Hey there, my name's Bjorn and like many of you, I own a bus, which I have owned for 7 years now. I've been lurking on Skoolie.net for years, admiring peoples conversions, learning everything I can, and I finally decided to introduce myself. So, before I get into the documentation of my conversion, I'm posting this introduction thread.
I'm from Minneapolis Minnesota, and bought a bus from a local school district when it was retired at the age of 15 years.
The primary function of my bus is to haul motorcycles and friends around the country. I always camp at motorcycle tracks or RV sites that have bathrooms, showers, and electricity and I cook on a grill or eat sandwiches, so I don't have a real need for a bathroom, fancy generator/battery setup (although, I want one), kitchen etc.
Currently, it's kind of setup like this: Motorcycles get loaded up in the rear, up to 6 of them. Front half is comfortable seating, TV & xbox, inverter, and stereo for comfortable road-tripping.
I'm here because it's finally time to take this bus to the next level. The underside of the bus is in GREAT condition, as is the Engine and Transmission. But the sheet metal is starting to rust, warped plywood floors, holes in the floor near the wheels. Basically, she's gonna need a new floor, and some new skin. I'm going to be asking some questions over the next few weeks... so stay tuned! But, for now, here she is, in her current form:
YEAR: 1992
MAKE: International
MODEL: 3800
BODY: Ward/AmTran
PASSENGER: 72
ENGINE: Navistar DT360 Turbo Diesel
TRANSMISSION: Allison AT545 Automatic
MILEAGE: ~239,000
BRAKES: Hydraulic
WHERE IT'S BEEN
Bike Week :: Daytona Beach, Florida :: 3100 miles round-trip :: 3 times
Barber Motorsports Park :: Birmingham, Alabama :: 2200 miles round-trip :: 1 times
Ozark Mountains Motorcycle Trip :: Harrison, Arkansas :: 1400 miles round-trip :: 1 times
MotoGP :: Indianapolis, Indiana :: 1200 miles round-trip :: 2 times
Electronic Daisy Carnival :: Joliet, Illinois :: 840 miles round-trip :: 1 times
Mid America Motorplex :: 780 miles round-trip :: 2 times
Road America :: Plymouth, Wisconsin :: 650 miles round-trip :: 2 times
Blackhawk Farms Raceway :: South Beloit, Illinois :: 630 miles round-trip :: 4 times
Brainerd International Raceway :: Brainerd, Minnesota :: 280 miles round-trip :: 19 times
When the sun goes down, she looks even better:
[b]The bus has been fully converted to LED: Running lights, turn/stop/reverse, interior lights, etc:
This is the bus in its most current form:
Fairly open floor plan. Notice one of the bikes in the back:
TV mounted on a wall behind the driver. LED lights change between blue and white with the press of a button:
Chicks dig it
It's at the local track a lot
Sometimes we go places without bikes:
But, there are usually bikes involved:
...and bikes...
...and bikes...
...and bikes...
This is how we get the bikes in and out. The ramp stores itself under the bus
With a custom-built hitch, I can haul up to an 18 foot trailer no problem
I've actually DRAG RACED my bus, twice. I'm undefeated
Here I am against one of my competitors. We're next to line up at the tree
The results