or maybe shuffle board for when I get older

[Tube Tech]

My reply won't quite answer your question. I'm not tuned into specific equipment, model numbers, et cetera. This is more like design philosophy.

You are building a self-contained building. An earthbound spaceship, a land yacht. A building that lets you live a full life in a finite space.

In my hardly humble opinion:
Everything needs to serve 2 functions;
Everything vital needs a backup;
Never rely on one fuel source.

I'm using terms like is, are where I should say will be.

The basics: The back 8 feet are a '70s "Sin Bin", your basic bordello on wheels. With HDTV and 7.1 surround sound and a tiny fridge. In front of that, bathroom on the left side, clothes storage on the right.

The bathroom / closet has a sliding door on each side ( bedroom side and shop side ). The bathroom has its own door. This way I can heat / cool the bedroom only, bed and bath, or the shop only, or shop and bath.

The other side of the bathroom wall is nominally a kitchen. A sink just big enough to wash my hands in, a microwave, and the only dish I own, a shot glass. Satisfying the letter, if not the spirit of the law.

From the sink forward, full length workbench. 9X20 lathe, mini mill, metal cutting bandsaw.

Starting at the drivers door, working backward on the right: A metal door separating the drivers compartment from the shop. So the passengers can ride in the back, enjoying the juice of the whiskey tree, and to keep pushy people from trying to see what I have and where I keep it.

A woodstove.

A computer / electronic / camera repair workbench.

Design philosophy, explained in more detail:

"Everything needs to serve 2 functions;"
The TV is also a computer monitor, and monitors the rearview cameras.
The woodstove burns trash, too.
The Dickinson diesel furnace also heats water, and preheats the engine.

"Everything vital needs a backup;"
A Hott Rodd replaces the drain plug in the heat exchanger system for the hot water. Won't make the water toasty hot, but you won't hear the dreaded Clank Clank as the precious brass things fall off when you go to take a shower in December and discover the hot water system ran out of fuel.
The 12V comes from batteries, wall-power chargers, solar panels and the alternator.

"Never rely on one fuel source."
Electric heat, woodstove and diesel furnace. Diesel & 120VAC hot water.

[Phil Feinstein]

I love the lines of the older Crown busses and the older GMCs (especially the "Buffalo"). Since this is a wishlist, I'd start off with a vintage Flxible. I'd get rid of the old DD 4-71 and install something along the lines of a 300 or 400Hp Caterpillar with a nice Allison auto.

I agree with Sharkey on the shore power; Since I've seen WAY more 30amp shore plugs than 50amp, I'd make sure I had a 30 amp box or a 50amp box that allows me to convert to 30amp. I don't think my style would be too compatible with boondocking, but I'd carry at least a 4000 watt genset (or 2 of those Honda 3000W units that can be daisy chained, so if I only need one I only have to run 1). I'd want a full bathroom with a shower. Full kithchen with "Human sized" appliances. Convert the Genset to run on Propane, so I don't have to carry gas AND gasoline.

As far as A/V goes, have a cleverly set up automotive system with a few amps to get speakers all over the bus, a pair of 20" LCDs (one for the main area and one for the bedroom in back). I like Tube Tech's Idea for using the TV monitor as the computer monitor, and I'd do the same. Sattelite for TV and internet access. Satnav and maybe a Satphone as well.

Dining area would double as a guest area and enough space set up in the back for a queen size bed and some boat style cabinets for dressers.

For the outdoors, I'd have a fold out gas grill and maybe an aux refridgerator (small chest style). I'd certainly make space to store a smoker (and a safe area for charcoal and wood). I have mixed feelings about having an outdoor TV, so I'd have just some speakers for music but they'd rarely get used. Certainly an onboard air compressor (5Hp propane or diesel with a 40 to 60 gallon tank) and a storage area for my tools.

My goal is RV-style travel, So I'd be going to parks and not carrying too much in the way of potable/grey/black water. The biggest thing for me would be something drivable, so big motor is a must.

[dadeo]

my dream machine:
[img]http://dadeo_lazer2.home.comcast.net/pics/Fav_bus2.jpg[/img]

[peterb]

DADEO...is this yours ? !!!

what does this use for rear axle/tires ? any idea as to weight F/R ?

Added a lower 1/2 ford van on for a guy-aft, really got onto issues of rear weight and was like a drunk elephant on roller skates... whatz' this like on the way to Calgary ?