Rusty stuff

When I bought the bus I discovered some rust holes in the roof - I've heard of a few of these vehicles now with some roof rust.  This typically occurs around the little brackets that hold the cover pieces behind the air-conditioner hump.  A friend of mine also found some around the rear vent housing.  Another contact had significant rust in the curved section above the windows.  I repaired my roof a while ago and didn't document that but I've just had to tackle some rust under the front passenger window and I thought I might share the repair technique.

I was aware of this rust a while ago and had done a few little bodgie repairs to keep it under control but it was time to do the job properly. [Thanks Gary for reminding me that I need to get it done!]

First of all, the window needs to be removed.

From inside the bus remove the pinch weld around the window frame.  These windows are only held in by a silicone bead so use a blade to slice between the body work and the window frame.  Because of the rust I discovered the bottom edge of the frame wasn't really sticking to anything.  I also found some small perspex strips on the sides which must act as spacers.  I didn't need to cut these off to remove the window. [Just left them there ready to do their job when I put the window back in]

It's probably a good idea to have someone on the outside to stop the window just falling out once the silicone beading has been cut.  The frame will just push out but be careful as the frame is flexible and the windows themselves can fall out of the frame at the top (they appear to be held on the bottom track because I couldn't just lift them out of the frame - no need to anyway.)

Once the window is out put it in a safe place.  I needed to clean off all the old silicon which I did with a sharpened piece of perspex - my frames are black aluminium and the plastic blade prevents scratching)

Time to assess the damage - not pretty!

Window frame removed exposing serious rust on sill

Overhead view of the rusty sill

For about a third of the window the top of the sill was basically gone and the rest could not be saved. No option but to scrape clean and then commence surgery!

Surgery commences: cut away remaining top sill with angle grinder

I decided to remove all the rusted steel from the outer panel (rather than patch it). All the inner panel was cleaned back with grinder and treated with a product call penetrol to prevent further rust. It actually wasn't too bad. I didn't cut all the top of the panel in one go - I did it in sections to leave a guide for positioning the new window edge.

Rusty bits removed from outer panel - remaining steel cleaned up

I'll throw a diagram here to illustrate how I tackled the repair.

First piece of steel goes in - it was steel I already had and it already had a fold - a fraction heavier than what was there.  I also treated the underside of it with penetrol. I didn't worry about another vertical fold - there was already plenty of steel on the inside vertical. Worked out well because it created a little valley where the welds would be placed.

I only have a stick welder so I just tacked along the new seam at about 25mm intervals.  I had read somewhere that if you try to fully weld such joints you'll just end up with a buckled mess [Would have been impossible for me with a stick welder anyway!]  I was very happy with the result and I decided that the only thing to do was keep going with the same method.  The rest of the sill edge was actually in good condition but I decided that attempting to do the joint on the top of the sill was not going to work.  So with angle grinder in hand I kept going.  You can see the pencil line I marked for cutting. I ended up putting three sill plates in via this method [Why? the steel I had was only long enough to do it that way and I liked the way it allowed me to keep the existing line as I went.]  Next photo shows it all in place.

Next step was to check the window fitted back in before I went any further. Good news!

Beautiful - fits like a glove!

Hit all the welds with a grinder to make them flush with the existing panel and then use car filler to hide them.  Filler only takes about twenty minutes to dry and then sand back with 60-80 grit paper.  Actually in my research I was given a worthwhile tip - only ever dry sand the filler - it is porous and will let moisture through it. 

Time to mask up and apply primer surfacer. I applied 4-5 coats.  The last black mist coat acts as a sanding guide. Sand back with 600-800 grit paper - not a bad idea to use a sanding block  to keep the surface even.  Any black remaining will alert you of areas require further filling.

Application of the top coat - I only had a touch-up spray can of the matching colour and I was a bit anxious not having it in the proper spray gun but it went on surprisingly well.  I had enough for about 4 coats.  You have to leave it for 24 hours before doing anything else but I reckon its a good idea to get rid of the masking tape asap.  By the way I was using single pack acrylic lacquer.

Finish colour is on - you got to be happy with that!

