| Author | Message | ||
| Michele Thomas (Crazy4buses)
Rating: N/A |
New to Busnuts and interested in locating other female busnuts who have completed or in the process of a converting a bus. My fiance' will be purchasing a bus soon and I need a good idea what I'm in for. | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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..............  | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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it depends on what your boyfriend knows...if he can build a house...completely...you will be holding stuff while he saws it..sweeping up his mess,helping with the interior design,bandageing his cut hands,telling him you will never do this again, | ||
| Michele Thomas (Crazy4buses)
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Seems I have it backwards, I was hoping he would be sweeping and bandaging my hands. So should I just be prepared to select color schemes and curtains? | ||
| TWODOGS (Twodogs)
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hopefully | ||
| Linda 4104 FL Rating: N/A |
Nonsense, 2Dogs. Michelle, I know at least two women who have had a very active role in their conversion process, including sanding, staining and finishing cabinetry, and working with the foam insulation. No doubt there was more... the point is, you can be as involved as your skills and interests allow. | ||
| Marc Bourget Rating: N/A |
Great! No Male Chauvinist Pigs allowed! One of the fun - est things I've seen involving women and buses was at the original Bussin' event. Jack brought in a local welding vendor and some of the ladies took a tutorial in MIG welding. Support them gals. If they could weld and rivet during WWII, they should be able to do just fine now! Onward and Upward | ||
| Michele Thomas (Crazy4buses)
Rating: N/A |
Thanks Linda for the encouraging words. I get a rush when I think about the blood, sweat and tears we will endure. Can't wait to drive the bus while he's fast asleep. Curious to know if you have driven your bus and what the experience was like. | ||
| Tim Hoskinson (Tdh37514151)
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Hi Michele my wife and I have done a GM 4104 it turned out very nice she says its nicer than our house. She was there for every aspect of the work from removing the old interior to helping install the finsih trim. I don't think I would have wanted to do it with out her help. I know it would not have turned out so good with out her. And no she is not stting here watching me wright this. You can do anything you want if you spend the time learning how to do it but if you don't try you shurely will never learn. Tim | ||
| Philris Rating: N/A |
The more my other half is involved in my hobbies, the happier I am!! We have completed two homebuilt airplanes, rebuilt another two, are currently finishing a third homebuilt. She recently completed her private pilot license at age 57. While she does not have the same skill set as I do, she has other skills that I do not. If it works on airplanes, it will work on buses!!! Dig right in and enjoy the additional time spent togeather. | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary)
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I think there is some code of conduct that prevents us from ratting on your Ol' man. Gary | ||
| Frank Allen Rating: N/A |
my wife helped me build our 06, she worked very hard finising cabinets designing , she singlehandedly in stalled carpet in the bus and worked very hard helping with the outside painting and lots of other things her skills are invaluable and i dont think i could have done it without her , women can do anything they deside to do, ive seen it over and over, hell i just get out of there way and let em go. Frank Allen 4106 | ||
| Mike (Busone)
Rating: N/A |
When we gutted our house and rebuilt it my wife did most of the drywall and insualtion. I showed her once how to do it and she is great at it. She is smarter than me so anything I show her how to do she is just as good or better at it. | ||
| degojo Rating: N/A |
Women are only allowed to gaze upon and praise their man's conversion work. They must assist in the funding and never even suggest that the money is other than well spent. They may enter the bus upon invitation only and must constantly display a look of joyful glee. The "nut" in busnut is a biological reference and therefore womwn are basically disqualified from membership. I do understand ther is another website called "bus____" that they may join. | ||
| Jim Stewart (H3jim)
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Welcome to being a bus nut! Sheesh, Well, Michelle, you can see what this board is partially composed of. Ask a simple question... My girlfriend (who does not read the board) says she has 0 interest in driving it. She has been lots of help in other ways, suggesting alternative ways of doing things. She is very good with space saving ideas. As to my taste - I might as well be color blind as well, she saves me there too. | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Rating: N/A |
How did I know TWODOGS would be the first one responding to this post? Michele, if the truth were told, my mother was better with the tools than my father. She had patience, he did not. She could cut straighter with the table saw, and usually made less mess. In her day, she could sling an outboard motor with the best of them, and drive the boat better too. Men think about whether they appear in control, and take on stuff bigger than they are to prove it. Women think about doing the task, and don't need to prove anything along the way. (unless distracted by chauvinists!) Do the smart thing, let him do the stuff you don't want to do, and you pick off the parts that interest you!! Get down to Arcadia, Florida at New Year's for ideas! Vive la difference, as the French might say! happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| H3 (Ace)
