My "biggest" paint job yet..

[nvr2old]

What the hell was I thinking when I volunteered to paint this..

A full-size school bus that's being transformed into a luxury RV. We painted the top white first after putting up scaffolding all around. An entire day for that alone.

Matt, who works at the shop that I have had access to, his wife, Melissa and their 12 year old daughter Lilly (who did an amazing amount of work for a kid) helped prep and mask.



Top done.











Must've used 20 rolls of masking tape and a 100 yards of paper to get this thing ready for the sealer and paint..

3 gallons of blue.. Man, my arms were tired..





Hard to tell in the pics..but it actually turned out really nice. Has a rather "prison bus feel" to it.

Sadly I wasn't there when it was unmasked and taken outside the next day..I had a show to do at the radio station I work at when the builders came and got it. They were thrilled with the results. I'll see if I can't get a few pics of the inside and outside in the next few days or so. They paid me 40 bux an hour to paint this beast..hard to turn that down these days..but even though I walked away with a fist-full of under the table cash..I don't know if I want to paint another one or not..lol. Motorcycles are a breeze in comparison.

[Buffalo Bill]

Looks like; sealer coat, but no clear coat, right? Opaque colors chosen to save cost? Lacquer?

[nvr2old]

Looks like; sealer coat, but no clear coat, right? Opaque colors chosen to save cost? Lacquer?

Single stage acrylic enamel after sealer. The blue and white are actually an industrial equipment paint. A bit hard at first to get used to after years of spraying urethanes. Took me back to the old days of shoot and go.

[Sandy]

Blue and white huh. Sounds like it's going to be a Cooley tribute bus. Cool.

[dorkburger]

Yikes. Big job indeed.

[pete]

Wow Larry yeah a big job alright! I don't think I'd even contemplate a car let alone a bus! Definitely sounds like a cool project converting it to a luxury RV though.

[Buffalo Bill]

Big job for sure.
How a school bus conversion could be associated with luxury, I am skeptical. Comfortable and homey I can believe.
School bus conversion RVs are popular enough, plenty on youtube.

[nvr2old]

Maybe luxury a bit of a stretch. Really cool inside though. Stainless steel appliances..granite counter tops..beautiful wood paneling..full shower..big bed..solar panels..high back captain chair for driver..a/c..and more. Pretty nice..but luxury..maybe not.

[Buffalo Bill]

Nice interior! What was done for the ride quality? I think they got a 1940s 2 ton truck suspension.

[Cipher]

I was hoping for The Partridge Family scheme.

[Nessism]

I'm sure you did a great job with the paint but I liked the yellow better. Looks like a fun project.

[nvr2old]

I was hoping for The Partridge Family scheme.

That would've been cool..but I'd have to charge them twice as much..

[nvr2old]

Nice interior! What was done for the ride quality? I think they got a 1940s 2 ton truck suspension.

I believe they air bagged this baby to soften the ride a bit.

[nvr2old]

Wow Larry yeah a big job alright! I don't think I'd even contemplate a car let alone a bus! Definitely sounds like a cool project converting it to a luxury RV though.

You know what was the hardest part, Pete..keeping the paint going and keeping it wet so as not to leave any dry spots from top to bottom, front to back. That's a ton of surface area. We dropped the room temperature down to about 60 degrees so it wouldn't dry so fast. The hood was a b--ch. Matt had 4 cups of paint mixed and ready to go at all times with 2 guns and as soon as one was emptied I'd attach another one and go bumper to bumper. 3 coats for good coverage, never stopping in-between. It was almost 3 hours of constant spraying (with no exhaust fan). I couldn't even hardly move the next day.

My wife, like so many others around the world was furloughed TFN from her job. After almost a month she still hasn't received an unemployment check because of the backlog even though she was among the first in the state to sign up for it early after stay home orders. We're still waiting for our stimulus checks, too..but that's OK..that'll be appreciated whenever it does arrive. I feel very blessed to have my job considered "essential" and continue to work, but the extra money came at a very good time, so even though I tease about the job..I'm grateful for the opportunity to make a bit of cash on the side.

Thanks for looking..hope all are well and stay safe.

[Buffalo Bill]

The original school bus conversion is boomer legend: