| Author |
Message |
Sean Welsh (Sean) (64.81.73.194)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 12:33 pm: | |
A number of people have asked for photos and other information about our Neoplan Spaceliner conversion in progress. I finally got around to updating our web site with some of this information, as well as about half of the photos. Some of the pages are still works in progress, but it's a good start. Here's the link:
http://ourodyssey.us/bus-index.html
Enjoy!
-Sean |
Nick Morris (Nick3751) (65.117.139.135)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 12:55 pm: | |
Hey, Thanks a bunch Sean. I'm just starting to think about how I want to lay out my power and your site will help a bunch. |
Jimmci9 (209.240.205.60)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 4:41 pm: | |
i like it... only caught 1 possible mistake... on 12.2.. you specify 5 lb propane bottles....i think you mean 5 gallon.. 25 lb...but its a lot better than i can do.. good luck with your project...jim |
Telestar Emery (142.59.209.189)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 7:15 pm: | |
Hi Sean, that is one "awesome" unit congratulations and good luck with the rest of the project! Emery |
Bob Wood so cal (4.63.41.14)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 8:04 pm: | |
Nice bus Sean! Bob |
ChuckMC9 (Chucks) (69.3.74.153)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 8:49 pm: | |
Appreciate the amount of work you put into the planning & documentation. Your 'SOW' could be modified as a manifesto for many of us undertaking this lunacy.
Hope the progress is going well for you, Sean.
-Chuck
PS: I worked in Mountain View for awhile, just next to the Metaphor Bldg. Small world! |
James Maxwell (Jmaxwell) (66.81.36.182)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 9:41 pm: | |
Spectacular!! It was a splendid looking bus before the re-model, or should I say "construction of the new bus" and by all indications, the finished product is going to put the original to shame. I don't recall you ever elaborating too much on the drive-train components and the mechanicals and am curious as to your assesment of their condition. What are you doing for side windows? I presume the same style but will they be bottom sliders? |
Bandco (64.228.239.22)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 10:24 pm: | |
Sean
Tremendous Site and Remarkable Work
She's going to be the envy of many
Question:
You Designed from SmartDraw is-it a
complex program to work with?
And which version?
Thanks again for Posting your site |
Karll H (216.123.141.36)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 2:11 pm: | |
GREAAAT site lots of work!
Bandco I haven't work with Smart Draw but I think it's like Visio |
Roderick W. Chandler (172.140.135.251)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 5:25 pm: | |
If you click on the Smart Draw link it will allow you to download free trial |
dougthebonifiedbusnut (24.62.99.43)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 13, 2004 - 7:15 pm: | |
Hey Sean,
I got deployed to Bosnia and while there one of those came to the base that I was on. It occured to me then what a great conversion one of those would make. She is gourgous. |
NEO/Russ (216.148.244.38)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2004 - 11:38 pm: | |
Sean,
Great way to show off Neoplans and that they are similiar to other brands and the work is just about as basic. Of course your attention to detail is a step above most of us.
Great job detailing the process. Keep us posted! |
Sean Welsh (Sean) (66.134.177.2)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 2:40 am: | |
Folks,
Sorry for the delay in responding -- I've been off-line for a few days while in Death Valley. We're now in Sumner at Infinity for our monthly check-in.
To jimmci9 -- yes, I really did mean "5 pounds." These are really small tanks, available at Camping World. Actually, we've changed the spec mid-course and have gone to 12 pound tanks (also available at CW). The reason for the small size is that (a) we only run the stove on LP, nothing else, so not much is needed and (b) the LP bottles are in a very small compartment, below the diesel tank -- the 5- or 12- pounders are all that will fit, height-wise. A 5-gallon tank (BBQ size) is nearly twice as tall as the compartment.
To Bandco and others, re SmartDraw: this is a cheap competitor to Microsoft's Visio or CorelDraw. It's not as feature-rich, and sometimes is a real pain to use -- I need to brow-beat it into doing some of what I need. But it was cheap, I think less than $100 for the base program plus the "facilities and floorplans" library, and it's sufficient for my needs. I did try all the "free" programs first, and even some of the $20-$30 ones, but none could do what I needed. As has been pointed out, the program can be downloaded for free on a trial basis -- that's how I evaluated it. I am on version 6.
I'll try to update the site when we get back from our visit to Infinity.
-Sean |
Sean Welsh (Sean) (66.134.177.2)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 2:49 am: | |
Oops, I skipped over jmaxwell....
My drivetrain is an 8v92TA DDEC-II at 475bhp, mated to an ATEC 741 four-speed. This combo was retrofitted into the coach in about 1990 at Neoplan USA in Lamar, CO, during the original conversion. The entire drivetrain had only 26K on it when I bought it, and now has only around 35K, so I consider the power train to be "just broken in." I would have liked a tranny with a bit taller gearing at the top (I am at redline in top gear at around 75mph).
For windows, we replaced the two side windows at the very front, which, though oddly shaped, are actually flat, with Peninsula units with sliders. Also, we cut two parallelogram-shaped window openings, also flat, into the "skinned over" sections, which have sliders. The other (OEM) side windows can't be retrofitted with sliders because they are tempered glass. We could not find anyone who could make replacements for these, so we are sticking with non-operable windows in these locations.
-Sean |
Bandco (64.228.239.61)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 9:32 pm: | |
Re : SmartDraw
Many thanks Sean for sharing your *Experience with
this Program and *Unconditional Guidance.
- and the very best for this great conversion. |