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Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:28 pm

The campsite was called Banky Barn, the facilities spotless and the owners made us feel very welcome and on a plus side, it had a well stocked bar!

Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:06 pm

Dont ya just love a gathering of Bay Window Buses!

Went down into Leicestershire for a get together over the weekend, was a great turnout, safe measures in place and a great selection of buses.

Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:08 pm

This beauty was an ex German Fire Department Radio bus (I think) which had undergone a full and thorough nut and bolt restoration.

It is absolutely stunning and the paint is faultless.

Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:12 pm

A great weekend!

Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:47 pm

Back towards the end of September 2020 we said goodbye to Major as he was off to Lincolnshire for a while..

We sent him off for his new motor, which I had pondered about for a while but finally took the plunge and arranged. A Subaru conversion.

Mock up block fitted

Correct motor fitted up for lining up etc

ECU module fitting and, with protective cover fitted

Matt popped a couple of unexpected touches on whilst sorting the conversion, a Buttys Bits throttle linkage which is excellent and cam covers with a personal touch to the bus. Love them!!

With that all buttoned up, the bus was mot'd ahead of collection day, we passed with one advisory, a slightly noisy wheel bearing. But a pass is a pass!!
Driving home some 70 miles showed how different the driving experience was and hills come and go with ease, cruising on motorways so casual, I was pleased!

Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:57 pm

Now its time to finish off the rebuild ahead of getting away exploring.

The headlight chrome surrounds needed refitting

Side step refitted

Madmatz do a nice pair of plaid trimmed door cards, which I quite like

Door internal waxoyled with a new vapour barrier and bungs / clips

the fit was excellent amd went on with care when cutting out for the door escutcheon

Looking great

The rear seats have been reupholstered and refitted

More to come soon....

Thu Mar 11, 2021 3:08 pm

Oh, my, very handsome indeed!

Fri Mar 12, 2021 1:40 pm

jtauxe wrote: Oh, my, very handsome indeed!

Thank you buddy :)

Sun May 02, 2021 1:51 pm

As part of the build, we always said we would like to be a bit more self sufficient and not rely on camp site hook ups just to run the fridge and charge our phones from. A simple solar setup is in order.

- Votronic Dual Battery MPPT Controller
- Votronic Battery Condition Monitor
- 30A Isolation Switch / Circuit Breaker
- 180W Rigid Solar Panel
- 75A AGM Leisure Battery

- appropriate current rated wiring with fuses on the charge circuit and supply circuit.

Controller / condition monitor are tucked away in the wardrobe, wiring routed discreetly in convoluted tubing.

Leisure battery is, well, what it is!

Solar Panel mounted on the roof, is not all that large and doesn't look obvious

All wired up, ready to go..battery charging at 14.4 volts, exactly as per MPPT controller charge profile

We have two USB sockets, an accessory socket and a 3 pin plug for the fridge.

Sun May 02, 2021 1:56 pm

With the restoration done, it's time to shakedown and get some miles under our belt.
We had a run up to Clumber Park ~ 20 miles away from home. Ran very well, pleased with how the build has come along!

Sun May 02, 2021 11:49 pm

MorkC68 wrote: As part of the build, we always said we would like to be a bit more self sufficient and not rely on camp site hook ups just to run the fridge and charge our phones from. A simple solar setup is in order.

- Votronic Dual Battery MPPT Controller
- Votronic Battery Condition Monitor
- 30A Isolation Switch / Circuit Breaker
- 180W Rigid Solar Panel
- 75A AGM Leisure Battery

- appropriate current rated wiring with fuses on the charge circuit and supply circuit.

Controller / condition monitor are tucked away in the wardrobe, wiring routed discreetly in convoluted tubing.

That solar setup looks very neat Mork. It’ll make a difference for camping trips. I’m toying with the idea,but at the moment I have a trickle charger that runs when we’re plugged in to the mains, so I’m not sure we need it. The main draw on our battery now, if we’re off grid is the diesel heater, about 1A/hr on low power, but 40mA/hr when it’s turned off (mostly).
The heater is a game changer though. You can consider it now you have a leisure battery!

