baadpuppy's schoolbus conversion... unleashed
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- Start date
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Exterior LED Lights have been ordered.
unleashed is missing some of the exterior lights that are required to make it legal to operate it on the road. Since those were incandescent lights, and my intention has been to replace them all eventually with LED lights, I finally broke down and figured out what I would need.
I decided to stick with simplicity. I'm only replacing existing lights with new lights in the same exact location as the original lighting. Sure, I could have taken the opportunity to try to improve on the aesthetics of the light layout on the rear. However, I finally decided to just stick with what was proven to be good, which was the original layout.
I ordered 4 red 4" round LED tail/stop lights, which will replace the existing 2 4" round and 2 7" round tail/stop lights.
I ordered 4 amber 4" round LED marker/turn lights, which will replace the 2 7" round marker/turn lights on the front, and the 2 on the rear.
I ordered 2 white 4" round LED reverse lights, to replace the 2 that were there previously.
I ordered a single unit 3 lamp LED clearance lamp fixture, a red for the rear, and an amber for the front.
I ordered 4 amber clearance lamps (2 outside edges at the front, and 2 at the midpoint), and 2 red clearance lamps (2 outside edges at the rear).
I also ordered 2 amber marker/turn signal lamps that go on the sides, above the front wheels, so that someone beside the bus can see when I activate my turn signals.
I'll be doing some minor rewiring as I install these, removing the wiring harness for these functions from the interior of the vehicle and relocating it under the vehicle. The midpoint clearance and marker/turn signal lamps will still be wired via the interior for now. Once the roof raise is complete, they will be rewired differently, but still within the shell walls somehow.
Hopefully the LED lights will arrive before Memorial day, so I'll have a fun project to do.
Jim
unleashed is missing some of the exterior lights that are required to make it legal to operate it on the road. Since those were incandescent lights, and my intention has been to replace them all eventually with LED lights, I finally broke down and figured out what I would need.
I decided to stick with simplicity. I'm only replacing existing lights with new lights in the same exact location as the original lighting. Sure, I could have taken the opportunity to try to improve on the aesthetics of the light layout on the rear. However, I finally decided to just stick with what was proven to be good, which was the original layout.
I ordered 4 red 4" round LED tail/stop lights, which will replace the existing 2 4" round and 2 7" round tail/stop lights.
I ordered 4 amber 4" round LED marker/turn lights, which will replace the 2 7" round marker/turn lights on the front, and the 2 on the rear.
I ordered 2 white 4" round LED reverse lights, to replace the 2 that were there previously.
I ordered a single unit 3 lamp LED clearance lamp fixture, a red for the rear, and an amber for the front.
I ordered 4 amber clearance lamps (2 outside edges at the front, and 2 at the midpoint), and 2 red clearance lamps (2 outside edges at the rear).
I also ordered 2 amber marker/turn signal lamps that go on the sides, above the front wheels, so that someone beside the bus can see when I activate my turn signals.
I'll be doing some minor rewiring as I install these, removing the wiring harness for these functions from the interior of the vehicle and relocating it under the vehicle. The midpoint clearance and marker/turn signal lamps will still be wired via the interior for now. Once the roof raise is complete, they will be rewired differently, but still within the shell walls somehow.
Hopefully the LED lights will arrive before Memorial day, so I'll have a fun project to do.
Jim
The new LED lamps arrived Wednesday. I didn't realize when I ordered them that only the upper clearance lamps were surface mount. The rest of them are flush mount. This means I need to put some really big holes in metal.
I managed to get a 4.5" hole saw from Lowes for just under $45 w/tax. This should take care of the mounting flanges for the 4" LED lamps (stop/tail, turn, reverse).
The side turn signal lamps are 2" x 6" oval, and those holes will be a bit more fun to cut. However, I have a plan for that.
One thing though is that since the new lamps have to be flush mounted, some of them can't go into the original locations. So, it looks like I'll be redesigning the lamp layout on the rear of the bus after all.
