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 02-14-2017, 10:15 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
mdeese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: GMC Vandura 3500
Engine: 5.7L
La Orca II

The year is 1994 and I am 8 years old, the youngest of three boys, and living in Sedro-Woolley, WA. My father shows up at the house honking the horn in a 1964 Ford Blue Bird. It is then my parents shock my two older brothers and I by telling us they had sold our home and my fathers photography studio and we would be going on the adventure of a life time by moving to the deep south of Mexico. Within a few weeks the family worked together and converted the bus into a comfortable enough living space. The bus was painted black and white and christened the Orca. After an awesome month long journey through the western US and practically Mexico in its entirety, we made it to our destination. We spent the next two years living out of the bus having amazing adventures in a small village about 30 minutes outside of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico. When the it was time for the adventure to end, we made our way back to Washington to stay on my grandfathers property. The next few years that followed the Orca served as our base as we moved from Washington to Massachusetts to North Carolina. On our next move, which was to Texas, the Orca finally gave out(brakes gave out, ended up in a small accident)and finally was peacefully sold to a wrecking yard.



Fast forward to present day and my dream of finally owning the sequel to the Orca has come true. Meet La Orca II, a 2002 International Amtran RE T444E w/ 5spd Allison tranny. I got this from an online auction at 422sales and feel like I ended up with a pretty good deal. It was listed as 18+1 with 142,230 miles. The pictures were obviously a bigger bus than 18 passenger but the bench seats are smaller than normal so i'm guessing this accounted for the passenger size difference. The 142,230 miles listed on the auction was also incorrect. It was actually 14,230. This bus is in pristine condition, it seems like it was hardly driven at all. It is the tall body, 78 inches to be exact, and cruises at 70 like a dream. Unfortunately there is no A/C in the bus so that is going to be my first big purchase, I live in San Antonio now and it gets HOT and HUMID. Still haven't decided on a floor plan but I will be using this bus for both family outings and for doing mountain bike tours with friends. I look forward to the build and any advice I will be able to get.
Attached Thumbnails
66937_10200824537965790_301908436_n.jpg   28726_1463168869236_6537301_n.jpg   1919382_1227162769231_8198683_n.jpg   PART_1487113684786.jpeg   PART_1487113711505.jpeg  

PART_1487113748335.jpeg   PART_1487113757957.jpeg   PART_1487113778770.jpeg  

mdeese is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2017, 11:23 PM   #2
Bus Nut
 
Carytowncat's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Richmond Virginia
Posts: 932
Year: 1984
Engine: 366 Big block Chevy! :) w/ Stick shift
Wow! Just wow!
Carytowncat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2017, 11:46 PM   #3
Traveling
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Midwest
Posts: 2,573
Year: 2003
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: 5.9L Cummins
Rated Cap: '00
More...



Great story teller...I'm listening. Do go on.
Rusty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2017, 01:10 AM   #4
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
A bus like that requires an aisle wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. As a consequence the seats have room for two 13" wide behinds instead of three.

It would appear as if it hasn't been used much at all.

Be careful with that power package. Neither the engine or that transmission can tolerate any sort of prolonged heating. When it is hot and while pushing it hard while fully loaded you will overheat that bus very easily.

Good luck on your continuing saga of the Orca buses!
cowlitzcoach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2017, 07:09 AM   #5
Mini-Skoolie
 
mdeese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: GMC Vandura 3500
Engine: 5.7L
Thank you cowlitzcoach, I don't plan on ever having it fully loaded down but being in Texas I will definitely watch the temp. My brother is driving it down from Seattle as we speak, 2084 miles. He said when he picked it up from STA a few of the mechanics gave him little tips on driving it and keeping the temperature down. I still have yet to actually see the bus in person.
mdeese is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2017, 07:27 AM   #6
Bus Nut
 
Phatman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Brazoria County, Texas
Posts: 819
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 32 Passenger
mdeese, That was a fine story. It sounds like you have been here in Texas long enough you can call yourself a Texan. From another Texan WELCOME !! You're not truly a Texan unless you have a good story ! Some of us have a good story. Let's see some pix of the progress of a GREAT STORY !!
Phatman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2017, 06:33 PM   #7
Mini-Skoolie
 
mdeese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: GMC Vandura 3500
Engine: 5.7L
After my long wait I finally got to meet the new Orca in person yesterday. My brother made the journey from Seattle to San Antonio in four days and the bus ran perfectly. I was pleasantly surprised to see the overall lack of rivets in the interior. Everything is screwed in, and very easy to get to. I got the seats all out in about two hours and only had to grind two bolts. While removing the seats I found a few soft spots on the floor and cut the rubber to see what it would reveal. Unfortunately it seems there is/was a leak and the subfloor is completely rotten. Luckily I don't see signs of rust where I can see the sheet metal but I won't find out until next weekend. I don't have the luxury of a large enough piece of property to house my bus so it must spend the week in a storage yard.
Attached Thumbnails
20170220_152244.jpg   20170220_152233.jpg   20170220_152310.jpg   20170220_131358.jpg  
__________________
My build thread
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/l...-ii-16801.html
mdeese is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2017, 07:04 PM   #8
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
The windows and roof hatches aren't sealed very well from the factory.
Good that you checked under the rubber, a lot of folks skip that. Keep up the good work!
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2017, 07:09 PM   #9
Mini-Skoolie
 
