My 02 BlueBird FE Build

[Newbob]

Hi All, Long time occasional reader - been a member for a while but only have posted (or replied) to a few posts. I am from the Northeast and have decided to turn my '02 BB Fe (5.9 cummins and a full-frame 28 footer with air suspension and Hyd disk brakes) into a video game party business. The business idea is years old now and the conversion itself has been underway for several months. I had to cut into the body on the passenger side and make room for 2 three-by-five foot "concession doors" that open (swing-up overhead) to reveal two sixty-inch televisions (one behind each door). Of course, I had to reinforce the body to support the loss of the stiffener piece that runs along the side of the bus wall lengthwise as well as "frame" support around the door openings themselves. I covered most of the windows on the drivers side leaving only the small drivers window and the rear-most slider (egress) in place. The pass side has just the front door, concession door #1, sliding window (egress), concession door #2, and the wheelchair door w/window - in that order - from front to rear. I have removed the rest of the nice aluminum sliding egress windows and frames entirely. To help you envision the rest of the project, I will be building a 6 inch "false wall" on both sides- on the pass-side to keep the full-length seating away from the tv's mounted behind the concession doors and on the d-side to allow storage behind the (4-55 inch) flat-screen televisions mounted on the wall lengthwise over cabinets below. Copious L.E.D lighting and several other neat little tricks I have up my sleeve.

My budget is getting tighter by the day as I start ordering all the necessary equipment and things start to come together quickly ( most going over-budget of course). For mechanicals, she has the dash heater upgrade (i guess) as well as the 2 under seat hot water radiator blower type units and 2 carrier a/c units (one front and one rear).

Now I beg for your wisdom:

When at a party, I probably do not want to leave the bus running, so I plan to have both a shore-power option and a nice, quiet little generator to  run if needed. - What do you think my best option for heat is going to be? The on-board heaters heat the bus to a fairly comfortable range - maybe mid to high 60's. So I can blast them as a pre-heater when running to parties. Maybe an RV roof-mount unit 4k btus or something would work well? I could add a propane bottle underneath no problem (have room between frame-rails and plenty of height) OR - maybe I could plumb an in-line gas hot water heater and a 12v circulator and run the fans off the batteries (add more if calculations warrant)? I have done a similar system for a small camp and it worked well.

What do you all think? Questions? Concerns? - Just leave it running cause it adds to the cool factor of playing video games on a bus with all your friends?

- Thanks in advance for all your input :-)

- NewBob

[lvmci]

Hi Bob, remember the electronics create their own heat, besides the people, engine and road heat from tires and underpinnings,  pot holes bumps, emergency stopping etc. Cause stress too, all which last for awhile as their heat disapates. One of the biggest and primary airconditioning points in television remote trucks is keeping the racks of electronics cool, overheated electronics exasperates the close and compacted stacking of electronic devices,  that are shaken, vibrated, heated beyond their recommended points. A cold solder point that may not have caused an issue in a stationary platform, becomes an issue at the worst possible time, in a moving platform, these tv trucks are running AC in winter, wether in las vegas or boston, tom, lvmci...

[Newbob]

Excellent point lvmci - Thank you. Between a dozen game consoles, six televisions and other components - I may be cooling more than I think. That is part of the reason for the false wall I mentioned - it will have an air duct in it to remove the heat from the area around the electronics. Ill make sure I can close it to use the heat when needed.

- NewBob

[Seangie]

NewBob-

I'm with Tom on this one.  Invest in a good 12k+ generator and worry about AC.  Heat is rarely a problem and you can always add plug in (electric) heaters if you need it.  More often than than not you'll need good power and air conditioning.  The only time we need to run heat is when we are parked and its cold enough to snow.

-Sean

[eagle19952]

NewBob-

I'm with Tom on this one.  Invest in a good 12k+ generator
-Sean

I am curious as to where he would put it...?

[Newbob]

Well, I think 12k is about twice the generator I would need but There is ample space up between the rear frame rails and about 42" long. So I was planning to build a solid mount and used a small electric winch to raise and lower it for maintenance. - much like the spare tire on a pickup - but stronger. Obviously it would not be held in place by the cable alone. The draw from the electronics is calculated south of 2k and my a/c in my RV runs on my 2 tethered 2kw yamaha generators just fine (3800w+-) - while it is running the a/c load in the RV. But don't get me wrong, I'm all about having reserve and overbuilding where appropriate :-) - Thanks Guys

- Oh, and in case it is not clear, those false walls I mentioned are in the interior :-)

[eagle19952]

so your clients would be using head phones and the noise would be ok...

[Newbob]

Possibly headphones but there's going to be quite a good sound system and "tactile transducers" that cause vibration when explosions or other low frequency sounds are played through the speakers. I think I will literally have to try it to see if it is going to work - then make the decision?

Thanks for all the feedback - Ill have to add some pics at some point - is it fairly painless (on this site)? I'm no stranger to transferring of pictures and such it's just that on some sites its easier than others.

[eagle19952]

Ill have to add some pics at some point - is it fairly painless (on this site)? I'm no stranger to transferring of pictures and such it's just that on some sites its easier than others.

you 'll need a host and a url....

[Newbob]

Eagle - I have both a host and a URL..... How about the Tapatalk - is that any easier (haven't used it yet)

So, I have started my interior build-out and figuring out what goes where and how much room is needed for what. I have the two engine driven "hot water type" floor heaters which I will mount under the pass side row of seating to warm the bus while running. In the event that I find I want to shut off the engine and still maintain some heat, what is the best way to keep some heat in there with kids coming in and out a lot?

My RV heater "furnace" seems to heat well - maybe I could fit something like that  in the bus? The overhead a/c and heater combos are entirely separate from the actual furnace right? Is that just the heat strip unit I hear mentioned on the forum from time to time?

I think I mentioned the 12volt circ pump and LP fired (non-electric) water heater in my first post - does anyone have eny experience with a system like that?

[Seangie]

Eagle - I have both a host and a URL..... How about the Tapatalk - is that any easier (haven't used it yet)

We post pictures from our website and from TapaTalk.  Tapa Talk is definitely the easiest way to post pics.  Take a pic with my phone and share with tapatalk and boom...there it is...doesnt matter what size the picture is.

Sharing from our blog (or any website for that matter) is as easy as sharing the link its just the extra work of uploading the file and getting the link to post which tapatalk does automatically for you.

-Sean

[eagle19952]

 I have the two engine driven "hot water type" floor heaters which I will mount under the pass side row of seating to warm the bus while running. In the event that I find I want to shut off the engine and still maintain some heat, what is the best way

I would consider this:  
http://www.sleeperac.net/Hydtec.pdf

[TomC]

I had Dick Wright at Wrico International make me a custom compact 12kw gen. Uses a 3 cylinder Kubota and the 13kw gen head. Without radiator (I prefer remote radiators-much quieter) it is 36" long and 25" tall. Smallest 12kw I've ever seen. Good Luck, TomC

[Newbob]

Thanks guys. Eagle, I have contacted the company - looks like just what I'm looking for. Great find! - Thanks Again :-)

[eagle19952]

Thanks guys. Eagle, I have contacted the company - looks like just what I'm looking for. Great find! - Thanks Again :-)

I will be curious (very interested) in how it works out for you. I am thinking about an auxiliary defrost/driver heat system myself.