Thursday I picked up a box of stainless steel sheet metal screws for mounting the various surface mount lamps. I also picked up a box of stainless steel bolts and stainless steel nylon lock nuts for mounting the flanges for the 4" lamps.
Dad and I tested some of the lamps Wednesday afternoon with a 12V power supply. I pity anyone riding behind that looks directly at one when it is on high (stop or turn). These things are really bright!
This weekend I hope to get many of the lamps mounted and hopefully even wired, weather permitting.
Jim
I managed to get a 4.5" hole saw from Lowes for just under $45 w/tax. This should take care of the mounting flanges for the 4" LED lamps (stop/tail, turn, reverse).
The side turn signal lamps are 2" x 6" oval, and those holes will be a bit more fun to cut. However, I have a plan for that.
One thing though is that since the new lamps have to be flush mounted, some of them can't go into the original locations. So, it looks like I'll be redesigning the lamp layout on the rear of the bus after all.
Thursday I picked up a box of stainless steel sheet metal screws for mounting the various surface mount lamps. I also picked up a box of stainless steel bolts and stainless steel nylon lock nuts for mounting the flanges for the 4" lamps.
Dad and I tested some of the lamps Wednesday afternoon with a 12V power supply. I pity anyone riding behind that looks directly at one when it is on high (stop or turn). These things are really bright!
This weekend I hope to get many of the lamps mounted and hopefully even wired, weather permitting.
Jim
Today, I installed the front turn signal lamps, and the rear turn signal, tail/brake, and reverse lamps, as well as the license plate illuminator.
It takes a lot of batteries and a lot of time to drill 10 4.5" diameter holes in the skin of a skoolie. That metal looks really thin, but it's much stronger than it looks. I ended up dulling my hole saw before I finished, and used a jig saw to make the last 2 holes, so they aren't perfectly round. Fortunately, the bezel covers them nicely.
A few minor issues remain. Firstly, I haven't installed the new wiring yet, so things are just tied into the original wiring. I forgot to tie in the license plate illuminator today. Also, the front turn signals can be parking lights, but I don't have the wiring to it yet.
The right front turn signal has a straight power connector, and I should have gotten a right angle one. It pushes against the air handler, so isn't mounted properly yet.
pics:
Front:
click for image
Rear:
click for image
Front turn signals lit:
click for image
Rear turn signals lit:
click for image
Rear brake lights lit:
click for image
Reverse lights lit:
click for image
Tomorrow I get to work on the upper clearance lamps, weather permitting. Oh joy.
Jim
It takes a lot of batteries and a lot of time to drill 10 4.5" diameter holes in the skin of a skoolie. That metal looks really thin, but it's much stronger than it looks. I ended up dulling my hole saw before I finished, and used a jig saw to make the last 2 holes, so they aren't perfectly round. Fortunately, the bezel covers them nicely.
A few minor issues remain. Firstly, I haven't installed the new wiring yet, so things are just tied into the original wiring. I forgot to tie in the license plate illuminator today. Also, the front turn signals can be parking lights, but I don't have the wiring to it yet.
The right front turn signal has a straight power connector, and I should have gotten a right angle one. It pushes against the air handler, so isn't mounted properly yet.
pics:
Front:
click for image
Rear:
click for image
Front turn signals lit:
click for image
Rear turn signals lit:
click for image
Rear brake lights lit:
click for image
Reverse lights lit:
click for image
Tomorrow I get to work on the upper clearance lamps, weather permitting. Oh joy.
Jim
baadpuppy said:
Jim,
How have you done with the inside?
Have you ever shopped with these guys?
www.led4rv.com
I had some good luck with them.
Fix
With the weather warming finally, and the days getting longer, I can actually find some time to work on this project again.
Over the winter, I made the decision that this bus needs to be habitable by the end of the calendar year (dec 31, 2011), so that I can move to SC to be closer to my fiancee. This decision was not made lightly, but was given a lot of thought and planning.
