Do's and Don'ts of Bus Conversion Design

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Attention all Bus Conversionites.

I am putting together a presentation of the Do's and Don'ts of Bus Conversion Design for an event coming up later this month.

Please help me by listing the things that you would look for if you were looking to buy a converted bus or what you would do or not do if you were starting to convert a bus from scratch.

I have a long list of ideas after reading every issue of Bus Conversion Magazine myself and seeing several poor design ideas on social media, but there may be things that I have missed.  I am looking for your ideas as well to round out my list.

Thanks in advance.

[ol713]

  Hi;

 Outline things for a basic electrical house system.  Also include info for a 12v and 24vdc system.
 One vs the other.   
                                          Merle    

[Raymond smith]

If you are building from scratch, make sure the shell and windows are sealed so they don’t leak. Easy to do with a garden hose or pressure washer when the shell is empty, you can see the leaks. Cheers Raymond

[Utahclaimjumper]

 ' Three things I would place above all else when in design phase would be::
#1. design for minimum impact damage.
#2. design for minimum fire potential. 
#3. design in escape methods.  ( include sealing the traditionally front door, and move it to behind the front wheel.)

[Utahclaimjumper]

 The reason I included the door mod is due to an accident We were involved in, ( with our  4106 ) that jammed the door and forced us to evac. out a window.. It would have been extremely difficult if fire had been involved..>>>Dan

[lvmci]

Check for RUST, then check for RUST again...

[Nova Eona]

Don't permanently cover any access panels during conversion which you may need to get into in the future!

Should be an obvious one, yet seems like a common mistake.

[richard5933]

The reason I included the door mod is due to an accident We were involved in, ( with our  4106 ) that jammed the door and forced us to evac. out a window.. It would have been extremely difficult if fire had been involved..>>>Dan

When our 4106 was involved in a head-on collision with a Honda, our door was also jammed closed. Fortunately the previous owner that did the conversion left an escape window in the front parlor just behind the passenger seat. Was pretty easy for us to be get out quickly.

I'd say that moving the door isn't necessary, but having some viable means of getting out quickly is.

[dtcerrato]

We've maintained all the emergency escape routes that were oem design and not changed during conversion. That today yields us the regular entrance door, the rear emergency driver's side door with steps (added), two swing out large sliders on PS (one is blocked by an awning arm the other deleted & paneled for the bath) and one DS large slider (the other two were deleted & paneled for the kitchen). Plenty of fire extinguishers inside & out. Spare tire always as we go deep and don't care for the wait for roadside assistance. Roadside emergency kits for marking the shoulder/lane for safety. Very important are fire detectors, LPG detector, and CO detector. Label as much as possible - not just switched but everything within reason as down the line - memory fades not to mention aids for first responders, to list a few...

[luvrbus]

Don't start with a old wore out bus is the best plan for anybody,conversion parts can always be found,the drive train is a killer on most budgets 

[silversport]

The first thing I tell anyone is to do a wire schematic on all changes they do to all wiring (12 or 120v). Can save hours years down the road when something goes wrong. The second is when building think how easy it is going to be to remove/repair down the road. It’s amazing how many time things are built/installed with no thought of removal.

[Tedsoldbus]

My bus was done when I got it, so I asked my 90 year old in laws who did 30 years in a 4106. They converted some of it, had some done by a shop that did buses.
Mom said: Number one complaint from the women that usually goes "un fixed" is a place to rest their feet! Does not have to be a fancy tuck under the seat or pop down from the dash. But SOMETHING!"
Dad said: "keep wiring simple and if you live where it is cold, be able to drain all water lines and the water heater." He also just did one big tank instead of black/grey. It was a big steel tank his friend welded up for him.

[ktmossman]

I'm not done with my build yet, but here are a few I've learned already:

1. K.I.S.S. - I have already run into several instances where I was seriously overcomplicating the solution to a challenge, and ultimately landed on a painfully simple solution.

2. Be flexible - (This is probably related to #1) I think many of us have probably done a good bit (maybe years) of planning before we started work.  But when you are actually doing the build, sometimes being ironclad to the "plan" can create un-necessary complexity in actual execution.  I try to focus on the functionality I want to have, not necessarily the plan I had for getting that functionality.  That way, when the plan won't execute the way I envisioned, I don't get stuck trying to force my plan.  I can step back and re-think how to get the functionality I want, not necessarily how to make my plan work.

I also agree on the egress planning.  I decided I wanted multiple egress points no matter what the position of the bus in the event of an accident.  So, I kept both roof exits, and three of the four exit windows.

[Lee Bradley]

Figure out how many wires you are going to run for lighting, power outlets, new controls you may want to add; new relays, new sensors, etc. Then double that number of wires you run. Ready to build, double that number again. Can you control everything in the basement, engine compartment without going outside in a driving rainstorm at 2 in the morning?

[buswarrior]

Ditto, why do busnuts insist on building the coach electrical where you have to go outside in a storm, to change the configuration, when the campground power goes out???

Start a revolution, put that stuff inside!!!

And, don't disable the coach during the build. Nothing keeps the support for the dream alive better, than using the coach.

Many, many abandonned projects were undrivable, and the dream died.

Are we getting honourable mention in the credits of this exercise?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior