My husband and I just started converting a very similar shuttle so it’s nice to see your journey. Much like you, Austin, we usually outsource the work, but it’s been nice to do everything ourselves. Keep up the good work 👍
I have found this to be so true and has made the journey that much better! We would love to help you guys in any way possible, so do not hesitate to reach out!
Y’all and mike from navigation nowhere are building at the same time ... he built a full size .. now building a mini .. wishing you the best kids and looking forward to your adventures
We followed Mike! His videos have actually helped us in our learning process. We try to add our best bit of information possible to add to the collective lol. Thank you for your support on our journey!
@@AwakenDaze Austin you have become a great inspiration in all your accomplishing & Emily make a good team & before you know it, will be a blink of the eye looking back in the forward journey traveled. Take Care of & then some. always, Tommy :-) P.S. May The Force Be With You!
yalll went in on this conversion! i dot think ive ever seen a fully guted vehicle like that where you can see the ground. Thats cool how thorough you all are.
Laughing my butt off! Made a deal with my buddy last night to remove all the flooring in my 25 foot shuttle bus for $100. After seeing this I think the 6-7 hours I estimated may not be enough! Glad I parked it at his house. Looks like a huge mess is forthcoming.
Awesome build. Can't wait to see more. Contemplating if I want to build one after my Hybrid trailer is complete. I would have a hay day with that wiring. Also if you are planning on spending a good amount of time at R/V while parked look into a R/v power center. 45 amps should suffice for that build depending on what all you're planning on powering up. I've got a WFCO 30 amp in my trailer but its just a fridge, A/C, and a few outlets. All lighting is DC circuits for ease if I just want to pull over and crash at a truck stop.
I think we are going to go ahead and set one up. We did a lot of research and also had financial conversations about our vision for Awaken Daze. Emily & I love to give back to people and share what we have to offer this world. We will not be asking for financial money other than donations. Some of the comments, emails, and messages we have received have seriously touched us. We are so excited for what we have in store for you once we hit the road! As always 1 Love!
im curious why you all decided to replace your subfloor? I'm in the same phase right now and I'm wondering if I should do the same. The wood is still about as solid as it can be and I'm wondering if replacing it will be more trouble than it's worth? What do you all think?
Yeah so the only reason we decided to remove the subfloor was to build it from the frame up and make sure our foundation was solid! We noticed there wasn't all that much damage and probably could have lived without doing that, but we are happy we did now that it is done! It also allowed us to remove some wiring that was tucked in places and do a rust treatment properly to the frame!
WEAR your damn SAFETY GLASSES when POUNDING and PULLING!!!! I kept getting nervous that Emily would put her eyes out!!! And using the DRONE now is AWESOME!!!!!!! CONGRATS! :)
hahaha!! You are right we need to be way more careful, especially me when Emily is swinging the hammer like that! I will need to take some lessons from Robert on how to fly it! Thank you for the support as always
Hi there! We just started our demo yesterday! Trying to decide whether to remove original sub floor. Ours is a Florida bus, similar to your Georgia bus without the salt and rust. If you did it again, would you have removed yours? It looked like it was in great condition, dry and almost new. We have a 2007 so a bit older than yours. I think we're going to leave the original particle board/sub-floor if it looks as good as yours did, after we get the rubber flooring completely removed. Do you feel better about the build that you removed everything, sanded the frame and repainted it? Obviously, we don't want to do it if we don't have to. Thank you for these videos- very helpful!
Too be honest, it was a little overkill to remove the floor and take it down to the frame. I do appreciate how easy it was to do some early on mechanical fixes, as well as rip out some wires from the handicap ramp. The floor was rather easy to place back in but did cost roughly $500 to remove everything and put it back. It does provide a little piece of mind though!
Hey Mimie, we had a little extra rust on the underside of our bus that needed a good cleaning. The sub floor had some bolts in it that we could not remove successfully without damaging the sub floor. We also needed to do some work around our wheel wells. We could have more than likely just left the bolts in and insulated over the top of them.
