The Pooper (michael)

The Pooper.

Pooper, Pooper, what to do with the Pooper?

I went to the Net. That is always the 1st step to my research. Most of the time you can find the answer you are looking for in the archives. Sometimes you have to post your question on the Boards and wait for the answer. This topic had a lot of information on it. It told me that it was a long, hard and dirty job. Can we remove the pooper, "yes". But, with all the other things to do, we will leave it for now. We can still use the space though. It will be our walk in closet. I removed the door, handles, the "I'm in here" light and the seat cover. I took a piece of sheet aluminum salvaged from the upper storage compartments. This sheet will be caulked over the hole. The tank is clean but we will put in a small amount of bleach and rinse. Now, Christi can design her walk-in closet. Honey has closet, will travel.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Electrical System (michael)

Electrical System I got a call from the thrift store here in Tombstone that they got in some trailer parts, so off I go. Wow, I found some good stuff. One of the things is a 50amp breaker box with a long pig tail. Score! Now, where do I mount it? I search the MAK board, looked around the inside and outside and settled for the driver side back bay mounted on the rear wall. I attached it to the wall with 1/2-inch self-tapping screws. I will run a ground to the frame when I run and mount the wire. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Plumbing, Shower (michael)

Plumbing, The Shower. We picked a single handle, anti-scald, Moen fixture. It has a nice clean look and is easy to install. Just follow the instructions and you will do fine. If you are not comfortable with plumbing, call a plumber. You don't want this to leak. You will have to rip the wall out to fix it. Not fun! I used 1/2 inch PVC, because we had it. Short runs don't expand and contract like long runs. The long runs, 8' or more, tend to pull apart when using the recommended primer and clear glue. Mostly on the hot water supply line. I found that you can use PVC pipe for both hot and cold supply lines if you use the purple primer and the dark purple HOT glue and let dry for 48 hours. Now, that's for short runs only. Less than 7'. I ran the lines down through the wall plate and floor into the storage compartment. I left them long and will cut them to suit later. Next, plumb the toilet.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

IS IT HOME YET? (christi)

IS IT HOME YET? (Christi) I've been spending the last couple of days going through stuff. Right now I'm working on our tool trailer. It stores everything we need for the construction business. Needless to say, it's a mess. I know there are neat, organized men out there. My wonderful man is not one of them. His idea of cleaning up a job site is putting everything; tools, half empty caulk tubes and leftover hardware all in one coffee can or nail bucket. Then, if I'm lucky, that container will make it (barely), to just inside the doorway of the tool trailer. That's where I come in. Well, if I ever want to find those parts again. So, the biggest part of this cleaning and sorting project was finding at least 7 of these potluck containers. (I know, I better get used to potlucks.) I was actually surprised that I only had a handful of, "Honey, what is this and can we toss it?" Five years ago, me in a hardware store was like Michael in Victoria's Secret. I've come a long way, baby. But that's another blog. Anyway, as I was sorting and tossing, I heard a lot of sawing and screwing. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) I went to take a peek. Wow! I can see us living here. The walls are defining our living space. It reminds me of when we're building a house. The owners always have the same reaction. The foundation/slab looks small. Then as we start framing walls, it looks bigger and the 'wow factor' kicks in. Then the drywall makes it look smaller again. And as the paint and finishing touches go in, they see their home. As with them, I stand in our compact 40 x 8 foot space and see our place, our space, our home. We're building this for us, for our adventure. The building of it is an adventure in itself. Michael is finding himself in somewhat unfamiliar territory. He finds that he has jumped the gun now and then, and will have to back-track a little, or do something 'after the fact' that will make it a little more difficult than it might have been. Yet, he keeps moving forward, undaunted. I find myself once again amazed at his diligence and patience. Two qualities I lack miserably. I see my man working hard to fulfill his dream to go on the road again and I fall in love with him all over again. Honey, is it home yet? All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

The Shower (michael)

The Shower. First. check that there are no supports or cables under were you will be cutting the drain and supply lines. We framed for a 3' x 3' deep well shower and YES, I had to move it over 1 1/2 inches due to a cable! Placed the pan and marked the drain. Moved the pan and cut a 3" hole for the 2" drain pipe. Install the brass drain to the pan, then set the pan. We will be tiling the walls so we affix Dura-rock to the walls up to the ceiling. Set the regulator and shower head. Ready for tile.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Framing (michael)

Framing.

