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toyota coaster motorhome

Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion – Caravan Door Installation

May 13, 2018 by Claire Edwards 6 Comments

If you are reading this post and looking to do a conversion of your Toyota Coaster door, you may have found that you need to replace the current door in your bus to be able to register it.

This can be the case depending on where you live.

In NSW, to be able to register a vehicle as a motorhome, it must have an “outward opening door”. This means a door that opens away from your vehicle.

In other states, the regulations are different and you may not need to make any adjustments to your door in order to change your vehicle to a motorhome.

If you have a bi-fold door in your current bus, and need a little help removing it, check out our post here.

There are certain doors which are acceptable in NSW, and the Aussie Traveller Caravan Door is one of these.

Other door options available –

  • The Dometic Carad caravan door
  • The Camec Odyssey Premium
  • The Milenco large Columbia door

The Aussie Traveller caravan door –

The Aussie Traveller door is designed to be used in a caravan, motorhome or like us, a bus conversion. It features –

  • Two separate doors, so you can have a lockable fly screen
  • Tinted glass panel for privacy
  • Multiple locks for security
  • Approved gas vent if you are going to be having gas appliances in your bus
  • Different styles and sizes available

Why we chose this door for our bus conversion –

Besides the obvious – it looks good, there are a few other main reasons we decided to install this door in our bus.

  • It is one of the doors available that fits a custom frame for the Toyota Coaster. You can’t just remove an old door and put a new one straight in. They are a different shape, and size to what is already in a bus. This door fits into a custom frame sold online by Custom Coaster Conversions*. This made our decision really quite simple and the primary reason why we chose this door.
  • The flyscreen. To some this may seem trivial, but when you live in a motorhome, you don’t always want to sit outside, but you also don’t always want to be cooped up inside. We also travel with cats, so this gives us the option to separate the two doors and still protect our privacy, give us fresh air, keep the cats safe, and keep the bugs out!
  • The gas vent. As we decided we would have gas appliances inside of our bus, we needed to have approved gas vents. This door has one built into it at the bottom and meets the regulations required for gas in NSW. If you want to read more about the regulations for gas in a motorhome, check out our post here where we detail all of the regulations for you.

*Custom Coaster Conversions are no longer selling parts and accessories for Toyota Coasters, however the door can still be purchased directly from Aussie Traveller.

Installing your new caravan door –  

Step One –  
Toyota Coaster Door Frame Adjustment

The gap where you old door was is too big to fit a caravan door straight into. So, the first step to install the door, is to install a frame where it can sit.

Lucky for Coaster owners, you can purchase a pre-cut fibreglass frame specifically made to fit a Toyota Coaster bus from a company called DIY RV Solutions.

Start by holding the frame into position, and seeing how it fits. This is important as you know if any adjustments are required prior to installing it.

Our frame stuck out at both ends a bit too much. Being fibreglass, you can use a sander to shape it, so this is what we did (It is important to wear a mask as it is not good to get fibreglass in your lungs, we did not, so do not follow our lead here!). You can also use a grinder to cut more off at a time, but be careful to not cut too much.

We laid the frame down and sanded both ends a little at a time, holding it into position and testing it until it fit more snug. Once you are happy with how it is sitting, you are ready for the next step. We did not get ours to fit perfectly, however we got it to a point where we knew we could fill the gaps with silicone. Each door may vary a little so this step may take a few attempts to get it right. It certainly took us a few!

This step was done in our previous video where we removed our bi-fold door.

Step Two –  

Now that the door frame fits snug in the door way, you can apply a sealant around the edge of the door way and put the frame in place. This will take two people to do so make sure you have someone there to help you!

There are a variety of sealants available to use, and the choice is up to you. We recommend something suitable for outdoor use, and something with some flexibility and UV resistance. You can buy specific sealant for vehicles which is also a good choice here.

Toyota Coaster Door Frame Install

While the door is being held in place by one person, the other person can pre-drill approximately six holes down each side of the door evenly spaced. It is important not to start right at the top, or the bottom as you need to have some flexibility later to be able to push on the door and adjust as you go.