Awaken Daze if the fuel pump goes bad and needs replaced and there is no access panel, the tank may need drained to make it lighter and uninstalled from the vehicle. Working with a large container full of gas fumes is dangerous and could be costly. It is easier to just leave an access panel. You might look around for other things like this for example, the upper bolt on the rear shocks that cannot be accessed from below because the exhaust pipe is in the way.
if it's any consolation it took me 3 weeks to do 2/3 of my bus to the stage you're at now....I had to leave the front 1/3 to use as a workspace. will be doing that very soon..... :)
Emily & I have spent roughly 6 or 7 days working on the bus now! It has just been spaced out over a couple months. Can’t rush through the process so we might as well as enjoy the journey 😋💙
At least your bus is not a major rust bucket unlike mine, mine should have never left factory. The way they did roof was dumb. I had the 2orst time removing .y tracts, let alone insurance on bus, I'm not removing any wire myself. I'm paying professional to do most of stuff. Except rusted frame due to roof leak which was a factory flaw
Hey guys I just started getting through the floor and realized I have the exact same style bus as you essentially. Have you found the best way to get the frame covered up again was just ply wood, glue and weather proofing paint?
Hey! I am sorry we are just now getting back to you! Yes for us we: - did a brief rust treatment, - coated a rust prevention, - weather proofed the sub floor plywood with multiple coats, - then bought the metal tapping screw & sub floor adhesive to secure it properly Does this help? We are also about to insulate and sound proof our sub floor so you can stay tuned for that video in a few weeks!
Yes I am so happy you reached out!! I honestly think I made a mistake here... I sprayed the entire frame... I believe I was only suppose to apply it directly to the rusted areas. Make sure to wear a mask. Be sure to not let it sit for longer than 24-36 hours or it will do more harm than good... Speaking from experience lol
I will try to add some footage of it in the next video. I have to get the bus street legal and insured. That way I can go pick up the sub flooring supplies. So if you have any tips on how to get it registered that would be incredible!
@@AwakenDaze yea, if what you sprayed was phosphoric acid then you need to take care & only get it on the rust but also to wear a mask & eye protection........
I was going to say, don't go ripping out the wiring from the coach section, but I'm too late. One point of concern will be wiring associated with the wheel chair lift and door. There is a safety interlock system that locks the bus in park with the parking brake. If you try to drive a way without the door and lift fully closed and locked you can't get the bus out of park. All that wiring in the overhead compartment is interlaced with the chassis wiring.
We wanted to do a rust treatment and inspection on the bus before building on top of it. The sub floor had some cuts and holes in it as well that we would just rather replace. A good foundation is everything
Great job. When you put the floor back in. Marine grade plywood. Also waterproof the underside of the plywood before you install it.
Primer with oil base primer all sides
Seam seal with good caulk.
Underneath coat with Herculiner truck bed liner.
Why did you take the entire floor out, it looked perfectly fine. Did you take the chair rails out as well?
My husband and I just started converting a very similar shuttle so it’s nice to see your journey. Much like you, Austin, we usually outsource the work, but it’s been nice to do everything ourselves. Keep up the good work 👍
I have found this to be so true and has made the journey that much better! We would love to help you guys in any way possible, so do not hesitate to reach out!
Smart. She's learning from your mistakes. Lol.
Haha she does that often! :)
YOU GUYS ROCK💪💪💪💪💪
You Rock!!!! Thank you for the support
Y’all and mike from navigation nowhere are building at the same time ... he built a full size .. now building a mini .. wishing you the best kids and looking forward to your adventures
We followed Mike! His videos have actually helped us in our learning process. We try to add our best bit of information possible to add to the collective lol. Thank you for your support on our journey!
I’m watching both as well.
Keep it up guys good job!
Thank you!! We are super excited to start the build now!!
