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Renovating a 1984 Liberty Coach
I’ve teased this over the last couple of years, but the time has come for me to begin the complete renovation of the house side of my 1984 Liberty Coach 96”. I’ll keep pictures and updates in this thread, but will probably still create other threads for discussion of particular systems and choices. I will definitely be asking for opinions when faced with decisions.
Here’s the starting point. The interior has been completely gutted. The dash is only unplugged and removed, so I can still reinstall that. My intent is to replace all of the gauges, but that may get put off until after this project is complete, or at least further along. I only removed it to get to the copper tubing from the overhead CruiseAir. The white trash bags contain the coiled loose ends of all of the AC and DC wires and cables that I kept, and make it easier to slide those out of the way while working around them. I kept the plumbing penetrations as-is for now, but will probably change everything except the vent stack.
I added 1/2” OSB over the existing two layers of 3/4” plywood. The only purpose of this was to get the subfloor higher than the 1/4” steel plate that is above the sliding stair cover. I plan on using 3/8” engineered wood flooring throughout, and raising the subfloor will allow that finished flooring to cover everything without having any protrusions, like the three exposed bolts that hold the inside edge of that steel plate to the bus frame. This added layer was a compromise though, because my roof is not as tall as a newer XL. Headroom is precious, and I just lost 0.438 inches. I’m less worried about the extra weight, as I expect to be much lighter at the end of this.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO -
23 Replies
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Wow! Do you have any drawings of your new floor plan?
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Bill – Home Builders seems like the wrong spot for a complete renovation?
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO -
My mistake.
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I don’t have any drawings to post yet, but am at a point where I need to decide. It really is a game of inches. My main goals at this point:
1. change from side aisle to center aisle
2. make moving around the bed less of a squeeze
3. make the bathroom less cramped
4. incorporate a larger refrigerator
Everything else is really just a matter of maximizing storage without sacrificing livability. I’m using empty 24″ moving boxes to “build” walls and experiment with different scenarios. I have been surprised by what a difference an inch makes, particularly alongside the toilet or at the foot of the bed.
One thing I am trying to pull off is to make room for bunk beds opposite the bathroom. I would personally use the space for hanging clothes and a large pantry, but having the ability to convert the area to bunks seems worth the planning effort. I won’t own this bus forever.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO -
Here are some things i like in a bus layout:
1) North South Bed
2) Bar with 2 chairs to sit up against, curb side
3) Leaving the toilet are open saves a ton of space if you can get around that issue.
4) I like double electric recliners on the street side, and a 55″ TV with an elevator on curb side.
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I have not been on for awhile. Have you made much progress? As you know I built 4 and learned /screwed up allot over the process..From your first post make sure to get foam insulation over all those steel ribs. They act just like a toaster in a bus. A thermo gun will surprise you up to 40 f between ribs and factory insulation..Will try to pass on my many fails and why. Bob
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Touring your conversion at Evansville put a little bug in the back of my brain, for sure! That was also the first time I saw a mini-split in a Prevost. I definitely don’t have to guts to make my own slides though.
I added 1/2″ plywood to the walls up to the window level. I sandwiched 1/4″ foam board between the plywood and the framing. That should give me some thermal break and also allow me to securely attach walls, cabinetry, or whatever else anywhere in the bus without having to try to hit a framing member.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO-
What did you use to insulate the area over the driver and across the front? On mine, there is fiberglass insulation that has fallen down and is not working at all. I would like to apply spray in as a replacement, but haven’t found anything specific yet.
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It’s still open right now. I will probably use spray foam, but am concerned about maybe needing to remove the fiberglass panels that replaced the upper windshields at some point in the future. I figure that would destroy the insulation and make it difficult to replace. I’ll probably cover the area with thin plastic and areas of weak adhesive, and then spray foam the plastic sheet. Hopefully the insulation would stay in place if I later remove one of those panels.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO
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I also replaced the plywood covering the top of the engine compartment. It had a lot of rot, I suppose due to years of the Cruisair evaporator freezing and then melting everywhere. No other signs of water penetration back there. I replaced the fiberglass insulation and what I guess is meant as a vapor barrier, using foam board and a nice, thick pond liner. It turned out nice.
In order to get down to bare metal, I had to disassemble the engine air box that runs the width of the bus. Many of the screws holding the interior wood covering to the bus were installed from the outside, and then the air box covered the screw heads. That meant the coolant reservoir and oil tank had to come out. Of course, that was the perfect time to soda blast and repaint all of the sheet metal of the air box. And the oil tank. And the coolant tank. I actually finished that job last summer, and forgot about all of that work until just now.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO -
While we’re in the engine compartment, I also completely rebuilt the rear electrical panel. Not sure if I posted about that before. I’m also not sure if I did a good job, because I haven’t tried starting the engine since last summer. Sure looks nice though! I’ll have to find better before and after photos for this job, but I completely disassembled the box, soda blasted the parts, painted everything and then used new rubber gasket and latching hardware. I replaced all of the ice cube relays with Bosch-style and switched from the near-end-of-life breakers to modern fuses. I’m very happy with the results of this project. If she starts, that is!
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO -
You’re doing great work ! especially the rehab of places you hope to never see again..I like the pictures–good way to remember changes in future. I kept mine. Bob
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This is actually a question for Robert Glines regarding his mini-split AC installation.
Robert,
Does (or did) your coach have Prevost OTR AC/Heat? If so, when you installed your mini-split(s) did you use the OTR ducts for delivery? I’m giving thought to replacing our entire OTR system (and working crusieairs) with a mini-split(s). Ideally, I’d prefer to use the existing OTR delivery system ductwork. Do you (or others) have any thoughts on this? Thanks, John
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they now have in-duct cassets(sp) that you can put in present ducts.The mini split pressure levels are much higher than your stock or cruise air system.-prohibits using existing evaporators or freon lines. If you have roof tops at present they have a ceiling caset(evaporator).. Hope this makes sense? The inverter type have higher seer ratio and also require less power to operate. Check out solar assist mini-split..Bob
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Thanks Robert. I have researched the in-duct units, and will review the solar assist models. Ideally, I’d be looking at using the Prevost OTR AC/Heat delivery ducts and not the cruise air duct work. Since the OTR delivery ducts are located along the entire lengths of the both passenger and driver’s sides, and powered (pushed) by those two large DC blower motors, I’m unsure how I would calculate the pressure and volume needed. I was hoping someone had done that work or experimented.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO -
I considered using a ducted unit in my bus since I freed up an entire bay by deleting the OTR HVAC. I couldn’t find any that were 120v, only 240v. I thought that might limit me in some power situations, although I haven’t really settled on my electrical design. The 240v outdoor units were also too tall for my bays. I’d love to avoid hanging indoor units on the wall, so I’m not ruling anything out just yet. They keep designing new units.
1984 96" with 8V92TA
(remodeled Liberty Coach)
Greenwood, MO
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