JULY 27 , 2003
I built and installed the Skylight last Tuesday ... but wanted to wait till it rained quite a bit so I could see if it leaked before talking about how I built the thing .
The weather obliged , which isn't unusual here in Southeast Alaska.
I'm happy to say it hasn't leaked a drop !!!
Here's how I designed and built the Skylight.
First out of 1" x 6 "Fir ... I built a Box 26" x 26" , and glued and screwed it together strongly . After the glue dried I stained it ...let it mostly dry and gave it a second coat .

Here's a pic of the Skylights box

 

When the box had dried completely , I laid down strips of putty tape all along the top edging of the box . I made sure that the tape butted up against each other piece along the top edges to get a complete waterproof seal.
The putty tape is the same stuff I used to waterproof the top vents and the various exterior bits & pieces I screwed into the Bus last week.
Next , I laid the 26"x26" piece of 1/4" thick safety glass on top of puttied box top. I made sure that the boxes exterior edges were flush and square with the edges of the safety glass.
Then I laid down 2" wide strips of waterproof foam tape all around the top edges of the safety glass...where the 2"x2" aluminum angle bars would lay. Even though the putty tape would completely seal the window against leaks...I wanted a little bit of extra safety , just in case. 
Another reason I added the foam taping along the top edges of the Safety glass was to allow the glass to move ever so slightly as we drove along or hit a bump . You want the glass to be very secure ...but not too firmly held down to the box. I was aiming for the same arrangement that truck and auto makers use in their window installations . They're waterproof ...but they're designed to flex a bit so they don't break as you travel along .

Next , I cut the 2"x2" aluminum angle bars to fit the exterior top edging of the Skylight ...and drilled out holes in the aluminum pieces where I would bolt the angle bars to the skylights body  

When the box had dried completely , I laid down strips of putty tape all along the top edging of the box . I made sure that the tape butted up against each other piece along the top edges to get a complete waterproof seal.
The putty tape is the same stuff I used to waterproof the top vents and the various exterior bits & pieces I screwed into the Bus last week.
Next , I laid the 26"x26" piece of 1/4" thick safety glass on top of puttied box top. I made sure that the boxes exterior edges were flush and square with the edges of the safety glass.
Then I laid down 2" wide strips of waterproof foam tape all around the top edges of the safety glass...where the 2"x2" aluminum angle bars would lay. Even though the putty tape would completely seal the window against leaks...I wanted a little bit of extra safety , just in case. 
Another reason I added the foam taping along the top edges of the Safety glass was to allow the glass to move ever so slightly as we drove along or hit a bump . You want the glass to be very secure ...but not too firmly held down to the box. I was aiming for the same arrangement that truck and auto makers use in their window installations . They're waterproof ...but they're designed to flex a bit so they don't break as you travel along .

Next , I cut the 2"x2" aluminum angle bars to fit the exterior top edging of the Skylight ...and drilled out holes in the aluminum pieces where I would bolt the angle bars to the skylights body

I installed the Skylight where the escape/safety hatch was ...it was a perfect location for it . The skylights box fit perfectly over the edges of the hatch ...making a great waterproof seal . To attach the skylight to to the hatch ,first I laid down waterproof putty strips...placed the skylight down over the hatch and then I drilled all the way through the skylight and the plastic hatch and ran a bolt through them .
I'm very Happy with how this worked out .

Today I cut through the bus and inserted two of the Truck boxes...but before I did that I wanted to cut off what was left of the rear buses heater hose arrangement and install a loop of hose that would finish it off.
I bought from Napa a 190 degree loop of 1 " heater hose and two 1" hose barbs.
Here's a pic of what I'm talking about


  Then I cut the buses heater hoses off up front near the drivers seat ...and inserted the hose barb ends into them and using hose-clamps tightened the arrangement down very securely .
You'll need to do something similar if you decide, like me, to get rid of the Rear Heater in your bus.
Here's a pic of the loop installed in the bus

Make sure the hose clamps are tightened down as much as you can get them .

The Truck Boxes
I figured out a week or so ago where I wanted to locate the boxes...so earlier today using a carpenters square , straight-edge and a tape measurer ...I marked out the heights and widths of the cuts through the bus I would have to make .