Where Have You'al Gone? Tasting One, Two, Three! Hope All Is Healthy & Safe & Sound! Always, Tommy :-)
We havn't traveled anywhere just yet! Our adventures on the road are right ahead!
@@AwakenDaze Austin you have become a great inspiration in all your accomplishing & Emily make a good team & before you know it, will be a blink of the eye looking back in the forward journey traveled. Take Care of & then some. always, Tommy :-) P.S. May The Force Be With You!
yalll went in on this conversion! i dot think ive ever seen a fully guted vehicle like that where you can see the ground. Thats cool how thorough you all are.
That was a first for us too! Definitely wanna make sure its all safe before we hit the road :)
@@AwakenDaze looking forward to seeing more videos:)
Laughing my butt off! Made a deal with my buddy last night to remove all the flooring in my 25 foot shuttle bus for $100. After seeing this I think the 6-7 hours I estimated may not be enough! Glad I parked it at his house. Looks like a huge mess is forthcoming.
Awesome build. Can't wait to see more. Contemplating if I want to build one after my Hybrid trailer is complete. I would have a hay day with that wiring. Also if you are planning on spending a good amount of time at R/V while parked look into a R/v power center. 45 amps should suffice for that build depending on what all you're planning on powering up. I've got a WFCO 30 amp in my trailer but its just a fridge, A/C, and a few outlets. All lighting is DC circuits for ease if I just want to pull over and crash at a truck stop.
This helps us as we are currently working through this research now!! Thank you so much
greetings from ireland its looking great guys :)
Charlie and Me Yesss an international friend ❤️ thank you for your kind words!!
Hey Emily & Austin, you guys should look at adding patrons to help support your journey witch can help for expenses, and just easy some of the cost.
I think we are going to go ahead and set one up. We did a lot of research and also had financial conversations about our vision for Awaken Daze. Emily & I love to give back to people and share what we have to offer this world. We will not be asking for financial money other than donations. Some of the comments, emails, and messages we have received have seriously touched us. We are so excited for what we have in store for you once we hit the road! As always 1 Love!
im curious why you all decided to replace your subfloor? I'm in the same phase right now and I'm wondering if I should do the same. The wood is still about as solid as it can be and I'm wondering if replacing it will be more trouble than it's worth? What do you all think?
That was my thought. The wood looked good, no mold, rot, or stains indicating possible water damage. Why replace?
Yeah so the only reason we decided to remove the subfloor was to build it from the frame up and make sure our foundation was solid! We noticed there wasn't all that much damage and probably could have lived without doing that, but we are happy we did now that it is done! It also allowed us to remove some wiring that was tucked in places and do a rust treatment properly to the frame!
WEAR your damn SAFETY GLASSES when POUNDING and PULLING!!!! I kept getting nervous that Emily would put her eyes out!!! And using the DRONE now is AWESOME!!!!!!! CONGRATS! :)
hahaha!! You are right we need to be way more careful, especially me when Emily is swinging the hammer like that! I will need to take some lessons from Robert on how to fly it! Thank you for the support as always
Hi there! We just started our demo yesterday! Trying to decide whether to remove original sub floor. Ours is a Florida bus, similar to your Georgia bus without the salt and rust. If you did it again, would you have removed yours? It looked like it was in great condition, dry and almost new. We have a 2007 so a bit older than yours. I think we're going to leave the original particle board/sub-floor if it looks as good as yours did, after we get the rubber flooring completely removed. Do you feel better about the build that you removed everything, sanded the frame and repainted it? Obviously, we don't want to do it if we don't have to. Thank you for these videos- very helpful!
Too be honest, it was a little overkill to remove the floor and take it down to the frame. I do appreciate how easy it was to do some early on mechanical fixes, as well as rip out some wires from the handicap ramp. The floor was rather easy to place back in but did cost roughly $500 to remove everything and put it back. It does provide a little piece of mind though!
I wanna build out a shuttle bus too....quick question...is there any particular reason why u removed the subfloor down to bear metal?
