|
|
So far, I have only a few links to visit (I told you this was the net's largest resource for this kind of information). If you know of any other sites that would fit into the theme here, let me know about them, and I'll include them, given the site owner's permission. Note that these links are in no particular order. Personal Pages Mike's Nordic Bus <www.skypoint.com/~mclark/bus.htm> Nordic? Well, yes, in a way. Ever seen a bus conversion with carved gargoyles on the corners of the roof and ancient runes on the interior rafters? This 1951 Chevrolet bus is a very good example of the craft from Minnesota. And you thought that House trucks and buses were a West Coast phenomena. Vandweller <www.thevandweller.com> Scott is the VanDweller, and he has written a book filled with the insights gained by life on the road. You can order his book Nomadic Notations from his web site. Wayzalot <www.wayzalot.com> Several places in my site, I mention that I sometimes wish that I had built a trailer instead of a housetruck. "Wayzalot" is the name of just the sort of trailer that I would have wanted. Terry and Hardy have hauled their creation all over the country and aren't stopping anytime soon! Bob Sokol's Bus Page <www.bobsokol.com/bus.html> Bob shows you how to convert a school bus into a motor home. Oybus <members.aol.com/oybus/busnut.htm> Oybus stands for 'Old Yeller Bus'. Wish my rig had a shiny new paint job, and I had a cool indoor shop to work on it in! Also. this Dave undoubtedly knows good links when he sees them!! Wrybread <www.wrybread.com> If your sense of humor is a slice or two short of a full loaf, you knead to give this site a visit. Some interesting live-aboard vehicles, including one very nice step van and a hot-rod '49 GMC transit bus! Also, some MPEG files of prank phone calls, and associations with Cyberbus and Burning Man. Lots more too! Stu's Place <www.stu.co.nz> For a taste of Housetrucking, Kiwi-style, Stu has collected a quite nice gallery of images, links and more, all for your enjoyment. This site has undergone a major overhaul, and Stu has added many new photos of trucks and buses, as well as the journal of his experiences revamping his own housetruck. Bus Gallery <busgallery.home.att.net> Dave knows what it is like to really raise a bus roof! Check out the Bus Gallery for views of various rigs from around the nation. The Blackman Family Bus <members.aol.com/tblack5621/busweb.htm> Todd rescued his bus from the clutches of a wrecking yard, where they would have probably used it as a storage shed for greasy auto parts. Another inspiring success story that illustrates that it is not necessary to spend as much on a bus as my folks did on the house I grew up in! (This site has been mostly disabled, so the excellent roof raising photos and descriptions are no longer available) Pardo.Net <www.pardo.net/bus-0035/buses.html> How I managed to overlook this page in my statistics for so long is a mystery. If you are thinking of buying a bus or coach, or even a truck chassis to convert, this page should be required reading. Information overload, more than you will probably want to wade through, but one of the most comprehensive pages I've yet seen. (Wishing my own FAQ page as as complete). Fool Bus <www.oneota.com/~petersburg/index.html> Cole is (was) a high school student who pooled his money with his buddies to purchase a used bus to convert into the ultimate adolescent party pad. There are pages of journal entries, detailing their learning experiences as they explore the newly-purchased vehicle and get the "hard knocks" education of bus conversion. Most entertaining to watch someone else's foibles instead of my own! Be sure to check out his "Links" page, as it is much more complete than this one! Buskid's Home Page <www.crownbus.com> Buskid has a love affair with Crown Coaches, and has quite a few images of them posted on her site. She also has one of those gnarly, herkin' tandem-dual 40' Crown Super Coaches and has recently updated her site to include a very informative history of the Crown Coach Corporation. Solar Bus <www.solarbus.org> Steve Beckwith has gone the extra mile in converting his 1982 Crown into a showpiece for renewable energy advocacy. His bus runs on Biodiesel and supports festival and events on the subject of renewable fuels, in part by supplying the stages with solar-generated power from the bus' own on-board photovoltaic panels. An inspirational message carried on an incomparable chassis! Wothahellizat <www.robgray.com/graynomad/issues/index.php> Now