The selfbuild rebuild

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lee52

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Back in November 2013 I bought a badly converted bus
Little history lesson the bus started life as a scottish council bus its a Wright Consort bus bodied Leyland Roadrunner. (try saying that after a few pints)
When in service she would of looked like this (not my bus but same council)
wright bus.jpg
she was converted into a race bus 14 years ago V5 changed to Motorcaravan Phgv, my mate bought it 10years ago and it spent the last 4years sat in a storage compound, my mate had good intentions but not good ideas, he sanded it down 4years ago and thats as far as he got, I have been after it for the last 9 years as I could see the potental finally wore him down lol, got her for less than half scrap value. this is how she looked 25years on:Sad:
IMG064.jpg
Broken Link Removed
 
mechanically she wasnt to bad, engine fired up with fresh set of batteries and small shot of easy start (no glowplugs on the cummins), she built up air pressure and holds pressure for over a week so all good there, I had replaced alot of drag links etc... before she was parked up so if it pivoted it was greased brakes stripped and cleaned, so mechnically pretty much done.

chassis is in very good condition only very light surface rust here and there ( going to paint chassis when nice weather comes, the only rot is/was the steel mud guards which are bolted on (managed to source some plastic wheel wells on ebay £35 pair). the interior needs a full strip and starting again which was my intentions anyways, the outside needs a full paint (putting bigger windows in)
the paint work was quite good but my mate sanded the thing down (it only needed the vinyl graphics taking off)
IMG065.jpg
 
work on the bus came to a halt for a few months over winter due to job loss :Sad: (refused to sell it as I might of needed somewhere to live lol )

started work again in Jan so work has started again on bus first job was to clear the crap out of the thing there was 6 cases of beer (sadly 2 years out of date) turns out mice like butterkist popcorn
found some nice mice houses
user28546_pic12296_1381945297.jpguser28546_pic12297_1381945297.jpg
managed to remove 10 black bags of trash :Eeek:
 
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then its was a case of assessing what I had and what worked etc...
she came with 5kw honda genny ( fired 3 pulls on old petrol) 3 way fridge cassette toilet (was never plumbed or wired up), 4 ring hob,oven microwave cacade heater, swingball (brand new lol) , sink/drainer, shower tray taps etc.. (yet again never plumbed in why?) blown air fire,
so pretty much all I needed appliance wise,

then the small job of gutting it to a bare shell and start again,

turned out the orig converter had shares in BnQ the toilet was made with 3x2 timber faced with 12mm ply the floor is the orig bus wood floor then kingspan then 12mm ply then laminate flooring the sofa/bed frames 2x2 timber with 1/2 inch floor boards facing them,
they must of not owned a tape meassure the steps are 2 foot wide but one of the sofas overhung the steps by 3inches
 
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on removing the shower/toilet there was damp, found the cause they had cut a hole in the roof for a vent but never fitted one (no hole on inner skin) and sealed the hole with good ole gaffer tape which after 14years had broken down somewhat ( now plated and fibreglassed)
all wall boards removed to redo insulation (mice had removed quite a lot of it (rock wool)
while the weathers not so good going to work on the insides, when the weather improves need to tackle the outside. replace windows (not one matching or same style) fit roof top ac unit (£40 fully working :BigGrin:) then a rather large paint job gulp I have sprayed many a car and motorbike but dont fancy spraying this ole girl (and nowhere to do it) so going to try the roller coach paint stuff :RollEyes:

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some before and mid strip inside pics HELP lol
IMG108.jpgIMG111.jpgIMG109.jpgIMG114.jpg
 
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A great project and I look forward to watching it develop. I would love to do something similar, but no time because of touring. Terry is your man on selfbuilds.
 
