Recliner as passenger seat/full size refrigerator

[wingnut]

Hello all, I've been reading you for a couple months and I was finally approved to post.  My husband and I used to drive entertainer coaches and I'm happy to say we've finally acquired our own...1979 Prevost Le Mirage, originally built for conversion.  It is in remarkably good condition, but we'd like to make a few changes.  (I tried to post pics but it's telling me my file is too large).  In any event, is there anything special we need to do to install a full-size refrigerator? Does it have to be anchored...anything we might need to know would be appreciated.
Additionally, I'd like to put a recliner in the passenger seat...in lieu of a captain's chair.  There is definately room, but don't these seats come with the appropriate base to anchor the seat to the seat base?  Do they make recliners to go in the passenger seat?  I know I've seen over-size passenger seats with recliners in motorhomes before...any thoughts?
FYI this coach has only 74,000 original miles on the 8v71T engine...it's like a time capsule.  We think it could be one of the first Country Coach conversions (the lattice and flowers are a give-away).  We've put about 1500 miles on it since we got it a month ago...I think all defects have shown themselves...about what you'd expect and nothing worse...dry rot everywhere and rust on everything related to the exhaust system.  We'd planned on updating the head and taillights...but after everything I've read regarding the headlights (pain in the xxx) coupled with our family's plea to keep it as is, we decided to keep it intact.  Oh, my point was my husband already updated all the marker lights, so now we're going back to the old-school triangle style. 
Well, I'm sure we'll be talking again...recliner and refrigerator...thanks!   

[redbus]

We have a full size refrigerator in our Bus,I did anchor it on the top. Be sure to fasten the doors closed.

[luvrbus]

Wingnut, your Prevost won't be a Country Coach conversion  Bob Lee never built a Prevost conversion till 1983 fwiw

[Skykingrob]

Hi Wingnut
Welcome to the board. I have a 91 Prevost XL I have been working on for 3 years. I have a double door 21 cu ft GE in our coach. I used the trim around the top of the cabinet to "anchor" the top of the refer then put screws up through the bottom of the cabinet into the underside of the refer to "anchor" the bottom with the cabinet sides "anchoring" the sides. As was mentioned above, be sure to build or buy something to lock the doors shut on travel. There are companies that sell locks commerically (do a google web search for referigerator locks) and there are many homemade devices that work well.
I envy you starting from an already converted coach. Mine was a casino runner in Vegas and had 86K miles total. When I originally stripped the coach we found about $150 in coins. I had to remove all the bus interior and start from scratch but it is all about building one to the specs you want and it really is a great opportunity to leave the rest of the crazy world outside while I concentrate on making the dream into reality.
There are many companies that sell recliners in regular and extra wide seat configeration for the passenger seat. Again a goole search for RV furniture will turn up a number of sites.
Good to see you're using it already. I haven't done that yet but we are nearing the time when we can do so.

Rob
91 LeMirage XL
Missouri

[NewbeeMC9]

Welcome to the madness Wingnut!!

Look in the sticky at top of All Topics for ideas for resizing pictures but please post some, we do love pics


You may have to take the windshied out to get a large fridge in, and plan on being able to get it back out too.

the shorter doors on side by side or four doors give you room to open the doors,

measure, measure, measure before you purchase the fridge

[BUR]

I have  a 1980 Prevost, that I put a GE Profile 3 door refrigerator in. Put it in through one of the side escape windows. Very happy with it, love the ice maker. I made brackets and fastened it to the floor on each side of the front, they are almost hidden and not noticeable. BUR

[niles500]

For seating check in or around Elkhart for deals on single and dual/wide passenger reclining seats - or as some have done go to the auto boneyards and pickup electric leather vehicle seats, such as chrysler, with integral mounting systems - HTH

[John316]

Welcome aboard Wingnut. Sounds like you have a great bus.

If you do take the windshield out to put a fridge in, just be careful. The windshields are tough to get out (all of the bus mechanics say that they are easy ), so make sure that you have somebody who know what they are doing helping.

God bless,

John

[bubbaqgal]

Welcome Wingnut!   We have a full size refrigerator in our bus. We had to take the fridge door off to get it in but we are really glad to have  the space it gives. It should be anchored just to be safe as should any large object. We fasten our door closed with a strip of velcro that we wrap around than handle and it works perfectly.  We also use the shelf protectors inside so that when we do open the door everything doesn't hit the floor.

The only thing that makes me hesitate about a recliner is that if there was an accident while reclined how secure would you be?  Would the back collapse or flip forward on top of you?  How well would your seatbelt work when reclined?  There is a lot of space between the seat and the huge windshield on a bus and you and the chair could both go through. 

I wanted a glider rocker for my seat but just don't feel safe trying it.

[cody]

We have a full sized refrigerator in ours, it's built into a compartment and anchored top and bottom, we also added a thermostatically controled fan to exhaust warm air from behind it, we added a microwave to the top of it so any idea of heat build up wouldn't be a problem, the hot air exhausts thru a couple of vents along side the microwave in the top.                                                         http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=4621.0
                         

[wingnut]

Anchor it...lock the doors, got it thanks.  Guess I'll just keep looking for the right chair.  Lookit now I have a little bus picture like everybody else. 

[chris4905]

Photos are several years old, but you get the idea....

Had to remove one of the front windshields to get the refer into the bus.  Took three men and a boy to get it inside.  It's anchored, and is a full size Kitchen Aid.  We purposely bought it without an icemaker to save on electrical when dry camping (Sears even gave us a discount because it was accidentally ordered without the icemaker and nobody else wanted it ).

Have it tied into the inverter, have dry camped for several days without having to recharge.  Of course this is all relative to the rest of your system, how many batteries on board, etc..

Cheryl loves it, and I love it when it's dinner time.  Will even hold a few weeks supply of ice cream, a definite plus !!!

We have had it in the bus for about 8 years and it's worked great.  Would do it the same way all over again, was quite a bit less expensive than an RV refer, another plus !!

Can't help with the recliner.  We put in nice RV seats, with the pedestals, personally don't want a recliner in the co-pilot location.  To each his/her own.  Anything is possible, just have to figure out a way to do it !!

Good luck, and welcome aboard.

[BG6]

Additionally, I'd like to put a recliner in the passenger seat...in lieu of a captain's chair.  There is definately room, but don't these seats come with the appropriate base to anchor the seat to the seat base?  Do they make recliners to go in the passenger seat?  I know I've seen over-size passenger seats with recliners in motorhomes before...any thoughts?

I'm putting a La-Z-Boy swivel recliner in as the shotgun seat.  The one important thing is to anchor it SECURELY to the floor and some states require "front seat" passengers to have seat belts.