Converting a heavy-duty bus/coach/truck into a motorhome (page 55 of 161)

Hi Acapola and Herveco, WELCOME😉 It's true that we should tidy up all this a bit🤪🏴‍☠️

Don’t be critical, just understanding! :(

There were only two buses!

François’s and mine!

François’s isn’t a good example for most of us, we poor French folks (right, François, with that step trick!)... I’ll explain:

François is Swiss! And over there, homologation is a piece of cake! For those seats, the inspector got on the bus, asked François where people would sit, and boom—it counted!

For the water heater, François installed (very properly) a small household gas water heater. The inspector asked for a demo, and boom—approved! Even with the exhaust through the bodywork and the visible flame (two reasons for rejection by Veritas here!).

His setup is brilliant and super functional. He’s a hydraulic engineer by trade and installed perfect stabilizing jacks! His electrical setup is based on a Studer Dakar 1800W charger-converter combo—all his protections are residential-grade. So, a really "cool bus," but it can’t be a reference for us, except for the quality of the work done, of course!

As for mine, I’ve already shared plenty of photos in the 47 pages of this thread, and the interior hasn’t progressed much lately... My layout plans are known, and even the future decor!

I also explained that VoyageForum isn’t a blog, and I struggled to get something under 195 KB to attach!

This was also the first meet-up, and lots of projects are underway—I’m thinking of Kersode, Amasxmx, Famillede8, François57, etc... who’ve just bought their buses or are in the middle of work. The next gathering should let us burn more film! (We’re counting on them)

And from Montauban, you should’ve come! :P Some traveled twice the distance to get here—slackers!

Alright, no hard feelings! For the next meet-up, you’ll be in charge of parking the vehicles, so you’ll see them all first!

PATRICK26

A topic that keeps coming up on this dedicated forum lately, and we discussed it over the weekend:

Here’s my attempt at a summary:

Over 130,000 views More than 1,100 posts (considering the 130,000 views!)

A community of people mostly interested in the possibility of traveling in spacious motorhomes (large families or long trips) or creating an easy-to-build mobile home.

A shared desire to carry out our projects while respecting current standards and regulations.

What does this community need?

A free discussion space where anyone interested in the topic that drives us can join (and, before that, find us online). And VoyageForum remains, thanks to its SEO and the volume of posts on this topic, an incredible funnel for those looking for info on converting a bus into a motorhome (just Google "bus camping car"—you’ll see!)

What else would we need?

The ability to split our discussions into themes like: bodywork, electricity, water, woodwork, ventilation,

A library space where we could have: useful links, downloadable documents, etc.

I think there are two possible solutions based on a simple observation. VoyageForum, like any forum, thrives on the traffic generated by visitors to discussions like ours. In exchange, it offers us this free discussion space. It’s a fair give-and-take, and the balance shouldn’t tip too far in either direction.

So, two solutions:

The first: Check with the VoyageForum administrators to see if it would be possible to elevate our topic. Here’s what I mean: currently, our discussion topic is under the "Traveling in a motorhome" theme. Why not create a theme called "Converting a bus/coach/truck into a motorhome for travel," where we could have several discussion topics? This would allow us to split this all-in-one thread! It wouldn’t take up more server space and would only add one more line to the header for traffic that’s already significant and could grow even more (let’s even imagine banners for Narbonne Accessories and others...). Other topics about conversions, mechanical issues, etc., could also find a home in this new section.

The only thing left would be to find an open FTP storage solution for downloadable documents... (Maybe some of you have solutions, or VoyageForum might, since they already have a space for meet-up reports and use servers—but I’m getting ahead of myself. Remember, VF is the first and only forum I’ve ever posted on!)

The second: If the VoyageForum administrators refuse the first option (which is their choice—let’s not forget we’re guests in their space!), we’d have to make do with our current discussion space (and let’s not forget that, aside from me starting this thread, it’s thanks to VF’s amazing SEO that you all found me!). The only thing we’d need to figure out is storage for downloadable documents.

Leaving VoyageForum seems absurd to me! No other platform could offer better SEO than the thousands of words in our 1,100 posts from a well-referenced French-speaking forum!

And don’t even think about moving this discussion elsewhere! By signing up, you agreed to VoyageForum’s charter, which is clear on this point (and fair in my opinion!).

Let’s give those who haven’t joined us yet the chance to find us!

That’s the summary we came to...

I’ll try to talk to François (VoyageForum’s administrator) about this in the coming days, unless he sees this message first!