Snowbird said:
A great project and I look forward to watching it develop. I would love to do something similar, but no time because of touring. Terry is your man on selfbuilds.
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Thank you. its not going to be a quick project trying to balance work (2 jobs) and home life and work on the bus, but would like for the bus to be completed before the end of the summer
 
Nice one Lee :thumb: Have fun :BigGrin:
I am presently looking around for a van to convert ---been on internet for hours and hours -only looking yet- the search starts next week or poss week after by then I hope to find the right van at the right money and my research on prices will pay off :thumb:Finding a dent free without starship mileage is proving quite a challenge :BigGrin: The mileage does not bother me so much (so long as engine and running gear are good) but I am going to sell this one so trying to find a lower mileage one will be better :Smile:
Already picked up a couple of things (new in boxes) at very good prices :thumb:
terry
 
terry said:
Nice one Lee :thumb: Have fun :BigGrin:
I am presently looking around for a van to convert ---been on internet for hours and hours -only looking yet- the search starts next week or poss week after by then I hope to find the right van at the right money and my research on prices will pay off :thumb:Finding a dent free without starship mileage is proving quite a challenge :BigGrin: The mileage does not bother me so much (so long as engine and running gear are good) but I am going to sell this one so trying to find a lower mileage one will be better :Smile:
Already picked up a couple of things (new in boxes) at very good prices :thumb:
terry
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the ole bus is pretty striaght body work wise not much in the way of battle scars
and only 200k km on the clock which is nothing for a cummins derv

she is been built on a budget :Blush: so she wont have the lastest toilet and heating systems etc.. but will have everything that is needed she has blown air heating (old but clean and fully working) electric convector heating (if on hook up might as well have free heat lol)

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I picked up my seating for the dining area I wanted these to double up as travel seats as well as seating for the dining table.

I had the option of buying proper MH seating with seat belts (expensive) or make something with seat belts (I am handy with tig and mig)

then I came across these on ebay picked 2 doubles up for 30 quid, they have seat belts and are reclining:BigGrin: (they will be recovered in matching trim)

$_12.JPG
 
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lee52 said:
I picked up my seating for the dining area I wanted these to double up as travel seats as well as seating for the dining table.

I had the option of buying proper MH seating with seat belts (expensive) or make something with seat belts (I am handy with tig and mig)

then I came across these on ebay picked 2 doubles up for 30 quid, they have seat belts and are reclining:BigGrin: (they will be recovered in matching trim)

View attachment 23268
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Plenty of second hand stuff on ebay :Wink: I also know a upholstery lady across the road (very cheap):thumb:
terry
 
Hi lee just read through this thread, great project you have going on, makes me want to do one, but no time no money and already having a motorhome kind of stops me,
good luck with it ,i lookforward to seeing more
pete
 
Not done to much this week work keeps getting in the way :Sad:

finally finished getting the last of the furniture out( if you can call it furniture)
and emptied 2 carloads of timber (my dad is now enjoying free heat) and 12 black bags of crap.

got a bit scared when I saw how badly the gas fire had been installed I knew it wernt great but I was shocked it was the kinda install where you would go to sleep and never wake up. the fire was mounted on a 6in high box (strange i thought but hey ho) on removal I discovered why the box was there the fire is the type with the exhaust throu the floor, they had cut a hole in the floor using a trained rat to chew the wood. but it turned out the rat didnt have a tape measure and had made the hole directly above a chassis out rigger which meant the exhaust and inlet couldnt protrude throu the floor so they built a box the box was not sealed or sealed to the floor the exhaust was extended using a piece of scaffold tubing ( not sealed)
IMG115.jpgIMG116.jpg

the hanging rail was a bit hard core as well it was 2 metres of 5mm wall tubing well heavy.
I have kept all the cupboard doors catches hinges etc... and binned the cabinets

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sounds like the bodgers world event winner 1988 winer:Rofl1:
it is hard work bodging to that standard:Eeek:
 