mdeese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: GMC Vandura 3500
Engine: 5.7L
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
The windows and roof hatches aren't sealed very well from the factory.
Good that you checked under the rubber, a lot of folks skip that. Keep up the good work!
You ever seen anyone cover those hatches up? I'd like to eliminate them completely if I can.
__________________
My build thread
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/l...-ii-16801.html
mdeese is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2017, 07:35 PM   #10
Bus Crazy
 
Scooternj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: EHT New Jersey
Posts: 1,134
Year: 2003
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: International 3000RE
Engine: T444E/AT545
Rated Cap: 75
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
The windows and roof hatches aren't sealed very well from the factory.
Good that you checked under the rubber, a lot of folks skip that. Keep up the good work!
Guess I got lucky with mine. The hatches and windows are bone dry in the rain.
__________________
Hey! That's not an RV, that's a school bus.
Well thank you for noticing, Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious on deviantArt
Scooternj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2017, 07:46 PM   #11
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
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdeese View Post
You ever seen anyone cover those hatches up? I'd like to eliminate them completely if I can.
I'm paneling over mine with 18ga and then putting rv style roof vents in their place.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2017, 07:59 PM   #12
Almost There
 
Jrcorkerin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: McCalla, Alabama
Posts: 76
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: 5.9 cummins
Rated Cap: 78
Awesome bus! I look forward to seeing your progress!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Jrcorkerin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-20-2017, 08:04 PM   #13
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,707
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
roof hatches seem to be time-destroyed rather than miles.. the UV from the sun cracks the plastic around the screw holes and then Leaks!

ECCB has the right idea with covering them and installing vents.. or just covering them in general.. you can replace them too with new ones that fit right in.. some even have fans built in..

BUT make sure you have other means of egress from your bus should you end up on your door side in an accident... or a fire where the door is blocked...

-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2017, 07:51 PM   #14
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 17
She's a bute! Looks brand new, great job there.
EZBUZZSAW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2017, 09:15 PM   #15
Mini-Skoolie
 
mdeese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: GMC Vandura 3500
Engine: 5.7L
Thank you everyone, I appreciate all the input. I have an order in at a local metal fabrication shop for some 18g sheets to cover each window and the two roof hatches. I need to measure the chair lift door and emergency exit as well as I want to seal those off completely. On the way home from work today I stopped at a house with some junked rv's to see if I could scavenge a few parts. I'm going to get a few sliding windows and an old beat up door that I think I can restore. I envy those of you that have access to your bus 24/7, it's only been a day and I already have separation anxiety.
__________________
My build thread
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/l...-ii-16801.html
mdeese is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-21-2017, 10:33 PM   #16
Bus Nut
 
Carytowncat's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Richmond Virginia
Posts: 932
Year: 1984
Engine: 366 Big block Chevy! :) w/ Stick shift
. I envy those of you that have access to your bus 24/7, it's only been a day and I already have separation anxiety.[/QUOTE]

I hear you; i moved into this bus two days after i bought it. Just long enough to pull the seats and bring my bedding and snacks from my apartment. lol

Carytowncat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2017, 06:36 AM   #17
Mini-Skoolie
 
mdeese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: GMC Vandura 3500
Engine: 5.7L
Got a little done yesterday. Excuse the mess, sucks having to work on the side of the road. My brother is a skoolie as well and has had the police called on him for parking in front of my house, so I haven't even tried bringing mine home. The storage yard i keep her in doesn't allow any maintenance of any sort either so i rely on a couple dirt parking lots off the highway where truckers usually pull over to sleep at night. Its a five minute drive from my house so not too bad.

I got about 1/3 of the floor up and the same for the ceiling panels. I'm going to move the chairs to the front of the bus today to start pulling out the rest of the floor. It's got some surface rust but nothing too bad. I can't believe how many holes are in the floor, I'm not looking forward to when it comes time to fill those.

I found an old 4K Onan generator for $100, I had to tear it out of a junked RV. Not fun. These things are HEAVY. I ended up pulling my bus into this guys yard and using the lift to get it on the bus for transport. That in itself was not an easy task.
Attached Thumbnails
20170225_130959.jpg  
__________________
My build thread
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/l...-ii-16801.html
mdeese is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2017, 05:49 PM   #18
Mini-Skoolie
 
mdeese's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 45
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: GMC Vandura 3500
Engine: 5.7L
Finished tearing the rest of the floor and ceiling panels out this morning, except for under the wheel chair lift. I'm going to wait until spring break so I can use the lift to take the generator out. She's back in storage until next weekend.
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_2985.jpg  
__________________
My build thread
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/l...-ii-16801.html
mdeese 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 04:44 AM.


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