Fun with the Phantom

Discussions about all things to do with buses, trucks, and the homes made within them.

Moderator: TMAX

User avatar
somewhereinusa
Posts: 323
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:44 pm
Location: Andrews, Indiana
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by somewhereinusa »

I have read that they aren't really all that accurate for torquing with a torque wrench, but I think that close is better than not at all, especially on something like a bus/truck lug nut. The really do work well for taking lug nuts off, my son has one of the ebay non USA ones. We've used it on my skoolie, his MCI that had the lug nuts come off hard all the way, and yesterday on the Scenicruiser.
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

There's a Hitch To That Plan

Finally! I got my hitch built and installed a couple weeks ago. I've been needing this for a while. Transits are not exactly overrun with storage space. Having a receiver hitch on the bus allows me to use my "hitch hauler", freeing up space inside the bus. I built it several years ago when I had a class C motorhome. I keep my electrical cord(s), sewer hoses, outdoor mat, X-pens for the dogs, and various other things in there. Getting these out of the bus really helps with the space and mess of transporting them inside. My pictures of the hitch itself didn't turn out well. I'll try again soon to get some detail photos of how it was built.

But, there's a hitch to this plan. I can't open my engine compartment door with it on. I've got to come up with a way to slide it back so that I don't have to take the hauler off to get to the compartment. I'll be thinking on this for a while. If any of you have a suggestion, please let me know.

Image

Image

Image

Image
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
ol trunt
Posts: 551
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:51 pm
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by ol trunt »

That would be fun to figure out. Do you have pics that show the male end of the hitch without the box? In my little pea brain I see a few 1" sealed bearings and a pin like the one that holds a trailer tongue in the receiver--though a bit smaller. Jack
User avatar
somewhereinusa
Posts: 323
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:44 pm
Location: Andrews, Indiana
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by somewhereinusa »

How heavy is it when loaded? I picture some sort of swing away, but if it ends up too heavy might be a problem when off to the side.
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

somewhereinusa wrote:How heavy is it when loaded? I picture some sort of swing away, but if it ends up too heavy might be a problem when off to the side.
I'm guessing it will be 150 to 200 lbs. The base on this unit is a swing away. The problem is it was made to swing away from a car, not a 102" bus. Even when it's swung away, it does not clear the tail gate on the bus. I bought the base from a company that makes hitch haulers. The top unit was damaged in transit and they had the base left. Made me a good deal and I took it. Mounted my own box on the base.

I suppose I could add an extension to the hitch. But I don't really like the idea of that since it puts the weight further back which increases the load on the hitch (due to leverage).
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

Water'in Hole Time

A couple weeks ago I went to my buddies place in Carrollton and "camped" in the parking lot of his shop. It was a bus work weekend. I helped him run down a gremlin with his automatic shutdown system. It was shutting his engine down due to "overtemp" even though the water temp was only 120 degrees. We replaced the sensor, which seemed to have cured his problem. Here's his bus below:

Image

Afterwards, we worked on the water system in my Phantom. My fresh water tank is inside my bus, across the back, and under the bed headboards. The compartment holds a 100 gallon tank. That's a lot of water. The problem with putting a water tank inside your bus is the mess it will create if there's a leak. Not wanting to find out the hard way, I decided to fiberglass the tank area and put in a drain. This will resolve any issues with a leak and give me piece of mind. Here's a couple photos of the finished area. The drain is not in yet. I won't cut it in until the tank is in place. Lostranger has the tank at his place at the minute. He was kind enough to pick it up for me in Elkhart a few weeks ago. We haven't been able to catch up with one another yet due to all the goin's on this summer.

Image

Image

Image

Image
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
ol trunt
Posts: 551
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:51 pm
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by ol trunt »

"I suppose I could add an extension to the hitch. But I don't really like the idea of that since it puts the weight further back which increases the load on the hitch (due to leverage)."

That's where I was going. Make a roll out hitch extension. That way you can get the clearance you need without adding any length to the hitch when you don't need it. Jack
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

Jack, you've got me scratching my head. You might have to "splain it" to me, lol.
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
ol trunt
Posts: 551
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:51 pm
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by ol trunt »

Hi LC, sorry it took me so long to reply. By now you've probably solved your hitch problem, but I thought I'd share with you what I was thinking of. I can't draw worth a hoot so I enlisted the help of wiffy to do the sketch. I think she pretty much was able to draw what I was thinking of but the scale is not right (hitch and tube would need to be longer to get enough extension though not longer than the depth of the box which is supported by the tube). This arrangement would allow you to slide the box back from the buss and still utilize the pivot swing out you already have. Jack


Sketch of slide on hitch and reciever. Image


This is the kind of sealed bearing I was thinking of. The bearing would ride on a center shaft and the load would ride on the outer surface of the bearing. This is the kind of bearing I used to build the slide out on my bus. Image
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

That's an interesting setup Jack. I would have never come up with that on my own. I'll have to show this to my buddy that built my hitch and see if he's up to it. I don't have any of the equipment to build this on my own. I appreciate the time and thought you put into it. Thanks!
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

Well, it's been a hot and busy summer. Haven't got to use the bus as much as I wanted to in this period. Work and other things kept me very busy. I've mostly been working on odds and ends jobs, trying to finish things started but not completed. To that end, the shower is one of those things.

