| Author | Message | ||
| Jim Wallin (Powderseeker01)
Registered Member Username: Powderseeker01 Post Number: 1 Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 68.200.39.126 Rating: N/A |
Hi All- I've been lurking in the background for quite a while and renovating our ole 4107 in the meantime. I have posted pictures of the progress at http://photobucket.com/powderseeker01-PD4107-627 for anyone who may be interested in viewing the transformation. Thanks to Ian and Jack C for getting me hooked up to post here. | ||
| Glenn Williams (Glenn)
Registered Member Username: Glenn Post Number: 186 Registered: 6-2006 Posted From: 216.163.56.194 Rating: N/A |
Looks great! What did you use for your wall skin? It looks like drywall. Keep up the good work! | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 495 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.209.43.235 Rating: N/A |
Hi, Jim......welcome aboard....this is a great "hobby", or???. Nice documentation and work!!  Curiosity...is that all sheetrock"? RCB '64 Crown Supercoach (HWC) | ||
| Jim Wallin (Powderseeker01)
Registered Member Username: Powderseeker01 Post Number: 2 Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 68.200.39.126 Rating: N/A |
Thanks for the feedback...yes, it is all sheetrock. I thought that might raise a few eyebrows. FYI, Between installing the sheetrock and finishing it I drove the bus from Florida to Colorado no problem. But you may have noticed that both the framing and the rock itself have "lots" of screws. | ||
| Patrick levenson (Zubzub)
Registered Member Username: Zubzub Post Number: 62 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 69.159.120.161  Rating: N/A |
let me guess... You've laid a little drywall in your day? Nice different look using the drywall. | ||
| go fast guy (Paul_klyczek)
Registered Member Username: Paul_klyczek Post Number: 1 Registered: 2-2009 Posted From: 70.209.193.166  Rating: N/A |
jim,I've been lurking a while also, so hello all. What a great project you have. How did your Colorado trip go? | ||
| Jim Wallin (Powderseeker01)
Registered Member Username: Powderseeker01 Post Number: 3 Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 68.200.39.126 Rating: N/A |
Yes, I've done a little drywall in my day.... and the trip to Colorado (I was moving there) went better than I could've hoped. Made it in three days and didn't experience any problems at all. Of course since I was in a hurry to get there and was pushing the ole girl a bit, my mpg was hovering around 5.5, which was a little painful given the diesel price last October was about $3.00. But all's well that ends well, right? | ||
| Keith Wood (Ft6)
Registered Member Username: Ft6 Post Number: 82 Registered: 8-2008 Posted From: 75.208.233.232 Rating: N/A |
The only thing I would worry about is that your whole coach is flexing (especially those sheet metal studs), and sheetrock breaks down when it's flexed. I think you can prevent that by cutting the sheetrock into small sections, and mounting each separately with a tiny gap between them using joint tape and latex paint. | ||
| Greg Roberts (Eagle 20) (Gregeagle20)
Registered Member Username: Gregeagle20 Post Number: 249 Registered: 4-2002 Posted From: 66.18.167.76 Rating: N/A |
Pretty cool looking I have to say. I am curious what you are doing to avoid drywall cracking with the flex of the bus? I am sure there is well thought out way to install it so that the joints are in the right places and gaps are in the right places. Maybe the bus won't flex enough beyond the rate of the drywall? | ||
| Jim Wallin (Powderseeker01)
Registered Member Username: Powderseeker01 Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 68.200.39.126  Rating: N/A |
Thanks for your concern regarding the flexing of the drywall. I don't know too much about the construction of busses other than the 4107, but the monocoque unibody design provides an amazing amount of torsional rigidity. This characteristic when combined with the closed cell foam insulation that I installed provides an extremely solid foundation. My experience to date, while limited to only about 3500 road miles, has not indicated any issues. Regarding the steel studs, in this application as interior partition walls, the forces applied to them (if any) are in compression, which they are designed to withstand. Finally, drywall by nature is flexible in one axis at a time. Since it is installed in a cylinder, any forces applied would seemingly be in the same plane. But as we all know, time will tell, but I am happy with the results so far. | ||
| david anderson (Davidanderson)
Registered Member Username: Davidanderson Post Number: 241 Registered: 2-2004 Posted From: 69.153.52.140 Rating: N/A |
Hey Jim, Welcome aboard. Your coach looks really good. You are the first busnut I've seen using rock. Be sure and let us know how she is doing after about 15k miles. Several have asked about sheetrock in the past, but no one had any experience. Thanks for the photos. David | ||
| Troy Burcham (Badlybentmc7)
Registered Member Username: Badlybentmc7 Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2009 Posted From: 69.19.14.40 Rating: N/A |