Hey Mimie, we had a little extra rust on the underside of our bus that needed a good cleaning. The sub floor had some bolts in it that we could not remove successfully without damaging the sub floor. We also needed to do some work around our wheel wells. We could have more than likely just left the bolts in and insulated over the top of them.
I hope you drive through R.I.
Would like to meet you guys and see your bus.
We would be happy to connect!! We will do a video once we start to plan out our travels.
Leave an access point in the floor for the fuel pump in the gas tank.
I have seen a few people reference to this but I am not sure why exactly. Can you explain lol! SOS
Awaken Daze if the fuel pump goes bad and needs replaced and there is no access panel, the tank may need drained to make it lighter and uninstalled from the vehicle. Working with a large container full of gas fumes is dangerous and could be costly. It is easier to just leave an access panel. You might look around for other things like this for example, the upper bolt on the rear shocks that cannot be accessed from below because the exhaust pipe is in the way.
if it's any consolation it took me 3 weeks to do 2/3 of my bus to the stage you're at now....I had to leave the front 1/3 to use as a workspace. will be doing that very soon..... :)
Emily & I have spent roughly 6 or 7 days working on the bus now! It has just been spaced out over a couple months. Can’t rush through the process so we might as well as enjoy the journey 😋💙
what rust treatment did you use?
We ended up doing a simple rustoleum on everything after sanding some areas clean! :) Hope this helps
Hey, Guys! Did you guys use "metal flashing" under the subfloor?
Do you still have the electrical diagrams or where can we get it?
At least your bus is not a major rust bucket unlike mine, mine should have never left factory. The way they did roof was dumb.
I had the 2orst time removing .y tracts, let alone insurance on bus, I'm not removing any wire myself. I'm paying professional to do most of stuff.
Except rusted frame due to roof leak which was a factory flaw
Hey guys I just started getting through the floor and realized I have the exact same style bus as you essentially. Have you found the best way to get the frame covered up again was just ply wood, glue and weather proofing paint?
Hey! I am sorry we are just now getting back to you!
Yes for us we:
- did a brief rust treatment,
- coated a rust prevention,
- weather proofed the sub floor plywood with multiple coats,
- then bought the metal tapping screw & sub floor adhesive to secure it properly
Does this help?
We are also about to insulate and sound proof our sub floor so you can stay tuned for that video in a few weeks!
@@AwakenDaze thanks! Yes !
Rust treating the frame is next for us! Any tips??
Yes I am so happy you reached out!! I honestly think I made a mistake here... I sprayed the entire frame... I believe I was only suppose to apply it directly to the rusted areas. Make sure to wear a mask. Be sure to not let it sit for longer than 24-36 hours or it will do more harm than good... Speaking from experience lol
I will try to add some footage of it in the next video. I have to get the bus street legal and insured. That way I can go pick up the sub flooring supplies. So if you have any tips on how to get it registered that would be incredible!
@@AwakenDaze yea, if what you sprayed was phosphoric acid then you need to take care & only get it on the rust but also to wear a mask & eye protection........
I was going to say, don't go ripping out the wiring from the coach section, but I'm too late. One point of concern will be wiring associated with the wheel chair lift and door. There is a safety interlock system that locks the bus in park with the parking brake. If you try to drive a way without the door and lift fully closed and locked you can't get the bus out of park. All that wiring in the overhead compartment is interlaced with the chassis wiring.
We were able to work with Chris who actually built and installed wires for these vehicles! It was perfect alignment
If possible how can I contact you directly
Whats the rust treatment you used?
Why dose that drill sound like a lawn mower
I would say user error is a safe answer here haha
Why are you ripping out the floor. What was wrong with it?
We wanted to do a rust treatment and inspection on the bus before building on top of it. The sub floor had some cuts and holes in it as well that we would just rather replace. A good foundation is everything
Removing the floor wasn’t necessary it look good.