Step Three –  
Toyota Coaster Door Frame screw and silicone

Once you have pre-drilled your holes, we used 30mm self drilling, countersunk metal screws and screwed one into each hole. Once you have a few of these on each side, your door should be secure enough to let go.

For the top and bottom of your fibreglass frame, after a series of unsuccessful attempts, we ended up pre-drilling and screwing each corner from the front of the frame into the metal bus frame underneath. This ensured it followed the curve of the bus, and sat flush in position.

Step Four –  

While the silicone is still wet, smooth down the edges and fill any gaps on the inside of the door frame.

On the outside of the bus, mask up either side of the door frame and using silicone again, fill this gap. By using masking tape and warm soapy water, we were able to smooth it down with our fingers and make a nice line. Professional job!

Step Five –

When we purchased our fibreglass frame and Aussie Traveller door from Custom Coaster Conversions, we received a checker plate floor insert to go with it. This insert was made to sit on the current floor (or first step) and cover the gap between the floor and the new frame.

It takes a little angling to fit into place, but once in covers the gap nicely. Alternative to this, you could use metal of your own, or even wood to create a new floor in its place.

Step Six –  
Toyota Coaster Caravan Door installation

Now that the frame is in place, it is time to get the actual Aussie Traveller door into its position.

This step needs two people as it is quite fiddly, and cannot be done by yourself.

To get the door into its correct position, one person needs to hold the door in place while the other squeezes spacers all around the edge of the door, trying to make it even. The main idea of the spacers is to hold the door into position, and to make it even and level. If it is not even, it may have trouble later locking or closing. This process should be done on as even ground as possible.

We found the bottom corner of the door definitely needs the most support as a lot of the weight of the door rests here and you don’t want it to sag over time.

For our spacers we used rubber anti-vibration pad purchased from Bunnings. The door itself is supplied with a couple of spacers, however we found we needed more for extra support.

Step Seven –  

Once you are happy with the position of the door, it is time to screw it into place. You will need similar screws to what was used for the frame however they will need to have a flat head (preferably). It is also a good idea to use stainless steel where possible to prevent rust.

Toyota Coaster Caravan Door Screw and install

Start by pre-drilling holes again straight into the caravan door frame. Approximately 4-6 evenly spaced down each side is sufficient and you don’t need any on the top or bottom.

Once you have done this, put a screw in each one. Be careful, if you screw them in too tight you may pull the edges in too tight and it may make your door out of shape a little. This means that you may not be able to lock your door later on (this happened with us!). If this does happen, loosen the screw a bit and put an additional spacer in where necessary.

Step Eight –  
Toyota Coaster Caravan door conversion finished installation

Once you are satisfied the door is secure, check that the door opens, closes and locks smoothly. Then you are done!

After living in our bus for over a year now, we have found we are extremely happy with the door. We have attached some small hooks so that when we open the doors separately, the main door stays open, while the fly screen is closed.

We had some squeaking a little while ago, and found that applying some silicone spray did wonders.

It has been a very reliable door, and we are glad we purchased it.

Watch us struggle so you don’t have to, in the video of our new door installation.

Filed Under: Conversion How-To, Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion Tagged With: 24 volt battery, 24 volt jumpstarter, campervan door, caravan door, caravan door installation, motorhome door, motorhome door installation, rv door, rv door installation, toyota coaster conversion, toyota coaster home, toyota coaster motorhome

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – Bi-Fold Door Removal

May 1, 2018 by Claire Edwards 2 Comments

In NSW, for a bus to registered as a motorhome, it is a requirement that it must have an “outward opening door”. For us this meant we would need to remove our Toyota Coaster’s bi-fold door.

If you are researching Toyota Coasters as an option for your bus conversion, it is a good idea to look at the current door on it, and know the regulations for your state. For NSW an outward opening door, is any door that opens out of the bus, or even slides on the outside, on the left hand side or rear of the vehicle.