I know that there is someone out there more fanatical than myself! Rob Gray is a Australian photographer who decided to chuck it all, quit his job and built a truly huge motorhome that is capable of navigating any off-road track nearly anywhere in his expansive and beautiful country. Be sure to follow the "Construction Diary" link at the top of this page for an in-depth look at the three-year project as it begins with a used military vehicle and finishes with Rob and his wife Chris selling their home and moving into the WORT (Weird Off Road Truck). The diaries continue as Rob and Chris travel the huge continent down under and post their experiences and photographs. Quite enjoyable reading, this. Organization Sites - Is 'commercial' a dirty word? Housetrucks.com <www.housetrucks.com> I'm a little annoyed that I didn't think to register this domain name myself. As you may have gathered elsewhere in the site, Roger Beck has just published a new book about house trucks and buses (see the Book Reviews section of this site), and he has also launched this web site to provide more information about the book. His site also features a gallery of images of trucks, buses and several series of construction photos. Camping-Cars Insolites <perso.orange.fr/pl65/insolite/insolite.htm> I'm not exactly sure where to include this link, as I don't read French and haven't decided if it's a hobbyist site or a commercial page, but the site includes this gallery of house truck, bus and camper photographs. Some are familiar, being either local rigs, or images that have been circulating the 'net for some time. Others are unique and present a new international flavor to the art. Worth a visit even if you don't use Babelfish to translate the text. Housetrucks mailing list service <groups.yahoo.com/group/housetrucks> This mailing list is specifically directed at those of us who are interested in house trucks and buses. Yuri has started this list , which promises to be quite useful in promoting communications among our community of road-wandering folk. Shoestring Bus Conversion <www.rv-busconversions.com> Ben has written a booklet which you may find valuable during your conversion's construction. His site also includes some good links, as well as quite a few recommended reading titles. In fact, his bus bibliography is quite impressive. Vintage Vacations <www.vintage-vacations.com> A special site for those of you who are interested in classic pre-1960's travel trailers. This site includes a large archive section. Lots of .gif images, so have a fast connection and allow ample time for image downloading, it's worth it! Henry Ford Estate <www.henryfordestate.org/vagabonds.htm> For several years before and after 1920, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and John Burroughs participated in a series of motor camping caravans, which have been described as the first notable linking of the automobile with out-door recreation. Bernie's Model & Classic Bus Depot <home.earthlink.net/~bflop/> I have a few model buses, but don't consider myself a collector. Bernie must have a few hundred model buses, and he doesn't consider himself a collector, either! For visitors who enjoy classic bus photos, this site has a wealth of images, particularly of 'old style' GM coaches. RV Coach OnLine <www.rv-coach.com> This professional-looking site may succeed in bridging the gap between 'straight' RV'ers and 'those dirty hippie buses'. Look for the school bus Fireside Chat section, where you can find some familiar characters conversing online. The Bus Station <www.busstation.net> Britons take their buses seriously, and this fine site provides links to about 2600 bus-related web sites. I found out that Steve drives a Citroen, let's hope it's not a 2CV! Other Sites - Other than what? Zenzibar Alternative Directory <www.zenzibar.com> Looking for sites that discuss the paths less traveled? Zenzibar is a directory of sites which include a range of subjects including alternative lifestyles, naturopathy, sustainable living and much more. Very well put together, searchable, and informative. That's all I have for the moment, several other links to sites are pending approval by the owners. These sites have links as well, and last time I searched Google (search string= bus+conversion), I got 645,000 matches, although many of them were for computer bus conversion. A fair number of the matches were also for commercial or 'straight' coach conversions, but you might be interested in that sort of thing anyway. |
  |
Apr 7, 2007 |