Disaster struck [well not absolute catastrophe].  I must have put the last coat on too late in the day, then overnight we had rain and all the next day.  I ended up with little blisters in the top coat where it had got wet.  It was under a tarp but the moisture still found a way!
Left it in the sun the following day and sanded that coat back - not too bad - will have to repeat a filler and top coat to tidy it up.

That's where I'm up to at time of writing.  I need to wait awhile before I mask up again and repaint the window recess black [as done in the rest of the vehicle.]  Then it is just a matter of siliconing the window back in.  Always make sure you use a neutral cure silicon so it is not corrosive on the metal.

The whole process has got me keen to do the complete respray [in 2 pack] - but that's something I'll leave for another time.

Storage bins

Storage bins - Under floor storage

There are two things I wished I had considered more on this aspect of the build.

• Greater storage capacity can be made available by accessing through the floor storage - in this case from below to above the existing floor.
• Storage space is not necessarily limited by the size of the hatch available to access it.

Now before I explain how I came to these conclusions let me give you a little lead-in to this aspect of the build.

There is no doubt cutting the hole in the body for my access hatch was a stressful experience so I waited a while before I got up the courage to cut out pieces of the lower body to access under floor compartments.  I wanted to be sure on the placement and the method of access.
The first of these was really just an access flap to reach a battery rack on the drivers side of the bus.  I checked where vertical support stanchions were and basically made two vertical cuts in the panel on the inside edge of each stanchion and then a horizontal cut to join them. The horizontal cut was made at a suitable place in the body profile to facilitate the fitting of hinges to the flap. I used a jigsaw to achieve this and ending up with an opening about 700mm wide.  Another part of the decision was the corner - rounded or right angled?  I opted for square because I thought it would be easier to fit the pinch-weld I was using to finish the edges. I didn't think the pinchweld would fit snugly enough on the inner and outer curve.

Problem number 1: At this stage I didn't want to do any repainting or other modification so I devised the pinchweld method to finish the edges neatly.  The jigsaw however did not cut out enough metal to allow the fitting of the pinchweld to the flap and the body so I had to take to the flap with an angle grinder anyway to make it fit.  The whole idea of using the jigsaw in the first place was to avoid burning paint using the grinder. I avoided burning by going slowly [keep the paint cool with a damp rag] and the pinchweld helped hide any minor blemishes on the panel flap.  [Since that time I have decided that a reciprocating saw may have been useful.  I had discounted using an electric nibbler which does cut a gap that I thought would be too big. I also thought it was too difficult to control in that situation].  Down the track if I repaint parts of the vehicle I will repaint these edges properly.

Hinges used were stainless steel marine quality and I pop riveted them on. Pinchweld was about $5 a metre from Clark rubber.

The actual rack was made from angle iron built to fit and bolt onto the chassis.  I made it with a slide out tray to access the batteries which at that stage were deep cycle wet cells.  Now that I have changed to AGM batteries there really is no need for the sliding rack to check acid levels. I also fitted a lock to the slide out rack so it would not be easy for a thief to steal batteries.
Didn't do anything fancy with the flap - some marine type catches to hold it shut and a stick to hold it up when required.

Hatch number 2

After successfully negotiating the access hatch outlined above, I eventually decided that I needed another one on the passenger side which was cut using basically the same method.  This time I wanted to make an enclosed locker which would be used to house a generator (and later my chainsaw).
With limited vertical height available I worked out that I could carry a Honda EU10i generator (I probably should discuss generators in another post).  As I believed I would not ever be running an airconditioner I thought the 1kw should be adequate for my needs - which was basically just as another means of providing power for battery charging.

This was another one of those consequences caused by my decision to go with a compressor fridge - if you want to be independent, are not driving regularly and there is no sun for solar - you just have to have a backup power supply.  [As it turns out I have rarely had to use it - but there has been a couple of occasions where it was necessary].

