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Old 03-06-2013, 10:52 PM   #1
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Port angeles, Wa
Posts: 318
Year: 90
Coachwork: bluebird conventional
Chassis: international
Engine: dt466
Rated Cap: 72
My 90 bluebird

I’ve been lurking on this site for a couple of years now, in the process of doing a schoolie conversion and only now, getting around to posting my little story. I’ve always like the idea of doing a schoolie conversion primarily because of how well they are built. I work for a company that occasionally does maintenance for a private church school. This bus was their back up bus that nobody wanted to drive because it was a standard. A year before I bought it, I had completely gone thru the brakes, shortly afterwards, the #2 cylinder began to blow oil and they decided to give up on it. I had approached them earlier about buying the bus, but didn’t have money at the time - they wanted $2500 for it. When I got up some money, I offered them $1500, they refused that and sold it to me for $1000 - yup, they sold it to me for less than what I offered!

So now some info on the bus itself. It’s a 1990 Bluebird International Conventional, 38 feet. I wanted a Conventional because, if I got into a wreck, there’d better be 5 feet of engine and frame in front of me. It has an International DT466, that’s soon to get an in frame. Five speed spicer transmission. The body is in very good condition, as was the interior. Despite the bad cylinder, it starts in half a crank and runs like a charm.

I’m setting it up to where dinette, kitchen, pantry and all gas appliances are on the driver’s side. Passenger side will have the navigator’s chair, fold out bench seat, bathroom and cabinetry. The back quarter of the bus is a bedroom with twin beds.

With the help of my better half, Faith, and a few friends, I’ve been slowly making progress with its construction. I now have many of the walls in, most major furnishings, and beginning to put in plumbing and electrical.


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Old 03-07-2013, 07:44 AM   #2
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Southeast raleigh
Posts: 221
Year: 1974
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Detroit Diesel 6-71
Re: My 90 bluebird

Welcome! And congrats, sounds like you got pretty lucky with your bus! Per roach711, linking photos is as follows:Once you've got your pictures uploaded to*photobucket, click the "Library" button to display your pics. Mouse over the picture you want to link to and a star shape will appear in the upper right corner. Mouse over the star and a menu will pop up. Click "Get Links" and another menu will pop up. Click the field beneath "IMG Codes" and it will briefly flash "Copied".Now come back to your Skoolie message and right-click/paste the link within the message where you want the picture to appear. To verify that the link is working, scroll down to the bottom of the message window and click the "Preview" button. If the message looks good, click "Submit" and you're done.

Looking forward to seeing what you have built!
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Old 07-11-2013, 09:37 PM   #3
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Port angeles, Wa
Posts: 318
Year: 90
Coachwork: bluebird conventional
Chassis: international
Engine: dt466
Rated Cap: 72
Re: My 90 bluebird

Well, after a long time, I finally got some vacation time at work and permission to do the infame on my engine. YAY!
It's a dt 466. got the reman kit with the 4 ring pistons, liners, bearings and gaskets. The job actually went very easy. Liners popped right out. I had it together and running in 2 days. Then things went south. There was a popping noise under the valve cover. Pulled it to see a valve rocking back and forth. Valve guide was gone!. Shoulda checked the head while it was out.
Anyhoo, I have a parts engine at home so pulled it out to take the head, caught the pallet rack it was under with the forklift and brought down the whole thing! What a mess. Well not that big of a mess, wasn't much on it and one side was anchored.
Not only was the head good but it was a reman! YAY. Should of just put that head on in the first place.
Next day , 6 am, at work changing it out. By lunch time my better half Faith came by with food. We ate, I spent another hour buttoning it up and drive home.

Man does it run great! Still smokes from all the oil in the exhaust but I'm HAPPY!