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Susan played a major role in our Eagle conversion and is presently helping very much with our H3 conversion. She reads everything and tells me what I'm doing wrong! She also took place in a welding class and showed me she could stack dimes (weld aluminum) as good as anyone! If she weren't around there wouldn't be a bus! Ace | ||
| neomax Rating: N/A |
I have a friend who has built 3 conversions and his wife was a major contributor to all 3. I've done 2 and my wife didn't step foot in either one until they were done, but did contribute quite a bit of input on features in the latest one. I personally would have appreciated her doing the floor lowering job on this one while I sat in the comfort controlled house. I think it great that u want to be involved in it and I'm sure u will have a greater appreciation of the finished product, plus u get true bragging rights. | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
degojo, that sir.... is a saver. | ||
| Linda 4104 Rating: N/A |
Michelle, to answer your question about driving, yes I did learn to drive it, and I did so when it still had the manual stick shift. I had to learn about double clutching, which my first car (old VW) did not feature, although it was a stick shift. Now we have an automatic transmission and it's much easier for me. We've been on some long trips where we were pushing a deadline and needed to take turns driving while the other got some some sleep. Before I got on the road with it, we did some practice driving in an industrial park on a weekend when the parking lot was empty, so I could get a feel for when to go into turns, etc. Go wide, don't get in a hurry, and remember that vehicle that looks like it's tailgating is yours and you don't want to run the tires up over the curb. | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
There is a vast difference in hobbies. I am a Busnut and enjoyed the conversion process. The bride has her own hobbies , but loves camping (ex sailor). So I check that "She Who MUST be Obeyed" is happy with things like spacing the seats so she can spin fiber under way , And she checks that the Sortscar of Coaches has running water heat toilet facilites , and room for her toys. Many ladies actually help with the busnut hobby , but its not a requirement. Although her ENJOYING the finished (if any camper is ever "Finished") product is necessary. I have the coach as its soo much fun to drive , the interior is just to justify it with the exchecker. Works for me, FAST FRED | ||
| MCI Larry (Eurof3)
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Any of us married busnuts know. Either get the wife interested in the conversion or face seperation....maybe end up ALONE converting.. Its not just my way or its the highway ! And I don`t want to give up the house on the lake, heck I have a water front camp site to convert at ! Glad to have a suporting wife that I try to ask what she wants befor I do it my way....Oh yea she has driven the coach too and helped in any way she could. Welcome to a mans world ! We need more girls and hope we all don`t offend you. Heres a link to some of our coach work. The wife is a happy camper as you can see. Larry http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=eurof3 | ||
| Bob Oakman (Bobsbus)
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Michelle, My wife is a real trooper on our bus project. The girl is not afraid to get dirt under her nails. She helped me with every part of the process so far. She has had hammer, chisel and drill in hand while stripping the skin. She spent a considerable amount of time on a ladder while raising the roof, took all the sanding and painting duties during restoration of the rusty framework. She paid attention to the small details that I couldn't be bothered with, like cleaning and restoring the old drip rails and trim, seam sealing every crack and rivet, etc. The only tool she didn't handle was the welding machine. She was also very helpful when hunting down parts and getting bargains on materials and insulation. Her help has been invaluable. She doesn't understand my job and is uninterested in my other hobbies. The bus has given us more quality time together in a pursuit of a common goal. I believe the project actually drew us closer together. It sounds like you have the same kind of work ethic. If so, you're in for an interesting ride. If you ever want to ask questions or talk to Maggie about the adventure, email me and i'll send you her phone number. She is a stereotypical female in two respects. She loves to shop talk on the phone. | ||
| dave and mel
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Congratulations on your bus - it will be an adventure. Right now I (Mel) am doing the research, reading the boards, making phone calls, etc. Dave is working with a mechanic to install a new transmission. Both of us are stripping the previously converted interior and will be rebuilding it, soon I hope. Each of us has our own skills and level of patience so we take turns. We are taking our time as we are newbies and have to depend on the wisdom of others. Since we are working on a classic 4501, we don't want to ruin it. I plan on learning to drive, and the auto transmission will help a lot. | ||
| Johnny Rating: N/A |
My wife has helped big-time. Off the top of my head, she has: Gotten just as filthy as I did degreasing the engine bay. Worked the cherry-picker while I aligned the rebuilt engine with the mounts. Helped strip the interior. Helped remove & skin over the windows. Helped me do the front brakes. Plenty more. She won't drive anything this big (especially with the 5+2 tranny & manual steering), but has helped plenty with the work. | ||
| Bruce Henderson (Oonrahnjay)
Rating: N/A |
