If you were to do another conversion what would you do differently?
You can leave "More Money" out of the answer! ;D
When I started our back in 03 I did not have the resources of Bus Boards available. I thought it couldn't be much different than rebuilding a house, wrong! This things moves and rolls down the road. I have learned so much that I think if I was (Not) going to do another one, it would be much better designed, and the quality of materials and workmanship would be much improved.
I've made several mistakes in doing ours along the way, and try to improve on the stuff I still need to do. I figure by the time I'm 70 in another ten years, it might be close to being finished! ;)
Paul
I am 60 and I would have tried to start one when I was 50. I run out of steam more quickly. I bought my bus in 2005 and used it a few times as is and then gutted the inside and I am no where near being able to use it even for a quick overnight camping trip. Between working full time, taking care of my house, helping my son and helping two widowed mothers who still own there own homes it leaves very little time for the bus at times. I bought the bus because I don't like the stick/staples kind, but sometimes I think that would have been easier because I could be joining our friends on weekend outings instead of making excuses as to why we can't participate. I would say that anyone wanting to do a conversion to make sure you really want to and have the time to really invest in it. Once you buy it it is very hard to get back all you have already into labor and financially. Good Luck !
Well, I'd have to say flooring selection. I bought the Pergo knock off stuff and I'm not as happy as I was. I found that a few leaks had escaped my attention and the flooring was damaged. It also seems to scratch easier than I expected. This being my first flooring job, it's alright. Truth is, this is my first electrical, plumbing, woodworking, diesel mechanical, propane experience! ;D I would describe my bus as a "B" grade high school shop project. I always wanted a cabin, so I built a bus to look like a cabin.
The other thing is water tanks. I bought some off of the eplace and should have just gone direct to Bontragers. I didn't know that they had them. :-\ I would have built the water bay differently and I would have done more to make the plumbing a little nicer. Oh well!
Glenn
I am 75 now and bought my bus in Feb 07. I did the basic conversion that spring and summer while using it to go camping with friends. By Nov I was spending the winter in it in Yuma. I like what I have and am not interested in a "show" bus. I have continually added thing to it to make it better for me. Just this year I have added a jake , one A/C unit,six solar panels,a datastorm satellite and computer work station, and rebuilt the microwave convection oven mounting. I also added another awning to the left side for window shading. meanwhile going on one or two camping trips a month. I don't have any great tools for woodworking so took used drawers from an old mobile home for use in the bus. All in all I am happy with what I have. Jerry
I bought my bus in 1986 when they were selling for a high price. I looked until I found one that was priced where I could afford and not have any payments. What a bad move that was, I worked longer and harder on fixing up the bus than I did on the conversion. Spent more money on fixing up the bus than what it cost.
If I were to do another one which at my age that won't happen. Buy the best bus you can find, one that doesn't need any work to make it the way you want. Then you can do the conversion any enjoy your work.
We keep our motorhome until the bus was compleated, but we worked on the bus two and one half years and the conversion only 6 months.
Things have changed a lot since 1986, we paid $25,000 for our 1968 Eagle. The engine was in need of overhall, tires wore out, no power steering, manual transmission and lots of rust. For that price now you can get a good shell ready to go down the road.
Jack
I'm turning 48 in September & though I made a good buy on a unit close to home there is one area that I didn't give enough consideration. Time, time, time. In our family owned business I invest 60-70 hours per week, mostly to satisfy government & insurance related financial commitments. This commitment takes 1 1/2 weeks of pure profit to satisfy per month, lol.:o This left a smaller window of opportunity to work on the bus. I originally had planned to do it all but have learned that outsourcing certain things is going to be my only hope of getting it to a usable point. I have invested a good bit of sweat equity so far & will continue this with the interior upfit. We just want to use the thing sooner rather than later. Now given the economic times we're in & I know it is different as to values of these units from even just a few years ago. But I might have been willing to take a raised roof unit ready for interior upfit & paint or even a finished unit. Use it now, remember time, time, time...
John Mellis
Bowman, SC
I don't want to hijack this thread, but I noticed that John9861 lives in Bowman, SC. So, john, are ya'll goona jion us at Palmetto Cove? Jack
All of the equipment I used was generic motorhome type stuff. The best was using 2-10gal electric water heaters straight from Home Depot (one feeding into the next with the final one powered through the inverter for hot water while driving)-with zero maintenance (not many with Aqua Hots can say that) except draining them once a year (if I remember). The only maintenance I've done is replace one circuit breaker (Home Depot), one A/C outside shroud, and rebuild the toilet. Speaking of which, the toilet is the one item I'm not pleased with. It is a Sealand 510 (I think), the top one with custom light gray color. Looks great, but doesn't have a steep enough bowl for consistent evacuation. Plus it has a plastic base, which when you're over 300lbs, have to be ginger on it so not to bend the base and break the seal between the porcelain bowl and the plastic base. Next time will use a 100% porcelain toilet.