So, as of the end of this year, I'm quitting my job and becoming a fulltimer. I plan to find a rv or mobile home park near her and whatever employment I can find and live there while continuing to finish the conversion. While I'll probably be earning less money once moved, I'll be spending less of it on supporting a long distance relationship, so more should be available to finish the conversion.
Yes, eventually we'll actually hit the road. I still hope to find a good source of income that fits me that will let me work from the road, and this move might make that easier.
So, with all that said.. progress!
This weekend, I got most of the junk moved back out of unleashed and into the stowaway (the storage bus). The last two days after work I've managed to get 2 of the ceiling panels removed. I've documented this in my blog in more detail.
My fiancee and I have been spending many hours per week for the past few months working on measurements and planning the details. She has done some great work with sketchup modeling our plans in 3D, and helping us to see what will and won't work.
There are some parts of the conversion plan that aren't yet determined, and I'm not ready to discuss them much yet. However, if they do work out, it'll turn out quite nicely. I'm optimistic that it will work out though, and can't wait to share more details as I can.
I'll try not to spam this thread with daily "got another panel down" posts... that's what the blog is for. ;D However, I will try to post status updates more regularly.
Next week I'll be in SC, and we'll be touring some RV lots, looking for good parks for my move later in the year, and of course spending quality time together. We'll also be refining the digital plans.
Thanks everyone for all the well wishes and encouragement I've gotten here.
jim
Over the winter, I made the decision that this bus needs to be habitable by the end of the calendar year (dec 31, 2011), so that I can move to SC to be closer to my fiancee. This decision was not made lightly, but was given a lot of thought and planning.
So, as of the end of this year, I'm quitting my job and becoming a fulltimer. I plan to find a rv or mobile home park near her and whatever employment I can find and live there while continuing to finish the conversion. While I'll probably be earning less money once moved, I'll be spending less of it on supporting a long distance relationship, so more should be available to finish the conversion.
Yes, eventually we'll actually hit the road. I still hope to find a good source of income that fits me that will let me work from the road, and this move might make that easier.
So, with all that said.. progress!
This weekend, I got most of the junk moved back out of unleashed and into the stowaway (the storage bus). The last two days after work I've managed to get 2 of the ceiling panels removed. I've documented this in my blog in more detail.
My fiancee and I have been spending many hours per week for the past few months working on measurements and planning the details. She has done some great work with sketchup modeling our plans in 3D, and helping us to see what will and won't work.
There are some parts of the conversion plan that aren't yet determined, and I'm not ready to discuss them much yet. However, if they do work out, it'll turn out quite nicely. I'm optimistic that it will work out though, and can't wait to share more details as I can.
I'll try not to spam this thread with daily "got another panel down" posts... that's what the blog is for. ;D However, I will try to post status updates more regularly.
Next week I'll be in SC, and we'll be touring some RV lots, looking for good parks for my move later in the year, and of course spending quality time together. We'll also be refining the digital plans.
Thanks everyone for all the well wishes and encouragement I've gotten here.
jim
ArdraF
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
- Posts
- 10,695
Jim,
If your lady has never done any RVing, she needs to be aware of something for that modeling she's doing. Just 0.25 of an inch can make putting stuff in cabinets a real hassle. As many of us long-time RVers know, if you have to replace something like a toaster or a blender or even a type of canned good the new one may not fit. Traveling to Canada, for example, generally presents pantry issues because their canned foods are in different sizes of cans - usually larger which means the same product doesn't fit into the allotted space. What I'm getting at is that she needs to be sure the "must take with" items actually will fit into the cabinets she's designing. Most fulltimers have the "buy new item, discard old item" rule so they don't get overrun with too much stuff, the collection of which can cause overweight issues for the RV.
ArdraF
If your lady has never done any RVing, she needs to be aware of something for that modeling she's doing. Just 0.25 of an inch can make putting stuff in cabinets a real hassle. As many of us long-time RVers know, if you have to replace something like a toaster or a blender or even a type of canned good the new one may not fit. Traveling to Canada, for example, generally presents pantry issues because their canned foods are in different sizes of cans - usually larger which means the same product doesn't fit into the allotted space. What I'm getting at is that she needs to be sure the "must take with" items actually will fit into the cabinets she's designing. Most fulltimers have the "buy new item, discard old item" rule so they don't get overrun with too much stuff, the collection of which can cause overweight issues for the RV.
