Toyota Coaster Bus Conversion – Caravan Door Installation

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If you are reading this post and looking to do a conversion of your Toyota Coaster door, you may have found that you need to replace the current door in your bus to be able to register it.

This can be the case depending on where you live.

In NSW, to be able to register a vehicle as a motorhome, it must have an “outward opening door”. This means a door that opens away from your vehicle.

In other states, the regulations are different and you may not need to make any adjustments to your door in order to change your vehicle to a motorhome.

If you have a bi-fold door in your current bus, and need a little help removing it, check out our post here.

There are certain doors which are acceptable in NSW, and the Aussie Traveller Caravan Door is one of these.

Other door options available –

• The Dometic Carad caravan door
• The Camec Odyssey Premium
• The Milenco large Columbia door

The Aussie Traveller caravan door –

The Aussie Traveller door is designed to be used in a caravan, motorhome or like us, a bus conversion. It features –

• Two separate doors, so you can have a lockable fly screen
• Tinted glass panel for privacy
• Multiple locks for security
• Approved gas vent if you are going to be having gas appliances in your bus
• Different styles and sizes available

Why we chose this door for our bus conversion –

Besides the obvious – it looks good, there are a few other main reasons we decided to install this door in our bus.

• It is one of the doors available that fits a custom frame for the Toyota Coaster. You can’t just remove an old door and put a new one straight in. They are a different shape, and size to what is already in a bus. This door fits into a custom frame sold online by Custom Coaster Conversions*. This made our decision really quite simple and the primary reason why we chose this door.
• The flyscreen. To some this may seem trivial, but when you live in a motorhome, you don’t always want to sit outside, but you also don’t always want to be cooped up inside. We also travel with cats, so this gives us the option to separate the two doors and still protect our privacy, give us fresh air, keep the cats safe, and keep the bugs out!
• The gas vent. As we decided we would have gas appliances inside of our bus, we needed to have approved gas vents. This door has one built into it at the bottom and meets the regulations required for gas in NSW. If you want to read more about the regulations for gas in a motorhome, check out our post here where we detail all of the regulations for you.

*Custom Coaster Conversions are no longer selling parts and accessories for Toyota Coasters, however the door can still be purchased directly from Aussie Traveller.

Installing your new caravan door –  

Step One –  

The gap where you old door was is too big to fit a caravan door straight into. So, the first step to install the door, is to install a frame where it can sit.

Lucky for Coaster owners, you can purchase a pre-cut fibreglass frame specifically made to fit a Toyota Coaster bus from a company called DIY RV Solutions.

Start by holding the frame into position, and seeing how it fits. This is important as you know if any adjustments are required prior to installing it.

Our frame stuck out at both ends a bit too much. Being fibreglass, you can use a sander to shape it, so this is what we did (It is important to wear a mask as it is not good to get fibreglass in your lungs, we did not, so do not follow our lead here!). You can also use a grinder to cut more off at a time, but be careful to not cut too much.

We laid the frame down and sanded both ends a little at a time, holding it into position and testing it until it fit more snug. Once you are happy with how it is sitting, you are ready for the next step. We did not get ours to fit perfectly, however we got it to a point where we knew we could fill the gaps with silicone. Each door may vary a little so this step may take a few attempts to get it right. It certainly took us a few!

This step was done in our previous video where we removed our bi-fold door.

Step Two –  

Now that the door frame fits snug in the door way, you can apply a sealant around the edge of the door way and put the frame in place. This will take two people to do so make sure you have someone there to help you!

There are a variety of sealants available to use, and the choice is up to you. We recommend something suitable for outdoor use, and something with some flexibility and UV resistance. You can buy specific sealant for vehicles which is also a good choice here.

While the door is being held in place by one person, the other person can pre-drill approximately six holes down each side of the door evenly spaced. It is important not to start right at the top, or the bottom as you need to have some flexibility later to be able to push on the door and adjust as you go.

Step Three –  

Once you have pre-drilled your holes, we used 30mm self drilling, countersunk metal screws and screwed one into each hole. Once you have a few of these on each side, your door should be secure enough to let go.

For the top and bottom of your fibreglass frame, after a series of unsuccessful attempts, we ended up pre-drilling and screwing each corner from the front of the frame into the metal bus frame underneath. This ensured it followed the curve of the bus, and sat flush in position.

Step Four –  

While the silicone is still wet, smooth down the edges and fill any gaps on the inside of the door frame.

On the outside of the bus, mask up either side of the door frame and using silicone again, fill this gap. By using masking tape and warm soapy water, we were able to smooth it down with our fingers and make a nice line. Professional job!

Step Five –

When we purchased our fibreglass frame and Aussie Traveller door from Custom Coaster Conversions, we received a checker plate floor insert to go with it. This insert was made to sit on the current floor (or first step) and cover the gap between the floor and the new frame.

It takes a little angling to fit into place, but once in covers the gap nicely. Alternative to this, you could use metal of your own, or even wood to create a new floor in its place.

Step Six –  

Now that the frame is in place, it is time to get the actual Aussie Traveller door into its position.

This step needs two people as it is quite fiddly, and cannot be done by yourself.

To get the door into its correct position, one person needs to hold the door in place while the other squeezes spacers all around the edge of the door, trying to make it even. The main idea of the spacers is to hold the door into position, and to make it even and level. If it is not even, it may have trouble later locking or closing. This process should be done on as even ground as possible.

We found the bottom corner of the door definitely needs the most support as a lot of the weight of the door rests here and you don’t want it to sag over time.

For our spacers we used rubber anti-vibration pad purchased from Bunnings. The door itself is supplied with a couple of spacers, however we found we needed more for extra support.

Step Seven –  

Once you are happy with the position of the door, it is time to screw it into place. You will need similar screws to what was used for the frame however they will need to have a flat head (preferably). It is also a good idea to use stainless steel where possible to prevent rust.

Start by pre-drilling holes again straight into the caravan door frame. Approximately 4-6 evenly spaced down each side is sufficient and you don’t need any on the top or bottom.

Once you have done this, put a screw in each one. Be careful, if you screw them in too tight you may pull the edges in too tight and it may make your door out of shape a little. This means that you may not be able to lock your door later on (this happened with us!). If this does happen, loosen the screw a bit and put an additional spacer in where necessary.

Step Eight –  

Once you are satisfied the door is secure, check that the door opens, closes and locks smoothly. Then you are done!

After living in our bus for over a year now, we have found we are extremely happy with the door. We have attached some small hooks so that when we open the doors separately, the main door stays open, while the fly screen is closed.

We had some squeaking a little while ago, and found that applying some silicone spray did wonders.

It has been a very reliable door, and we are glad we purchased it.

Watch us struggle so you don’t have to, in the video of our new door installation.