renovation – Page 3 – On the Road with Adie

Ace is the place

I claim the miles I put on my Prius for bus repairs and trips. Most of those miles accumulated from a fairly narrow source of day trips that are mainly lumber runs and hardware scavenging. When the time comes to match a bolt or fit a nut (and that time comes thrice per week, folks),Continue reading “Ace is the place”

Door seals

First off, get the German-made seals. Bus Depot sells both the generic and the German and they go through pains to tell you why it’s a good idea to spring for the better ones, but you may still be tempted to save a few bucks. If this is you, then you either shouldn’t own aContinue reading “Door seals”

Pop top tent for Riviera

I know there’s the eternal debate over the superior camper bus—Westfalia or Riviera (and the answer is Riviera). But when it comes to the tent tops, the distinct advantage of Westies is that they have abundant manufacturers. Finding a decent tent for a Rivi is hard. Sure, there are a couple, but the best reviewedContinue reading “Pop top tent for Riviera”

Headbanger cabinet

I built this badboy myself. Took the measurements and made a template out of cardboard, figured it all out on my own. I did find a company that built exactly what I wanted, but they were located in England and said they would not ship to the US. Meanwhile everything I could find in theContinue reading “Headbanger cabinet”

Seat belts

This was an easyish project. After replacing the seats, I decided I also needed to upgrade my seat belts. Originally I had the usual, floppy belts that are now only found on airlines. Now I know why they are only found on airlines: they constantly get shut in doors, making them unsuitable for automobiles, butContinue reading “Seat belts”

Retractable dog run

Our dog, Jolene, goes everywhere we go. She’s a rescue and still a bit skittish, so we don’t like to leave her and we don’t know exactly what will spook her (although the list now includes butterflies, gravel, and chipmunks). More than once, she has bolted out of the van before we could grab holdContinue reading “Retractable dog run”

Hakwood ceiling

Maybe because Adie is a sleeper bus, maybe because I once visited the Sistine Chapel—beats me—but I love a nice ceiling. I’ve seen the muraled types and the bare metal, traditional headliners (like what I have in the pop top) as well as bamboo. But for Adie, I chose a tongue-in-groove board painted white. Simple,Continue reading “Hakwood ceiling”

Body work

Everyone has an opinion about body work—mostly the guys who do body work. Like everything else I do, I researched the shit out of this one. It is probably worth noting what I was looking for in terms of bodywork because everyone has different expectations. What I want out of my vehicle can be markedlyContinue reading “Body work”

Sound system

As you can imagine, no road trip is any good without the appropriate soundtrack (and don’t come at me with “Life is Highway”). In order to have this sweet sweet sound, you must have the right sound system. Locally that means going to a place called Stereo-N-Dash.

Seat spinner

One key feature I wanted to have in the bus was a rotating passenger seat. When using the bus as a living space, seating is at a premium. Sure the bench in the back can cozily seat two, but what if you wanted to look at the other person’s face? Turn that seat around. Plus,Continue reading “Seat spinner”