Then I inserted a 2" hole saw into my drill and drilled through the Bus at each corner of my marked-out "Cut" dimensions . This is the easiest way , whether you're using a jigsaw or a Sawzall to start your cutting .
Using a Sawzall ...I inserted the blade into the drilled out hole and sawed all the way to the next corner hole...and so on .
Sawzall's are great tools for this. You can easily cut through multiple pieces of steel at the same time . Make sure you hold them very securely though ... if they 'kick-back' ( and they do) you can get severely hurt . Be very careful with them and always wear eye protection ...the same  with any other power tool .
I have to admit ...Sawzall's give me a case of the Willie's when I'm using them .They're very serious pieces of equipment . But, I'm SO happy to have one for projects like this . On our last bus 'Home' I had to cut the roof off and do all the other metal cutting with a jigsaw , hammer & chisel ...The Fred Flintstone method of Bus Converting .
When the hole for the box was completely cut through , Mille helped me boost the boxes up and we placed them in the bus
Here's a few pics of the boxes in the bus

I only installed 2 of the 4 boxes today because I ran out of Sawzall blades ...plus I'm kinda tired from Work . This Tuesday ( my day off ) I'll pick up Blades and steel edging to attach the front of the truck boxes to the Buses Body.
The steel edging ( moldings ) pieces will make the cuts in the bus look nice and neat.   

Here's a neat little detail I'm happy about ...the Bigger Boxes weigh around 80 lbs each . The Sheet Metal layers that I cut out of the bus for inserting the boxes weighed at least 40 lbs ...so even with the steel molding edging and screws , I'm figuring that the Box , molding etc . will only add 50 lbs. of "real" weight to the bus instead of 90 lbs. Very Cool Indeed !

 

JULY 29 , 2003
I got the other 2 Truck Boxes installed today ...using the same method I used on the last ones .
Here's a few pics of the Boxes . The first one shows the 'Pilot' holes I drill first before using the Sawzall ...like I said previously , after you drill out the pilot holes , just insert the Sawzall's Blade into a hole and start cutting .
NOTE: Start cutting along the bottom line, then cut each side . Now you can cut the top line . If you do it like this the Blade won't bind up as much

After I covered all the exterior areas of the box cuts with tarps ...so they won't leak water into the Bus . Which they would ...until I get the molding on them . I started hauling into the bus some of the appliances & such , and placing them into the areas I planned for them . I did this because I wanted to see if things would mostly fit after I installed all the Truck Boxes.

Here's some pics of the interior

AUGUST 9 , 2003
I started building the wooden 'cosmetic' coverings for the galvanized metal panels a few days ago ...and have done some more on them today . 
First I cut 3/8 "plywood pieces to fit each galvanized panel and then used my new Dewalt compound miter saw to cut the pieces of 1"x 2" hemlock I'm using to frame in the plywood coverings. 
I've never used a compound miter saw before , and all I can say is "WOW!!!!
This is the greatest tool ! It cuts a perfect 45 degree angle with great edges . I didn't even have to sand the cuts ...they were perfect . If you're going to do a conversion you really need one of these.

On our other Bus "HOME" , I used a cheap miter-box and hand saw to do all my cabinetry. It's NO fun doing it that way.

After I had all the 1"x 2"'s cut , I used 'liquid nails' to glue the pieces to the plywood ...and working from the back , used 3/4" woodscrews to secure them . When the glue had dried I stained the 1"x 2"'frame' the color I wanted.

Here's a few pics of the project

Today , I cut the pre-primed paneling pieces to fit within each framed plywood cover and then painted them .
After the panel strips had dried , I used 'liquid nails to glue them within the frame.
Next , After the glue dries I'll use screw's ( from the backside ) to secure the 'house paneling' to the plywood .
Here's a few pics of the completed plywood 'covers' .

I haven't secured the panels to the bus yet...I was going to do that tomorrow .
But my 'Boss' called me and asked me to work . So being a Fool I said 'Yes' . 
 I hate it when people call you in to work on your 'day off ' . But , what can you do . It wouldn't Bug me so if we didn't have amazing and unusually good weather right now . There's Damn few good weather days here in Sitka where you can do fine carpentry outside. Since I don't have a Shop ...I need all of these 'Good days' to get as much of the Exterior of the Bus done before Fall arrives. Fall here means pretty much the beginning of endless rains .