I worked out that I could fit the 1 kw generator sideways through the hatch and there was just enough room to rotate it and stand it up again.  This is where I wish I had considered the height aspect more carefully - because this hatch was under clear floor AND I actually had the option to cut out the floor and expand into the kickboard space under the cupboards!  I could have achieved almost another 100mm height and possibly accommodated a larger generator if required.  (I have since done this to achieve some internal height in the locker.)
My second mistake was to only make the locker the size of the access hatch. This housed the generator and a 5 litre fuel tank comfortably, however later, when I decided I would like to carry a small chainsaw - I could just fit it in but space was at a premium.  I realized that I could easily have extended the locker by another 30cm which I have since done.  Because the locker was built out of angle iron with metal sides I basically took out one end and constructed another box to bolt to the original. The end of the box substitutes for the steel mudflap which I removed in the process. This has given me a lot more room to store the chainsaw, hoses and oils.  I fitted key-locks to this flap to protect my generator.
Another couple of features that may be of interest -

• I used one of the original bus seatbelts to secure the generator to the floor - this works well and prevents it bouncing around.
• I also have a hardened steel loop through the floor of the bus with a security cable to further safeguard the generator. The security cable is long enough to allow the generator to be placed on the ground if required.
• I had a short lead made up to plug the generator into the AC power inlet on the bus (which is very close to the hatch anyway).  This saves getting out the long extension lead.
• The front end of the generator locker has a disk flap that aligns with the generator exhaust - with the hatch door open (for adequate ventilation) the generator is operational from within the locker and I have run it this way on occasion.  The Honda is pretty quiet in economy mode and is bearable from within the vehicle.
• Even though I was limited by where I could place a generator I thought later later it might have been a mistake to place it on the awning side of the bus.  However in retrospect I have decided it was the best position. As it is likely that it would only be used in bad weather it made sense to have it on the sheltered side of the vehicle (for both the equipment and the operator).

So to reiterate on my opening statement...

• Don't disregard "through the floor" space when constructing lockers under the vehicle.
• Maximise the available space and don't necessarily be limited by the access hatch size.

Electrical

I'm still working on this section but will publish it anyway - excuse any errors and will add some pictures eventually.

Probably the main thing I agonised over when considering the motorhome electrical system was whether to make the house system 12v or 24v.  I read about other people's experiences, spoke to a few other motorhomers and of course everyone has their own opinion on what works best.
Decisions that you make impact on many other things - here's a few.

• What sort of a charging system(s)?
• Batteries - what type, how many and where will they go?
• What type of fridge - 2 way (electric only) or 3 way (gas operation)
• Solar panels?
• Generator?
• 240v 
• Are we going to be doing a lot of free-camping (most definitely!)

12 volt or 24 volt?

Because the bus is 24v by default (and the alternator looks like it would power a small lighthouse) one school of thought is to keep the house system at 24v and use 24v appliances.
OR     Keep the house system at 24v and use a step down transformer to run 12v appliances.
OR    Make the house system 12v and use a step down charger system to charge your batteries.

Which way did I go?

I know I took a long time to commit to a decision and I eventually decided on a 12v house system. In the time we have been tripping in the bus - 3 years and 40000 kilometres - absolutely no regrets!
One good reason is that 12v appliances are generally more readily available and cheaper than 24v gear.
I believe my first major purchase was the DC-DC charging system I bought at one of the camping shows.  It was an Australian made GSL 24v to 12v 60amp charger.  It looked solidly built, I could speak to the people who made it, it was heaps cheaper than retail and (touch wood) I have had trouble free operation for the past three years.  I had seen them advertised at over $500 (I paid about $350) and at the time these also came in 20 amp and 40 amp models.  My philosophy in the whole electrical plan has been simple - make sure it is big enough to do the job (and a little bit more).
The GSL charger is a smart charger that hooks into the existing 24v batteries and because my charger was mounted about 3 metres from them I made sure the battery cable was big enough to to the job.
Without getting in to a lot of technical stuff about cable - you'll need to know that 4mm cable is not the same as 4mm2 (squared) cable.  I visited the Springers store at nearby Lawnton who sold cable they had imprinted with the (squared) capacity. If you told them the distance you needed to run the cable and what your were using it for they had a computer program (just an excel sheet I think) that would calculate the size of the wire you would need (to allow for voltage drop). In most cases if it was close to capacity I went for the next size up. (Redundancy rulz! What is the point in paying $100 for a piece of cable, finding it inadequate and then having to pay another $120 for the next size - spend the extra $20 at purchase time and be sure).
A couple of other little bits of advice ...

