I made a new category called The Bus. It is really on my mind!

The short of it is that the 2007 Chevrolet Collins 5 window cutaway is looking better and better. I’m calling the seller tomorrow to purchase the inspection. If I do buy the bus then the money spent is applied to the purchase price. Also, I need to get confirmation on the brakes replacement, what likely is required to fix the shaking which occurs during braking. I have a ballpark figure already of $600. Heavy duty!

Then, assuming it is all ok, buy the bus and title it. Some states require an inspection to convert the bus from a commercial status, which  requires a CDL to that of recreational vehicle, which doesn’t. An RV also makes for lower insurance premiums. The two states I’ve read that don’t are South Dakota and Vermont. You can read or watch more about this silliness here and here, respectively. Just like what created the Bootlegger TV show. If we have issues upon returning to California we’ll sell it and buy it back so we again have temporary tags.

This means we wouldn’t have to paint the bus as part of the makeover. Does that mean we will get pulled over for having a “school house yellow” bus on the road? Experts disagree and I am no expert. There is no question that the lift, all the chairs and the floor would get ripped out. The lift because it is broken and in the way of progress, air and access. The chairs because they’re not comfortable or flexible enough. The floor so that any interior rust could be ameliorated and to create a better blank canvas. Rust will be brushed away as possible and rust converter will be painted on top of the interior metal as needed. Then a topcoat of rustoleum paint. Followed by sound and heat mitigation, which have some crossover. For reducing noise, I am thinking I’ll apply these things which are, essentially, stickers that reduce the metal’s tendency to vibrate. An example. Then closed cell foam for more sound and for insulation. It is also light. (True story: back in the day, Mme JD cleverly made us a cooler which was closed cell foam taped together as needed inside a cardboard box. It really worked!) Paint plywood to help just in case water shows up and cover the floor, frame out the interior and start to assemble what people will see and directly touch. Time permitting add more batteries which are charged by the alternator and the pieces needed to power stuff, convert to 4×4, remedy the underside rust issue, figure out some solar option, add insulation on the roof and paint it white, add a better sound system, etc. After the tour, and part of the same list, add a passenger’s chair to the front, which means some changes, though maybe keeping the folding doors.

I finally made bread today. What a long time between! In all honesty, I prefer the taste of the all flour bread to this pea protein mix, and I am looking forward to the first, all grain loaf by hopefully the end of the year. Yes, coffee is in the refrigerator.