Converting a heavy-duty bus/coach/truck into a motorhome (page 33 of 161)

hey everyone, me too, it's been a while since I've been on the forum, I'm heading to Germany next week with my S53 😎 anyway, I have a question, I'm going to do an oil change and change the diesel filters, but how do you re-prime after changing the filters? Is it with the starter, or is there a primer bulb somewhere I haven't found?

thanks in advance

ben

Well, I'm hoping you'll have time to come by my place... I have a cousin here who can be my free labor for 2 months lol... Alright, bye and have a good trip... For the restart, I'm going to ask the driver I know... See you later on the bus

DID YOU SEE THAT M6 EPISODE (Forbidden Zone)?

okay, we'll skip over the idiots having a picnic at the dump station....

but check out that grey Vanhool bus!

this bus got held up by the authorities for missing a driver's door! the builder nearly ended up in court because he couldn't deliver it to the customer!

everything worked out thanks to Guyez Conseil in the 77, which does homologation consulting for small builders. They took on the project for a hefty fee. Got it through the local authority (probably some connections!) and the bus finally got its approval.

it was Loic Gadden who built this bus. He's created a company that specializes in this kind of conversion and it's called MONARCH RV. He'd already done this one:

http://www.teamnegoce.com/Photos/CarsBus/Cat/campingcar/campingcarext.jpg

check out more details on

http://www.teamnegoce.com

in the camping cars section. You'll also see James Ruffier's double-decker bus there (race car driver and turbo tester for M6) and his semi-truck hotel trailer.

PATRICK26

Hello Patrick, I'm from Val-d'Oise and like many others, I'm going to set up a motorhome conversion from a bus. Your last very informative messages were from 2004—are you still around? Where's your project at? Can you confirm that a Category C license is valid for driving all types of converted motorhomes? Thanks for your response. Pascal.

Hi, I already have my bus driver's license and I'd love to buy a bus to convert it into a motorhome. Could you tell me about the requirements and technical inspection? What about the cost of a bus and the conversion work? Thanks in advance

for those with questions about licenses:

<9 seats on registration = heavy vehicle license (TCP not valid 🏴‍☠️) >9 seats on registration = TCP license

anyway, I have a problem with my S53 bus I'm losing coolant from the pump there's a hole in the pump (apparently original) through which my coolant is draining can I seal this hole without causing any problems?

thanks in advance I'm stuck in Germany

ben

The hole in the water pump is normal, the leak is less so. The hole serves to drain water that leaks through the packing gland in order not to damage the bearings. To remedy this: either a standard water pump exchange, or an overhaul of it (if overhaul kits are available

Good luck

Listen Ben, I'm checking with my truck driver mate—that way you'll at least be sorted... I'll get back to you on GMX as soon as I know more... When are you planning to come back?

Hi, I can't help you with your leak, but I'd like to meet or chat with you on MSN because I'm from Vouziers and I'm planning to buy a bus and live in it with my little family. I already have a camper van, but it's too small (C35), which is why I want to switch to a bus.

Hello

I've been following the forum for some time now because I want to set up a project to convert a bus or coach into a motorhome. Not having the means at the moment to realize this project, I'm looking for sponsors. Indeed, we're a team of 3 motorcycle racers, one of whom races in the French championship and the world championship, and we'd like for the 2007 or 2008 season to have a nice, spacious motorhome to travel to races. To do that, I want to put together a sponsorship proposal to find funding. The problem is that I need to provide a budget, plans, sketches - basically all the documents that will make my project as professional and serious as possible. So I'm calling on the people of this forum - I need you and your experience. I need to be able to define a budget for purchase, conversion, maintenance costs, and travel.

Knowing that at the back of the bus I want to set up a small workshop to store the motorcycles and gear, and that I would need for sleeping arrangements a permanent double bed, a double bed that fits in place of the table for example, and 3 single bunk beds, a living room/dining room where we can eat 6 to 8, a bathroom with a shower cabin, and a kitchen. We'll do about 30,000 km per year (for maintenance costs).

So I'd like to buy a bus that's already been decommissioned to save time.