Considering that my propane 35,000btu furnace, the 2 water heaters, propane stove, Norcold AC/DC compressor type 6.3 refer and 2.1 chest freezer, 3-Coleman A/C's, 2- Surflo silent water pumps, and other equipment (other then previously mentioned) has been 100% reliable, on my truck conversion, most all the equipment will be repeated-a hard history to argue with. Good Luck, TomC
I would not do it again, not as I have now!! I am running out of steam now, going on 7 years and she is still on blocks. I have tried over the past 5 years now to pass on the mistakes I made in purchasing my bus which has taken a lot of drive out of me lately. I still recommend as mentioned by others above to purchase one after (Being Inspected) by more experienced converters & professionals if possible before laying down any $$. Purchase a bus that is complete or nearly complete that you can use now or a great shell that is ready with no frame damage if this is possible!! This is not easy to admit that I am running out of steam. I have a promise now to fulfill and will keep working on our bus for someone very special in our lives, I hope I get to use our Eagle before time runs out. Today must be one of my bad days as I really do love our Eagle and hope to be driving her en route to a destination with my family one day soon.
The best thing that has happened to us in our bus conversion dream has been meeting all the new friends we have and looking forward to gathering with them as much as possible. That is priceless, being over 60 is quite a challenge to keep your spirits up when so much repair has to be done at times as I have had to do. It is very rewarding when completed but every day it gets harder and harder to have that same enthusiasm you had when you were younger.
Well, It is time to get back on the Eagle repairs this morning before losing any more time. Gotta hang in there, I have a promise to keep. Gotta (git-r-done).
Gary
What would I do differently? Good question! I started this when I was 55, I didn't expect health problems, but then no one does! I researched stuff for about 2 years and still didn't know anything about buses....and maybe I still don't today! I think the biggest change I would make is to build a shop and enclose the project, chasing rust isn't fun! In the beginning I actually wanted a Eagle, but it didn't pan out! I'm not disappointed but the rebuild would have been easier! The LeMirage has curved top sides and that can drive the cost up.........way up! I could have cut corners during this conversion but I have intentions of keeping it for a long time......! I'm sure there are some small things i would have changed......but you always second guess yourself doing this stuff! Starting at 50 would have been much better..but i was busy watching my kids play sports......and several other side attractions....! All in all I can't complain.....I am slow.......but that happens with age!
WOW Paul, what a great question! I may have to work on this one and "UPDATE" as I go thru the bus. NOW, converting a BUS on a 90 day time line and poor mans pocket book came with its own set of rules. Basically, You get what you get. You use what you got. You scrounge what you can. Gladhand for anything and call in all those favors and settle for work that is "OK" but not quite up to your standards. I would not have done this and work a full time job! Hence the "Time, Time, Time" quote from John Mellis. I would have loved to worked with someone on their bus conversion before my own. The unknown was the hardest thing for me. It cost me alot of time and I had very little to waste. I still don't know "Jack" about some bus systems and that weighs heavy on my mind now that we are on the road fulltime. :o Dam Paul! :o This is a great question!!! More to come. Michael
I got ours 5 years ago already converted and slept in it that night. Then gradually renovated upstairs and recently overhauled and turbo ed the engine, so we have a really nice and fun bus now that we use a lot.
Our youngest boy will be gone to college in 4 years, so we may want a faster, bigger bus to go South with. We would look for one already converted and ready to go. I can't see the supply of converted buses drying up soon.
JC
If you were to do another conversion what would you do differently?
Nope. I'd do it all again just the same. that being said, however, we did a lot of research before we committed any time to our bus. Issues forced us to sell the bus, but everyday we look for another.
I bought mine 75% converted. The actual bus was in very good shape, at least I haven't had to fix anything on it yet, haven't found any problems. the conversion was complete enough to use and really enjoy, and not complete in the areas of finishing where I can do some reno from time to time, replace cheesy wall paper with solid mahogany panelling, that sort of thing. Maybe install a drawer or two...
My serious advice is do what I did. Buy a solid foundation in terms of the bus, pass on anything that you know needs actual mechanical or structural work. Get a conversion that is usable day one. Then learn how to drive it, maintain it, and use it to have some fun. At the end of the day, a bus conversion is going to cost, what - $30k to $50K? For $30K these days you can buy a converted bus with upgraded recent mechanicals, needs nothing, go travelling that day ready. Spend the other $20K on diesel...
Brian
If we do this again. I will plan more for convenience of repair and freezing weather.
Sooner or later everything needs service, repair or replacement. I would put things where I could get at them more easily.
I would also plan better to keep plumbing accessable and insulated from weather related problems....Cable
If I did it again I would raise the roof. I would also have installed the vinyl tiles around the walls instead of putting the walls on top. The tiles have all shifted enough to look like crap due to screws and bolts going through the tiles and the plywood floor.
