Original Allstars Music CIC Mobile Studio Project

11/11/2025

🌟 INTERIOR PROGRESS 🌟

Today was one of those days where it really felt the interior was taking shape. After purchasing some wall felt and a couple of cans of spray glue, it was straight to work to start fitting it to walls and the ceiling. Although not properly finished off yet, it makes the interior look so much better! Adding to that, a piece of trunking was fitted between the toilet and the wall to enclose all cables hanging between the cab and the studio area.

After that, it was onto removing the dado trunking from the wall in the recording area to give us a flat wall. The gap between the felt will be filled in with scraps of the new felt.

Lastly, it was onto filling in the gaps on the floor where previous fixings had been removed and other bits like the bench moving closer to the cab. The cut out pieces of heavy duty flooring were glued down onto the wooden floor with wooden battens screwed down to ensure it gets the best possible chance of sticking.

06/11/2025

🛠 WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE A MESS?! 🔨

As the old saying goes, you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette. The day started off with a bad start when I forgot to bring my laptop along (used for music and up to date with emails) and also my EcoFlow. This meant I was unable to use most the tools for cutting wood and hoovering up. Thankfully I have a small 700w generator on the bus which just about powered the handheld circular cutter meaning I could get things done!

After a quick trip to reception to grab some refreshments, they advised me there was a guest WiFi network there which I was able to connect on to and download my Spotify playlist so I at least had some background music. Annoyingly there was a fault with the SMARTY network meaning there was no mobile data in Steyning. Anyway...

The door frame between the two rooms has now been fitted pending boarding, the metal plate that use to house the winch for the stage door was removed from the inside after grinding off heavily rusted bolts from the outside. All holes were then filled in with metal filler pending sanding. Old wood has been cut and reused to box in the heating pipes and electrical cabling above the ceiling which will eventually all be carpeted over and lastly.. I had a spare small speaker so decided to fit this in the toilet. Why not!

Pictures that didn't get taken were of the diesel heater fuel tank which had new fixings put on today to ensure it stays in place and doesn't fall off its frame in transit, and a new item is now on the bus after a bargain find which has saved £250! More on that soon..

There is plenty happening on the bus and another video update coming mid-month on our YouTube channel. As ever, if anyone can spare £5, £10, £20 or however much towards our project, it would be much appreciated! All funds go towards materials which get the bus one step further each time to being a functional unit. 🚌🎶🎹🥁

https://gofund.me/063a574e

04/11/2025

💵 FUNDRAISER LAUNCHED! 💵

It was back in February this year the project started to bring the bus back on the road as a mobile recording & live streaming studio. Since then, plans have evolved to turn it into an outdoor performance area too giving it a multitude of uses and offerings to young musicians & techs.

All of our funds initially have been sought from selling old equipment that was previously on the bus but now surplus to requirements. Now those funds have been used up with amazing progress, we now need to raise more funds to continue the work to bring the bus back into the community!

No matter how big or small, your donation goes a long way to purchasing materials such as wood, paint, electrical/mechanical items and other bits needed to bring the bus to its end goal. Not only that, you can see the benefit of your donation through our regular updates on social media and YouTube!

Follow our GoFundMe page link below 😀

https://gofund.me/95fc3c5e4

28/10/2025

🚌 This week's update on the bus 🚌

And lots has been happening!

After receiving some funds towards the bus, it was a trip down to Wickes to get some MDF as well as some batten wood for the door to be built. After a hard days work, the first side is up on the dividing wall between the studio and recording area! The other side will commence in due course once wiring has been fed through the wall.

After putting the fuel tank for the diesel heater back and wiring in the fuel sender, the tank was topped up with another 5L worth of diesel to confirm that the fuel gauge was working and thankfully.. it was! So this can now be signed off as completed.

Back to the boarding, additionally to the dividing wall, the toilet wall was also completed meaning the room is now back how it was. Even though it doesn't yet have a toilet in there, it certainly makes for a good broom cupboard to store the tools and odds n sods in for the time being.

From the YouTube update, you may have seen a leak was discovered coming from the bench inside. After some investigation outside, it looks like water was making its way through a crack in the roof behind the board, along the floor and out the nearest beam. With some metal filler, the area was removed of dirt and grime and filled in. Once fully cured, this will be sanded down smooth.

