| Author |
Message |
Larry Bennet (Eurof3)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 1:41 am: | |
$4000 Thats not including the mci coach cost and counting the time in labor or paint job.
What we did was find a 1 year old travel trailer that was rolled up on its side. Totaled by the insurance co. And sold to a salvage yard.
Every-thing inside was OK and the trailer was only used 1/2 of 1 season. ITS NEW STUFF... Norcold fridge/freezer,Micorwave,Stove with oven, Table/sleeper, couch/sleeper, Furnace,A/C unit, inverter,power cord,water lines, pump,tanks, grey, black and fresh, hot water heater,Sink counter, lights, shower, toilet, cabinets galore, Awning,Sky light, vents, and on and on.
It took us 2 guys 2 days, to strip the trailer to a shell. We even took the slider out, but then desided with a 40' coach we did not need a slider or the work of putting it in. Sold the shell/frame for scrap. After 9 weeks off work this summer doing nothing but the conversion, the trailer stuff is in our coach. Flip the switch and the heater works even the a/c.
The trailer cost me $3000 and I spent another $1000 on pergo flooring and 36 tubes of HD liquid nails and 2000 screws and some meterials and curtains.
I Opted for a 100 gallon waste tank and sold the trailer tanks, same for the shower, put a full size in.
Just thought some of the folks looking for conversion items might check the local junk yards.
I stoped by our truck/rv salvage yard to get some seatbelts and there was 10 or 15 trailers being sold as is or for repair. Now thats the way to get everything needed at 1 time. I remember at first how it was looking for all the things needed to make this a nice conversion, not a little this a little that. Most important = The wife loves it. Even got her to drive.
I spent a few bucks to get a 40'coach painted and plan to spend another $1000 on ceiling meterial and getting my couch and table cushins redone to match my interior. Long story but we did it for 20K complete, 90+% done. You gotta know its way to nice with all these new oak cabinets AND NEW STUFF. I wouldn`t take 100K for it now. We love it and the fun its brought this family. Sorry to rattle on. Hope this gives some thoughts as to where to get conversion meterials. Click on my name and get a peek at the 96A3.
The "Naturopath" almost done. DARN MARINE VINAL COMES LOOSE WITH BONDING ADHESIVE FROM THE CEILING....ONE OF THEM GOTTA REDO DEALS...NEED MORE LIGHTS ANYHOW !
Best of luck with your conversions. Larry |
TWO DOGS
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 2:10 am: | |
looks damn good ! ! |
Nick Morris (Nick3751)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 7:33 am: | |
Nice rig Larry, do you have a web site so we can see your interior? I'm still looking for design ideas. |
Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 4:28 pm: | |
Nice Rig! I was planning on Doing exactly the same thing once I get down to the lower 48 in the spring. I had a friend do his coach from a couple wrecked RV's and it worked out great.
Larry, can you post some interior pics so we can see the work? If you need a place to host them, I'll host your pics on my site. |
Larry Bennet (Eurof3)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 9:31 pm: | |
Thanks Sean
I will email you and you can help me host. I am getting better at this computer. I think aol has a way to host some photos for me. I need to look into it. Would be nice to have a way to
SHOW IT OFF !!!!!
Let me take some new pic`s on Thursday and see what we can show you inside.
Should have figured everyone would want a peek inside. With a little teaser photo by my name.
Did I mention the other bus I had that had a fire on the way home ? Not an MCI. Thats another story...and a big tow bill. $600 for 150 miles and $1000`s more lost. The real meaning of up in smoke.
So thankful for an MCI not that any other buses are lesser quailty. I like all buses.
Oh ya back to hosting some interior pic`s :-)
Must be this newbe is a real bus nut.
Gotta be a newbe befor a veteran
Made it to first base.
Now busin Thanks all for the interest and help !
Larry 96A3 Naturopath |
Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 20, 2004 - 11:47 pm: | |
Larry, I'm a newbie too..In fact newer than you as I haven't even started on my conversion! don't know how much I'll get done this winter up here in Alaska other then stripping the inside and maybe taking out and filling in the side door towards the end of Winter. |
Larry Bennet (Eurof3)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 3:00 am: | |
Hello All
I sent Sean 10 photos today, or I should say tonite. He should have them hosted soon.
Soon as we have the location I will post the link.
Sean has a great web site with lots of Alaska photos. Mountain back grounds, log cabins and pickin and a grinin and soon some of my conversion pics. You can click on his name and get to his home page soon to have photos of the 96A3 Naturopath.
Larry |
Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 9:42 am: | |
__. Great message, Larry, and a good plan. You said: "same for the shower, put a full size in"
__. I have a somewhat odd-shaped area for my shower and I've been wondering about how to fit it. Do you mean that you bought a full-size (household) shower enclosure and it fit in your bus? Or is there some way to do a custom shower enclosure that (A) fits, (B) doesn't leak, (C) provides adequate room for a 6' footer, and (D) looks reasonably good?
__. Thanks, Bruce Henderson, Wallace NC
(Daimler Fleetline double-decker English bus, in conversion) |
Larry Bennet (Eurof3)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 12:07 pm: | |
HI Bruce
Yes I used a standard shower enclosure from Menards. Its a 32 inch square fiberglass. The base and 3 sides where over $400. Its much more sturdy than the trailer enclosure would have been. I had to trim the top edge of the enclosure to get it back close enough to the wall. And leave room for the vent pipe and water lines to go up behind the shower.
