wall and door advice

[robertglines1]

Part of the choice is ceiling material.  will it go over top of partition walls or but up to it? Also if adding insulation to roof you need to decide that also. Fwiw   Bob

[Iceni John]

  Since this subject has come up, how does one attach walls to the ceiling/roof. I'm sure there are different approaches to this.

I'll use single sheets of cabinet-grade 3/4" plywood for all my partition walls, and for each wall I plan on using one continuous length of 3/4" internal-width aluminum channel that will run over the floor, up the side wall and over the ceiling.   The plywood will sit snugly inside this channel on three sides, and the channel will be screwed to the floor and side wall and riveted to the ceiling.   I made a simple bending jig to form the compound curves into the channel so it lays tight against the curved ceiling  -  1/16" 6063 channel will bend quite well without rippling, as long as you squeeze the sides tightly while you bend it.   This way, if I don't cut the plywood exactly the same as the ceiling and side wall (Crown buses have lots of slightly different angles on their sides!), it won't show because it's hidden inside the channel.   I hate seeing gaps between walls and ceilings on some conversions  -  my method should prevent this.   Each piece of plywood will be held in place inside its channel by a few pins or bolts, making it easily removable if needed.   At the same time, any flexing or misalignment can be easily accommodated without increasing local loads or creating stress raisers.

Is anyone else here doing anything like this?

John  

[Oonrahnjay]

...  Is anyone else here doing anything like this?   John   

     I worked hard to make my cabinets really stiff and solid -- but as i read this, I'm coming to think that a certain amount of free play is good.  Sounds like it should work well to me.

[Iceni John]

I'm thinking of taking a design cue from the Mercedes Unimog (one of the most capable off-road vehicles ever created)  -  to allow for its considerable chassis flex when traversing rough terrain, sub-assemblies such as its engine, transmission, cab, load area, etc are each mounted by only three attachments, so everything can flex and move relative to everything else.   In my bus each cabinet or single piece will be rigid, but will be mounted resiliently and independently of others.   This way each "sub-assembly", such as kitchen or bathroom cabinets, can slightly move separately from its neighbour.

I think of a bus more like a boat than a house, so movement needs to be allowed for.

John

[Lee Bradley]

My only walls are 2x4 or 2x3 with 1/2 plywood covering. We went with a side isle configuration as we do not like center isle. We have a bathroom that looks like a residential bathroom a 36"x36" acrylic shower, toilet and a vanity sink. We liked this idea better because if someone needs to take a dump or use the shower it doesn't restrict use of the bedroom. We all have are own thoughts on things so that's why we do it our way.

Would you share your layout? I have gone with a full side isle on my Neoplan and would like to see another take on it.

[Dave5Cs]

Some of my walls were already in the Bus when we bought it. I unscrewed them and moved them around and then added some others in the same Oak furniture grade 3/4" Lumber Ply. Stained to match. Most were affixed with 1x1 strips at the ceiling and the floor. I just followed suit. All doors are hinged with either Euro hidden hinges and the Bath has a full length piano hinge. We wanted as much closet and storage space as possible so made it a center isle. We also put in a 24" x 24" pantry with slide-out wire baskets the wife love them. No booth but do have a desk and table with turn around air ride seats. 2 sided kitchen.

You might want to consider putting in your ceiling first and then the walls unless you already have.

Dave

[TheHollands!]

We used metal studs for the walls 1 1/2" with 3/8 plywood each side. The ceiling track and the base were u shaped chanel for the studs to sit in, they were easily cut to fit the curve of the ceiling. I have hung kitchen cabinets off these walls and they are real sturdy, I actually wonder if I could have gone a little lighter on the plywood. having the 1 1/2" in the walls has been nice for running electrical boxes and wiring etc. Before we ran our walls we laid masking tape on the ground to make sure we were comfortable with the spacing of each room and its needs. Good luck, Craig

[oldfordlover36]

Ok I really like the idea of 3/4 ply walls and am going to explore the aluminum channel method as the original bathroom was that way and was very solid just was unsure of bending it to match the roof curve.  I would also like to see the side aisle layout mentioned above.  I am not sure what will happen with the ceiling yet I just got all the original floor out and it there was a lot of nasty stuff under there will definitely sleep better knowing that's cleaned up!  One other thing anyone know on this 93 102c3 why there is some rust in the drivers side lower wall?  I plan to leave most of the original windows and don't want them to be leaking causing damage to my new floor and walls.  The seals all look good I am thinking maby just years of condensation from ac?  It was a southern bus and has very little rust elsewhere.  Sorry for the long post just have lots of questions lol

[Dave5Cs]

After deciding what type of ceilings do yourself a favor and run a few pieces of conduit from front to back and about 10, 12 & 14 gauge wires for extra stuff if needed like a backup camera etc. maybe a few pieces of Romex 12 & 14 with grounds in case you want plugs or lights in engine bay. A few runs of air hose 1/4" plastic vinyl also.

Dave