Wood or steel? Steel or wood? Both have their good points. We are going with wood. I like wood. Metal studs are nice and lite, but I know wood. Daddy always said, "Go with what you know". And so we frame. We build all the walls 1-1/2 inches thick save for plumbing walls, they will be 3-1/2 inches for the water and vent lines. We are installing a king size bed. I know it takes a lot of room, but every time we stay in a hotel Christi says, "I can't wait to get back to our bed!" So, we are taking it with us. Next, I will frame the pantry. Mmm food. Let's see what Christi is cooking. Oh, Hmmm, OK back to work. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

The BUS Forum (michael)

The BUS Forum. There are lots of forums on the web now. Everything from sewing to sex. If you have an interest, there is a 95% chance you can find somebody talking about it in a forum. If you have read any of our posts, you will see we have a "new to us" bus. I needed to find some information about it. So I went surfing and found some website with good stuff on it. Yea, it was ok, but I needed more. I needed to ask some real questions. Some hard questions. I needed to find the experts. Not just expert sites. I needed to find the guys that wrote that stuff. That good stuff about my bus. As I wrote before, converting is not for the faint of heart. Its down right tough. You must have passion for your bus. I needed to find the people with that same passion. I FOUND THEM! MAK Publishing Bus and Coach Conversions Bulletin Board. Here is the link: http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php Now don't be afraid. When you fill out your request to join, you will get an e-mail that sounds like an armored 10' tall guard at the iron gates shouting, "Who goes there and what do you want here?" Just answer the questions and you will receive your welcome, link and password. You will find that the cold, stern e-mail voice is in reality a kind, knowledgeable and helpful expert that is ready, willing and able to help you. And not just him. There is a whole team of bus fanatics that can't wait to get involved in what ever question you present. I have only been at MAK for 2-3 weeks, but I have been posting, polling, commenting, helping, asking, chatting and making lots of new friends. I am having a blast. So, if you have a bus or are thinking about getting a bus, come on over and sit a spell. Get comfortable. Have some fun, ask some questions and watch the experts work miracles on a daily basis. But, I must warn you! This is addictive. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

The Best of Both Worlds (michael)

The Best of both Worlds. I have been in the RV Community since 1994. My 1st RV was a 1973 Kayot 22/24 class A. What a piece of..... I loved that old wreak. It was my ticket to freedom. Through the years I up graded. A nice Terry travel trailer. Then to a Bounder and the last one was a class A Gulf Stream. I bought a membership and went to all pot lucks, outings and Mexican train get togethers. I have always dreamed of owning a bus. A real bus. But buses are for the rich. Right! They would never except people like us into their world. Not we are bad people, we are quite good acutely. But the bus people live on lakes and golf courses.Right? Now, we are still the same people only now we own a bus. a nice bus. A MCI Tour bus and we are getting to know the bus people. We are finding out that the bus people and the RV people are the same people. They are helpful, friendly and kind. Turns out, we have always been a part of this great big family. Who knew? "Honey? were gonna need another happy hour".

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Who's your Phil? (michael)

Who's your Phil? After reading more and more on-line about buses, I started to swim in doubt. Just as most, if not, all of you other bus nuts did. I stepped back and looked at this thing in the driveway, ripped apart, sub-project after sub-project opened and scattered about the yard. A grand vehicle that I drove home under its own power only 4 weeks ago now calls to me in my waking hours and in my dreams, "fix me, complete me, take me for a ride". Now I build houses in 3 to 6 months. Remodels in less time than that. Why does this seem so different? So alien? I am doing the same thing. Approaching the project in the same "git'er done" game plan. Then I start to question myself. "Can I do this?" What do I mean? I have to do this! "O, STOP IT"! I know what I need, I'm going to call Phil. You see, we've got a time constraint on our hands. We have to be in a bus, in Blue Mesa, CO for July 4th weekend for a 3 show stand. I need Phil. Phil will get me back in the groove. He knows everything. Phil will show me the way, give me the straight path to go on. But, how will we pay Phil? I don't have the funds for expert help. Ahhh, my old friend barter. Hey Phil, what do you need? How about this and you help me with this? Deal. Wow, Phil came over yesterday and started removing the air conditioning system. I started hearing the old Mighty Mouse song, "Here I come to save the day". Phil took charge. Get this. Cut that. Bring this over to that. I was safe again. Things are moving along at warp speed again. My thinking is back on track. I think we all need a Phil around from time to time. But I don't think Phil knows just how much we need him. Not just his expertise. We need his great attitude and hard charging "lets get it done" and "you can do it" ways. He puts it all back in perspective. I can do this! So, what's your "Phil's" name? Grumpy? Nick? Tom, Dick or Harry? The point is," WE NEED OUR PHILS!" To teach us. To show us the way through the dark. To show us how to become a Phil for someone else. So all you Phil's out there, the next time you get that stupid question, that call in the middle of a rainy night, remember you're the hero now, the go-to guy. When all is wrong in the world, only you, in our eyes, can make it right. And one day we will take that torch and carry it proudly in your honor. Thank you Phil for how you are and all that you do. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

