First Time Conversion- Does this bus look OK?

[skoolinabout]

Hey! I'm getting ready to jump in to my first conversion and was hoping to get some advice on how this school bus looks. I have attached the link below, it is a 2001 Thomas with a CAT engine 28 ft, Flat Front.

http://vi.vipr.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayI...1&secureDesc=0

Thanks, any advice would be much appreciated.

[RRRVBUS]

Too bad they didn’t say which Cat motor, or what transmission. Looks like its in good shape body wise.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by RRRVBUS

Too bad they didn’t say which Cat motor, or what transmission. Looks like its in good shape body wise.

That year its almost surely a 3126B.

The biggest detractor of this bus is its low ride height. Its effectively a lowrider and would make it real easy to bottom out on dirt roads and stuff.
The slammed suspension and 19.5's would be a deal killer for me at that price.

[Rusty]

Don't like the bus, but am intrigued by the vipr link- what is that sourced from?

[Robin97396]

That's a 10 window Thomas that oddly resembles my 9 window bluebird TC1000.

I'll admit, I've bent my front bumpers by pushing gravel. These handy buses seem to have been designed to handle rough roads ok. The front bumper is quite low through.

[brokedown]

If you're looking for a flat nose shortie Thomas in their stated price range, BGA has a few on their site Used School Buses For Sale - Better Buses @ Better Prices - We deliver school buses nation wide

Generally speaking I think their prices (and the price mentioned in your auction) are around double their actual value.

[Enrico Carini]

I dig the Super Natural tape deck. I like to listen to Art Bell

[Kubla]

Pretty sure it is an at545 from the shifter

[dan-fox]

Sorry; I just saw this. If anyone wants me to follow up for them and the bus is still available, this is like 10 minutes from my office. I'd be happy to go look at it, take a bunch of pics, take you along via Skype, whatever.

[dbhost]

It's a great size bus 4 conversion the body looks pretty good from pictures I am concerned though about how low to the ground that front bumper is. That thing just looks like it's going to bang on the ground anytime you go over a speed bump.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by dbhost

It's a great size bus 4 conversion the body looks pretty good from pictures I am concerned though about how low to the ground that front bumper is. That thing just looks like it's going to bang on the ground anytime you go over a speed bump.

It's at least a foot off the ground, no worries of it hitting a speed bump. The door sits even lower than the bumper.

[cowlitzcoach]

That bus appears to be a virtual twin to a bus our church owns.

One of the first things we did, since it needed new tires anyway, was to fit the largest tires possible onto the bus.

The asking price is a bit steep IMHO, especially since it has a Cat under the hood. If it had the Cummins the price would be more attractive. Unless you intend to keep the coach A/C working that isn't a big selling point for me. Servicing the A/C on an FE bus is a royal PITA. And skirt mounted condensers behind the rear axle are a maintenance headache--when the fans are working they suck every bit of road debris the rear wheels kick up and suck through the core. In the winter time, even if the fans aren't running, the cores get filled up with crud.

[dbhost]

Originally Posted by brokedown

If you're looking for a flat nose shortie Thomas in their stated price range, BGA has a few on their site Used School Buses For Sale - Better Buses @ Better Prices - We deliver school buses nation wide

Generally speaking I think their prices (and the price mentioned in your auction) are around double their actual value.

Thanks for the link! That Thomas EF, if the interior height is right, is about what I would be looking for...

Those prices seem to be a bit high though.... And is it just my imagination or did each of the Thomas EFs they list have an odd amount of rust at the back door?

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by dbhost

Thanks for the link! That Thomas EF, if the interior height is right, is about what I would be looking for...

Those prices seem to be a bit high though.... And is it just my imagination or did each of the Thomas EFs they list have an odd amount of rust at the back door?

General concensus is you will pay 3x's what the bus is worth if buying though BGA.

[PatrickBaptist]

Seems more like that one time post was just for advertising the ad more than someone that was serious about anything.....

[HazMatt]

And that happens WAYZ more often then not, or ought.