ArdraF
Yay, another update!
Long story short, I have all the interior ceiling panels down. Those sheets of steel can easily get away from you if you don't pay attention.
More information is in the blog post (link in signature).
I still have the final joint sections at the front and rear end caps, but they're fairly minor I think.
Then there's the insulation... I'll need some kind of protection before pulling that stuff down and bagging it for disposal. It's in pretty good shape for 25+ year old insulation and steel.
jim
Long story short, I have all the interior ceiling panels down. Those sheets of steel can easily get away from you if you don't pay attention.
More information is in the blog post (link in signature).
I still have the final joint sections at the front and rear end caps, but they're fairly minor I think.
Then there's the insulation... I'll need some kind of protection before pulling that stuff down and bagging it for disposal. It's in pretty good shape for 25+ year old insulation and steel.
jim
Ah, another lack of progress...
Towards the end of February, I did some work in the drop ceiling space at work over the course of 3 days, and on the 3rd day came down with something that I thought was a cold or flu. I was sick for 6 days total, with fever, cough, congestion, aches, etc. After returning to work, I had a lingering cough that was annoying, but didn't seem to cause much problem.
The week before my vacation, I started having difficulty breathing and the coughing got a bit worse. This was during the time I was taking down the interior panels, so I just chalked it up to irritation from that.
During the week of my vacation, it got worse. I took cough suppression medicine the whole week, and munched on halls, and it kept me going.
Monday of this week, I finally gave in and went to the doctor. He believes I got into something in the ceiling at work (not surprising really), and that that is what triggered my bronchitis. So this week, I've been on some serious antibiotics and other drugs to help get my breathing back to normal. So far, things seem to be getting better.
I want to get as cleared up as possible before I attack the insulation, and I'll definitely be using lots of protection.
I poked my head in the bus the other night, and saw many of the pieces of insulation had already fallen on their own. I suspect if I just keep out for a while, it'll all eventually fall... however, that doesn't fit my schedule.
I must have this bus habitable by the end of the calendar year. I intend to be living within it by then. The plan we've come up with is aggressive and grand, and will take a lot of time and money to complete. I need to stay focused on this project. I definitely need to make sure I don't impede my progress by neglecting my health.
Anyway, there'll be more progress reported as soon as I have any to report. Or something like that.
jim
Towards the end of February, I did some work in the drop ceiling space at work over the course of 3 days, and on the 3rd day came down with something that I thought was a cold or flu. I was sick for 6 days total, with fever, cough, congestion, aches, etc. After returning to work, I had a lingering cough that was annoying, but didn't seem to cause much problem.
The week before my vacation, I started having difficulty breathing and the coughing got a bit worse. This was during the time I was taking down the interior panels, so I just chalked it up to irritation from that.
During the week of my vacation, it got worse. I took cough suppression medicine the whole week, and munched on halls, and it kept me going.
Monday of this week, I finally gave in and went to the doctor. He believes I got into something in the ceiling at work (not surprising really), and that that is what triggered my bronchitis. So this week, I've been on some serious antibiotics and other drugs to help get my breathing back to normal. So far, things seem to be getting better.
I want to get as cleared up as possible before I attack the insulation, and I'll definitely be using lots of protection.
I poked my head in the bus the other night, and saw many of the pieces of insulation had already fallen on their own. I suspect if I just keep out for a while, it'll all eventually fall... however, that doesn't fit my schedule.
I must have this bus habitable by the end of the calendar year. I intend to be living within it by then. The plan we've come up with is aggressive and grand, and will take a lot of time and money to complete. I need to stay focused on this project. I definitely need to make sure I don't impede my progress by neglecting my health.
Anyway, there'll be more progress reported as soon as I have any to report. Or something like that.
jim