Unfortunately, a bi-fold door like the one we have, does not count. We also did not have a rear door that would not be obstructed by our bed. So that means it was time to remove the old bi-fold door from our Toyota Coaster, and replace it with a complying outward opening door.

Now, removing the bi-fold door and replacing it are not the only options, and by far not the cheapest option. After chatting to our engineer, they stated that we can adjust the current bi-fold door to fit regulations. This is not something we did, however it can be done by welding the current bifold door so it can no longer bend, and changing the hinge system so that it swings outwards. If you are handy on the tools, and looking for a cheaper alternative, this is something worth researching further.

In saying all that, at this point in our conversion, we were not that handy, and decided to remove and replace the old bi-fold door. Read below our how to guide to remove this, or click through here to read about installation of our new Aussie Travellers Caravan Door.

Toyota Coaster bus conversion - RV door removal

How to remove the bi-fold door of your Toyota Coaster

Step 1 –

Begin by removing any hand railings that may get in the way of removing the door. Each hand railing is attached with four bolts, and is stuck to the walls with silicone, so we used a flat head screw driver to pry them off.

This a simple, yet tedious task and worth it when trying to remove the door.

Toyota Coaster bus conversion - RV door remov

Step 2 –

Toyota Coaster bus conversion - RV door remov

At the bottom corner of the door there is a hinge block attached with metal screws. You will need an impact drill to remove the screws. Eventually without much success, we ended up threading the screws and used the grinder to remove the block.

Step 3 –

This is a very important step, and one we found out way too late. At the top of the door, on the outside of the bus, there is a cover plate. Underneath the cover plate, are bolts which attach the door. This plate needs to be removed in order to access the bolts underneath. We thought this would be simple and the cover would just ”pop off”, however it wasn’t, and we essentially had to rip it off. We then used the grinder to smooth down the edges of the metal frame that had been pulled out of position.

Step 4 –

Once you have removed this cover plate, you will now have access to the bolts underneath at the top of the door. Remove all visible bolts from the door track. Once these are removed, using a flat head screwdriver or similar, you can pry the track off. This is once again, a very tedious process. The adhesive that has been used on the track is very strong. With a lot of effort, it can be removed.

Toyota Coaster bus conversion - RV door removal

Step 5 –

Now that the track has been removed, your door should be detached and be able to be taken off.

If for whatever reason you are still having difficulty, there is also an option to separate the two doors and remove one at a time. The doors are just bolted together and can be easily separated by removing the bolts.

So that is a summary of how to remove the bi-fold door from a Toyota Coaster.

We have put together a video of us removing our door, which can be viewed below.

Even though this was a more expensive option to remove the bi-fold door and replace it with a new one, if we were given the choice again we would still do it. The new door has been such an asset, and makes our Toyota Coaster feel like home.

We have also spoken to people from other states that were able to keep their bi-fold doors, but they generally were not happy with them. They do not seal properly so let in lots of water and dust, and also rattle substantially.

Our next post will be on installing our new Aussie Traveller’s Caravan door, and if you would like read about it, you can do so here.

Filed Under: Conversion How-To, Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion Tagged With: caravan door, caravan door removal, motorhome bifold door, motorhome door, rv bifold door, rv door, rv door installation, rv door removal, toyota coaster conversion, toyota coaster home, toyota coaster motorhome

Evakool DC 175L Fridge and Camec 3KG Top Loader Washing Machine Preview

April 12, 2018 by Claire Edwards 6 Comments

Ahh our first appliances have arrived our Evakool fridge and Camec washing machine! What an exciting feeling getting home and seeing them on the front veranda. It’s like shopping for appliances for a house, just on a smaller scale. Our Toyota Coaster renovation is going swimmingly and having some new items to put in will make it that much more like home. So let’s get into it and tell you a little about them.

