Bluebird Bus Conversion Project & Cross Country Trip

[pandaboo911]

This is so cool! I never knew old buses were so damn cheap. Just wish I had a place to park one :D

[LuckyHenriksen]

Alright I took some more photos with the real camera today to give you an idea of the final layout. Most everything is in its final location now and anchored down. Also finished building the dinette eating area this morning.

View of the front. Also note the sweet red air ride captains seat. The engine is under the big doghouse in the middle. You have to scramble over it to get into the seat haha.



This box covers the pass. side front wheel well.



I hinged the top to make a place to stash shoes and whatever else might fit



Drivers side wheel well cover is a small bench



Finished dinette seating area. The table top is the middle section of that old table pictured earlier. We refinished it to give it an antique look. Also reused the hinges from the folding table sides to hinge the front panels on the benches to make some secret storage areas



Propane camping oven/stove setup. Notice the use of festive ratchet straps to hold appliances down :D



Fridge mounted on the other side



Counter top with sink inset. Didn't glue the sink down in case we aren't parked level so we can tip it to drain. Still need to plump a faucet and the foot pump. Water will be handled by jerry cans. Also keep in mind that I built most everything out of lumber that has been out in the weather for a long time so it isn't the straightest....



Tool box mounted in place. Held to the wall by D rings. Going to pack the drawers with rags so there are less rattles on the road



Tiny room for the toilet. Wall built out of corrugated roofing panels. Still need to build a door



Over the rear wheel wells I built a couple shelves, plan on using these for clothes storage and other odds and ends. Also have plans to build a small section of closet rod behind the bathroom to hang clothes... we will see how far i get with that.





Bedroom with a view! Bed platform has 2 feet of clearance underneath, lots of room for storage. We even got to keep our fancy new queen mattress. Ditched the box spring though, we figured we didn't need the extra height (also it wouldn't fit through the door )



Large ''headboard'' area at the very back. I want to get a new gas strut that works better to hold up the rear emergency exit window, it combined with the side windows makes for pretty decent ventilation



And this is the view from the back to front. Surprising amount of space in here.




There is still lots to do inside, painting and finish work, rigging up water and power, etc. Should be a busy couple of weeks!

Thanks everyone for the encouraging comments :pimp:

[LJ851]

I see you already busted a window with bedroom activities.

[RondoAcapriccio]

Hmm I am curious the weight you removed vs the weight you put in.

Does it have AC? I bet you can set up a decent HVAC system with all that ceiling space too. Your gonna be driving in summer.. rough man. very humid out here in fl as you know.

[pandaboo911]

Speaking of bedroom activities, get some curtains! Everyone will see you doing the deed.

[delatlanta1281]

Yeah that is Foxhole, for the best drinks on the beach though non beer... the Broken Shaker hands down. Being in Atlanta, you sure know your way around the beach :)

I spent a lot of time down there. Home Depots everywhere, and my best friends sisters condo overlooks the foxhole.
OP how tall are you?

[einhander]

Is it safe?

[LuckyHenriksen]

I see you already busted a window with bedroom activities.

Lololol

Hmm I am curious the weight you removed vs the weight you put in.

Does it have AC? I bet you can set up a decent HVAC system with all that ceiling space too. Your gonna be driving in summer.. rough man. very humid out here in fl as you know.

I wanted to know the weight difference too, but never went out and weighed it :/
AC would be really nice, but we are doing without for this trip. The humidity is one of the reasons why we are escaping FL while we can :)

Speaking of bedroom activities, get some curtains! Everyone will see you doing the deed.

Lindsey is about halfway done making the curtains. Takes a lot of fabric and time to make curtains for a 40 foot bus!

I spent a lot of time down there. Home Depots everywhere, and my best friends sisters condo overlooks the foxhole.
OP how tall are you?

I am 5'10''. Maybe 5'11'' on a good day. The bus has 6'4'' of clearance from the wood floor to the middle of the ceiling. My 6'4'' brother can walk though it, his hair just brushes the ceiling.

[rzerob]

This is awesome. Considering your plumbing is going to be simple. I am assuming your toilet is basically just a bucket? Use it only in emergencies. I was on a bus from PA to FL and I was in the middle closer to the front than the rear. The toilet was in the rear and the smell drifted up my way on more that one occasion. And it could flush. This was a little over ten years ago. I have not ridden a bus that far since. I am looking forward to future updates.

[LuckyHenriksen]

We are using a dryflush toilet. More info here: http://www.dry-flush.com/
Pretty interesting concept, going to take some getting used to. Although I plan on it being more of an emergency toilet when there aren't any conventional bathrooms available

[PFCRayB]

super nice, we need to meet up at gfest, i grew up in the aloha/beverton area...and really miss oregon

[Peterkaczynski]

You are the fucking man! Also sweet beard

[LuckyHenriksen]

super nice, we need to meet up at gfest, i grew up in the aloha/beverton area...and really miss oregon

Awesome, I lived just down the road from Beaverton!

You are the fucking man! Also sweet beard

Thank you sir

[AndrewBird]

That is a pretty cool toilet. How much do they cost? How much are refills?

[LuckyHenriksen]

That is a pretty cool toilet. How much do they cost? How much are refills?

It was $450 and came with a couple packs of refills. To get more they are $50 or $60 a case, each case has 3 cartridges in it. Each cartridge has 17-18 "flushes" in it. It's a little spendy to operate, but nicer than dealing with a regular porta-potty. That's also why I plan on using it for backup use mostly.