Just a quick update on the bus progress – not much to show in terms of physical changes, but I’ve been doing a lot of behind the scenes planning and designing and thinking. I had the vehicle modification inspector out … Continue reading →
This week I started to tackle the rust in the doorway of the bus. I’m still not sure how to go about fixing the rust at the bottom of the main pillar, but I did manage to cut away another … Continue reading →
After stripping everything off the original door, I had a bit of work to do to scrape off the remaining glue and remnants of laminate, and then sanded back the rusty areas to remove all the loose bits of rust. … Continue reading →
This week I was fortunate to meet one of the guys in my Facebook bus group, who has the same kind of Isuzu bus as mine (with a virtually identical door) and has successfully modified the way the door on … Continue reading →
I’ve been ticking off some big jobs with the bus lately, and this week, I started another big job that I have been putting off for a long time. That is, to completely refurbish my bus entry door. My bus … Continue reading →
This was a massive job that I’d been putting off doing for a long time – I’ve had this paint since December last year! But I finally got around to doing it this month. It took 8 solid days of … Continue reading →
Some very exciting progress made on the bus this week – I got the new floor installed! This was a big job because the steel sheet and large pieces of plywood were very heavy and difficult to manoeuvre into the … Continue reading →
Before I laid the new floor, I spent some time cleaning up the frame underneath and treating the areas of surface rust I found there. I also had a mate of mine come out with his welder and weld in … Continue reading →
I hadn’t originally planned to pull up the old floor of the bus, but since I’d had so many issues with rust and water getting in, I was concerned there may be issues with the frame underneath the floor. I … Continue reading →
This week I’ve been working on removing the old safety marker stickers from the rear of my bus. Because my bus is a registered in Queensland, and classed as a heavy vehicle, it has to have an annual roadworthy inspection. … Continue reading →
Now that I’m pretty confident that the aluminium composite panels are a lot better adhered to my bus, I’ve been able to get to work sealing up the gaps between them once and for all. This has been a really … Continue reading →
While I wait for suitable weather, and the delivery of supplies I need to finish sealing the wall panels, I decided to continue work on the inside of the bus and finally tackled the floor. Before: Originally I planned to … Continue reading →
I finally finished the basic internal framing in the main wall cavities of my bus this week, so am feeling much more confident that the aluminium composite panels on the outside walls are well stuck on. This means I can … Continue reading →
It is no fun dealing with rain when you have a leaky bus! We have had a LOT of rain in SE Queensland over the last couple of weeks. And I mean a LOT! At one stage, we had over … Continue reading →
the day has finally arrived when I am actually starting to out things INTO the bus instead of stripping stuff out! I’m starting on the internal timber framing. The idea with this is to not only provide the framework for … Continue reading →
I spent most of this week up on the roof of my bus, sealing every rivet and join I could see that might be a potential source of water leaking in. I think I have managed to stop a few … Continue reading →
First step to fixing the leaks in my bus is to get rid of a rusty old air vent cover in the roof. It’s a major source of water leakage so it has got to go!
Continue reading →I’m finally getting back to working on the bus this week, after spending the last couple of months focussing on my business over the busy Christmas period. The first task is to make the bus watertight. It has a lot … Continue reading →
There hasn’t been a lot of visible progress on the bus conversion to share in the last couple of months. But there has been a bit going on behind the scenes. It’s actually been quite a stressful time. Bus Leaks … Continue reading →
I reached a milestone with the bus conversion this week – I finally finished the “demolition” stage. I have spent the past two weeks cleaning up the inside frame as best I can, coating everything in Penetrol to protect from … Continue reading →
I got my bus back from the repairer this week and while I am mostly happy with the work he did to fix the rust in my bus frame, I was quite disappointed with the way he put the panels … Continue reading →
Yesterday I made the trip out to the repair workshop to see my bus after the windows and side panels were removed. As expected, there was a fair bit of rust in the rail running under all the windows and … Continue reading →
So since my last post, I found out, thanks to some recommendations from fellow bus owners, that there is actually a guy in my local area who runs a business doing motorhome/caravan renovations! After contacting him, he came out to … Continue reading →
Now that I have a plan to fix the rust in my bus, I need to finalise the interior design so I know which windows I will be replacing, in case the repairer needs to modify sections of the frame. … Continue reading →
Since discovering all of the rust in the frame of my bus, I am faced with the decision of where to go from here. Do I just cut my losses with this bus and start again to try to find … Continue reading →
After all the depressing news about the rust in my bus the last couple of weeks, it is nice to be able to share some happy news with you this week! I finally managed to track down an Origo alcohol … Continue reading →
I removed as much of the ceiling as I could this week to expose the roof frame. I found some small patches of rust but thankfully, it is not as bad as the rust in the walls. However, I also … Continue reading →
This week I started to strip the inside of the bus. I wanted to see what condition the frame underneath was in, since there was a bit of rust visible under the window seals own the outside, and I wanted … Continue reading →
After playing with ideas for the interior layout of my bus on my computer all these years, it is great to finally be able to see how it will fit in an actual bus! Check out the video where I … Continue reading →
Today I passed my driving test and got my HR (Heavy Rigid) licence! This allows me to drive any rigid bus or truck, as long as it doesn’t have a Roadranger / crash box type transmission. I only needed an … Continue reading →
This morning’s emotions are a mix of joy, excitement, sense of accomplishment, and a healthy dose of “what the hell have I just got myself in for” LOL! The thought of all the work that now lies ahead of me is a bit daunting, but I keep looking out the window at the old girl parked outside and I can’t stop smiling.
Continue reading →I sat the Heavy Vehicle Road Rules written test today at the Department of Transport. Very pleased to report that I scored 10/10! So I am now officially able to start learning how to drive a heavy vehicle. Something tells … Continue reading →
I can (and often do!) spend hours on Pinterest. So much bus conversion inspiration there! There are so many nifty ideas and so many beautiful images to drool over. It’s a great source of information and inspiration if you’re thinking … Continue reading →
I recently came across this book in my local library. Diesel Engine Basics by Les Simpson and Stephen Murray. It’s only a few years old and published in Australia, so the information is up to date and very relevant. It’s … Continue reading →
A lot of people change their careers. Some do it for money, others for family reasons. For me, it was about restoring my sanity, and being true to myself. It was about finally choosing the path that was right for me, not … Continue reading →