Evakool Platinum DC Upright 175L Fridge/Freezer

Evakool 175 litre fridge - toyota coaster bus conversion

After plenty of research, Shane and I decided on this beautiful beast of a fridge for a few reasons –

Power –

We chose a 2-way 12/24 volt fridge instead of a 3-way, as we found a lot of people online who had 3-way’s mentioned they were using a lot of gas to run and had to run them on 12 volt often. When being used on 12 Volt, they were less efficient than a 2-way fridge. Most people recommended just going 12 volt, so that’s exactly what we did. 2-way fridges are also cheaper so it was nice to cut some costs.

Size –

Shane and I like food. And when we decided to build a home in our bus, a decent fridge/freezer was a necessity. We didn’t want a small bar size fridge as we knew we would want more space. We found that the Evakool 175 litre worked well for us – not too big and not too small. Standing at 1.3 metres tall and 60cm depth, it will fit in well with our bench space and overall design.

Weight –

Weight has been a big consideration for us with everything we purchase. Wanting to keep our bus under 4.5 tonne fully loaded so can drive it on a car licence, another influencing factor was this Evakool fridge’s weight – 50kg. For it’s size, it is relatively light.

Style –

When does style not come into it? The platinum, satin grey, metal finish works well for our style and will fit in well with our interior design ideas.

Evakool 175 litre fridge - toyota coaster bus conversion

Unfortunately, this model is no longer available for sale. For other fridges, check out Caravan RV Camping here. 

Camec 3kg Top Loader RV washing machine 

A washing machine is definitely not a necessity but for us, we decided it is something that will make our time on the road a lot more comfortable. We did a lot of research and decided on the 3kg Camec Top Loader RV washing machine.

Cycles –

The Camec has multiple cycles, including short wash, hot wash and regular. It does not require hot water as it actually heats the water itself. We may not ever use this function due to power consumption but it is good to know we have it.

Size –

A few others we looked at were 2kg, 2.5kg or twin tub and we thought for us, we would prefer something a tiny bit bigger but also easy to use. Its dimensions means we will be able to place it under the kitchen sink and access it either by a fold up bench or put it on rails to wheel out and back under. It also only weighs 18kg – this is important when you have weight restrictions on a bus. We found that a lot of front load washing machines were much heavier which is again another reason we decided on a top loader.

Water consumption and energy usage –

This was a big one. Living on the road we want to try and save as much water and energy as possible. On a low cycle it only uses around 20 litres which you can actually reuse for the next load if you want, or on a high load, it uses around 26 litres. This is one of the lowest ones we could find. With its power consumption, it uses 240 volt and on a cold wash only uses around 235 watts of power.

Price –

We are on a budget and are trying to make sure we can get the best quality and value but also at a good price. We shopped around and ended up getting this for under $300. Some places had it for over $400 so we were happy with the savings. We also decided the costs associated with using a laudromat or shared laundry at a caravan park would eventually add up and we would be more beneficial with our own from the beginning.

Review –

We decided to test it at home first before putting it in the bus so we get an idea of how it works but also get used to using a smaller washing machine and having smaller loads. At first we had an issue where it was leaking. We worked out we didn’t have the hoses connected properly and the tap was on too much. Once we fixed these issues, we have had absolutely no problems with the washing machine. It washes well and on a regular cycle only takes around 38 minutes. It has a lint filter which we check regularly.

It fits approximately 8 pieces of clothing a wash, or two big towels, or 1 sheet and two pillowcases, which is enough for two on the road every few days.

Overall we are really happy – size, ease, comfort, price.

Camec Washing machine review - toyota coaster bus conversion

As we purchase more items for our bus, we will take you through them and tell you about our reasons for picking them. Check out the list of ‘What’s in the bus‘ here.  After we finally get them into our bus and live on the road, we will do a second review letting you know if they live up to our expectations. Let’s hope that day isn’t too far away.

Check out our video here and let us know your thoughts on our choices!

