Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-03-2016, 08:56 AM   #21
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Posts: 1,782
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: B3800 Short bus
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 36
Yep, I wouldn't put any time into fixing that body. You could find a weaker-specced, but otherwise identical bus and transfer things over. It'd be a lot of work, though. I'd be inclined to purchase another identical bus and keep that one for parts (if you had the space for it).

This is really an unfortunate situation.. I've never seen anything like it.

__________________
My build page: Armageddon - The Smell of Airborne Rust
jazty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-03-2016, 09:52 AM   #22
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: West Ohio
Posts: 3,660
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 1753
Engine: 6.9 International
Rated Cap: 65
I wouldn't waster my time either. What you have would take new steel to properly fix. Welding the cracks will only cause the cracks to reform at the toe of the weld, so welding will never fix it.

I've never seen anything like this before. I can't imagine the amount of constant flex/bouncing that would have to occur. And remember, the suspension saw all of that stuff too so who knows how good any of that is. Your best bet is to punt that one and find something else.
Booyah45828 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-03-2016, 02:10 PM   #23
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
I would say your bus saw a lot of service off pavement. Many years blasting down gravel roads will do that to the best of buses.

Trying to fix what you have is going to take a lot of time and $$$. I would suggest it is time to find another bus.

I would find a bus that has a basket case engine or transmission that has a good body and swap the power package from your bus to the new bus.

A bus with a bad engine or transmission can usually be found for scrap prices.

By the time you swap stuff over you can crap your current bus and you may actually come out better than even on the $$$.
cowlitzcoach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-03-2016, 03:11 PM   #24
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Posts: 1,782
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: B3800 Short bus
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 36
Have you seen anything like this before, Cowlitz?

I live in a rural area where many of the buses probably only see about 20% pavement use and I've never heard of something like this happening. I remember as a kid purposely wanting the rear-most seats for the catapulting effect one could enjoy. Those buses took a serious beating.

If I were to guess, I'd say that the steel has a higher carbon amount than it's supposed to, rendering it brittle. Perhaps a manufacturers defect?
__________________
My build page: Armageddon - The Smell of Airborne Rust
jazty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-03-2016, 08:10 PM   #25
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
There is a school district in our area that has gone 100% Blue Bird.

Over half the district roads are still not paved. And those that are paved are not anything to boast about.

They order all of their buses with an additional rub rail located above the window "eyebrows".

If they don't, over a fairly short amount of time the "eyebrows" start to tear in the corners from the body flexing so much.

Because both IC and Thomas have drip rails they didn't have the same sort of problems with them. I would imagine that if you got under the skin of the Thomas buses that they used to have you would most probably find the same sort of damage that you discovered.

I have seen pictures of a Crown Supercoach that had almost ever body bow sheared off at the floor level after 40+ years of school service on mostly unpaved roads.

A school bus frame and body have to be pretty stiff in order to pass the safety standards. But without any give the stiffness will break if it is subjected to enough pounding.
cowlitzcoach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-03-2016, 09:21 PM   #26
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53
Thanks guys! I really value your opinions! The bus was from a small town school in Oklahoma, so there's a very good chance that it may never have even seen asphalt, I bought it from a local dealer for $2300, I guess he bought it from the school, I didn't ask. Could I sell the engine and drive train and scrap the body for more than that??
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-04-2016, 09:25 AM   #27
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: West Ohio
Posts: 3,660
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 1753
Engine: 6.9 International
Rated Cap: 65
You might come close, depends on how quickly you want stuff gone. A lot depends on where you're at. Scrap is way down at the moment, so don't count on getting rich off just a bare chassis. Around here, I'd say a dt466 is worth about $1000. What your Allison is worth depends on the model. Anywhere from 100-1000 if it's electronic. Most likely it isn't so 100-500 would be reasonable. Then you can maybe get rid of the tires for a couple hundred if they're in alright shape. The odds and ends like radiators, intercoolers, and other stuff can be sold if you find somebody in need.