The Bright Side (Christi)

THE BRIGHT SIDE I was watching the news a couple of days ago as they were reporting a story on a tent city that has emerged in Sacramento. These are not the mentally ill or veterans suffering from PTSD or drug addicts or those we normally think of as homeless. The folks that have found themselves there were like many of us living paycheck to paycheck. But their paychecks had stopped. They are in a situation they never dreamed they'd be in and are making the best of it, while trying to find jobs. While I have had some extremely hard times, I have never had to live in a tent. A feeling of gratitude came over me. I felt grateful that even when I have lost sleep over money problems, I have never been where they are. Close yes, but not quite there. I realized how lucky I am to have the opportunity to work with my husband, to build our bus. To know that we will never have to live in a tent. We understand that it could get really tough but we will have a home. This has actually been a very comforting thought for me. Growing up, I was lucky enough to be able to spend a lot of time with my grandparents. They, of course, lived during the Great Depression and were always very frugal. I learned alot from them about not being wasteful, something our kids and grandkids may have not learned, had it not been for our country's current economic situation. I was also very lucky to have a mother who taught us to look on the bright side. Looking back I realize how hard that must have been for her. She was a single mom in the 70's. Wages for women sucked. My father didn't pay child support. Yet, we were never on welfare. We never went hungry. We always had a roof over our heads. And Mom always had a positive attitude. I come from a line of strong, hard-working women and I am grateful for that. Yes, I give into that temptation to whine, but when it gets the best of me, I try to remember what those before me have been through and remind myself that they went through much more. I need to just put on my big girl panties and deal with it! Living in this situation our country has found itself in, I choose to do as those before me and "look on the bright side" and know that all things happen for a reason. We have been living in a "throw away" society. Now, we have a big fat wake-up call. How will we handle our personal struggle with this? I think that the majority will stand up to the challenge. History is repeating itself. Those of us who learned from those who lived through this before need to teach those who have not had the experience. So, fellow bus nuts, raise your glasses to our good fortune to have this opportunity to travel this great country of ours and remember to always, "look on the bright side." And if your having trouble seeing the bright side, move your bus for a better view! All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

A Thank You to Mr. Trevor Hall (michael)

A Thank You to Mr. Trevor Hall. Christi & I would like to thank Mr. Trevor Hall for all his help with our life changing MCI Bus adventure. He sold us this great bus. He sent us an e-mail. Trevor wrote "Hey Mike and Christi! I just checked out your blog and you guys are making great progress! You will be on the road in no time! And at least you got all the "no fun" stuff out of the way, now its on to the fun "clean" work. Well, I just wanted to drop you guys a line and say hello. Hope all is well! Keep up the good work!-Trevor". Thank you for believing in us and helping to make our wish come true.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Start Framing & Insulation (michael)

Start Framing & Insulation After walls are stripped it's time to affix 1"x 2" furring strips along the base of the side walls and about 1/4" below the window frames. I pre-drilled the base holes. A self tapping screw would not go through the sub-frame without pre-drilling. The self-tappers worked fine on the top run. We put a screw about every 2" or so.

We bought 4' x 8' x 3/4" backed insulation. I measured every 8' to

get a good fit. The MCI bus

seems to be shorter in the rear???

We used 3M spray adhesvie to hold the insulation in place and to keep it from squeaking later on. Spray the wall on the top, sides and bottom, then do the same to the foam. Wait 3 mins. and set in place. Installing the beadboard. I may have jumped the gun on this one.

After putting half of it up, I stopped until we skin the windows.

I am using 1/4", 3 ply wood beadboard that comes in 4' x 8' sheets. Again, because the couch gets shorter to the rear, we took measurements every 4' starting in the rear. This amounted to a

1/2" gain every section. To cut down waste, I took the smallest measurement in each section and square cut the beadboard. I affixed the panels to the furring strips with PL200 construction glue and 1" brads. This made a small 1/2" to nothing gap along the bottom that I will cover with baseboard later. Walls next. All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below