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: camec, camec review, camec washing machine, camec washing machine review, caravan fridge, caravan washing machine, evakool, evakool dc, evakool dc 175, evakool fridge, evakool fridge review, evakool review, motorhome fridge, motorhome washing machine, platinum evakool, rv fridge, rv washing machine, toyota coaster conversion, toyota coaster home, toyota coaster motorhome

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – Installing Wall Insulation

April 5, 2018 by Claire Edwards 3 Comments

With only a few hours today, we wanted to finish  our bus insulation. We still needed to remove the remaining roof insulation and then it was time to start on the wall insulation.

Roof Insulation Removal –

Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion - Bus Insulation

Finally, time to finish the roof insulation removal. This was a huge step for us and both Shane and I were so excited to finish it; it meant it would be time to start putting new things in the bus instead of removing the old.

After our last trip to the bus when we started the roof insulation removal, we received a tip from one of our subscribers suggesting we use Goo Off – Goo and Stain Remover to help with removing the old glue. It was a great idea. Previously we had tried to use this on the floor but, because of the public holidays over Easter, we didn’t get a chance to purchase any. We still wanted to mention this just for anyone else struggling with removing the glue.

There have been so many frustrating jobs on the bus so far but the original bus insulation is one that sticks with me – using a paint scraper we pulled it off, piece by piece.

Finally, it was done. No more original fire attracting bus insulation!

Installing Wall Insulation –

Finally something going in the bus rather than coming out! This is what we were looking forward to.

Our Toyota Coaster bus originally didn’t have wall insulation so we are hoping it will make a big difference.

Shane and I decided on a wool insulation from our local hardware store Bunnings. We chose this one for a couple of reasons – price, thickness, and insulation rating.

After researching what others were using, we decided whilst the more expensive options seemed good, they had the same ‘R’ value as the cheaper options. ‘R’ value is basically a measuring system where the higher the ‘R’ value, the better the insulating and thermal properties it has.

Of course we wanted the highest ‘R’ value as possible – 5.0. We quickly learnt that this was not an option. With wool, the higher ‘R’ value, the thicker the insulation. We didn’t have room for this and didn’t want to protrude into the bus too much.

We opted for an Earthwool with an ‘R’ value of 2.0. Even this had a thickness of 90mm, so we concerned this would be too thick, however it was cheap enough that we were willing to try.

Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion - Bus Insulation

It was extremely easy to tear apart and fit into the walls in the bus. We did decide to use a little bit of adhesive to keep it in place, but learnt quickly this is not necessary. I strongly recommend using masks, gloves and long sleeves. The earthwool is made from recycled glass and little particles get in everywhere. We had masks but didn’t prepare with long sleeves and when we do the roof, we have learnt our lesson and will make sure we are better prepared.

After it started to come together, we both agreed we could have gone with something thicker; the wool condenses so much that a thicker insulation would have been fine.

Undecided, we may cover this in foam board for an additional layer. Our plan at this stage for our roof insulation is again wool, and then foam board so we can get better insulation.

The whole process only took around an hour and it was done. We were surprised how quick we managed to finish it and we excited we were finally moving forward.

Our plan for next time – window tinting, new door installation and roof insulation. Keen!

Filed Under: Conversion How-To, Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion Tagged With: bus conversion, bus insulation, camper insulation, motorhome insulation, roof insulation, rv insulation, school bus conversion, toyota coaster conversion, toyota coaster home, toyota coaster motorhome, wall insulation

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – Roof Insulation Removal and Finishing Underlay

March 27, 2018 by Claire Edwards Leave a Comment

So after taking a break from our Toyota Coaster bus conversion and heading to Bali for a week, we are back now and it’s time to get stuck into it and finish building our home! Today’s goal was to finish sealing our bus floor so we could install our underlay, and remove the roof insulation.

We were both so excited when we arrived because we knew that the day earlier we received a pallet of goods we had ordered. And there it was; a shining cling wrap film of hope. It was beautiful. We opened it up to find our shower module, specifically built to fit a Toyota Coaster, our new toilet, water tanks, roof vents, hatches and more. Besides our fridge and washing machine, this was our first large purchase.

Toyota Coaster bus conversion - bus insulation and underlay

Once we had both gotten over the excitement of our new goodies, it was time to check out the bus and where we were up to.