• always allow a little bit extra length than you thought - it is amazing how a couple of little twists and turns add to the length required and it is no good if your cable run is 10cm short!
• Do yourself an electrical plan and try to work out what you want to run and where it will go.  Buy a whole roll of wire and make all the runs before you fit out.  
• I used 4mm twin for most of my average stuff like lights and 12v appliances.
• Because my build was a work in progress I didn't run all the wires I needed when I fitted out.  This has resulted in added wiring afterwards - still possible.
• Recommend putting in some spare wiring for future possibilities - when I ran the wiring for my reversing camera I also ran a spare pair - and I have not used it!
• You are probably going to need a switchboard location - mine is in the overhead cupboard.  Because my batteries are at floor level I ran a "main feed" or heavier wiring through one of the window pillars from top to bottom.  I also used some relays at floor level so that I did not have to run heavy wiring to each switch individually. (might need to explain this better).
• Put fuses on everything (Make them easy to get to - I have a couple in awkward places that I regret) - Circuit breakers may well be the go now - they're about $10 now and I used them where I was running a "main feed"

Solar
AC charging
DC charging
Generator

Tips
Size of the wire - 4mm wire is not necessarily 4mm - learn about mm2.
Buy a big roll of wire, do an electrical plan and try to run all the cable you need before you fit out along with some spare capacity.
Reading and research indicates a lot of the problems people have with fridges and solar is the wiring used is simply not a heavy enough gauge.
Put fuses (or circuit breakers) on everything.

Using the bus as an earth?



Fridges

Wow - is it really that long since I posted info

Well the bus is finished now.  I really should catch up and put all my latest info together.  Stay tuned - it will happen!

Here's a quick piccy to prove the interior is done!

Fitout - Shower

Considered a few options here - The build yourself option using waterproof panels and a shower tray – and I came across a number of schools of thought on this…
Or the complete shower cubicle – choices here as well – plastic or fibreglass? Well my decision was made once I saw the fibreglass shower cubicle installed by a friend in his Hino. Well constructed, strong, no chance of water leaks and great value at about $450 from Beachmere Fibreglass. I had seen shower trays at this price. Of course with everything in motorhome construction there is a hurdle to overcome, in this case, getting it in, and once inside, standing it up.
Step one is to remove a window which turned out to be a surprisingly simple task. Take off the pinch mould around the window frame. Get a friend to hold the window while you cut the silicone bead around the frame. Lower the window carefully to the ground – the frame will sag a bit so be careful you don’t drop a sliding window out.
Step two is to cut the shower cubicle down in height. The window is big enough to get the cubicle inside but because it is a three-sided unit you can’t stand it up otherwise. Calculate the height to cut to by measuring diagonally on the wall of the cubicle to your maximum ceiling height – I had to cut off 210mm to allow me to pivot the cubicle to an upright position. It also helps if you do this before putting other cupboards in because you need the space. In my case it was simply a matter of positioning the cubicle as close the wheel arch as possible [as I needed maximum space forward of that for a single bed.]
I cut the cubicle off neatly with an angle grinder and a fine [for metal] disk. Keeping the cut straight makes it easy to rejoin the cubicle with a plastic joining strip. [It is scary cutting into something you just paid nearly $500 for]
Step three. Rebuild your shower unit with a plastic joining strip (available from hardware stores). As the shower cubicle has a curve on the front edge I used a hair dryer to heat the plastic for bending around the corner.
I chose a cubicle with one diagonal corner [shelves] and a raised front lip. I used the space behind the diagonal corner to position my external water fillers. I also tried to position the cubicle so a cassette toilet would line up with a convenient wall frame space in case I fitted a [external door] cassette toilet later. There would be a fair bit of body frame to cut away to fit one. Always a compromise – I’m happy with my choice – but the plain rectangular unit would haven given a bit more space and made it possible to fit a roll-away door. We are just using a shower curtain at the moment.
To complete the cubicle on the curved top of the bus I bought a piece of 2mm matching fibreglass ($20) and basically pushed it into place, sealing with white silicone.
By the way – because I retained my windows – I fitted a sheet of black painted ply between the window and cubicle to hide it from exterior view.