 

AUGUST 16 , 2003
Over the past few days ...between Downpours , I've finally gotten all the Wooden Panels up and bolted to the Bus . I'm kind of nervous that this might be the beginning of Fall's almost endless rain storms up here in Sitka.
I'll need at least 2 more days of sunny warm weather to get the wooden exterior panels coated with  polyurethane ...to protect them from the really bad winter rains we get later

AUGUST 17 , 2003
I built the the cedar lattice window covers that we'll install over of bedroom windows today .
We did the same on our last Bus and really liked the way they looked .
Here's a pic of it ...you can also see the panels which are now securely bolted to the bus 



It's been raining pretty hard for a couple of days now and water is leaching into the wooden panels I made ...Hope I get a couple of days of Sun really soon so I can dry them out and then give them a good coating of polyurethane .

I've been slightly tempted to put a tarp over the Bus so I could work on it in the rain ...but I live in a neighborhood that's not really zoned for doing a Bus conversion in your yard. So far my neighbors have been really nice about this . But I don't want to screw things up...so I guess I'll just have to suffer through the endless rains that are coming very soon.
I wish I could find a place to work on the bus under cover , but, Sitka Alaska is an Island where working space is hard to find and very expensive if you do happen to find a big enough garage or warehouse that will rent you a spot to work on a rig this size.

I can't wait to get the exterior stuff done so I can work inside the bus where the weather wont matter .
But ,the projects that I'm doing right now ...really cant be rushed . Not only do I want the Bus to be beautiful ...I want to make sure that anything I add to the exterior of the Bus is extremely well secured . I don't want to be cruising down the road and have something come undone . Not a good thing to happen for sure.

 

AUGUST 23-24 , 2003
Got 2 days off and the Sun was out so I got busy ! Yesterday I coated the wooden exterior panels liberally with Polyurethane . They look really good and should make it through a wet winter fine.
Here's a few pics of the panels now that they're protected

On the way to the hardware Store yesterday to pick up rivets for the molding around the Truck Boxes , I realized it would be a smart move to paint the inside ceiling of the bus .So, I picked an oil based enamel in an off-white color (antique white) which should work out great to throw the light around the inside.
Before I painted the ceiling I used a product called 'No Sand' to take off the shiny gloss of the ceiling ...so the paint would have something to 'stick' to.
 Even though I had all the windows & Bus doors open I still got mighty dizzy . Whew ! That stuff stinks! Make sure you wear gloves and eye protection when you apply that stuff . It's very caustic.
Basically you just pour a little on a rag and rub in on the ceiling and anywhere else you want to paint . You keep applying the 'No Sand' to the whole ceiling , then let it dry off for around 15 minutes before painting .
I used a paint roller to paint the ceiling...worked Great !



This morning I got up and cut some of the interior ceiling flashing to the right size...screwed them back up and painted them . When I looked into the Bus this morning I noticed a few flying insects  had gotten stuck in the wet ceiling paint ...so I scraped them off and touched up the spots with fresh paint.

 

I also installed our exterior Wilson Truck Cell Phone Antenna today . From what I hear , they're supposed to help you pull in weak signals.
All you do to install them is cut a 5/8" hole in the roof ...feed the antenna lead through the hole into the interior , then slide the threaded end into the hole and tighten a nut/washer to secure the whole thing down nice and tight.
I installed it at the rear of the bus...where the 'Box' that holds the wiring to the top rear Bus lights is located .

Yesterday I ordered from Camping World a crank-up Satellite Dish Antenna that works the same way as our crank-up TV antenna does .
The more I climb up to the the Top of our Bus to do some project ...the more I realize, I really don't want to do that every time we move to a new location , just to adjust the Antenna.
So , I'll install a crank-up Dish Antenna and store the portable Dish under the Bed.
If the Roof Mount wont pull in a signal ...because something's in the way ...I'll just set-up the portable Antenna.
I also ordered a new Cobra CB Radio from Camping World. It has the normal 40 channels plus 7 NOAA Weather Band channels .
Our old CB still works , but I like the idea of the added Weather Band Alert channels.

AUGUST 30 , 2003
Today started out with a torrentional downpour that settled down to a wet dreary drizzle ...so I got to work on the Molding/flashing around the Truck Boxes . 
I dragged the boxes into the Kitchen of our apartment and applied some liquid nails to the underside of the molding pieces , drilled through the molding into the Box and then pop-riveted them into place on the front of the box.
Millie helped me place them back into the holes I cut for them in the Bus ...and I pop-riveted them into the Buses body.
I got two of the four boxes mostly done and will try to finish up the other two tomorrow.
It will probably Rain big time tomorrow ...but even if it does I have to get these boxes flashed and waterproofed . This is The Beginning of the Rainy season here in Sitka ...so it's  a race to get as much done on the outside I can before things get really wet .