Finishing The Sub-Floor –  

Toyota Coaster bus conversion - bus insulation and underlay

You might remember that from our last trip to the bus, we had replaced the back portion of our sub-floor and had glued it in place.

If you missed it, check out here.

Now it was time to screw the new sub-floor in to the chassis of our Toyota Coaster for extra support. Using a drill and multi purpose self drilling screws, Shane attempted to screw these into the into the chassis. The screws of course were unable to penetrate the metal, they were general purpose screws and not metal specific. It also would have been a benefit if we had an impact driver, rather than just a drill. Shane tried this with such grace that he ended up detaching the wood from the chassis which we had glued down last time. After some much needed advice from my brother, Shane and I decided against securing the wood with screws. We reapplied glue and left it to settle.

Silicone Sealing –  

Shane finishing the floor sealing - toyota coaster bus conversion

Finally we finished sealing the sub-floor!

After the decision was made to leave the new sub-floor without screwing it in, it was time to finish sealing it. We decided to leave Shane with this task, how hard could it be? I had managed to seal the rest of the floor, surely he could do the last little bit. Again… watching from the sidelines, my brother stepped in to give him some advice. After this, Shane managed to do a good job. All the cracks, gaps and holes in the floor were finally sealed.

Roof Insulation Removal –  

Shane and Claire removing the bus insulation in the roof - toyota coaster bus conversion

This part of the renovation we had not been looking forward to; removing the bus insulation in our Toyota Coaster motorhome. Removing this insulation was one of the first decisions we made regarding the bus. After researching online, we realised that the current bus insulation in the Toyota Coaster is highly combustible. We came across a video someone had posted on a Facebook forum, comparing the current bus insulation with a new Earthwool insulation. Considering we are turning it into our home, we decided to remove the current bus insulation and replace with something a bit more fire retardant and with better insulating properties. To read about which bus insulation we chose, read our post here.

Back to the removal of the insulation. For safety reasons, we used a face mask during this process as we do not know what the current insulation is made of and being a 17 year old bus, didn’t want to risk anything. The majority of the insulation just pulled off, however, we had issues removing parts where glue was applied. We used paint scrapers to try and remove the majority and I ended up settling on a chisel because of the sharper edge. We were unable to remove it all but we were satisfied with just removing the majority.

If we could go back, we would have worn gloves and full cover clothing. The glass fibers from the bus insulation get stuck in your skin and can be very harmful.

Removing bus insulation in the roof - Toyota Coaster school bus conversion

Finalising Underlay –  

It was now time to lay the remainder of the floor underlay. We were so excited to cover the last bit of our sub-floor. It feels like we have been working on the floor so long now and both Shane and I are so excited to be able to start on something new. You all know we love to start new jobs… and if you don’t, please refer to our two part ‘Day of Halves’ posts.

Part 1

Part 2

Shane and claire laying underlay in their Toyota Coaster school bus conversion - bus insulation

So we cut and measured the final foam underlay. We choose a thin, 3mm, underlay so that we did not reduce the ceiling height as much as possible. This underlay is made to be laid under floating floorboards. At this stage, that is what we were thinking of using, so thought it a good idea to lay down early and cover our sticky floor. We simply laid it down and used insulation tape to join the underlay together. This is a thermal tape we purchased with the intention of also using it throughout the rest of the bus.

And that was it. I walked away feeling as though we had not achieved as much as I had wanted. After re-reading what I have just written, I can now see it was a successful day. We got multiple jobs completed which allows us to start something new and exciting in our bus conversion.

It’s always a fun day at the bus – let us know your thoughts on our progress.

Filed Under: Conversion How-To, Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion Tagged With: bus conversion, bus insulation, bus life, camper insulation, caravan insulation, motorhome insulation, roof insulation, rv insulation, toyota coaster conversion, toyota coaster home, toyota coaster motorhome, wall insulation

Toyota Coaster Motorhome Conversion – Floor Installation and Wheelchair Lift Dismantle

March 8, 2018 by Shane Patmore 3 Comments

There are some days that are just disappointing and our last day on our Toyota Coaster had us walking away with a frown. Not today, today would be great. We just knew it. Our goal was to dismantle our wheelchair lift and replace our damaged sub-floor.

