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Old 02-14-2012, 09:21 PM   #1
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Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Hey everyone! So I took the plunge and bought a school bus. It is a 1992 Bluebird with an International DTA360 engine. It has 315 000kms. The back of the bus had apparently been damaged and is now rebuilt to resemble a box of a truck. I can't imagine there are too many vehicles like this! It cost me $1500. It seems to drive fine and it came with a full tank of diesel. The only issues with it (besides from being generally beat up looking) are that the fuel gauge and the speedometer are not working, the stomp pad for the hi-beams is not working, the rear right tail light and blinker is not working, and as I was driving it home last night, the brake press light came on and a beeping noise started. I had to turn the key to the middle position for that to stop. I checked the brake fluid and it seems a bit low so I'm hoping a top up will fix that problem. Anybody have any experience fixing these problems? It's also pretty rusty in spots as you can see in the pictures. I plan to convert it to run on WVO before summer starts.
So, experienced school bus owners, what do you think? Did I get a good deal? Is this thing gonna fall apart on me? I have very little knowledge about mechanics but I am ready to learn. I appreciate all your input!








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Old 02-15-2012, 02:42 AM   #2
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Sweet pickup truck you've got there! I think you did good, I would give $1500 or more for that.
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Old 02-15-2012, 03:18 AM   #3
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

You should also be able to get good fuel mileage with your stick shift. i would think 13 to 15 mpg easy. I also like the cargo bed in the rear, it would be great to store fire wood for a wood burning stove/heater. Your bus looks very cozy inside, plenty room for a bathroom, small kitchen and a fold out sofa/bed.

if I'm not mistaken, your brake fluid is for brakes and power steering. Yes, fill it up and check closely for fluid leaks from the master cylinder and power steering. Follow all the lines and look for wet spots from front to back. International master brake cylinders are known to need rebuilding ever so many years, something to do with the seals and weather extremes but more then likely from being low on fluid while being being parked to long, allowing water condensation to collect in the master cylinder reservoir. Whatever you do, DON'T disconnect the brake warning buzzer, it could save your life. All in all, I think you got a good deal.
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Old 02-15-2012, 06:06 PM   #4
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Looks like a great start reminiscent of a toter-home. All that missing bus should allow that thing to tow rather impressively. That cargo bed is going to come in very handy. I actually like the look of the bus a lot. The only thing I see that would be replaced if it were my bus would be the wooden bumper and the tailgate. I'd also want to skin the back with metal instead of plywood. But those are just mainly ideas.

The big thing for me is the bumper though. You have no real protection for your rear tires if you get rear-ended or back into something. That plank is not going to be very much protection. You should be able to find a welder/fabricator that can make a simple adapter piece that can be welded to the frame to add a proper bumper that you can get from a junk yard. If you do that I'd also look at adding a really heavy duty bumper pull style hitch. Maybe even finding a bumper that has a Pintle hitch on it for some heavy duty trailers. It may help if you decide to ever sell it and it gives you options later on if you decide to get a trailer to haul any toys you decide to take when you use it.

I'd also look into at least skinning that back plywood wall with some sheet metal. I'm not sure if it would be easier to just use flat sheets and fabricate an edge to to find a donor bus to get a rear end cap from to transplant.

The stuff you say is wrong should be a relatively easy fix. The rear light is probably just the bulb or loose wire. Could be the same with the high beams. The fuel gauge is probably going to require a mechanic to replace because you will probably have to drop the fuel tank to replace the components that are in it as part of the gauge. It's not a hard job but it is a hassle best left to someone that has experience with it just for safety.

I know all of that costs money though and it all depends on how much and in what way you are going to use the bus. