About The Ruck Bus:
The Ruck Bus is a 2007 Ford Ecoline E350 6.8L V10 cutaway by Coach and Equipment. The bus came with 77k miles, 3 futons, flat screen Roku TV, Double din touch screen radio with surround sound, speaker amp, led lighting, Intermotive Fast Idle System, an 800watt Power Inverter, two Interstate SRM24 battery 550CCA 690CA and a little bit of rust.
The Plan:
Of course the plan is to convert the bus to a livable space for two people and two dogs. The bus will be driven around the country, stopping at national parks, landmarks, different cities and possibly to come visit some special Discord Users. The project is a lot of work but anything is possible. This is what I aim for:
48v electrical system with 5000watt inverter and a solar power/charging system, Full size bed, bathroom/shower combo, 3.3cu refrigerator, stove, oven, 40gallon fresh water tank and a lot of cool tech and equipment.
This is a very rough plan of the trip I would like to take. This is going to require much more research and planning before leaving home base. As the course is mapped currently it comes in at 8,556 mi, 5 days, 9 hours, 11 minutes.
The floor removal took a few days. There were some rail mounts from the wheel chair lift and seating that was bolted all the way through and tight. I had to cut them out with the angle grinder. I decided to keep the bus heater and air conditioner since they both work well. The air conditioner does need a new compressor.
After doing some research for materials I found a guy on marketplace with a pallet of flooring in a color I liked. I purchased 7 boxes of Ash Umber Waterproof Vinyl Flooring for $49 per box. Regular price was roughly $81/box. I think it looks great.
When I purchased the vehicle the wheel chair lift was removed and the side door was bolted shut. As I removed the flooring I was trying to locate the location of the bolts were keeping the door shut. I was not able to find them for the longest time. After a few weeks I decided to remove the weather stripping around that door and found the bolts. There were three bolts and once removed the door swung open. This was a relief as I plan to make storage under the bed area which can be accessed from the outside using the door.
I am using expanding foam sealer to fill some gaps in the door. I will use a sheet rock saw to cut off the excess foam.
The bed frame was built for a full size mattress. I have left enough room under the bed for a water tank, water heater, water pump, and of course storage.
The solar panels I decided to use are 290watts each. I purchased 4 of them for a total of 1160watts of solar power. The panels I found on Facebook Marketplace from a guy selling them in bulk. Each panel cost me $75 for a total of $300. The panels will be used with my MrPower 5000watt solar inverter/charger and two ECO-WORTHY 24V 100AH Mini Size LiFePO4 Lithium Deep Cycle Batteries to be ran in series for a 48v system.
I am mounting two panels on the top rail and two below that are on sliders. This will allow for all 4 panels to be used while stationary and only taking up the space of two.