Basically, what you get out of it depends on how long you're willing to try.
Booyah45828 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-04-2016, 10:15 AM   #28
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Posts: 1,782
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: B3800 Short bus
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 36
Mr. friend.. where are you located?
If you post a general location there may be some nearby skoolie folk who wouldn't mind cannibalizing your bus into their own
__________________
My build page: Armageddon - The Smell of Airborne Rust
jazty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-04-2016, 12:54 PM   #29
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazty View Post
Mr. friend.. where are you located?
If you post a general location there may be some nearby skoolie folk who wouldn't mind cannibalizing your bus into their own
Southeastern Oklahoma
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-04-2016, 12:56 PM   #30
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by Booyah45828 View Post
I wouldn't waster my time either. What you have would take new steel to properly fix. Welding the cracks will only cause the cracks to reform at the toe of the weld, so welding will never fix it.

I've never seen anything like this before. I can't imagine the amount of constant flex/bouncing that would have to occur. And remember, the suspension saw all of that stuff too so who knows how good any of that is. Your best bet is to punt that one and find something else.
Scrap metal is extremely low here, I got $45 for a car body a couple months ago
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-05-2016, 11:34 AM   #31
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 61
I think buying a bus this old is a huge gamble, mentally prepare to just throw it away purchase price before submitting a bid. I've been looking into the cost of overhauling mechanical work, it just won't work. Just donate to homeless people, so that someone else can have roof over when they sleep.
kwang_yi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-06-2016, 01:46 PM   #32
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53
Anybody know the best way to remove the body, I could still get alot of use out of it around here with just a flatbed. My original plan for it was a toy hauler, I could still haul toys with a flatbed.
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-06-2016, 03:07 PM   #33
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr.friend View Post
Anybody know the best way to remove the body, I could still get alot of use out of it around here with just a flatbed. My original plan for it was a toy hauler, I could still haul toys with a flatbed.
I watched a video, someone completely skinning off the shells of school bus, don't seem anything difficult other than muscle grease. It appears as this bus has a cracked frame, nothing you can do to fix it. I hear all metals will naturally fatigue over the ages, but this one looks extreme. These is no fix for such bus because chances are metal has given up its strength, crack is only a visual warning.

If I was an owner, I would feel extremely fortunate that problem was discovered off the road. Nothing in this world would make me more disguising than accidentally hurting some innocent people/animal because my aged bus fell apart in the highway. I may put into jailhouse or seriously injured myself as a result, but guilty consciousness will never be gone until the last breadth of mine.
kwang_yi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-06-2016, 08:57 PM   #34
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,762
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Where are you located, OP?
(sorry if I've already asked you before, it happens)
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-06-2016, 11:28 PM   #35
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Where are you located, OP?
(sorry if I've already asked you before, it happens)
Stonewall, Oklahoma the southeastern part of Oklahoma
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2016, 08:45 PM   #36
New Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by Booyah45828 View Post
I wouldn't waster my time either. What you have would take new steel to properly fix. Welding the cracks will only cause the cracks to reform at the toe of the weld, so welding will never fix it.

I've never seen anything like this before. I can't imagine the amount of constant flex/bouncing that would have to occur. And remember, the suspension saw all of that stuff too so who knows how good any of that is. Your best bet is to punt that one and find something else.
If you drill a 1/8 inch hole at either end of the crack and vee out the crack with a grinder, you can successfully weld it up with no problem. That being said it would be a lot of work to bring this one back into shape but doable. Penetration of the weld is the key
Rusty Wrench is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2016, 04:50 PM   #37
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53


I've decided to cut the entire body off, all the way up to the back of the passenger door, and then build back 8ft with all new materials, hopefully as shown in the picture. And leave the rest as a flatbed. This way I can get bigger toys on it, and then when I'm not out riding, we can use it to haul hay, or firewood, or anything.
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2016, 01:51 PM   #38
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53




Our day couldn't get more redneck than this, flatbed skoolie, and the Daytona 500
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2016, 03:56 PM   #39
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 172
Year: 1993
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: GMC
Engine: GMC
Rated Cap: 42
I hope you enjoyed the race. I like the way you turned a bad situation into a workable solution.
JA Savage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-22-2016, 05:32 AM   #40
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by JA Savage View Post
I hope you enjoyed the race. I like the way you turned a bad situation into a workable solution.
Thank you, JA Savage. The race was very good, that last lap was unbelievable!
mr.friend is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:49 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.