What I did on my summer vacation, oops sorry wrong report. Actually, I wouldn't change a thing, except maybe for buying one further along. I bought mine, did a very basic conversion and then loaned it out, I got it back almost a year later and then worked to finish the basic conversion before I redid it the way I wanted it. A good friend of mine, my best friend, in 2002 was given a death sentence with a terminal problem, his dream was to travel and we had talked about that for at least a year, then came the death sentence, I bought the bus to allow him to have his dream, I converted it slightly but enough and gave him the keys with a full tank, he left, I got Post cards from the grand canyon and from hoover dam, all over, then he came home, too sick to drive, it was over, he passed 6 weeks later, he had traveled for 10 months, now it was my turn, I redid the conversion and we enjoyed it and still do, what would I do differently? nothing except maybe hand over the keys a couple years earlier. Without the faith and help of Jim Schiek in Oshkosh, it would never have been possible to do that for john and I'll always be thankful to him for all he did to help me help john.
This question pops up about once a year and is always good to read the replies. On mine I would have never attempted to install wallpaper. You guys told me not to back in 2002, and I should have listened. It all looked bad after 20k miles of flexing and bending, so it all had to come out.
I love everything else the way it is. I like my walnut cabinets. I like my household refer. I can go about 18 hours between battery charges. My wife loves the dishwasher. I love my Trace SW2512 inverter. My gray water tanks that dump to the black for flushing have never disappointed me. My wife loves the 38"x38" Home Depot shower. I'm glad I raised my roof 7" and ducted my Coleman rooftops. I'm 12'6" tall to the tops of the AC's. I'm glad I removed the bus air and ducted the Colemans over the driver. I can make it really cold in the cockpit area. I really like the fresh air vents I installed in the coach front that are controlled by using 3" sewer valves on each side of the coach. The 2 twin beds that slide together via linear actuators to make a queen fascinates everyone that sees them and gave us much more upper storage in the bedroom than most coaches have. I really like my Peninsula windows.
Though I don't care for carpet in the bathroom I'm glad it is there because I've had to get into that floor hatch several times in 9 years. I love the webasto heating system. Though I've had Eagle purists poo poo my DOT bumpers, I like them because 1. it is easy to climb them and clean my windshield. 2. I backed into a rock wall mountain at a NF campground once and really hit it hard. It did no damage to the coach at all. A stainlesss blade would have looked like a wrinkled aluminum can. (I don't plan on backing into things, but can't guarantee it.)
I made all my wiring and plumbing accessable with removable cabinet bottoms and such, so trouble shooting is generally easy.
Things that are becoming dated: the electronics. We are using digital converters and still use VCR tapes often. As this stuff becomes obsolete I may have to make some big changes up front for my television and such.
I would never do a electric coach , stone floors ,carpet or a trash compactor again,David I have wallpaper and it has never wrinkled so the wife wants new this year
good luck
I would have gotten a 102" wide coach and one with a silver 92 with a automatic trany, other than that we are very pleased with the layout and the material we picked. The other thing if I would have known is to do more of the body work and cleanup before taking it for paint, We were a little mislead by starjet on the bodywork part of the paint job. Jason
I don't know how to think of doing things different. I did what was right at the time.
Having said that I like the adventure as much as the destination -- maybe even more.
Unknown to me the bus I bought had been wrecked and windshields would not fit the frames. The engine was worn out and would over heat. It had the crash box spicer transmission. The previous owner cut some corners and left me some mysteries. Some things were done right and some were left undone or not done the way I would have liked -- ( hey it wasn't my bus yet ).
The price was right -- the adventure has been fun -- and I would not trade one minute or hour curled up in the engine compartment replacing the air compressor on the worn out 8V71 or under the bus adjusting the brakes ( for the first time ). Planning the electric system and being surprised when it worked right and bummed out when the 50 amp GFI disconnect kept tripping ( and it wasn't on LSD ).
What would I have done differently --- NOT A THING -- What have I learned that I can pass along PLENTY and will do so anytime I am asked.
All the problems and mysteries and things that worked and things that didn't is what makes it my bus -- not some off the lot sticks and staples wanna be-- or liberty coach look alike.
If you want a bus conversion do the research listen to who will talk to you and jump in with both feet and enjoy the adventure
I sure have.
Melbo
What great answers and participation from you guys!
One more thing I would add to my list is this, we did not raise the roof. I know many of you did for the reasons you chose. I just like the looks of a non-raised roof on a bus. Also, keeps the roof warts from being potentially getting knocked off. We are not tall, so that thought was not considered. Now some may say, what about resale? I don't plan to sell our coach, they can just bury me in it and close the door! ;D
That is one thing we would not do differently!
Some we would like to change, move the bed to the center of the bus. I built it that way because I was single at the time, and it gave me a wider isle on one side and easy engine access. This we will change! By order of the CEO and CFO! ;D
Build all walls from 3/4" plywood, we did not, I used 2x2's and plywood over. Only use material for a deeper wall in areas that might need it, plumbing for example.
Everything else we are very happy with, expect the layout in the bays. I left it the same from the PO's and really would like to modify them to add more storage down under. Another project for another day and time!
Are having fun yet?
Paul
Paul, all our walls are 3/4 inch plywood, even the outerwalls that are screwed to the metal, we didn't do a roof raise either cause I cleared everything as I walked thru it and at 12/6 it was tall enogh in my opinion.
cody, I agree with your reasoning on the raised roof, but that's why we have the "Do It Your Way" approach! ;) Some don't have that option, unless they want to duck all the time! Or have those fancy overhead mirrors! ::)