The wheelchair access in our Toyota Coaster was at the rear of our bus, and opens like a ”clam shell’. It is not a standard lift however, and when discussing with people who install the wheel chair ramps, they stated it looked like it actually came off a Ford van or similar, and was made to fit the Coaster. 

As it was made to fit, it has been completely welded to the chassis. Of course we would pick one with something non-standard and difficult to remove. Either way, we decided to still give it a go, and remove what we could. 

Dismantling the wheelchair lift – 

Shane and Claire trying to dismantle and remove the wheelchair ramp in our Toyota Coaster bus conversion.

The easiest place to start was the hand rail, and fold out ramp. These were held in place by a few bolts and were easily removed. 

This now just left the main lift. There was a steel plate on the main lift area, and underneath it ran all of the electrics. The electrics looked like they were connecting each bit of the lift, and needed to be disconnected for us to be able to remove the pieces. So it made sense that we had to start by removing the steel plate.

A lot of the small screws in the steel plate were threaded so it took a fair amount of effort and frustration to try and undo them. Two of the screws were unable to be taken out and a grinder was required to cut the heads off. 

After all of the screws were removed, we were able to remove the steel plate. This allowed us to access the electrics underneath. 

Shane trying to use the grinder to dismantle and remove the wheelchair ramp in our Toyota Coaster bus conversion.

We were right. The wires ran under the metal plate and linked everything together. 

After reviewing the wires (and much to my disagreement!) Shane decided to cut the wires leading to the first piece of wheelchair lift he detached.

‘Check it’ he says. Of course I was not surprised to find it no longer worked. Shane had broken the electrical circuit and now we were stuck with the wheelchair lift down. This became priority number one now as without the electrics, there was no manual way that we were aware of to be able to close it again.

To fix this, Shane got some female insulated electrical blade terminals and a switch. He stripped the wires back, crimped the terminals on and connected them to the switch. 

For anyone out there like me who doesn’t understand that, he basically fixed the broken circuit by adding a new end and reattaching it to where he had cut it off from before. Kind of like cutting a circle, taking part of it away, and reattaching the ends to make a smaller circle.

So now the pieces of the lift had all been disconnected, and the electrical circuit was fixed, we were only left with the ‘clam shell’ doors. 

Replacing the Sub-Floor – 

If you haven’t read the previous post to this one, Shane and I had some damaged sub-floor at the rear of our Toyota Coaster motorhome. Water had leaked in via some damaged seals, and the back 30cm needed replacing. 

If you want to see how we removed the damaged sub-floor, you can read about it here. 

It was now time to replace the floor with some new wood. 

The original sub-floor we removed was 15mm thick. We wanted to replace this with marine plywood in case there were any future leaks. Unfortunately, we were unable to find 15mm marine ply to replace it. We decided to buy 6mm and 9mm marine ply which we would glue together to make the 15mm.

Photo of the new marine plywood cut and ready to be installed in our water damaged floor in our Toyota Coaster bus conversion.

So how did we do it?

  • Start by measuring the wood, and mark it up with a dark sharpie (or similar). 
  • Use some clamps, and secure the wood to a solid and stable spot ready for cutting. 
  • Use a jigsaw to cut along your marked lines. 
  • Make sure the wood fits into position, and adjust and cut as necessary. 
  • Once the wood is ready, remove it from position and spray the metal floor of the bus with some sort of Rustguard and allow to dry. 
  • Apply a layer of liquid nails to the metal of the floor, ready for the new wood to sit on top. 
  • Lay down the first layer of wood, and then apply more liquid nails in between the layers, and place the second layer of wood into position. 
  • Place something heavy on top, and allow to sit until set. 

Shane replacing the floor in our Toyota Coaster bus which was water damaged.