I had already put the bathroom in when I bought the Trailer. Or I would have used the Trailer shower, because it had a little sitting edge and some what of a tub. More like a foot soaker or a place for the lady to set and shave those sexy legs....
I am also 6 foot tall and I have head room in the mci shower for a power vent I put. I also put the sky light in the bathroom. This made for nice lighting when in the fridge and entering the bedroom in the day. And really lights up the bathroom.
Hope to hear from Sean about the hosting today.
I will get the link posted.
I did not take good photos of the bathroom. I will try to email you a photo of the shower enclosure. I used a shower curtain rather than a door. Because it really opens up the bathroom and gives lots of turn around room. The wife don`t like small enclosed areas. She is happy with the bathroom now.
Thanks for the interest. Larry |
Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 12:34 pm: | |
__. Thank you, Larry, that's exactly the kind of info that I needed and your goals (and results) are exactly as mine. Many thanks for your kind and helpful reply.
Bruce Henderson, Wallace NC |
Larry Bennet (Eurof3)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 22, 2004 - 11:07 pm: | |
Hello All
After messing around with aol and its photo hosting. Sean said it worked. But there was no way to post it here.
So if all else fails. Ask your kids! Thanks to my boy Troy. You`ve got pictures...
http://www.xanga.com/eurof3
Copy and paste that address in your URL address at top of your screen. You will have to scroll down and over to see all the photos.
This was the link to aol, but it did not want to work. You can check it.
http://pak01.pictures.aol.com/NASApp/ygp/Login?event=DirectView&shareInfo=esv4e%2b9w77mPtmTbPDSymwujYViEgjOQMcx5AR2SEru%2fjFCnkV3ciA%3d%3d&pageName=AlbumViewFromEmails&locale=en_US
Larry 96A3 Naturopath |
ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 1:42 pm: | |
Wow Larry - job well done. I like your creative solution. You'd never know from the photos that most of the interior was 'repurposed'.
I've asked around RV dealers about RV salvage, but nobody knows a thing. I think I need to dig a little deeper, cause there's gotta be lots of them in the midst of 3M ppl. |
David & Lorna Schinske (Davidschinske)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 5:28 pm: | |
You might try asking the insurance agents. We saw a Bluebird skoolie that was converted using a wrecked trailer. The guy knew about the trailer from an insurance agent. He bought the trailer from the insurance company as salvage. |
Larry Bennet (Eurof3)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 6:13 pm: | |
I forgot to mention. I Retired at 44 from Federal Mogul. 20 years 18 days 3 hours was enough for me. 3 years later I am and have been an ebay powerseller. Sold more than 4500 items on ebay in the last 3 years.
My point is. THIS SALVAGE TRAILER I USED IN THIS CONVERSION WAS BOUGHT OFF EBAY. Good ole Art of Arts Parts in Mn. A great guy who likes ebay as I do.
I was at our local Salvage yard in Grand Rapids Michigan. Not a big town, not a small town. They salvage cars, motorhomes and travel trailers.
While looking for Simulators and alcoa wheels and seatbelts for my coach from MOTOR HOMES. I noticed they had a row full 12 or 15 travel trailers and some 5th wheels for sale in need of repair.
Some of the trailers were just getting parted out and most were sold as is for repair. I think its Partsbyweller.com So I do believe there must be 100`s of these same salvage yards scraping trailers and hotorhomes all over the usa. Sounds like a good google search... I bet a search would bring up more than one RV salvage yard in the usa.
For sure insurance companies sell smashed items. Some do it by bids, some by contract, some by just offering. Would not hurt to make a few calls.
One other placed I checked was our local repo lot.
This time of year in the North trailers are cheep and with our state hurting for jobs ,4th highest unemploment in the country. Things are showing up in the repo lots.
I also checked our local American Rv center. They gave me an adderss of a Rv salvage place just for asking. I do not have that information any more because I found my unit on ebay about that time.
These Rv dealers know where damaged trailers end up/ Just ask a few dealers if they have one,if this type of conversion sounds good to you.
Hope this gives you some ideas as to where to look.
Larry Naturopath 96A3 |
ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 23, 2004 - 8:29 pm: | |
GREAT tips Lorna/David & Larry!
Many thanks for your trouble. |
Larry Bennet (Eurof3)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 - 1:51 am: | |
No trouble !
Love to share the infomation. Wish you the best with your conversion !
Sure is nice to have most all the items needed to convert a coach at one time and not have to be hunting for this and that. This trailer was the trick for us.
Some of the trailer stuff was neat and new to me.
I kind of like the inverter myself. I used all the 12 volt lights and they run off the inverter from the trailer or a battery back up when not pluged in. I like having 12 volts here and there and everywhere.
One thing I will need to do is add another breaker box or get another inverter for the load of more a/c units and for some other 110 outlets we want in the bay for outside t/v, stereo stuff.
But all in all. The trailer/coach conversion was very quick and done with almost new materials.
I would recommend it to others. The trailer was well worth the $3000 we paid.
The wife is happy, it must be nice !
Truly gotta keep the boss happy.
A special thanks to Ed for hooking me up with the Converted Coach Owners culbs phone number.
CCO`s# 616 896 1817 Looking forward to joining and meeting some of you bus nuts at the different rallies. Be looking for the MCI/Dutchman trailer conversion.
Larry
Naturopath 96A3 85/04 |