PATRICK26

Totally agree with you, Patrick. This forum is great, and anyone who doesn’t have the energy to look for the right thread here is unlikely to succeed in converting a coach into a motorhome!

And an idea just popped into my head...

For all those ready to invest in a converted bus or one still being worked on, why not "bus sessions"?

A calendar, a list of interested people, a budget hotel or a cheap countryside hotel or a gîte or anything with sleeping space, tables to work at, and power for laptops.

We decide on the city based on the participants so the average distance is fair, and we work on our projects!

Plans, gear, etc...

Because the weekend in Valence was great! We had a lot of fun! But I’m not sure if any project actually moved forward in the end...

It could be one Sunday a month (or even the whole weekend!) solo or with family (though then we’d isolate ourselves to work!).

Cheap gîtes with Wi-Fi can be found everywhere now!

Alright, I’ll let you all chew on this and take over—I’m not doing all the work on this forum! ;)

PATRICK26

Let's say in other forum discussions there's a "tree/list" toggle next to the page numbers and the "watch this discussion" button.

Why isn't the tree view available here? Maybe because of the number of posts, but when you reply (often to the last message in the list), the email notification says "reply to one of your messages" without necessarily being related to yours. Whereas when a message is posted in the right place, you receive an email saying "a new message has been posted in VF..."

I agree with Patrick26 and think that going up one level will allow us to categorize everything while staying on this forum to open more specific discussions. However, be careful—there are forums (mostly focused on Mercedes vans, for example) that are very comprehensive in this area (sections for tips and tricks, legislation, vehicle search, etc.).

But I remember when the project first took root in my mind and I started getting serious about it—I was happy to read the 17 pages this forum had at the time. Now it's tripled, and there's nothing we can do about that either 😉

For images, I created a Skyblog for mine: saviem.skyblog.com—you can check it out. (Indeed, the forum is here to collect small images or quick plans, not to store gigabytes of photos that take multiple screens to scroll through or require digging everywhere.) My blog won't progress much for now because I've stopped working on it since I'm now traveling for work.

Personally, I'd prefer to browse blogs (or more complete sites)—though that also takes time to upload your work, blogs are quick to set up. In 5 minutes, you're indexed, then a bit of writing and some photos, and boom—done.

Good night, everyone

Hi there, I just read your reply to all those people whose comments seem to come from jealousy or a total lack of understanding of the topic—normal, since they only drive classic vehicles. My dream for a few years now has been to have a converted bus or an American motorhome. A divorce put that sweet dream of driving something different on hold, but for 20 years, I’ve been driving American vehicles. I’ll get back in touch to ask for more details about buses.

Best regards,

Thierry

hi again, I just read almost all 47 pages and I’ve got the info I needed, thanks

I really don’t see where you’re seeing attacks or jealousy on this forum—it’s definitely the coolest one in the world 😉 😎 😄 😏 Fab

Hey folks, to those who think converting a bus is ridiculous—there’s more than one way to do it. Patrick can confirm, but this site is awesome—I’ve learned a lot for my future project. See you soon! tc

Hi there! I have an S53M bus in great condition. It’s either ready to be converted or needs a full renovation. It’s a VTSU, so the body isn’t specified. It has 130,000 km and was previously used by the Montpellier blood transfusion center.

I’ve got lots of spare parts and a complete bus for parts, all for 5,000 €, including the roadworthiness certificate (CT).

If you want more details, just give me a call at 06 64 17 98 28.

Oh, and it’s a 9-seater, so it’s a PL license.

See you soon, Nyco

- -- totally agree with you, Patrick, the forum is great, and anyone who doesn’t have the patience to search for the right topic in this post is unlikely to succeed in converting a coach--

Hello,

No offense, but I can’t let you say that! Reading all 47 pages is informative and interesting ONCE, but after that, it’s just masochistic when you don’t remember who wrote the post you’re looking for or can’t recall the spelling of their username... Despite all its merits, I think accessing information here isn’t exactly user-friendly as it stands. Converting a coach isn’t easy, so let’s find a way to make knowledge and experience from those who’ve done it or are doing it more accessible. It’s really in everyone’s interest to organize the information and highlight it.

I’m waiting for more reactions before making my proposal, and especially for Patrick’s feedback on what the VoyageForum team can do.

See you, seb

- -- An idea just popped into my head... For all those ready to invest in a converted bus or one still in the works, how about "bus sessions"?--

That would be amazing (and it’d save us from squinting at screens just to swap ideas...)