Fitout - Cupboard construction

I decided to make the bench run all the way from the bed to the door – a distance of 3m. I had considered a wardrobe type unit near the bed [I had seen a conversion done this way] but I didn’t want to block windows and it closed off the bed space making it feel too claustrophobic.
I built the bench in modules. A lot of planning went into drawer layouts, height of drawers, purpose of drawers, space for the oven, alignment with body frames [considered an external rollout BBQ initially], where the sink would go. I also required a 120mm kickboard as an electrical box had to be relocated to the floor underneath the cupboards. [I originally considered moving this to under the bus as I have learned others have done but I was concerned about keeping a considerable number of relays high and dry]

I used 9mm ply to build the carcase for each cabinet. I believed that when I joined these together the 18mm walls would be adequate – wrong – I could not believe the amount of movement and flex using this method. It wasn’t until I glued on a tassie oak face that the units became sufficiently rigid. From the bed end I created two extremely large clothes drawers – these sit above the wheel arch. Then there are 3 drawers used for groceries and pots/pans. The second unit is half height with one large drawer for the oven to sit on. The final unit closest to the door contains 4 small drawers and then a 3 drawer layout underneath the sink top. The drawers themselves are all made from 9mm ply boxes, varnished externally and lined with auto carpet (for sound damping and a quality look). Drawer fronts are constructed from a tassie oak surround [biscuit joined] and then routed to hold a 9mm ply panel and a 3mm face ply front. Conventional kitchen handles and metal drawer runners were used throughout.

A word on catches: Because I was using all drawers a lot of the conventional caravan mechanisms were unsuitable [never mind the expense] because I would have needed to place a divider between each drawer and lose valuable space. I opted for a pair of simple plastic cupboard latches at the rear of each drawer. These were relatively easy to fit with the cupboard units out of the bus. These locked the drawers quite solidly – in fact a little too well – and in the end I changed to a lighter weight spring loaded catch. These worked beautifully …. UNTIL … Lesson learned – once weight is added to the drawer going round a relatively sharp bend in the road resulted in drawer Armageddon. Back to the heavier catches – you get used to them and they work. In fact what we do now is once opened we do not close the drawer fully until we’re ready to move on. Another compromise!

Bench tops:
I wanted a good looking gloss laminate bench top and went to a couple of kitchen manufacturers. I investigated laminated 25mm ply rather than 40mm chipboard and could simply not justify the $1100+ pricetag for 3m x 50cm of bench top especially when I was going to cut 2 huge chunks of it out for the sink and the stove. Even a chipboard top was a ridiculous price. IKEA to the rescue – ready made laminated panels with a rolled edge [yes they are chipboard and heavier than I would have liked] cost me about $240 for the bench AND a table top. They even provide matching laminate edge strips for when you cut them to size. Another compromise!
While I was at IKEA I picked up a 16mm black kitchen panel in their odds and sods section to use for the splashback behind the bench. Also doubles as a neat finish behind the cupboards as the bench is above window ledge height.

Body and layout

Part of my aim was to build a quality setup while keeping costs at a reasonable level. Always a balancing act to find something cheaper to do the job you want, maintaining quality and knowing when to spend the money required on an expensive item.

Body and layout
Let’s face it – there are limited ways you can layout a 7m bus to make it a useable practical space. Everything becomes a compromise – there isn’t the width of most caravans so it’s always going to be challenge to get everything in.

