Engines, power, utter newbie

[Quest_techie]

Okay, I have a vague sort of idea of what I want to do when I get a bus, I'm looking for a 60' (or whatever the exact dimension is, that is the vague estimation I had heard for the huge ones) or a 40' double decker, as you may have read elsewhere I want to make a "garage" in the back (internal) so that I have the freedom of hauling around my car.

Now I have no idea about bus engines or transmissions and though there is another thread addressing a similar issue in conversions, it doesn't seem to work as well for me because I don't have quite as many skills as System-f (I can't weld or fabricate things, hope to be able to by the time I have my bus, but...) I also know next to nothing about engines, I have only the most basic idea how they work

Help me!?

[Les Lampman]

Originally Posted by Quest_techie

Okay, I have a vague sort of idea of what I want to do when I get a bus, I'm looking for a 60' (or whatever the exact dimension is, that is the vague estimation I had heard for the huge ones) or a 40' double decker, as you may have read elsewhere I want to make a "garage" in the back (internal) so that I have the freedom of hauling around my car.

Now I have no idea about bus engines or transmissions and though there is another thread addressing a similar issue in conversions, it doesn't seem to work as well for me because I don't have quite as many skills as System-f (I can't weld or fabricate things, hope to be able to by the time I have my bus, but...) I also know next to nothing about engines, I have only the most basic idea how they work

Help me!?

Wow...nicely loaded post! Here goes...

The 60-footers are articlulated buses (they hinge in the middle); they are quite restricted in where they can operate (legally). They'll also be quite restricted by their road clearance and length. Kevin (Soul Trader) has a definite concept of where and how he'll use his 60-footer but it probably wouldn't work for most folks. Also, the engine on those buses is typically in the rear so you wouldn't be able to build a ramp for your hauled vehicle(s).

Depending on the height of the vehicle you want to haul I don't believe a double-decker (even if you could find one) would be the thing. I've no doubt that the upper floor (or ceiling if you will for the lower floor) is a structural member and cutting a big chunk out of it right at the tail of the bus and then cutting the back out of the bus to make a ramp would most likely not be a good thing from a strutural standpoint.

You really need to think about how you'll use your bus...the places you want to go, the number of folks you need to accommodate, etc. For instance, the Articulated bus and the Double Decker would both restrict the places you can go due to limited road clearance (on both) and overall height (on the double decker). So if you hope to get into a field to camp somewhere (race, air show, arts & crafts fair, concert, etc) you'll want a bit of road clearance. And if you want to get off onto small backroads you'll need to be mindful of the overall height; I've been a lot of places where 12-1/2' is the tallest you'd want to be (you can safely operate at 13-1/2' if you're willing to stay on the freeways and truck routes).

Do you want to pull a trailer in addition to hauling your vehicle inside? If not, then it would be a heck of a lot easier to tow your vehicle (on its feet, on a flatbed or in a car hauler) then to rebuild the bus to accommodate it. If you don't need the interior space that a full-sized (11-window) bus gives you and you're worried about overall length then get a shorter bus to tow your vehicle with.

If you're doing the hauler conversion for the 'coolness' factor (and I consider that quite legitimate) then make it a learning process and go take a welding class at the local community college; it ain't rocket science as they say!

If you do the work yourself I'd guesstimate that the bus conversion or a flatbed trailer will cost close to the same (the conversion maybe a bit more) if we're talking 'all new'. If you pay to have the conversion done I think you could buy an enclosed car hauler for less. If you can find a good used flatbed or enclosed car hauler I don't think you can do the conversion on the bus for less (unless you have ready access to awfully good deals on materials). A good DIY Scrounger could make this happen but it doesn't sound like you've morphed into that yet...but you certainly could!

There's enough engine information on this site to write a small book already! I don't want to add more. A search should turn up more than you bargained for...

[Quest_techie]

Alright, thank you very muchon the 60\double decker info, I was looking peripherrally (sp?) at forty foot buses in general (I'd heard good things about crowns) I would be using the space ov er the car so the length wasn't as much a space issue as that I wanted to figure out how much of it I used (I'm still young I can have some nice attrition) and if I didn't need all of it just leave it with my parents, do a few roofs over a summer and get a forty footer, it seems instead I'll just skip the first step.

I want to keep my car in the bus not only to keep it out of the weather, but also to save on tires and other wear and tear type maintenance (a little cool factor too) I was planning on putting my bed over the car since it's only about four feet tall tops and put a slide alongside the bed so I wouldn't have to bump my head trying to bend for the ladder in mornings (I checked the curve of my car it should work) granted it would limit what cars I could put in there in the future it would be great for now

I know four or five people who know how to weld and are just about as crazy as I am (at one point one of them had a pyrotechnics liscense) They also have classes at the local community college, I'm taking history classes up there anyway so what the hell.

Thank you so much for all your information it is and will be very helpful

[Les Lampman]

Originally Posted by Quest_techie

I want to keep my car in the bus not only to keep it out of the weather, but also to save on tires and other wear and tear type maintenance (a little cool factor too) I was planning on putting my bed over the car since it's only about four feet tall tops and put a slide alongside the bed so I wouldn't have to bump my head trying to bend for the ladder in mornings (I checked the curve of my car it should work) granted it would limit what cars I could put in there in the future it would be great for now

I know four or five people who know how to weld and are just about as crazy as I am (at one point one of them had a pyrotechnics liscense) They also have classes at the local community college, I'm taking history classes up there anyway so what the hell.

Thank you so much for all your information it is and will be very helpful

My point is unless you're doing this strictly for the challenge (or fun of it) it will be easier and more economical to purchase an enclosed car trailer; it will sastify the requirement to keep the car out of the weather and off its running gear, it will be easier to load and unload, and it will be more useful for other things (like general cargo and helping friends move!).

The Crown bus would likely be a poor choice for a hauler conversion due to its shape and lack of underlying structure in the rear. It's a hell-for-stout bus and wonderful in lots of ways but it is not constructed the way most school buses are (it's not quite as easy to alter).

Unless you seal the compartment your car goes in to I doubt you'd find sleeping above your car an ideal situation; no matter how clean, they still smell like cars! You'd also want to be careful of gasoline vapors (many times more dangerous then liquid gas) ending up in the bus if you're going to have electrical, heating or cooking appliances. In general, I think it's just a bad idea to have a vehicle in the bus unless it's in a sealed and dedicated space (everybody's entitled to an opinion...that's mine ).

Keep researching and asking questions...that's a good thing; you'll eventually figure out what will work best for you.