Personally, my goal is to buy the bus between January and April so I can do most of the conversion during the nicest months (well, in theory, because working in a bus during a heatwave...). I’m suggesting a full weekend in January. If a "bus session" happens before then, I’ll come anyway—it can only be interesting!

Okay, let’s forget January 6–7 to recover from the holidays. The 27–28 is already booked, but the other two weekends (13–14, 20–21) work for me!

See ya, seb

Hi,

I remember reading a post from Basto... who was looking to get a Class C license outside of office hours.

Does anyone know a driving school that offers this? So classes in the morning/afternoon/evening or on weekends? In the Paris region??? (I’m still dreaming: in the southwest quarter of Paris???)

Otherwise, I know about Chazot, but since it’s my first year at the company, it’s gonna be tough to negotiate an advance on my vacation time...

Cheers, Seb

Reading all 47 pages is informative and interesting ONCE, but after that it's masochistic when you can't remember who wrote the post you're looking for or can't recall the spelling of their username... Despite all its merits, I think accessing information is simply not practical on this forum as it currently stands. Converting a coach isn't easy, so let's find a way to simplify access to the knowledge and experience of those who've done it or are in the process. It's really in everyone's interest to organize the information and highlight it.

It's true that it's not easy to find your way around the topic Patrick26 started. You just have to dig deep, but if there's a way to clarify (classify electric-water-general regulations, for example) all that, it wouldn't hurt.

For us, things are moving along smoothly, and now we're thinking about the conversion (material choices-general layout of the rooms-autonomy equipment choices). In short, it's not simple, but you already know that!!!😉

Hi there, I'm naturally very curious and was wondering what people generally do with all those seats after removing them—do they get a second life? Crazy PS, Patrick, if I couldn’t make it to the gathering, just so you know, my job for the last 25 years has been a bouncer at a nightclub, and unfortunately, I work every weekend. That’s why 600 km was too far for a single day. Ciao

I'm looking into giving away some seats for free to a local music association. And figuring out a way to repurpose some and resell others as chairs—it's pretty unusual, so it might be a hit. My upholstery is actually in great condition, it's a shame to just toss everything. But for now, nothing's done, and I think most of it will end up in the dumpster...

Yeah, the seat idea could work.

So, first option: check out my attached photos.

I’m actually selling some! ! ! (Just trying to free up my garage.)

Or I’ll trade them, or buy eight of better quality than what I have now—meaning I’m looking for the kind like the PR14 I saw just two posts above.

Otherwise, I had an idea for a removable cinema room for an association in a friend’s vaulted cellar (screening short explanatory films based on the theme of the accompanying exhibit...)

Hey everyone! 😉 It finally arrived, my B10, since Saturday morning (photos attached), with a W garage for no less than 150 €. And I was happy to pay, he even wanted to do it for free—what a nice mechanic! 😎

Couldn’t help myself from getting started a bit Saturday afternoon, just for fun, by removing the seats. The neighbors and friends got to see the scale of the project and didn’t hold back on their negative vibes, which I feed off to stay sharp: "You have no idea what kind of work you’re getting into, and the cost of tires, the mines that’ll make you suffer—plus, there’s so much rust!" and so on. And me, with my clueless face , I just muddied the waters with: "Oh yeah? You think I didn’t think of that? Stop trying to freak me out!" I’m laughing! It’s in their incompetence that I gain confidence.

WOOOOOOHAHAHAHAHA, so stoked—life is good!

Alright, quick update: It’s from ’89, 700,000 km, spent 10 years with the first owner (a travel company) and the rest with a town for kids’ outings (schools, associations, etc.), with the last two years parked without moving. Lots of engine work done (cylinder head, connecting rod bearings, alternator, starter, etc.). There’s quite a bit of rust since it was parked near the sea. All that for 800 € (I could’ve had it for 1 symbolic euro), so at this price, I’ll just add more rust!

PS: Patrick26, you were totally right in your PM, and my wife agrees with you about my temperament! Thanks for the reminder that I shouldn’t rush.

Oh man, I need to calm down—I can’t sit still. See ya!

So if I'm understanding correctly, we just throw everything in the dumpster? It seems difficult and delicate to sustainably recycle the seats! Regarding the weight—when you strip out everything unnecessary and replace it with the permanent setup, what's the weight difference? Basically, how much do the furniture and partitions weigh for a typical conversion?