The sun was setting and it was time to reflect on the day we had had. The day started well. Then after multiple trips to the shops and the issues with the electrics we were feeling quite certain it was going to be another day of disappointment.

But it wasn’t!

We fixed the wheelchair lift and removed what we could. We cut all the wood, and replaced the sub-floor. It was a day of teamwork with our wheelchair lift and sub-floor, and we got there.

It all went well, except our sunburn… that was another story!

Filed Under: Conversion How-To, Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion Tagged With: bus conversion, bus floor, bus wheelchair lift, motorhome conversion, rv conversion, school bus conversion, toyota coaster conversion, toyota coaster home, toyota coaster motorhome, wheelchair lift dismantle

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Last weekend (8/7) I got to marry my best friend i Last weekend (8/7) I got to marry my best friend in front of a small crowd of our nearest and dearest at a beautiful alpaca farm in Broke NSW.This year has been a massive roller coaster for us. We’ve lost loved ones, our bus is still at the mechanic which isn’t looking to change soon, and our run-around car just recently died. But we have also just gotten married and got to surprise everyone with the announcement that we will soon be welcoming another member to the Roaming on Rubber family.We keep reminding ourselves that these setbacks aren’t the end of the world and as long as we are together we know it’s going to be okay.-ShaneThe day wouldn’t have been as perfect as it was without our amazing vendors.Would easily recommend any of them again, special shout outs to @chameleoneventhire , who went above and beyond to keep the night running smoothly, and @benjonescelebrancy who crafted the perfect story and ceremony for us.Location: @starlinealpacasfarmstayresort Celebrant: @benjonescelebrancy Photographer: @weddingsxmemories Event staff: @chameleoneventhire Food: @woodfiredpizzacompany and @the_gelato_man HMUA: @cmphairartistry Suits: @mb__apparel Dress: @bellesandbeauxbridal Alterations: Just Perfect AlterationsTies: @peggyandfinn
Some harsh realities of Bus life and our worst fea Some harsh realities of Bus life and our worst fears came to head on Friday.We have been pretty quiet on social media the last few months while we waited and waited with bad news after bad news. Just as we were nearing the end and looking like we may be back on the road soon, we got the news that our bus’ engines block is cracked right through and that we have no repair options.It’s a new engine or nothing.So we aren’t sure what our plan is and if/when we will get back on the road as we can’t really afford that.We are just trying to stay positive, and work out our next steps.Thank you to people who have messaged asking where we have been, it means a lot.For now we have started a short lease on a rental so not up to too much post worthy but hopefully we will be back on our feet in no time.
We’ve had a few setbacks so been a little quite re We’ve had a few setbacks so been a little quite recently but we are almost finished! Cleaned for the valuation so thought we’d give you a look. Let us know what you think!
Not much work to go now! We just need to finish t Not much work to go now! We just need to finish the bathroom, build a kitchen overhead, add some trim and doors, and do a bunch of painting. Surely that won't take too long? 😂😂😂#busconversion #vanconversion #buslifeaustralia #buslifeau #vanlifestyle #vanlifemovement #vanlifer #vanlifeideas #vanlifeaustralia #homeonwheels #homeiswhereyouparkit #thisisvanlifeing #vancrush #offgrid #busbuild #vanbuild
Sorry for the delay in posting! We have been so bu Sorry for the delay in posting! We have been so busy building the bus it has put us a little behind with our updates.But our new desk is in! Made from the same Vic Ash wood as our kitchen bench, this beauty is long enough for us to both share the space 😊#buslifeaustralia #busconversionaustralia #vanlife #vanlifeaustralia #busconversion #buslifeau #homeonwheels #homeiswhereyouparkit #thisvanlifeing #vancrush #busbuild
We loved our old wooden roof in the coaster so hav We loved our old wooden roof in the coaster so have just finished installing the same panneling in the Vario.Plan is to paint it white this time rather then staining it.Putting this in has really made us realise how much more space there is.It's coming up great if we do say so 😁
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