DIY Bus to Motorhome Construction

A step by step look at building your own motorhome

After taking the plunge and buying your bus or coach, it is time to park it where you will begin the construction. Remember to allow plenty of clearance for the doorways from side fences and walls, otherwise you will be forever moving it to install fixtures and large items. Watch out for overhead power lines, for when you work on the roof!

The first and absolute first thing that needs to be done is to preserve your engine start batteries! There is nothing more disappointing nor foolish, than spending many months and thousands of dollars building your own dream motorhome conversion, only to find that the main batteries have failed due to sitting so long, so let's preserve them by connecting them to a trickle charger.

Remember, simply starting your engine every week and idling it for half an hour will do more harm than good to both the engine and the batteries! The engine will begin to glaze up resulting in loss of compression and oil burning, and the batteries will not cop a full charge.

If your bus is going to stand in the full sun for a long period of time, it is also a good idea to consider shading the tyres from the suns rays to prevent perishing. Also cover the dashboard and steering wheel against the sun as well.

Place a drip tray or peg an old plastic blue tarp under the engine if you have parked on the nice driveway, as 99% of old bus engines and transmissions all drip oil!

When it rains, a lot of water is going to run off the front and rear of the bus, so make allowances for that as well. Mum will get cranky if her nice geraniums get washed away.

Now we are ready to begin the real stuff!