It looks a great project you have there,and will end in a great motorhome for you and your family,cummins a fantastic engine built for many miles in mind,so enjoy your project and heres to you for many happy Motorhome Travels, Regards Alf:thumb:
 
alfandM said:
It looks a great project you have there,and will end in a great motorhome for you and your family,cummins a fantastic engine built for many miles in mind,so enjoy your project and heres to you for many happy Motorhome Travels, Regards Alf:thumb:
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like u say the cummins is a fantastic powerplant (nice exhaust note as well)
it hadnt turned a wheel in 4yrs after 15 mins of checking fluids etc.. and a pair of fresh batts she fired up and built up air and then a few (lots and lots) well placed hits on the rear hubs with a sledge hammer the brakes released and moved under her own steam around the storage yard :BigGrin:
engine wise give her a fluid change and if it was a rubber pipe it was changed (25 year old and been sitting) the engine is good to go (we will find out on the first trip)

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The next big decision is the habitation door it has had a caravan door fitted it works as it should but. the orig door is 750mm wide which is better than a caravan door and the orig steps are 800mm wide (orig owner boxed in one side to make narrower)

so am thinking do I keep as is, do I keep caravan door but have the full width steps (somewhere to put boots etc.. ) or do i replace the door with a full width door ( homemade ali insulated job) if i go full width I think the outside will look better easier to get in etc...

the red lines in pic show the orig bus door frame so the plan would be to remove the infill with the cravan door and build a ali framed door to fit the orig bus frame
habitation door.jpg
 
Firstly do you need wider access? -I have seen people fit UPVC--and ali house doors and windows in vans but do they look right ? Mine is fitted with a wide door (standard ambulance door) looks good to me and never given any trouble --wider access ? you simply get used to it --may be a selling point later
terry
 
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terry said:
Firstly do you need wider access? -I have seen people fit UPVC--and ali house doors and windows in vans but do they look right ? Mine is fitted with a wide door (standard ambulance door) looks good to me and never given any trouble --wider access ? you simply get used to it --may be a selling point later
terry
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it wont be a domestic house door ( i think that will look like you have thrown a house door at it lol) it would be retangled version of a caravan door i think it will look better like it belongs to the bus apposed to a caravan door stuck on the side
wider access will never be a bad thing means I will be able to build the furniture units at home (keeps the other half happy) then they will fit through the door to fit. where as the caravan door everything will have to be build in the bus
 
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once I decide on the door and clean the floor up I will be at the stage of a blank canvas and then the fun starts of the build the bit Iam lookin forward to :BigGrin:

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well after a bit of research it turns out my bus is not 5.9l diesel as I thought it is a whooping 6.7L cummins diesel
 
not much happening on the bus front this weekend cleared the last of the scrap out of the ole girl (2 car loads again) re seam sealed the outside and roof lights etc..

the bus was/is orig plated at 9t mam and I need to get this downrated to 7.5t

so keeping the weight down is at the forefront of my mind she weighed in over 6t in her present MH guise (before the strip)
found out that when she was a bus with all her seats and glass she tipped the scales at 5.2t so now I am feeling abit more optimistic
she has lost most of her glass and 35 steel framed seats would of been heavy,
the previous converter had 2 wooden floors on top of orig floor and 3x2 and 2x2 timber will 12mm ply for walls and sofas so theres alot of weight gone and it had a hydraulic steel framed tailgate (was a race bus before MH) so theres another big chuck of weight gone. I will be very happy if I can get her tipping the scales at 5.5t giving me a whooping 2t payload
 
if you spend a bit more on vohringer veneered ply this is way lighter than standard ply. all the mainstream converters use it. a choice of quality colours too
 
TheBig1 said:
if you spend a bit more on vohringer veneered ply this is way lighter than standard ply. all the mainstream converters use it. a choice of quality colours too
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I have been looking at the vohringer and like you say its well light, mind you anything has to be better than 12mm ply previous convertor used lol
 
Hi LEE PM me for details of lightweight ply @ £25 a 8 x 4 sheet- light oak both sides or about 10 maple - not putting details on here (yet) as I have just bought 20 sheets and pick them up later this week ---I need to know plenty left because I may well get some more :BigGrin:
terry

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