Putting up a shower has been one of my most dreaded jobs. Partly because I don't know plumbing very well and partly because it had to be designed from scratch. I made a mistake by not using a standard size shower layout. In the end, it cost me double to install.

You may be aware that my shower pan has been in for some time. Since the walls and fixtures were not up in the shower, I've been using it for storage mostly. Partly this has to do with the dreaded task of putting up the wall coverings. I looked at coverings for two years. It would have been a lot easier if I had built a standard size shower. I didn't. I let my shower size be dictated by the space available at the location. In retrospec, I think this was a mistake. It ended up costing me much more money for custom everything.

In the end I went with frp board with a tile design on the walls. This wasn't cheap, nor was the adhesive I had to use. Not only that, but I had to special order the adhesive, which only came in 3 gallon pails. Three gallons was about two gallons more than I needed. It was "special" because it cured without air (moisture cured), much like Sikaflex. This was necesary becuase I had put laminate on the walls before I knew how I was going to build the shower. In the end, it looks good and I'm sure it will work fine. My only concern is how easy it will be to keep clean.

One of the reasons this shower is unusual is because it is sunken. I built it in the original rear door stepwell. The reasons it is sunken is because I kept my bus airconditioning. This means there are air ducts running down each side of the bus. There is not enough height to stand on the floor under the ducts without hitting your head. So I dropped the shower pan down to the same height as the bottom step of the original rear door. The rear door was sealed off when I first started the conversion. I must admit this idea was not original. I had seen it done by Blue Bird on their Wanderlodges back in the 80's.

Please pardon the yellowish photos. This is what happens when the lighting is flourescent. I tried to adjust it out, but couldn't.

Image

Image

Image


The shower pan drain is covered with painters tape at the minute, since the drain has yet to be connected. This keeps out the air and insects. I should have the drain connected soon. On the back side of the shower is my toilet. My toilet is smallish, so I tried to minimize the space the plumbing takes up. My plumbing cover is okay, but not all that attractive. But, it's the toilet. No one is going there for the scenery. :shock: This is one place that function-before-fashion rules.

Image

Image

Image

Image
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
ol trunt
Posts: 551
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:51 pm
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by ol trunt »

'Morning LC. Your shower and toilet set up looks real good. I also used FRP for the shower stall in my big bus and I wish I'd had the sense to go with the tile look like you did. The smooth FRP shows every stroke of the masticand the tile look would have hidden that nicely. It seems that we are the only ones to have made step down shower enclosures in our bsses though there are probably others. Like you say, the non standard approach did make it tougher to build out the shower, but I sure do like being able to stand straight up in the thing. Glad to hear from you and I hope you find more time to play with your bus. Jack
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

Thanks Jack! Glad you liked it. I used a V notch trowel to evenly spread my mastic. I didn't notice any uneven-ness on it. I'm surprised yours showed that.

The summer here was so hot, it was not pleasant to be outside during the middle of the day. Now that fall is approaching our day time temps have moderated. I have several things planned in October. Should make up for lost time. :)
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
LuckyChow
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Smyrna GA
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by LuckyChow »

Well it's been a while since I posted anything. Partly because there wasn't much new to tell, and partly because I took a new position with another employer. Settling in to a new job is always time consuming. It was a very good move for me though and I'm hoping spring time will have lots of fun trips and outings in the Phantom.

Okay, so what's new? My composting toilet, that's what! I just finished installing my Nature's Head composting toilet this past weekend. This is something I've been planning for more than a year and I finally made the jump. In case you think I've had too much Tequila, it ain't so. But don't hold me to that after the weather gets warmer. :wink: There is a small movement going on with composting toilets in RV's. You have to make sure you get the right one though as many of them are too big for an RV. If you want to catch up on these toilets in an RV, watch these two videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E2xOoNov9s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CdnVZkCKXU

I have to confess the install was very easy. I had previously run 24 volt wiring to the compartment and hooking up the small muffin fan was a five minute deal. It's all installed at this point except my toilet roll holder. Got to pick up a new one soon. Just in case you're wondering, I can't testify as to its "ease of use" yet. Since it's the winter and I'm not planning on taking the bus out anytime soon, I haven't put in the coconut coir. I'll wait a bit on the trial run till closer to spring. Meanwhile, here's my install pics.

Here's the box it comes in. Delivered by UPS.
Image

Fresh out of the box
Image

Finished install
Image

This is the inside. Notice bombay door closed. You need to open the door before the strafing run and ordinance drop!! No standing here. Both ladies and gents must remain seated for the entire performance.
Image

The urine capture bottle. Seperating the urine from the "ordinance" is the key to having no odors.
Image

I'll do an update after my first outing.
Signed: RAF Bomber Command
:D
Darryl
Smyrna GA
2000 Gillig Phantom
ol trunt
Posts: 551
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:51 pm
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Fun with the Phantom

Post by ol trunt »

Ha, Ha. Made me laugh---bombs away! I've never understood why little boys are taught to stand up at the toilet. The result is always stinky. I haven't read up on how a composting toilet works. How do you handle the waste if you don't mind explaining. Jack
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 15 guests