Great job,Keep up the good work,You have a full time hobby now ready or not.I like the look so far CLEAN,If you are in colorado have you considerd insulation on the out side tooooo.lol. Its cold up there ,good luck TROY,JUDY,and TATER. | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 402 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.55.228.218  Rating: N/A |
great job I must say ole chap and welcome to the wonderful world of BUSNUTS!!! As you can tell everybody here is one, one way or other. If you need more practice come on down to sunny Florida and we will get some others to join us in my new garage or dog house whichever, and I will make sure we have enough coffee,tea,sprite,water. No Alchol tho! gomer | ||
| Jim Wallin (Powderseeker01)
Registered Member Username: Powderseeker01 Post Number: 5 Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 68.200.39.126 Rating: N/A |
Thank you all for the nice comments and suggestions. We have tried to design everything with fulltiming in mind, I will continue to add pictures to the scrapbook as things progress over the next few months and hopefully we'll get moved in on schedule in May. | ||
| Paul Lawry (Dreamscape)
Registered Member Username: Dreamscape Post Number: 443 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 217.35.103.132  Rating: N/A |
Welcome and Good Luck! We are moving into ours in March or April. So I kinda know what you're going through in trying to get 'er ready. Ours won't be finished when we move in, but it will be liveable and who knows, we might see something we wish to change.....Course that never happens...LOL I've subscribed to your Photobucket so I can keep up with the updates. You can see our story here www.uniquebusconversion.com Take Care, Paul | ||
| Keith Wood (Ft6)
Registered Member Username: Ft6 Post Number: 84 Registered: 8-2008 Posted From: 75.209.63.131 Rating: N/A |
Jim, a monocoque shell has stress going in all 3 axes at the same time. The GMCs are designed to distribute much of that stress through the floor, which moves in relation to the walls and ceiling (this is why you use plywood, NOT waferwood or any "sawdust in suspension" material). Your floor handles some of the forces to keep the left and right sides parallel to each other (rather than bowing in or out), and a major portion of the forces keeping the sides from "advancing" (that is, one side moving ahead of the other as you drive). If your drywall is anchored to the floor, wall and ceiling, those forces are being transmitted through the panels. Have you ever been following a semi and notice the rear doors rubbing against each other, or the doorframe flexing? That's what's happening in your coach. The people who build semi trailers leave a little slack in the door design to prevent damage, even when using steel reinforcement (the door latch system). The crown in your ceiling isn't there for headroom, it's there to distribute stress forces more evenly and prevent "oil canning" (where a flat surface flexes to extremes). If you want to know how much flex your own coach has, get a couple of rolls of kite string and some Scotch tape. Run the string floor like a spiderweb, attaching with the tape at various points of the floor, walls and ceiling. Especially run some from the drywall to various parts of the coach, and from corner to corner across the surface of the drywall itself. Then drive down the highway for half an hour, turn around and come back. Watch the strings as they go tight and slack. You will probably see some yank right off the wall. If any of these are strings attached to the drywall, that shows you the force affecting it. If you see tight or slack of the string across the face of the drywall, that means the drywall is absorbing the stress rather than transmitting it away. | ||
| Keith Wood (Ft6)
Registered Member Username: Ft6 Post Number: 85 Registered: 8-2008 Posted From: 75.209.63.131 Rating: N/A |
Oh, BTW, steel studs are definitely the way to go. For a coach conversion, they are superior in every way to using wood. | ||
| Josh McElhiney (Zcommanager)
Registered Member Username: Zcommanager Post Number: 33 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 166.217.17.217 Rating: N/A |
Welcome aboard Jim. You seem to be moving along quite nicely with 'the old girl.' The quality of your craftsmanship is quite nice as well. I'm anxious to see the progress with her, as I am hopefully going to be starting on mine in the near future, and I am always looking around for ideas or unique features. Good Work and Good Luck, Josh | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 498 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 70.212.235.176 Rating: N/A |
"Oh, BTW, steel studs are definitely the way to go. For a coach conversion, they are superior in every way to using wood." Keith, having worked with both for many years, curious what drew you to that conclusion? RCB | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1331 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.110.9  Rating: N/A |
You'll have to be careful where they are attached to aluminum. Be interested how that drywall holds up after finished and loaded. Don't they also make a type that has fibreglass strands through it. How about screw head pops; especially from temp and moisture extremes. That area you built in around steps create several cubbyhole possibilities for small access doors if there is any dead space behind them. You never have enough cubbyholes. |