SanFord the Great! A 1956 Ford B-600.

[Toyman01]

Meet SanFord. She's a 1956 Ford B-600 chassis, with a Wayne body. I bought her in Allenton Wisconsin, where she had been languishing for a dozen years, neglected. Being a glutton for punishment, I promptly drove it 1000+ miles home, to South Carolina. If you are interested in the trip, there is a thread here, on Grassroots Motorsports.

The bus got dubbed SanFord by a toll boot operator on the trip home. When I rolled up to pay the toll, she was singing the theme song to Sanford and Son at the top of her voice. It seemed appropriate, so it SanFord it is.

The Bus Thread.



Today's project was to dig all the extra stuff out of the bus and figure out exactly what I had to work with. I hadn't inventoried it when I bought the bus, figuring everything extra was a bonus. It turns out there was quite a large bonus.

2 camp stoves

1 RV stove/oven.

2 12V RV range hoods with vent fans and lights.

2 SS Sinks, one kitchen, one bath.

1 RV rooftop air conditioner.

3 RV leveling jacks.

1 extra water heater.

1 extra RV direct vent furnace.

1 complete set of bath water fixtures, shower and sink.

1 side mount RV awning with side curtains.

2 extra water pumps.

1 set of electric RV steps.

1 20 ton bottle jack.

1 mummified rat.








More to come...

[Toyman01]

SanFord was converted to an RV in the 70s and already has a RV title which saves me a lot of paperwork.

I'm still a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. There is an amazing amount of work to do here. My tentative plan of attack is going to be:

Roof. Strip, repair dents and rust and prime/seal. The roof currently leaks so this is on the top of the list.

Body. Strip, repair dents and rust and prime/seal.

Then paint the whole thing.

In between the above will be going through all the other systems and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Once the exterior is done, we will move inside.

The carpet on the roof and walls has to go. While I would love to do a wood ceiling, the compound curves, front and back, will make that extremely difficult. The roof will probably end up painted.

I'm pretty sure all the cabinetry will stay. It's in pretty good shape and looks decent.

The floor has to go. It's a big question mark at the moment, but it will be replaced.

Pictures for documentation.









I really like the garden hose plumbing. /sarcasm.









That's what we are starting with, any thoughts or ideas are welcome. I've built a lot of things in my time, but never a Skoolie.

More to come.

[Tango]

Mmmmm....mouse jerky! And the "other stuff" is a real windfall. Excellent find and a real classic.

[johnbloem1974]

We are all dying to know what you paid for it!!! I understand if you don't want to disclose it, but......

Also, what kind of engine/tranny setup does it have?

Sweet find though, and looks like a super fun project!

John

[Tango]

BTW --- just in case you haven't seen it and want to research the 5.9 Cummins transplant idea...there is a ton of info & experience on the site below. And in spite of the "4BT" in the name, folks there are working with many different diesel engines including the 6BT.

Cummins 4BT & Diesel Conversions Forums

[jazty]

Did you know that you're already famous here on skoolie.net? This could be fun to watch

We look forward to seeing your progress!

EDIT: Ah, I see that you DO know of it's existence since you were amongst the several posters!

[2kool4skool]

Lovin' it!!!

[Toyman01]

Originally Posted by johnbloem1974

We are all dying to know what you paid for it!!! I understand if you don't want to disclose it, but......

Also, what kind of engine/tranny setup does it have?

Sweet find though, and looks like a super fun project!

John

I paid a little over $3k for it. Seeing many of these, stripped down and not running listed for much more, I thought it was a decent price.

The engine is a FE Ford big block, of unknown size. At a guess it's at a 70s era 360, possibly a 390. The transmission is a Clark 4 speed. Fast it isn't, but with the rear axle in low range and the transmission in first, it will climb a wall.

Over the 1000 miles home I averaged about 7.5 mpg running 55 mph. Not as bad as I thought it would, but not great either. The engine didn't use a drop of oil or coolant so it will be staying for for now while I concentrate on the body and interior.

[M1031A1]

Toyman,

After that EPIC journey I hope whenever you decide to swap power plants you'll ENSHRINE that beautiful engine!!!!! That dedication to service deserves some sort of recognition. Amazing how it never used a drop of anything!

I'm usually an odd-man out on engines, I LOVE Cats and Fords. Bit expensive when they break down, but they have held up well for me.

M1031

[JA Savage]

I can't wait to see what you do with this wonderful old skoolie!