Lastly, after plenty of mock ups, an outline was made on the stage wall where eventually holes will be cut to make windows for outdoor stage screens giving the bus yet more multi-functional use.

If you are enjoying our updates and want to help us get the bus back on the road sooner, please do help us out by making a donation to our GoFundMe page :)

https://gofund.me/3f16099b7

21/10/2025

🎥 OCTOBER UPDATE NOW LIVE! 🎥

Have a look to see the progress over October in the bus featuring the window between the two rooms being fitted, the air door control replacements and the diesel heater installation!

October 2025 update featuring our diesel heater installation as well as the dividing wall window being fitted and the air door controls being replaced fixing...

20/10/2025

An early bus day this week and here is what's been going on good and bad:

⛽ A new fuel hose going from filler cap to tank was fitted today providing a tight seal between both connections where previously the old pipe had perished and allowed fuel to spill out onto the top of the tank. The wiring was also completed to the fuel sender and the fuel gauge was brought back to life indicating how much diesel is in the tank for the heater. I know there is 5L in there and the tank holds 33L so it just needs a few more Jerry cans worth to confirm the gauge is working as it should be.

🔥 The ducting and outlets for the diesel heater were completed today along with the additional inline blower meaning the bus now benefits from heating on those colder days! Two outlets and one inlet was fitted on the bench seat in the studio area and two outlets were fitted in the recording area along the top ensuring the bus can be used all year round even in the coldest months.

✅ A good general clear up took place inside the bus with a well needed sweep and hoover where works took place to build the dividing wall frame.

❎💦 Apart from a few expected drips here and there inside the bus, at the end of the day whilst clearing up, a pool of water had appeared from behind the bench seat in the studio area which was coming from the back of the wall. It is thought that the leak is coming from the roof, going behind the wall and into the interior. A job for next time to get up on the roof and find out where it is coming from so it can be patched up.

💸 With this project actively taking place, most of our funds raised from selling old equipment on the bus have now been used. These have paid for the interior lighting, roof patching tape, heating, timber, oxide primer & gloss and much more. We have recently launched a GoFundMe page to help raise further funds to aid the renovation of the bus. Our next steps are to purchase more roof tape to replace the old failing roof tape, complete the dividing wall and finish the toilet wall. No matter how big or small the donation, it goes a long way and you will see the result in our regular photo and video updates.

https://gofund.me/3f16099b7

01/10/2025

Quite the miscellaneous day today with a number of odd jobs completed!

✅ The Perspex window between the what will be studio room and recording room was fitted in place just one strip of wood shy today. This begins the process of building the dividing wall between the two rooms.

✅ The new pneumatic door controls were fitted today and instantly proved their worth with a perfectly working sliding door and no random opening. Another positive is that we no longer have any air leaking from the valves keeping more air in the tanks for the door to work.

✅ This was a big one.. the first of the door steps was removed to give much needed access underneath the cab for some future welding repairs.. more on this later.

✅ The fuel tank has been reconditioned, cleaned up and made ready to fit back on the bus (pending some parts arriving). In the mean time, the framework along with the metal wall next to it were coated in metal oxide primer and then again in oxide gloss to try and prevent any future corrosion.

✅ The diesel heater was bolted into place in the generator bay today (with two more bolts remaining. Once other parts have arrived, the ducting will be fitted into the bus and works will begin to start plumbing in the fuel line and affixing the exhaust pipe and air intake etc.

🔥🔨 Back to the welding part. The two main areas that we are seeking to have repaired are under the front wheels under the cab where water has found its way down the door and made its way through the metal work. If anyone knows of any welders who may be able to donate their time to do a small bit of patchwork for us in these areas, this would be a huge step forward for us getting this bus back on the road for young people to use.

30/09/2025

Today a rather important part of the bus arrived.. the door pneumatic controllers! After 23 years of service from the old ones, air started leaking from the valves causing the sliding door to open randomly. Not ideal if you are on the road!

These new valves are made from brass ensuring a long service moving forward. Additionally with air no longer leaking from the valves, the air tanks will remain charged for longer allowing for more use of the door whilst the engine is not running.

26/09/2025

Our next video update is now live! Watch to see what has been going on at the bus recently and what is to come! 🚌