my skoolie(s)

I can't be dealing with big cars, I drive a ford KA and I fucking loves it, squeeze through gaps most cyclists would think twice about and throw it round corners, and it costs fuck all to run. I hate driving big cars, I'm trying to work out what's the smallest van I can get away with when I set up on my own.

 

I am SOOOO Effing jealous. Those are amazing <3 <3 <3

 

That bus fuckin rules \m/

 

ok im very close to being finished work on my shorty!
its a weird feeling... i dont want to be finished lol. im sure ill keep adding stuff though. theres plenty of stuff it could still use.

heres some pics from today. the sun was going down and the pics suck, but you can see what it looks like.









the curtains are being altered and a couple things still need to be done.

i havnt tried to add up how much its cost me, but its probably somewhere around 200 dollars alltogether. the bus was free though, so...
every bit of lumber or plywood was scavenged from the dump, the faucet was stolen from a wrecked campervan, the sink is stolen from a different wrecked camper, the water tank and filler tube from my moms camper, bench seat (folds to a bed) from the dump.... basically the only think i bought new was paint (1 gallon for the outside, couple of quarts for the inside, the random small amounts of colours i already had), hardware, a piece of angle iron, caulk... and a couple of drills, bits and a new jigsaw b/c my old one was a POS.
it has no system for electricity (might add something later on if i have time and money) and no toilet facilities.
it needs finishing touches.. none of my stuff is in there yet.

anyway, whaddya think?

 

we're picking up our 40 foot monstor this week
we actualy wanna have 2 40 footers real soon, 1 were gonna make a party bus, and use it for bar hopping tours so drunks wont be driving we'll take em from bar to bar then home after the bars will kick in a bit for bringing em customers and we;'ll charge a boarding fee the other 1 we'll be travelin in..adding a second floor

but we'll have the 1st 1 within a week and should be able to get a second in no time
and were gonna blog the whole convcersion process of both
we still need a 35 footer to chop up and weld to the top of 1
\might also look into an airplane cockpit to weld to the other for a skylight

 

Very impressed scattered. Dont mean to steel your thread, but last summer I did a much smaller job on a van I got given. Just ripped the back seats out and went nuts with plywood.








Unfinished, but you get the point.

 

that's really awesome snow! great work, have any info a novice could use to get started?

 

I pretty much just assed my way through. There's heaps of tut's online about stuff.
But basically measure twice, cut once.
Oh and i used {2}12mm ply sheets for the stronger parts and {2} 7mm on the others.
I just sold it to. Some French Canadian backpackers took it.

 

nice, btw, your sig looks good to.

 

If I had just put in all that work and posted my proud new pics and asked whaddya think, I'd have been a bit miffed at soaringeagle's reply.

It looks really cool scatteredleaves! Well done

 

^^Funny I thought the same thing too. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and say maybe he's got her on "ignore", and can't/didn't read the post. Otherwise..... :toetap05:

I think it looks great SL, looks like a nice comfy place to be, and like you've put lots of work into it

I always used to want to have a camper or something to drive around Europe, now we're getting a brand new car soon What happened! Funny how your priorities change as you get older. God I sound like fifty or something.

 

scattered, the skoolie is awesome... you so have to come around my way.... or I can at least give you directions to bruce peninsula great swimming holes... or pinery provincial park that has facilities (cuz you don't have bathroom facilities...)

 

thanks so much guys!
and lol at amy and merrivale <3
its nice to hear positive comments. the whole time ive had this bus (since last june), ive had to go on purely my own motivation... ive had little encouragement and lots of "youre crazy", "youre weird" or "itll never work".

it feels mega cozy in there. if i still have it this winter, i want to put a little woodstove in... theyre hard to find though.
i also went halfway to building a roof deck, but my helper buggered off and i figured i wouldnt get it finished. now i want to build it again, but it will just set my departure date back...

white snow, that looks amazing! i wish the pics were bigger...
id love to see what youd do with something as roomy as a skoolie!
i am so stoked on modding any vehicle to make it comfy and livable. i have a desire to go smaller, like a van or at least a step van.
i think i might be hooked on this lol.

qft.
google vandwelling, thatll get you started.
look at some different layouts and ideas, get a rough plan, refine your plan and get building.
im a 19 year old chick, and i did it lol. so theres a fair amount of whinging it involved.

-make drawings if you are a visual person. do a floor plan, and drawings of each separate part to keep your mind organized.
-measure twice unless youve got oodles of cash to throw away on new wood lol
-if youre on a budget, troll the dump (if you can do that) for wood and useful bits.
use ugly, cheap plywood for invisible parts. my habitat for humanity restore was great too.
-consider old campers for parts
-borrow or get the tools you need. i did the whole thing without a skill saw, and i wished i had one many times.


ugh, i have to go to bed. i could talk about camper conversions all day

 

for sure!! ill be around your area. i have to perve on pat through his window after all... :leaving:

 

Woot woot! Love it!! I really like the colours you chose. You make me want one so bad. We're hoping to move across Canada this year (AB to ON) and I just imagine how much nicer it would be bringing the kiddos in that than our minivan. If you need a parking spot in AB, you are more than welcome to use my driveway! Do you think you will use it as you "bedroom" in the summer even when you are staying at your house? I think I would have to unless the bed was uncomfy. Again VERY AWESOME!

 

I see you've gotten a lot done. Looks really good! I can't wait to see it in a few weeks. I will admit however, that I'm not that excited to see you...

 

SL those buses are so awesome! I love the shortie, when I was little my uncle bought one and converted it at our house, I loved helping him- I want one! You've inspired me I think I'll start looking around for one...I wonder if you can get internet access in them?

 

haha nah dont got noone on ignore and i appologize was just over exxcited bout finaly getting pur bus and starting to work on it..scattered has done some amazing work on hers and they look good

just my minds been on nothing else but working on ours..lol

oh on that note, the only thing we havent looked into finding so far is the airplane cockpit sunroof ..so if anyones got any leads pm me
looking for something like a fighter jet, ..full glass enclosure not just front and sides
or even a glider like a grob 103
but i think somethin bigger would be better
(no hurry tho its for the 2nd bus)

 

when i was young my uncle converted an old bread truck that we traveled in a whole lot.. the small size though was lil cramped for 6 or more
but net access u have 2 options.. wifi or satalite
wifi is very dependent on being able to find hotspots
satalites u can get a signal anywhere but requires knowing exactly where the satalitte is and getting the dish pretty much perfectly lined up to it
..clouds and tree cover can block or decrease signal strength
and generaly yopir only going to get a signal between certain latitudes so if u travel from north to south america you'll need a whole different sat plan maybe even different equip

its somethung been lookin into awhile
thesat systenms and service can be lil high price\d. but the speeds fairly good and there is no more secure hack proof connection since to hack it you pretty much have to get directly wired into the dish

 

Soaringeagle, since you live in PA like me, do you or your driver have a classA license?