Here's a couple of pics of the Boxes with their molding attached to the bus 

I'm really glad to be getting these boxes attached correctly to the Bus .Once they're done I can start on the Wind generator pole set-up and a few other minor things that need doing on the outside ...then I can finally start on the Interior work . Cant wait !

 

SEPT. 6 , 2003
I've been really sick with some weird respiratory thing and busy at work ...so I haven't gotten much done on the Bus lately. But I did walk out to the Builders supply store this morning and ordered a bunch of insulation , 1/4 inch interior AC plywood , 1x2's and a bunch of other stuff that I'll need to start the interior of the Bus soon.
I still have to finish up the Box flashing and do a little exterior water-proofing before I can start with the inside stuff.

One good thing to look forward to soon , is my 'summer job' will be finished around the 24th of this month . So , I'll be able to use at least 35 days to work on the Bus before I have to find another job .

SEPT. 9 , 2003
We got our new Winegard roof-mount Satellite Dish Antenna yesterday in the mail ...so I got up early and took down the portable one and installed the new one.
 Basically you install it the same way you do the Winegard TV antenna...cut a hole in the roof, metal screw the unit to the roof ...then go inside and cut the various bit's & pieces to size and screw those up. That's about it .
You get really good and easy to understand installation instructions along with the Satellite Dish.
Here's a few pics of the new dish , inside and out

I also used expanding spray foam insulation on some of the areas inside I want to get insulated before I start building the walls in.
Spray Foam insulation is HIGHLY Flammable in it's raw state ! Be really careful when you use it ...the slightest spark can start a really explosive fire . Up-plug everything and don't smoke.
You should also wear Eye protection & gloves when applying Spray Foam .
I used a painters protective mask also because I'm still feeling awful with some chest cold.
You can pick up spray foam at any building supply store.

Here's a pic of the Foam


I also spray painted the inside of 3 of the windows on the rear of the bus Black. I'll be covering them with insulation and the interior wall ...and don't want anything showing through the windows . We did this on our other Bus 'Home'. This technique works really nicely if you spray carefully and keep the drips and runs down to a minimum .

I still need to finish up the exterior flashing/molding on the exterior truck boxes ...and build the generator box compartment , before I can start building the walls in. On my next day off I'll try to get them finished.

Also today, Spenard's ( our building supply store ) delivered all the stuff for building the interior walls I ordered the other day .
Really looking forward to starting the interior !

 

SEPT. 14 , 2003
The Monsoon let up for a few hours so I got out there quick and finished up the Flashing/Molding on the exterior truck boxes.
Whew !!! Glad to get that done.

I've got a run of 6 hard days at work , starting tomorrow ...so I wont be able to get anything else done on the Bus until after that . This is the end of the Cruise Ship Tourist Season here in Sitka ...so we're all working hard to get as much done ( Sold :) )as possible before its over for the year. Once the job is over for me , I'll get back to the Bus in a serious way . I want to design and build the Wind Generator Mount next ...then I'll cover the rear windows with wooden covers like I did on the sides of the Bus.
Then I need to cut out the 'Hole' for the generator box .

Here's a few pics of the completed Boxes . Sorry about the picture quality , my cameras acting up again

SEPT. 28 , 2003
Well I finally went to the doctor and found out what was wrong with me all these months ...my chest has been killing me and I can't breathe very well at night . She says I have all sorts of stuff going on ...chest infection , allergies , sinus infection etc. etc. .
I've been taking Antibiotics and 4 other meds for 7 days ...and still feel absolutely terrible . UGGH!
I don't have Insurance ...so I hate having to spend cash for a bunch of tests ( This last trip cost us over $500.00 )  ...but I'm thinking it might be smart to go back . 

But , the Sun came out today after 6 days of Monsoon like rains ...so I got some stuff done on the Bus project . Not much ...but I've been getting lots of emails asking me if my camera died and why haven't I been adding any updates ...so I got a few things done .

I 'm going to cover the 2 rear windows on the back of the Bus with wooden covers like I did on the sides ...so I cut out the plywood backing panels , cut the 1x2 framing to size and then stained and polyurethaned them all .
Tomorrow they'll be dry enough to glue together and add the green house siding pieces to them.

