About a year ago we set out to do the most complicated mechanical thing we have ever attempted on our bus by ourselves: repairing the transmission leak that had been getting worse and worse. The bus has always had a small transmission leak but it was finally to the point
DIY Leveling System Using Air Suspension
In the spring of 2022, it seemed like more and more of our campsites were more than just a smidge unlevel. Maybe it was just us, or maybe we were all of a sudden now more sensitive to it. One thing was clear, we really wanted a leveling system that
Air Wiper Motor Rebuild in our GM PD-4106
Along the way of building the bus and sharing the entire thing, there have been a few little odds and ends that never made it into a post or video. One of those projects was the time we rebuilt one of the windshield wiper motors. These buses have individual air-powered
Creating a Convertible Office Space in the Bus
One of the more challenging parts of building the bus was coming up with a place for Juan to work. When we decided on an old 35' bus rather than a more modern 40' or 45' bus, we knew there would be some sacrifices made in order to fit our
Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring with Heat Mats
After four years of building the bus almost every single weekend, we could finally see the finish line. It was time for flooring! We chose a waterproof vinyl plank flooring but decided to add a little something first. After spending one night in the unfinished bus the previous Christmas Eve
Bus Automation Wiring for Lights Part 2
In our previous installment of our bus automation system, we space planned and installed most of the major components for controlling our lights as well as wired and tested the outputs for the lights. It is now time to share the input side (buttons to control the lights) as well
Bus Automation Wiring for Lights Part 1
In our previous installment on bus automation, we had figured out how we were going to dim and control our lights using the ESP32 processors and some MOSFET boards we sourced from Amazon. We couldn't really use anything "off the shelf" (designed for home use at 120V AC) because we
A Solar Day: Flagstaff, Arizona - June 2022
One of the most common questions we receive is, “How are your solar and batteries working out now that you are traveling?” They worked awesome when we were doing our build in the middle of the desert in the Phoenix area. Traveling is different though. There are many more variables
Dash to the East - Part 2: Oklahoma to Indiana
After four days of driving, we had made it to Keystone State Lake Park near Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here, we spent the workweek mostly working but making a bit of time for fun. Then, we headed back out for another weekend of driving as we inched our way to Pennsylvania. We
Bathroom - Part 5: Testing the Plumbing & Finishing Touches
Finally, we were down to the last few finishing touches in the bathroom to call it done. Before we moved on, however, we needed to test the plumbing to check for leaks and also to see how the tankless water heater and recirculation valve would work. Then, we finally were
Bathroom - Part 4: Grout and Fixtures
The time had come to grout the penny tile and install the fixtures in the shower. We chose Ardex FL grout in the color Fresh Lily. The “FL” is their flexible grout, so we are hoping it holds up really well. We got great feedback from Justin over at Gilligan
Bathroom - Part 3: Planked Walls, Wallpaper, & Shower Trim
Please excuse our long absence here. As you all know, our blog posts and YouTube videos are pretty consistently a few months behind real life. Well, about a month ago we finished the bus and hit the road. As we continue to transition into this new lifestyle, we are still
Bathroom - Part 2: Tiling the Shower with Penny Round Tiles
After installing the KerdiBoard waterproofing backer boards, we were ready to tile. We chose white penny round tiles in an effort to tile the curve of the ceiling. It was only after we chose penny tiles that we found out they are pretty tricky to cut, fit, and install. With