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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: Scott & Heather on September 30, 2016, 06:00:49 PM

Title: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: Scott & Heather on September 30, 2016, 06:00:49 PM
Is it possible? Yes. Is it sane? Nope. Definitely not. I'm still waiting for our schedule to slow enough for me to have time to update my build thread, but this was done in approximately 13 weeks from empty raised roof shell (no floor no interior walls or ceiling) to comfy home. Crazy but true. We have a master half bath and a full bath in the coach along with washer and dryer house fridge and range/microwave, king bed and not yet finished drivers area. Coming slowly but surely. (https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fuploads.tapatalk-cdn.com%2F20161001%2Fa81dbceb394267346ccdfbb9e6cb1710.jpg&hash=0185868dafbad38b13a78c738e093e519b3c08f4)


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Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: Jim Eh. on September 30, 2016, 06:06:12 PM
Amazing! Simply amazing.
Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: CrabbyMilton on September 30, 2016, 06:31:57 PM
How is it that some guys can do things like that and appear so flawless. Then there are guys like me that would never even entertain the idea to do something like converting a coach or if I did, more blind rages and crabby beyond anything?
Beautiful coach!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: Geoff on September 30, 2016, 07:23:29 PM
Well, I took 10 years to convert my coach, and a lot of time was spent figuring out how to get the most out of my limited space. It worked out and I don't have any regrets on how I integrated my bays with the interior.  The mechanicals were done before the interior was begun, so I had no issues with driving the bus without fearing a breakdown.
Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: DoubleEagle on October 01, 2016, 07:29:48 AM
As Scott will admit, there is still a lot to do, and it will probably take years to get everything refined and safe (not enough emergency exits! :(), but he got it on the road despite his local garage and his over zealous oiling. We should not feel bad about being so slow to do a conversion, he is several decades younger than most of us. We won't be able to see how quick he does a conversion thirty years from now. Well, maybe I will, I expect to hit one hundred and one, and Scott will be on his fifth or sixth coach.  ;D
Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: TomC on October 01, 2016, 08:48:15 AM
It took me 6 years to convert my AMGeneral 10240B transit. Like Geoff, much was done in the engineering department to make everything serviceable, and removable. If I wanted, I could easily disassemble my bus. This is one of the main reasons I did my own bus. Sticks and staples are just thrown together with only one thing in mind-how fast can we get this motorhome out the door-with no consideration to servicing. Course with a road bus with the big cargo compartments, that is much easier. Good Luck, TomC
Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: Oonrahnjay on October 01, 2016, 08:54:09 AM
Quote from: DoubleEagle on October 01, 2016, 07:29:48 AM... I expect to hit one hundred and one, and Scott will be on his fifth or sixth coach.  ;D

     Naah, I hope to be stabbed to death by the enraged husbands of 23-year-old blonde twins when I'm 94 but I look forward to Scott's adventures between now and then!
Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: DoubleEagle on October 01, 2016, 02:33:38 PM
Quote from: Oonrahnjay on October 01, 2016, 08:54:09 AM
     Naah, I hope to be stabbed to death by the enraged husbands of 23-year-old blonde twins when I'm 94 but I look forward to Scott's adventures between now and then!

I guess there is some advantage to having a double-decker after all!  :o
Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: Scott & Heather on October 01, 2016, 07:58:34 PM
I can always always count on you guys for a laugh. Like a daily laugh. Everything said is true, first off, the coach was purchased already with roof raise and Renaissance caps installed. We had already converted a bus before and lived in it 5 years during which time it was renovated once. So we already had an idea of our layout. I did indeed build this coach to be disassembleable so I can remove tanks, pump, plumbing , anything needed for r and r. As already stated, it's not done yet. Interior is 95% but still needs work. Exterior still needs some things done. We were not planning on moving into this coach this year. We listed our old MCI 9 for sale for a fair price but never expected it to sell for our asking price 14 days after we listed it, so  yeah, that changed the name of the game for us. All of the sudden we HAVE to get this bus livable. I literally had 18 hour days in this coach 6 days a week. I did absolutely nothing else but build it every single day this past summer. My father in law helped, my wife helped, some friends put a day or two here and there into it. My close friend did the entire electrical install. We had a decent budget of nearly $50,000 of which a small portion was donated from our supporters, and the rest our own savings and the sale of the old bus. I would much rather have taken a couple of years to build this, but here we are back on the road on a 7,000 mile tour. Already went from Michigan to Tennessee to Pennsylvania to Georgia to florida and now headed to Michigan for a week then on to Indiana, then Arizona, then California then Oregon, then Texas then Tennessee and finally back home to Michigan for christmas and hoping we don't have bus issues :-/


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Title: Re: Converting a coach in 13 weeks
Post by: Beachfinn on October 08, 2016, 10:05:22 AM
Way to make guy feel like a slacker..Very impressive :o
Any pictures from the interior?

Sami