I also cut-out the cedar lattice piece , backing and framing to cover one of the bathroom windows with . 
Here's a couple of pics of the pieces ready to be put together

Since the Sun's was still out and the day so beautiful ...I cut out the hole in the Bus for the Generator compartment using the sawzall .
I love & hate that tool . Nothing does a better job at slicing through 3 layers of steel at the same time ...but , it scares me half to death every time I use it .
Here's a few pics of the new Hole

Sept. 30 , 2003
I finished up the Lattice panel to cover up one of the bathroom's window this morning and got it attached to the bus securely . 
Here's a couple of pics of the panel

This panel is a bit different from the others . It's covering a window instead of a galvanized sheet like the others . And I didn't want to make a small house paneling section like the others because it would look awkward ...so I went for a cedar lattice panel similar to the ones I made to cover our bedroom windows . 

Because the Bathroom window was painted black , and I didn't want the window showing through . I cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood to fit inside the lattice molding with the lattice and painted it green to match the other Bus panels. I drilled through the panel and all the way through the bus framing using a 1/4 inch bit and inserted 1/4 blots through the holes . Tightened it all down ...and I think It looks really nice.

Here's a detail on how I went about using 1/4 bolt sets to hang the panels to the bus that might help .
Once all the panels were tightened down inside pretty securely ...I  left them alone for a few days to 'settle' . Then I tightened them down even more ...but not too much because I didn't want to crush the wood panels . Then I went inside and smeared a good amount of J. B. Weld© on each nut ,lock washer & washer . This should insure that the nuts wont loosen when were driving about .
Here's a pic of what I'm talking about

After I got the new Lattice panel attached , I worked on the 2 rear panels I'm building to cover the back windows on the bus .
 

First I take the measurements of the area I want to cover and using 3/8 inch plywood cut out the appropriate sized piece .
Then I cut the 1x2 framing pieces to fit the plywood piece using my Wonderful Dewalt Miter Saw ( God I Love this saw !!!! )
After I get the 4 framing pieces cut to the right size and stained , I spread some Liquid Nails® adhesive on the back of each framing piece...then working from the back of the panel (plywood side) I drilled out pilot holes and used wood screws to to attach the framing to the plywood securely.
Here's a couple of pictures of what I'm talking about

 Next after the Liquid Nails has dried completely . I lay the panels down flat with the framing side up and spread a decent amount of Liquid Nails inside the Panel and then start laying down the House Panel sections. 
Starting at the bottom I lay a piece of pre-painted House Paneling section down , then I applied some more Liquid Nails and lay down the next piece ...making sure it over-lapped the first piece slightly . And so on until the panel is completed .
Here's a couple of pics of the process I use

Once the panel is completed , I lay some pieces of wood over the top and use a weight to hold the paneling pieces in place and let it dry overnight.
The next day , I touch up any glue spots and such with some green stain/paint ...and using Grabber screws ...screw through the back side of the panel into the siding pieces to secure them completely to the panel.
When everything is dry and secure , I attach the panels to the bus and give them a good coating of Polyurethane .

So far this method has worked really well for me . It's rock solid and I shouldn't have any problems with pieces coming undone on the road .
The panels do add some weight to the Bus ( probably around 200 lbs for all of them )...but I love a bus that has an old 60's Rolling Homes look to them . You could never do this to a big MCI or Prevost bus . It just wouldn't look 'Right'. But on a bullet nosed School Bus it looks very appropriate.
These panels will really look gorgeous when we paint the Bus next summer . The Buses Body will be a rich dark Victorian Green color. And our roof will be painted a cream color .
It should look Great !

 

OCT. 1 , 2003
Had to do a bunch of Business related stuff today ...but I did get the 2 back window panels up 
Here's a couple of Pics

OCT. 2 , 2003
It rained a little early this morning ...then stopped , So I built a few sections of Wall Framing and installed them today.

I want to use the full 4 ft. width of the 1/4 interior grade plywood ...so I built each framing section 4 ft. high by 8 ft. long .
I used Liquid Nails and Grabber Screws to secure the ends of the framing ...and then attached angle irons to the frame with glue and some hefty wood screws .
I then held the framing sections up in place in the bus and drilled out holes , matching the angle irons holes in the metal wall of the bus ...and used metal screws to attach the framing to the wall .
It worked out really well . Tomorrow I'll finish up one side of the bus ...and start adding the insulation and vapor barrier.

Here's a few pics

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