So I would need: budget for buying a decommissioned bus, estimated budget for the conversion, maintenance budget, fuel consumption budget - I also need to get my heavy-duty driver's license

Here's my email bastos@17pouces.net For those interested, here are the addresses of our 2 websites www.17pouces.net and www.team17pouces.net

Thanks in advance for your answers, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed to find the budget because I've really wanted a campervan bus for a long time, even for vacations (diving in Spain, surfing in winter...)

bastosyzf450 on this site http://www.teamnegoce.com/ there's a bus that might suit you direct link: http://www.teamnegoce.com/Photos/CarsBus/Cat/extS53/ficheextS53.htm call them for the price on a German website I saw one of the same kind for around 20,000 but you can find cheaper...

for the permit see patrick26's message: http://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=466924;search_string=permis;#466924

fuel consumption budget: plan for about 25L of diesel per 100km

a few used-bus sites: http://www.teamnegoce.com/ http://www.gaby-chariots.com/ http://www.bacqueyrisses.com/

Well, bad news—you'll need to change your pump... so either you manage to get going again with that hole, or you fill up the water every hour or whatever it takes to keep it from overheating, or you seal up that famous packing gland hole, but if it's a stagnation risk no big deal it can stagnate just fine while you're driving (IN MY OPINION), but that compartment shouldn't be so airtight so in my view the water will escape elsewhere....

I hope you speak German well... see you later. I'm home every weekend until August 7th theoretically

Hey, nice bus you've got! I'm about to set up a 12-tonne conversion, and since AFNOR certification is expensive, your insights would be really helpful. Looking for any addresses or ideas for a cheaper conversion than 'Narbonne Accessoires' and similar places. Maybe you're already on the road!!!!! Thanks for sharing your experiences 🙂

jcteam, I'd like to know if you still had your coach because I'd like to do the same thing with a bus. Could we get in touch? I'm from Montauban too. fatipic@cegetel.net

😐 Do you still have it for sale and for how much? Thanks, Fabrice.

HI!!

I'm planning to convert a bus (or coach) on a medium budget to place it on a piece of land and live there. It will be a vehicle that won't move and will be set up in place. I wanted to get some information about what type of vehicle to choose and about the conversion process. Basically, I want to put it on a concrete slab and bring in electricity and water like you would for a house, then set up the inside of the bus. I think I won't have any regulatory issues since it won't be traveling, but I honestly have no idea how to go about the actual conversion work. For example, how do you insulate a vehicle to live in it? Can I set it up just like a house, since it will be completely stationary? Are there any laws regarding living in a vehicle on a piece of land? THANKS in advance for all this information...

Have a good evening!

Julien

Legally, you definitely won't be able to place it in a residential subdivision—you need to check the local urban plan (PLU) of the village where you're planning to settle. Really, the best option is to place it as an outbuilding attached to a house.

Generally, when you buy developed land, you're committed under subdivision rules to apply for a building permit within the year and finish your house the next year. You also can't install any 'temporary' structures on the land—like a caravan, prefab, or even gas tanks (unless they're hidden behind a bush if you don't bury them).

For older properties, if there's nothing there, it's usually not developed. And if you demolish a house, they'll ask what you're putting there instead before you get the demolition permit... A bus won't need a permit if it can move. But if you remove the wheels (or just let it rot in place), the mayor can order you to remove it.

For insulation, try rigid foam, or check out merco.aceboard.fr in the tips and tricks section on insulation—we've gotten answers to lots of things there. For water and electricity holes, it's like in a regular house, but watch out for freezing... See how they do it in construction site cabins like ALGECO...

🙂Hi Patrick, I can't reach you anymore—your number's no longer valid. I wanted to see your setup. Here's my email: olivmed@aol.com

Talk soon

Olivier Medina 06 83 36 63 63

Thank you francois for those clear answers!! 🙂

But still, I don't understand how people manage to put a mobile home on their private land with water and electricity, and apparently completely legally? Maybe there are permits for private camping? With a non-buildable plot but where you can request to have water and electricity brought in... It's hard asking the town hall about that when you'd just look so clueless.

Who could I ask for this kind of information? A mobile home dealer maybe?

In any case, I hope a solution exists 😕

Well, the seller will tell you it's possible, but check the Local Urbanism Plan (PLU) that you can consult at the town hall... if it's on wheels, you won't need a building permit or property tax, so the bus should be fine, but watch out for subdivision regulations... you can get utilities connected without doing construction, but they might still refuse your permit... so for advice, call an engineering firm that specializes in roads and utilities. I worked in that field, so I know the system pretty well