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Old 07-11-2013, 10:13 PM   #4
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Re: My 90 bluebird

A Big Ol' Skoolie Welcome! --- Sounds like a great combination to me. A Blue Bird...a DT...and all owned by a diesel tech!
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Old 07-11-2013, 11:11 PM   #5
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Olympia, Washington
Posts: 557
Year: 87
Coachwork: Wayne
Chassis: International s1700
Engine: 6.9 internatiional
Rated Cap: 65
Re: My 90 bluebird

your bus is running good. what area of Washington are you in?
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Old 07-11-2013, 11:36 PM   #6
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Port angeles, Wa
Posts: 318
Year: 90
Coachwork: bluebird conventional
Chassis: international
Engine: dt466
Rated Cap: 72
Re: My 90 bluebird

I'm from Port Angeles.
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Old 07-11-2013, 11:53 PM   #7
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Southern Maine
Posts: 337
Re: My 90 bluebird

Am I the only 1 weirded out by the dog nose bus with a rear engine compartment???? Is that a trunk? I mean, really, what is that all about??!!? You got a really good score and great bus but please, PLEASE explain this to me.......
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:00 AM   #8
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Port angeles, Wa
Posts: 318
Year: 90
Coachwork: bluebird conventional
Chassis: international
Engine: dt466
Rated Cap: 72
Re: My 90 bluebird

Thats just a really big cargo compartment. Takes the full width of the bus and 2 ft in. That may be where the genset goes.
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:12 AM   #9
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Olympia, Washington
Posts: 557
Year: 87
Coachwork: Wayne
Chassis: International s1700
Engine: 6.9 internatiional
Rated Cap: 65
Re: My 90 bluebird

Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebird90
I'm from Port Angeles.
wow, your not that far away from me. there is a few of us from Washington on here. when all our buses are done we should all meet up at a campground somewhere.
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:21 AM   #10
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Southern Maine
Posts: 337
Re: My 90 bluebird

Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebird90
Thats just a really big cargo compartment. Takes the full width of the bus and 2 ft in. That may be where the genset goes.
So let me get this straight..... you have a 38' long bus with a trunk?!?! You sir are in a class all your own . It's not counter-culture enough to just make an old school bus into a motor-home, you have to go and say "belly-bins are too mainstream, what I need is a trunk!" Hipsters are out of control these days I tell you!!!

I wish I had a trunk..all I have is a stupid elevator.
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Old 07-12-2013, 04:09 AM   #11
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
Re: My 90 bluebird

Cool,I wondered about engine. Cover looking at bedroom...I was like....huh?

Sounds good tho
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Old 07-12-2013, 12:50 PM   #12
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Kelso, WA
Posts: 253
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DT360
Rated Cap: 72
Re: My 90 bluebird

Quote:
Originally Posted by proconsul100
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebird90
I'm from Port Angeles.
wow, your not that far away from me. there is a few of us from Washington on here. when all our buses are done we should all meet up at a campground somewhere.
Kelso, WA here.
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Old 11-16-2013, 10:09 AM   #13
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Port angeles, Wa
Posts: 318
Year: 90
Coachwork: bluebird conventional
Chassis: international
Engine: dt466
Rated Cap: 72
Re: My 90 bluebird

Doing a little more work - got more of the walls up, the a/c in, and some of the 12 volts.
Attached Thumbnails
000_3082.JPG   000_3081.JPG   000_3083.JPG  
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Old 11-16-2013, 05:30 PM   #14
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
Re: My 90 bluebird

Cool, what did you go with bathroom wise?
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Old 11-16-2013, 06:01 PM   #15
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 10
Year: 1997
Coachwork: bluebird
Chassis: international
Engine: 7.3
Re: My 90 bluebird

Here is my Bluebird, actually Lucy's. Great to see your progress. Thanks for the ideas. Lucy's is still in the planning stage. Here is a pic of my utilities so far. Water, power, sewer and garbage. Lucy says keep it simple. The KISS principle.
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Bus Utilities.jpg   early August 2013 085.jpg  
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Old 11-17-2013, 12:09 AM   #16
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Port angeles, Wa
Posts: 318
Year: 90
Coachwork: bluebird conventional
Chassis: international
Engine: dt466
Rated Cap: 72
Re: My 90 bluebird

The bathroom is going to be the basic rv type. sinnk and vanity to the left, toilet with a macerator. ( waste tank is on the other side). and a shower stall that I may have to fab up myself.

Lucy looks interesting. Isn't there a chance of the corrogated paneling coming off at speed?
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