When we arrived in Australia in 2019 I had my mind set on buying a Toyota Coaster and converting it into a fully build and off grid luxury motorhome. After the perfect example was found the work started. I was lucky to have met a person that chartered Coasters to tourists and in exchange for some work I got permission to build the bus on his yard (and sleep there).
We stripped out the inside seats and started with pulling conduit for the wiring, water lines and insulated the sides of the bus where possible. We then drew the entire fit-out in Autocad (kitchen, overhead storage compartments, shower section, fridge section etc.) and had it all cut by a CNC timber shop in the Gold Coast. When all the timber was collected, the DIY fit-out was put together over the course of a couple of weeks with very limited tools. Drawer slides and hinges were bought at a specialist and added to the fit-out. A very extensive 230v and 12V system under the pull up bed and complete shower/toilet with hot water system was installed, which was also used for the kitchen. A diesel heater and roof air conditioner were added for comfort, overhead cabinets installed and a full size 230V fridge with 230V combi microwave/oven finished the interior.
The outside of the bus was completed with a large roof fan, 4 solar panels, very large awing, custom caravan door and an air conditioner unit on the roof. The diesel engine was partly rebuilt, the diff rebuilt, new clutch and handbrake, new shocks and a couple of rubber bushings on the suspension replace.
The work was mostly done by my myself (with some assistance of my wife), except for the sewing work on the curtains and the gas piping. The bus was completely engineered and signed off with a gas certificate 100% compliant with the QLD regulations. We covered 33.000 km’s with the Coaster until we sold it just ahead of the Covid lockdowns in 2020.