Mon May 03, 2021 8:52 am

What company did your conversion and where is your radiator mounted ?

Mon May 03, 2021 12:40 pm

mcdonaldneal wrote: MorkC68 wrote: As part of the build, we always said we would like to be a bit more self sufficient and not rely on camp site hook ups just to run the fridge and charge our phones from. A simple solar setup is in order.

- Votronic Dual Battery MPPT Controller
- Votronic Battery Condition Monitor
- 30A Isolation Switch / Circuit Breaker
- 180W Rigid Solar Panel
- 75A AGM Leisure Battery

- appropriate current rated wiring with fuses on the charge circuit and supply circuit.

Controller / condition monitor are tucked away in the wardrobe, wiring routed discreetly in convoluted tubing.

That solar setup looks very neat Mork. It’ll make a difference for camping trips. I’m toying with the idea,but at the moment I have a trickle charger that runs when we’re plugged in to the mains, so I’m not sure we need it. The main draw on our battery now, if we’re off grid is the diesel heater, about 1A/hr on low power, but 40mA/hr when it’s turned off (mostly).
The heater is a game changer though. You can consider it now you have a leisure battery!

Thanks buddy, much appreciated! I'll post some feedback up when we get using the set up and I'll monitor the power useage etc.
A mate uses the diesel heater, he swears by it & its something we have toyed with but wanted to get everything finished before we look at it some more.

Mon May 03, 2021 12:43 pm

panel wrote: What company did your conversion and where is your radiator mounted ?

It wasn't a company as such who did the conversion, Matt (pkrboo on here) does the conversions alongside Nick Tune here in the UK.

The radiator is mounted between the chassis rails pretty much underneath the cargo floor with a scoop for a bit of protection. Sadly I dont have any pics to hand but, if you want to see how it sits I'll nab a couple tomorrow.

Mon May 03, 2021 2:11 pm

MorkC68 wrote:
It wasn't a company as such who did the conversion, Matt (pkrboo on here) does the conversions alongside Nick Tune here in the UK.

The radiator is mounted between the chassis rails pretty much underneath the cargo floor with a scoop for a bit of protection. Sadly I dont have any pics to hand but, if you want to see how it sits I'll nab a couple tomorrow.

Sure sounds good. I know there are a few on here who like to see see how others a managing heat etc and how they engineered the cooling system.

Tue May 04, 2021 5:54 pm

Looking good! You’ve been crushing it for a while, keep us up on the all your rides!

Wed May 05, 2021 1:56 pm

WildIdea wrote: Looking good! You’ve been crushing it for a while, keep us up on the all your rides!

Thanks buddy, its been a fun project, time to enjoy the fruits of our labour now so I'll post our adventures up. Meanwhile, Gusbus needs some tlc...

Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:52 pm

With the weather being great here in Nottinghamshire we decided to give Major a run out camping for the weekend, get some relaxing done, check out the performance of the solar system and drink a few beers.

Derbyshire is on our doorstep so we headed there to a place called Lathkill Wild Campsite near Over Haddon, Bakewell. What a stunning location.

The solar system coped exceedingly well, we ran our fridge for three days non stop, charged phones and had the interior lights on at night time, which, in Gusbus was a no no.

With a loaded bus and trailer with awning, camping chairs, table and fire logs, we had no issues whatsoever climbing hills and general cruising. Awesome!

It was a shame to leave such beautiful surroundings but they have been there for century's past, they will be there for us to return to!

Tue Jun 01, 2021 2:05 pm

Looks amazing! Great pictures and well done making the best of the good weather!

Tue Jun 01, 2021 2:08 pm

mcdonaldneal wrote: Looks amazing! Great pictures and well done making the best of the good weather!

Thanks buddy, much appreciated! Lets hope the weather extends some more albeit a bit cooler for walking in!