Converting a heavy-duty bus/coach/truck into a motorhome (page 62 of 161)

Who talked about RUST ?!!! Bring me a bus as rusty as mine and I'll do the dishes at the next meet-up at Chabreuil. And still, I haven't finished taking it all apart. The more I cut, the more there is😕😕 (Photo attached, from the end of the world)

Congrats mrkonn on your bus😉

I'd say at €1 scrap prices, you really made quite the bargain!

But seriously, you've got at least some certification in auto body work or panel beating, yeah?

Because honestly, my bus had its share of repairs and rust, but if I were in your shoes with my skill level, I'd be getting pretty nervous about this....

You doing okay? Sleeping alright? I might have some expired sleeping pills at the bottom of a drawer if you need them, no joke. Just let me know if you want anything, don't be shy.

Don't sweat the dishes. We'll figure it out with cardboard or plastic. Don't waste time on that.... there's still loads of work to do......

Alright, enough messing around!

Is the B10 even salvageable?

Because right now it's missing its whole left side, no cargo floor (no big deal, we can patch that with sheet metal!), but what about the frame rails, cross members, and everything else? What's the verdict?

Be careful you don't get yourself into a project that'll completely wipe you out by the end!

And there's the cost of parts you're going to need to track down. Are all your cargo doors salvageable, or are you going to have to hit the junkyards? (Same question for everything else).

Watch out—sometimes you just gotta know when to let a wreck go....

PATRICK26

😉It's true, compared to your rust problem I've nothing to complain about Looking at the photos there's a lot of work Good luck! 🙂

That really appeals to me, it reminds me of my 20s! That's so cool 😎

Say, this isn't just a tune-up or restoration, it's a real rebuild!

The frame doesn't look too rough? Anyway, out of all of us, I'm sure you'll get the best price for sheet metal by the meter 😄😄😄😄

Patrick's right, don't waste time on dishes 😄 – weld 😏

Good luck

I had a buddy on the phone this afternoon who's converting an S45. He told me he was going to have Veritas come for the inspection, for the fees they charge. The conversion plans are included and the load distribution calculation too, that's what they do. I think he misunderstood what Veritas told him. 🤪

I'm having a bit of the same Volvo B10 problem with my S53, but there are still holes in my chassis. Do you have any in yours, AMAsmx?

Also, do you think we could weld profiles alongside the existing ones instead of replacing them, or reinforce a square profile by backing the rusted section with flat metal (which is already done on my vehicle)? Because a metalworker told me that even with rotten side members the bus will still go far, because the structure forms a whole, and if you start cutting into it, it won't have the same rigidity.

P.S. A nod to my S53, which is absolutely why I had to post in page 53

Thanks guys, that's kind of you. My wife's been having a blast with this 🙁 too bad for her, she'll sleep alone tonight. a good excuse not to share a bed 😎 Ugh all this rust—it'd better hold up (I'm not even scared )

François57: about the holes in the chassis, if you're talking about the floor, mine's plywood. Everything that's too rusted I'll cut out and replace, without cutting into anything else of course—I think that's the best approach. My longerons didn't take much damage, but most of the longitudinal bars are going to need replacing.

P.S. 😏GX47 if you've got a magic trick to avoid all this work, I'm not interested—it would ruin my fun, since I love the hard work. 🤪🤪🤪

LOL 😄😄😄

Hello everyone

I'm new, I just signed up on this site, I'd like to buy a small bus and convert it into a camper van. I have lots of questions. Can you actually convert a bus into a camper van? What are the procedures to follow? How do you do the procedures? Can the bus be registered as a heavy-duty vehicle? I'm attaching a photo of the bus I'd like to buy to see if it's possible to convert it into a camper van. Any information on this subject would be helpful. Thank you in advance for your response!

😉Hey welcome, pick it up from page 19 or 20 and you'll already have tons of info and also check out this new blog

http://motorhome.blogs-de-voyage.fr/amenagement/

for your photo you have something smaller😄 What kind of bus is it???

See you

As Mrkonn told you, read the thread starting from page 19 and you'll find lots of answers to your questions.

As for your bus, it's a Magirus R81 if I'm not mistaken.....

If that's the case, it's a very good base.

Do you have the sand traps in front of the rear wheels? (It's typical on the ones that were used in Switzerland).

PATRICK26

What's this sand trap? Does it release sand gradually during steep alpine climbs? Smart system, I should adapt it for my S53.

Here's what the listing says:

Bus ideal for a motorhome - habitable length 7 meters, width 2.2m, Magirus Deutz engine, air-cooled, mechanically very solid, driver door and two passenger doors which allows it to be homologated as a motorhome. Good foundation for a nice conversion into a comfortable motorhome. Engine rebuilt 60,000 km, clutch and gearbox; very pleasant to drive. 34 seats. Only issue is a steering tie rod that needs replacing, otherwise perfect. It has an original fridge, radio, etc....

(Driver door and two passenger doors which allows it to be homologated as a motorhome)

Question: How can he be sure that this bus can be converted into a motorhome!

With your driver's cab, that's one less thing to worry about. You'll need the AFNOR guide for standards 56200

But your bus looks like a good foundation

😉 hey tom38

WATCH THE FLOOR!

I also saw that listing. I'm not sure it's the ideal base. I noticed there's a step in the floor (it's higher at seat level) that you can see if you look carefully through the cargo holds, unless I'm mistaken. So if that's really the case and I saw it right, there won't be any flat floor and you won't be able to stand up on the sides—meaning only a center aisle setup. Or maybe those are the frame rails showing through the cargo holds like on the 0302 ??? Anyway, who cares about the driver's door—you don't need it anyway, it's not a selling point. Plus there's going to be a problem: this bus is listed twice on eBay at different closing times and both have different bids. Find out how much it costs to replace the ball joint—that means it's not passing MOT, so be careful.

It's better to see a vehicle in person before buying—it saves you from unpleasant surprises because photos make everything look better.

hey GX47

so you saw that eBay ad too

before buying a bus, we should ask the seller some questions!

Hi TOME 38, when asking questions, ask if there's a long gearbox and check the condition of the air bottles for the brakes, because you might be surprised by their prices. SHORT GEARBOXES (mountain type) ARE OFTEN FITTED IN MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS. fab

I just looked at the bus photos, and for an engine that's supposedly been rebuilt, there's visible oil seepage and all the clamps and connections are oxidized?!?!🤪 Ask for invoices—that's better to be safe. Know that all the auxiliary components—starter, alternator, injection pump, fuel pump, oil pump, injectors, hoses—aren't systematically replaced and they carry the mileage of the original chassis. I noticed the listing had 2 accounts and a reserve price that wasn't reached on either one 😮

Here are the two listings I found on eBay for those who want to see more photos:

http://cgi.ebay.fr/bus-transformable-en-camping-car http://cgi.ebay.fr/bus-pour-faire-un-beau-camping-car

personally I think it's too short 😛

Hi everyone, I've been reading this forum for a while and I've even read everything!!! My project is to start with a Renault FR1 and turn it into a camper van for 6 people with proper certifications of course 😉 GX 47, what do you mean by flat floor? Does the FR1 have one? Is it a truss frame or unibody construction? Is this bus prone to rust? Does anyone have plans in bus configuration to help me get started on my conversion/certification paperwork? I'm also interested in any information about this bus model Thanks everyone, cyril0603 (Sarthe)