Bus #94

[travelinwithus]

Congrats on the purchase! Hope everything works out good for you with it. There is always plenty of labor to do to the bus prior to spending money on it so you will have a little time to build up the bank account.

[Tango]

Second the Congrats --- Looks/sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. And having access to the maintenance logs is worth its' weight in gold. You can get a head start by Googling the engine and transmission to see what kind of track record they have. Just take some time to think through how you want to use it...do a ton of research regarding conversion ideas (and this is a great place to start)...then do it your way. And don't forget to have fun with it. Why else would any of us take on such insanity?

[Diesel Dan]

I third the congratulations! You've got the same size bus as me, except I've got a Thomas body. So I know you have an International chassis, but is International also the body manufacturer of that bus? The shape of the front/windshield area is reminiscent of a Carpenter.

I have the same 7.3 liter engine in my Ford F250 truck. It definitely has some advantages, but I consider the rotary injection pump to be it's weak point. I prefer the inline Bosch pumps, which I think are hardier. But then again, I have been tinkering with alternative fuels and that may well have caused my problems.

[Tango]

Hey Dan --- I doubt it's you. The old school inline pumps are a lot hardier while the rotary pumps are super twitchy. Same with the lift pumps. The old mechanicals would last forever it seems while the "new improved", computer controlled, high-dollar versions are a RPITA. More planned obsolescence or just stupidity?

[crazycal]

Congrats on your purchase. That's a nice size. Much easier to get around. I imagine a 90 would be a non turbo IDI. You won't win any races but parts are dirt cheap. I think new injectors and a pump would run about 6-700 bucks.

[Diesel Dan]

Originally Posted by crazycal

...I think new injectors and a pump would run about 6-700 bucks.

Actually, I've replaced all that stuff. The injectors were about $200 for all 8. The injection pump was about $1,000 parts and labor (I did the injectors myself but had a shop do the pump).

Tango: The lift pump on this one is actually mechanical. I replaced that as well, and I don't think it cost too much. I have an old diesel Mercedes that ran all the same fuels as my F250 and it has the inline Bosch pump. The Mercedes pump has not flinched, but the truck pump has crapped out twice! I'm selling the truck now. If I get another one, I'll get a Powerstroke.

Malkieri: I don't mean to spook you about the engine you got, but I would definitely recommend you be very careful about your fuel. Make sure you have a water separator, keep your filters changed, and I would think twice about running biodiesel or straight veggie oil.

[lornaschinske]

Prioritize in writing what you need to do and what you want to do. If you are building out of pocket like we are, you will need to get your basics in. Then you can upgrade handles,hardware to fancier more expensive models later. Repairs first. Start with solid frames/skin then put in your basics first. Fix your windows first. Pull, clean , then reinstall the windows/blanked sections so you have leak free. Better now than later when it involves ripping out a wall or cabinets. Seal your roof too for the same reasons.
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[bansil]

congrates like ugh 9th

[Tango]

I absolutely agree with Lorna...like building a house, get it closed and weather tight first...then onto the fun stuff inside.

[bansil]

good luck on the journey home, pics will be just fine

[syke]

Congrats!
Yes I understand the feeling fully. The wife and I flew up to Oregon to buy our bus. It really did not set in until we were fueling it up at a truck stop. Money was exchanged and we had our bus.
It will be a great feeling.

I'd imagine your bus would drive similarly to a big u haul. Probably even better once you get the hang of it. Have you driven a truck with air brakes? Air brakes take a little to get adjusted to but once you drive it you'll be fine.

Just drive slow to start. No need to get on the freeway and try to run 65. Keep it around 55 and work into it. My guess is 55 ish will be its sweet spot anyways. Just let traffic roll on by. They'll get over it.

Good luck, have fun and take some pictures for us.

[somewhereinusa]

Congrats on the new ride. Can't help with the screamin thingie. My first thought would be cut the wires and see what happens. You can always splice them back together if necessary. It looks like it was added after the bus was built, so it can't be all that hard.

I used a power washer inside on a nice dry summer day. I parked it with the nose down and just washed everything out the front door. Did you notice that the farther back you go the bigger the slobs?
Must be some kind of inverse proportional math problem there.

[JakeC]

Oh man...reading that was fun. It was a while ago for me, but SOO fun to remember. We bought ours from a church and I remember the giddy feeling driving it out of their lot. The random outbursts of laughter as we drove along. Adjusting the governor in a hotel parking lot that night! Slightly different circumstances as we were driving to Mexico to live for 6 months and our truck spun a bearing. The bus was all I could find local that would fit all our stuff and I could afford. But yeah, I remember. My kids were ecstatic, lol... Good memories for sure.

[bansil]

I loved your story and so,so