__. We're just getting started with our project but MzLauraLee has already proven to be an integral part of it. I've been doing a bit more of the muscle work but I'm retired and she's still doing the 9-5 thing. __. Although we've only had our bus a little over 6 weeks, she's already got a picture of it on her desk and her co-workers have a hard time getting away from hearing the news about it. __. I bought a house a couple of years ago -- it's bigger than we needed but you have to buy a lot of house to get a big garage -- and it happened to have a really nice kitchen. It's big, has black marble tops with blond hardwood cabinets, and a gas cooktop. I've already promised that the kitchen in the bus will be as nice as the one at home (easy to do with 66 feet of floor space to work with). She's also going to get a potty upstairs so she want have to go downstairs in the middle of the night to the main bathroom (with shower) -- I really wanna make this a project that she's happy with. __. She grew up on a Kentucky farm and learned to drive on a 2-ton Ford flatbed so she could handle the bus fine (although she's a little reluctant to try it -- I'll find an empty shopping center lot one Sunday AM and let her get the feel for it then she'll drive in less-demanding circumstances for a while; she'll be fine). __. And she's already been a big help with the planning (not to mention the $$$). If you do it right, bussin' can bring the family together. (And it's a pretty good project for a single person, too.) Bruce Henderson, Wallace NC, USA | ||
| Michele Thomas (Crazy4buses)
Rating: N/A |
Thanks all for your advice and insight. Mark and I will be attending Bussin' 2005 and hope to see some of you there. Hopefully while there I'll learn techniques for applying foam installation, welding, plumbing, as well as light engine and brake work. I envision the bus conversion process being somewhat similiar to what I have done in the past, (painting, stripping wallpaper, hanging drywall, and other around the house projects). I can't imagine going through the conversion process without my partner and friend. Hats off to the women that aren't to bang a hammer and lay carpet. Good to know there are other females around that will know and understand my "pain" once we begin. | ||
| David & Lorna Schinske (Davidschinske)
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Have you seen the bus that Terry (mostly) and Nick Russell have done? They are the ones who put out the Gypsy Journal. I have spent 2 decades in the construction business and I tend to be "free labour" (keeps the $$ in the family) to my husband. He taught me how to install cabinets when we were first married 25 yrs ago. I have my own woodworking tools and I can lay ceramic tile (Dad did that for over 50 years). I was a tomboy growing up and was raised to believe that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I figure that since I learned to drive an antique Ford 8N farm tractor (I had to sit on my Dad's lap because at 8 yrs old I was too short to reach the pedals), a 3 speed pick-up (column shift), a 5 speed Volkswagon (floor), a 4 speed Mustang (floor), a 4 speed 3/4 ton pick-up and a 4 speed dumptruck, there's a pretty good chance that I can learn to drive the Eagle. I am the one who does all the "research" needed (David doesn't "do" computers) and I was the one who drew up all the floorplans (former Kitchen & Bath Designer). I will also be the one who ends up building most of the cabinetry. I also get to ask a lot of stupid questions... :D It's nice to see more women posting here but there is an awful lot of testoserone floating around here at times. Lorna | ||
| Tony H. (Bluegrass)
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Michelle My Wife has been a School bus driver for the last 27 years and I am looking forward to the day that she can Drive our Eagle, It has an automatic Transmission so It will be a piece of cake for her to Drive, she has no desire to choffer our MCI-7 It Is a standard and has square gears ( No sinkenizors ). Tony | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
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Lorna said: ". . . but there is an awful lot of testoserone floating around here at times." Here, on the BNO board?? Really?? You must be joking, right!?!?!?!? Happy Thanksgiving! RJ PD4106-2784 Fresno CA | ||
| Bob Oakman (Bobsbus)
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Large, smelly diesel engines with high torque at low RPMs and testosterone just go together well. We can't help it. | ||
| Nick
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As Lorna said above, my wife Terry is the handy one in our bus, and she has done most of the work, including installing RV style windows and the interior conversion, My job is basically to be a gofer, and write about it later. We have a page on our website on the bus project. Go to www.gypsyjournal.net and click the link at the bottom of the page that says Bus Project. | ||
| Michele Thomas (Crazy4buses)
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Hope everyone had a safe and happy Turkey Day. Lorna, thanks for the another resource and website. The site was insightful and impressive. After taking a closer look at the pics, Mark and I were wondering did the cabinets come out of a house? or from the RV Salvage mentioned. Bob and Nick, let's balance this out and add some estrogen from time to time :D | ||
| TWO DOGS Rating: N/A |
last wife just sat around and ate penut butter out of the jar....where do you guys find one that helps..... | ||
| ChuckMC9 (Chucks)
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TWO DOGS, you ROCK! | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
"last wife just sat around and ate penut butter out of the jar...." Since the peanut oils in peanut butter are removed and sold seperatly , and then replaced with "palm oils", your last wife's artires must have looked like a coach radiator with 5 year old antifreez. PLUGGED? FAST FRED |