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Message |
MIchael Lewis (67.160.12.18)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2004 - 2:45 pm: | |
John the new guy and others bring up some very salient points as tags to the luggage rack removalthread. I think they need their own header.
As he points out, it sometimes looks like the main thing about the bus is building the bus. While I realize that, for some, this is a long term hobby, I want to _use_ my bus. In fact, in order to survive in the years to come, I need to live in my bus. Eventually we will rely on Social Security and workcamping for our existance. That's less than the taxes alone on my previous home.
I too, admire the skill and almost anal dedication that Gumpy contributes to his bus and to our group as a whole. I refer almost daily to his well written and photographed articles. In carefully reading his site, however, it's clear he is now using the bus prior to completion and that's important. My nightmare is finishing the conversion portion and leaving the rental house behind to "hit the open road" only to find that I have overlooked an important mechanical function which relegates my pride and joy to an expensive chicken coop.
Our design intent always has been to retain the best and most usable segments of the bus and convert the remainder. A great many of these decisions are made to get what we couldn't get in the "sticks" homes, or conversly, to _not_ have what we hated in the previous machines.
To that end, we will not be raising the roof. We will not add a slide out, R&* fiberglass, RV windows, other than a straight Peninsula window exchange to sliders in six windows and perhaps the drivers window. Like Chuck Lott, we will most likely find on-the-floor furniture for some items like recliners, particularly after living with some very high end Flex**el in two previous "stick" motorhomes, one with a retail over $400K.
I love the long, straight lines of my MC9 and to put on a roof air would destroy that, something like the eggs sitting on the chicken. I like the fact that by designing a side aisle, every single piece of glass on the passenger side is intact and operable, to catch those Ensenada breezes in the evening or provide safe escape anywhere along the bus in an emergency. I also saved a ton of money on steel siding, Sikaflex, rivets, paint and bondo to hide my inevitable mistakes with 30' of steel paneling. I also have uncompromised light in every corner of the bus.
I'm 62, have diabetes and just had cancer surgery. The jury is out, and every sunrise is a surprise and a blessing. How much longer? Don't know. The financial burdens have been devastating. The emotional burdens have been devastating. The bus is both the solution and the therapy. And hell, If I do die building this thing, I will have a remarkable hearse to take the ashes to California...maybe that's what it's all about...hmmm
I do know that the bus rolled into this driveway on the 15th of June. By the 1st of September, the interior will be finished... Nicely finished, with hardwood floors, well designed lighting, comfortable fabrics and seating, a very functional kitchen, a lot of storage, custom cabinets and tops, electronics and computer equipment and I hope will be ready for points South. That's with me my wife and my 16 yo son, another blessing, doing everything.
So, yes, John there are some really basic, comfortable busses being built that are not trying to look like a "sticks" motor home (which is why most of us got a bus in the first place) will not fall apart on the road (any more than any vehicle of this vintage...I'm an '82) and are really, really comfortable.
We have never been able to figure out why folks buy a nice bus, then make it look as much as possible like a sticks motor home they were trying to get away from in the first place. However, I would never criticise that, just say that it's not for us. We also will save lots of money and unwanted attention (and believe me we had that in our last MH) by eliminating the bewildering graphics and Imron paint. Those folks deserve to make a living, too, just not on my bus.
I guess some will see this as criticism. It's not. We all see it a little differently. Like Frank Sinatra said...my way...
Michael Lewis |
Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.145.252.227)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2004 - 4:18 pm: | |
I hope it's not too late, but if you are thinking of full timing, you will lose an incredible amount of needed bay space by putting the a/c in there instead of the roof. You can't store much on the roof.
Just a thought.
Jim |
TWO DOGS (63.156.216.38)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 03, 2004 - 7:39 pm: | |
AND...the heat gain in summer,& heat loss in winter,due to all the windows...every window you block off ...saves you about 50.00 a year in heating & cooling...my 6 windows that I blocked off...metal was 150.00,rivets were 30.00,paint was 10.00... |
Michael Lewis (67.160.12.18)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 04, 2004 - 1:28 am: | |
Jim and TwoDogs..
We have spent the last two years selling, giving away and throwing away things we don't need to store in those big bays. If something comes up that we really need to store for a while, we will toss it in the back of our Tahoe toad. It's nice to no longer be accumulating and instead be decumulating!
The whole idea of traveling is to avoid intemperate climates as much as possible. Our first "camping bus" was a 52 passenger schoolie back in 1970. It did not have air conditioning. If it got real hot, we opened the windows. I sometimes wonder why we think it's so necessary. TwoDogs, since you live in Texas, you are forgiven.
Michael |
Ian Giffin (Admin) (65.92.126.154)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 04, 2004 - 9:43 am: | |
Hi Michael,
It was, in fact, Canadian Paul Anka who "said" my way, in 1974. Frank Sinatra just sang Anka's song. So I guess it could be said that Anka was the manufacturer and Sinatra worked on the conversion.
:-)
Ian
www.busnut.com |
John that newguy (199.232.240.193)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 04, 2004 - 10:08 am: | |
Say..... wasn't America discovered by a Canadian? |
James Maxwell (Jmaxwell) (66.81.51.180)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 2:05 am: | |
Yep, it was, 2 days before he discovered Mexico, so the Canadian Legend goes. The following week, Chile, and from there Australia. They also discovered Alaska, but thought they were in Yukon Territory so didn't plant a flag. |
John that newguy (199.232.240.26)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 7:18 am: | |
I once discovered Iowa.
I didn't know it existed, but there it was, right on the map.
Ehhhh? |
Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary) (12.176.227.136)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 09, 2004 - 1:39 am: | |
I just drove through it.
Not your fault, it wasn't that noticible.
Gary |
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