The Body
After looking at a few converted buses, pictures of others and speaking to a couple of conversion folk it was apparent there are two schools of thought. Pull out the original windows and replace with panels and smaller windows making it look more like a motorhome OR leave things as they are. The black framed windows in our Hino were already tinted and in good condition and I wanted to retain as much visibility as possible so it seemed logical to just leave it the way it was. As I am sitting at the table writing this blog I think my decision was justified as I’m getting a great view of the lake and surrounding bush through the large window area.
Height
Interior height on the RB145 is only about 1.8m and some people opt to raise the roof. As we are both under 6’ it was a pretty easy [and cheaper] decision to live with a low ceiling and just leave things as is. [I was quoted about $8000 for a roof raise through Koolah campers – I’m not sure if this included the resultant impact on the aircon system.] The air conditioning in this bus works great with the ducting running full length on either side. I wanted to retain the air con so using snips and a lot of effort I cut the ducting off and resealed the tubes with ply panels. The ducting would have been more easily removed without the roof panels gone but as the vinyl was in very good condition I didn’t want to disturb it. I was also able to retain the existing curtain tracks. All the aircon pipes are on the passenger side of the bus and as I cut the ducting off at the doorway I was able to strap a lot of my wiring to the pipes. I was a bit tricky on the drivers side because even though I cut the ducting off where it would meet the shower cubicle I left a narrow exit and “double skinned” it so that cool air could still reach the rear of the bus. I also using the ducting to run some wiring which I will mention more in an electrical section.
Note: I saw one bus where the aircon ducts were actually left inside overhead cupboards – a bit pointless as they took up most of the cupboard space.
Layout:
While considering the layout there were several factors that influenced our decision.

• Drawers wherever possible – not cupboards
• An oven would be nice
• A decent sized sink
• Prefer a comfy double bed [completely over a foam mattress sitting on ply]
• Shower and toilet (will have to share a space)
• Have to fit in a 3rd [single] bed for Blake.

The Rainbow is just wide enough for us to sleep across and being able to do so saves some valuable space. I had also seen a conversion with the double bed raised and a hatch installed for external access to the space underneath. Our first experiences using the bus without a fitout confirmed this was the way to go rather than carry an outside table and chairs through the vehicle at every stop. I thought I’d try to build in an extra layer of storage for access internally which I achieved by making the bed quite high. Removable drawers sit in a ply frame that supports the bed frame. This brought the mattress to window height so for privacy I made side panels out of ply and covered with auto carpet. A narrow box along the back sill also allows privacy and doubles as storage for books and magazines. The bed frame was a bit of a find. I sometimes investigate the local recycling centre [at the dump] and came across a sprung-slat king size frame [still in the plastic] for $30. It was quite an effort cutting down the frame and rebuilding it with sleeved joints but the effort was worth it as it is light weight, strong and quite comfortable. The bed frame was hinged at the back with large plastic marine hinges. I was intending to use gas struts to lift the front but was talked out of it and ended up using some sliding supports [cheaper option – about $20 pair] because they would last forever. I’m not entirely satisfied with their performance and Karen can’t comfortably lift the frame so I intend to change to gas struts in the future.
[Note: I have changed to gas struts and they are SO MUCH better. Went to a local manufacturer who was able to make them up for me for $30 each. I wasn't sure on what strength I would need - struts are measured in newtons - but the other advantage of ordering from this guy is he was prepared to adjust them for me if needed. I had read an article somewhere that roughly estimated 400 newtons lifted 40kg of weight. I opted for 300 newtons to each strut to lift the frame and the double mattress. The struts were 700mm long. I had a bit of mucking around getting the mounting position right so they lifted to the right height and closed correctly. As it turned out no adjustment was necessary - a slight lift of the bed frame and it raises itself and a controlled push down lowers it - fantastic!)

Couldn’t believe the price of foam mattresses when I priced them and ended up obtaining a double inner spring mattress from “Forty Winks” Did have to place a special order to have it made about 10cm shorter than standard but I don’t think it cost me any extra. [1800 x 1370]

Materials:
I had seen a few conversions done with chipboard and was quite underwhelmed. I priced Duralite at the caravan show and was a bit overwhelmed with the $7000 materials only quote so I opted for a ply alternative. Ply for the entire job so far has been about $700 ??. I obtained my ply from a local supplier … it was an imported hardwood ply with a good surface on both sides. [For those who don’t know ply comes in various grades which relate to the glues used, the finish on the surface and the timber used – high quality ply can be very expensive] I had seen standard ply varnished and it really wasn’t the look I wanted so I opted for a ply carcase, a ply veneer finish, tassie oak timber trim and grey auto carpet for some panels. I’m pretty happy with the look.