First Bus

[kjm]

I have just purchased from the local school district a 1991 Ward special needs bus for $485.00. My wife is angry and I shouldn't have, but I couldn't resist. The bus has an international DT 530 engine with an automatic transmission. It is a shorter bus than the full-sized ones. About 3/4's the size of the regular buses and has a wheelchair lift. The transportation director says the engine is in excellent shape, the trans was replaced not too long ago (about 30k miles ago), and overall is in good shape. The bad is that it needs brake pads in the rear (hydrolic disc, not pneumatic), and the rear A/C doesn't work (cracked o rings and R12 freon).

I am assuming that I got a good deal. I don't know the kind of conversion I want to attempt, but I am enjoying looking at y'all's conversions and plotting my own. If I got a good deal, help me convince my wife that I'm not a loon!

My first question is how hard is it to replace the disc brakes in the rear, and how much does it cost if I do it myself? The transportation director will help me and show me how to do it, but if it is extremely laborious, I might just pay to have it done.

I'll post a pic soon.

[Demonknight]

aye..if you have kids let them convince her mine loves the bus, and keeps asking me when we will go get it (its in storage)..now that we have a new place to live I think we will be bringing it home, we have a nice long driveway it can fill up.

[TikiBus]

Thats a great deal, your wife should appreciate it, and will enjoy it, but be careful when you come home with another bus someday. She'll surely have you committed...

[timbuk]

should not be too tough to change out the pads -same process as a car just a little bigger.sounds like a real good deal in time im sure the whole family will love the bus welcome!

[bk2valve]

I feel very fortunate that my wife was the one who wanted to buy our shorty. She loved the year she spent with me in our last bus when we first started living together 24 years ago.
Brian in NM