Larger openings from rust
spots, up to 5 inches across,
can be covered with leftover
sections of metal from the
wall panels.new metal. If the hole is smaller
than 5 inches, you can patch over
it with thin scrap metal and metal
adhesive, such as JB Weld. Make
sure the patch is a few inches
larger than the hole so there’s
plenty of margin for adhesive.
Holes 5 inches or larger should be
covered with a welded patch that
is flush with the floor rather than
resting or overlapping on top of
the surrounding metal.
The next step is to fill in or
patch over the holes where the
seat bolts were. You can use small
pieces of thin metal (pennies or
metal from the interior walls you
removed will work), sealed with
100 percent silicone caulk to fill
in the holes.
When all holes are covered
and the silicone has completely
cured (about 24 hours), your f loor
is ready for a coat of paint. One
coat of oil-based paint will work
to cover the f loor, as it will never
be exposed to the sun or weather.SEALING WALLS, WINDOWS,
AND CEILING / You’re less likely
to have rust issues in your walls
than in your f loors, but if you find
any spots, treat them in the same
fashion as the rust spots on the
f loor: wire-brushing to remove
the rust, then treating with a rust
converter.
With a garden hose, inspect
your bus’s windows for leaks,
which happen when the exteriorcaulk around them ages and dries
out or peels away, allowing rain-
water to seep in. If you see failed
caulking, remove all the remain-
ing old caulk and add fresh caulk
rather than trying to patch it.
Bus ceilings require minimal
preparation for construction com-
pared with f loors and walls, but
it’s possible to have leaks around
roof emergency exits. These leaks
can be caused by worn rubber gas-
kets around the exit hatch or from
old caulking around the exit fix-
ture. Remove and replace the old
caulking or replace the rubber
hatch gaskets to solve this com-
mon leaking problem.For the complete
guide to school
bus conver-
sions, pick up
Will Sutherland's
Skoolie! How to
Convert a School
Bus or Van into
a Tiny Home or
Recreational
Vehicle. / $25PREPPING
CONSTRUCTIONWith your bus gutted and the inte-
rior surface materials out of the
way, you now have a much clearer
view of any rust and corrosion
issues, and you’re ready to prepare
your blank canvas for its new fin-
ishes. You’ll start with the floor,
which usually needs the most
work, then you’ll seal up the walls
and windows, and finish with a
quick check of the ceiling.CLEANING AND PAINTING THE
FLOOR / Surface rust on the f loor
will be easy to handle in most
cases: Bus floors are thick, and
there is enough metal there that
you can grind off superficial rust
spots with a wire brush and still
have a very solid surface.
Start cleaning the f loor with a
wire brush attached to an angle
grinder or drill to remove dirt,
grime, glue, and surface rust;
then vacuum up the debris. Treat
the rusted areas that don’t need
patching with a rust converter. I
like POR-15 and have found that a
1-pint kit from POR-15 works well
for a midsize bus with an average
amount of surface rust.
If you find areas with large
f lakes of rust and the f loor feels
soft or f lexes as you put weight on
it, you have a more serious rust
issue. Test to see how solid the rust
spot is by poking it with a screw-
driver. If the screwdriver goes
through the f loor, you will need to
cut away the rusted metal with a
grinder, then patch the hole withEL
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