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Bus Conversion Page 8

Upgrades

Just like owning a house, a bus conversion is never finished. Just about the time you think you have it all just the way you want it, you decided to make some changes. Early on in the conversion process, my father-in-law, Pete Weber and I installed twin 55 gallon fresh water tanks and a 98 gallon gray/black combo tank in our rear holding bay. The tanks were adequate for our needs, but their configuration wasted a lot of bay space. On one of our regular trips to RV Surplus in Elkhart, Indiana we came across a 103 gallon water tank that was shorter than our twin 55 gallon tanks, but taller. We purchased it, then contacted Ameri Kart in nearby Bristol, Indiana and had them make up a matching 103 gallon gray/black combo tank. The nice folks at Ameri Kart spun on the fittings exactly where we wanted them, and on a hot weekend at Elkhart Campground I removed the old tanks and installed the new ones in our plumbing bay, then rerouted some water lines to a better location. The plumbing system is set up so that we can run gray water directly into the holding tank, or with the simple turn of a valve in the plumbing bay, it can run directly out when we have a sewer connection. Now we have much more storage room in the plumbing bay. We built a long, narrow two-shelf divider that sandwiches in between the holding tanks, preventing any shifting, giving them extra support on the sides, and that works perfectly for storing fishing rods, extra hoses, electric cables, and other gear.

Miss Terry has never been happy with the Splendide RV washer/dryer combo unit we originally installed in the bus, and after it broke for about the fourth time she said enough was enough. We pulled it out, reconfigured one bedroom closet and the hallway, and installed a separate compact apartment size Whirlpool washer and 120 volt dryer. The new appliances give us much better service, Terry can do larger loads in one wash, and they wash and dry much faster than the RV unit. She loves being able to dry one load while another is in the washer, something she could never do with the Splendide. The area over the washer and dryer now serves as a wide shirt closet where all of our hanging items are carried.

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An artist needs the proper tools to work with, and anybody who has enjoyed one of Miss Terry’s meals knows that when it comes to the culinary arts, she doesn’t have much competition. She has never liked the RV stove and oven we originally installed. Shopping around, we found a handsome Avanti stainless steel four burner range with an oven, broiler, and glass window door that fits exactly where the RV stove was, and cost just about the same price! She loves her new range, and I sure love the goodies she makes with it!

Outside the bus, we replaced the Roadmaster Falcon 5250 tow bar we have been using since we started fulltiming with a 10,000 pound rated Blue Ox tow bar, which we find easier to use when we hook up and unhook our Toyota pickup. I replaced our dim 24 volt roof marker lights with 12 volt LED markers and those puppies really shine!  

We also returned to Lake City, Florida and had John Palmer from Palmer Energy Systems upgrade our Magnum Energy 2,000 watt inverter to a pure sine wave 2,000 watt model, also from Magnum Energy.

As you can see, our bus has come a very long way since we first saw it, and about all we have left to do now is some interior trim and someday, when finances allow, we may look into a new paint job. But for now, it is the perfect home on wheels for our needs and we are thrilled with the results of our hard work over the last four years. A bus conversion is not for every RVer, but for us, it was the right choice!