It's on!

Viernes · 05-13-2019, 02:27 PM

The bus is finally here!!! After months of planning and research. We actually picked it up last Tuesday but it's been nonstop craziness since then.

The bus is a 1996 International. It has a DT466 engine with a 5 speed Spicer manual transmission. The bus was on its way to becoming a chicken bus which was perfect because they had taken out the seats and rubber mats. They kept those parts and gave us a discount on the shell. I don't think they have any idea what we're trying to do with it.

Since we picked it up we have cleaned up the floor and painted it with anticorrosion paint. Installed a lock on the emergency exit, battery compartment, and the hood. We have also managed to remove half of the roof panels!

This has been one of the most mentally and physically challenging things we've ever done but it's so gratifying to get things done on it!

Just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being so awesome and inspiring! This last year hasn't been great to us. We're coming out of a dark place and we really needed to keep going ahead with life. We want to make it to Argentina. We're hoping to leave next year so we have a bit over six months to get this done!

Sleddgracer · 05-13-2019, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viernes

The bus is finally here!!! After months of planning and research. We actually picked it up last Tuesday but it's been nonstop craziness since then.

The bus is a 1996 International. It has a DT466 engine with a 5 speed Spicer manual transmission. The bus was on its way to becoming a chicken bus which was perfect because they had taken out the seats and rubber mats. They kept those parts and gave us a discount on the shell. I don't think they have any idea what we're trying to do with it.

Since we picked it up we have cleaned up the floor and painted it with anticorrosion paint. Installed a lock on the emergency exit, battery compartment, and the hood. We have also managed to remove half of the roof panels!

This has been one of the most mentally and physically challenging things we've ever done but it's so gratifying to get things done on it!

Just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being so awesome and inspiring! This last year hasn't been great to us. We're coming out of a dark place and we really needed to keep going ahead with life. We want to make it to Argentina. We're hoping to leave next year so we have a bit over six months to get this done!

that's looking good - hope the rest of it goes well too

tugboater · 05-13-2019, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viernes

The bus was on its way to becoming a chicken bus

Nice for you to save a bus from all that chicken poop nastiness. We have laying hens, our bus is a no chicken zone

. Welcome! Cool folks & good info here.

cadillackid · 05-13-2019, 03:48 PM

nice drivetrain to have!!

I always thought they kept the seats in chicken busses... or do they put their own benches in? or just pack peoiple in like sardines?
-Christopher

o1marc · 05-13-2019, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

nice drivetrain to have!!

I always thought they kept the seats in chicken busses... or do they put their own benches in? or just pack peoiple in like sardines?
-Christopher

Aren't they packing them with crated chickens, not people?

cadillackid · 05-13-2019, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by o1marc

Aren't they packing them with crated chickens, not people?

most chicken busses I knew of are the ones that they typically trick all out and decorate.. and are used as secondary transportation selling rides from town to town... I suppose some farmers use them for real chickens..

Native · 05-14-2019, 02:12 AM

You have a very clean looking bus there. Take care of her and she will take care of you!

EastCoastCB · 05-14-2019, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by o1marc

Aren't they packing them with crated chickens, not people?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU2DK53Oud4

Sleddgracer · 05-14-2019, 07:52 AM

no springs in that bus??? - lol

cadillackid · 05-14-2019, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

no springs in that bus??? - lol

Springs are fine but the standard of roads there is much less than we are used to

Sleddgracer · 05-14-2019, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Springs are fine but the standard of roads there is much less than we are used to

I'm not looking forward to driving a bus over some of the frost heaves we get here in early spring/late winter - some of them are impressive - as difficult as it may be to believe, one year a heave appeared on the Creston side of our connecting pass, so large that Highways had to haul in gravel to build a ramp for vehicles to get over the heave - coming home from racing one year, I broke a spring on my one ton while driving over frost heaves on the main highway - at night in the headlights, the road in front of my place looks like the waves in a stormy sea

Seriousracer · 05-14-2019, 02:22 PM

You need to see what they do with the watermelon busses up here

Mountain Gnome · 05-14-2019, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viernes

Just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being so awesome and inspiring! This last year hasn't been great to us. We're coming out of a dark place and we really needed to keep going ahead with life. We want to make it to Argentina. We're hoping to leave next year so we have a bit over six months to get this done!

really crappy 2 years here, also.
My dream has been since the early 1990s to drive to South America. One reason I got my bus. part of the caravan.....

Good luck!

Viernes · 05-14-2019, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

nice drivetrain to have!!

I always thought they kept the seats in chicken busses... or do they put their own benches in? or just pack peoiple in like sardines?
-Christopher

They had taken out the seats to check under the floor mats when we went to see the bus so we asked them to keep them out. That caused some confusion at first because we told them that we didn't need them. They offered us money for them because they use them to replace broken seats on other buses that they get so it was a great deal for all involved!

HazMatt · 05-14-2019, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viernes

... They offered us money for them because they use them to replace broken seats on other buses that they get so it was a great deal for all involved!

Sweet when a plan comes together like that!

Native · 05-15-2019, 12:30 AM

Even better since it was not planned!

Native · 05-15-2019, 12:37 AM

Thae first chicken bus sure does have quite a transmission or differential hum!
Other than the brake warble, the second one sounded much better.

cadillackid · 05-15-2019, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I'm not looking forward to driving a bus over some of the frost heaves we get here in early spring/late winter - some of them are impressive - as difficult as it may be to believe, one year a heave appeared on the Creston side of our connecting pass, so large that Highways had to haul in gravel to build a ramp for vehicles to get over the heave - coming home from racing one year, I broke a spring on my one ton while driving over frost heaves on the main highway - at night in the headlights, the road in front of my place looks like the waves in a stormy sea

ive heard about the heaves... something ill never likely see since im a guy that shivers pretty solidly in a 65 degree room....

-Christopher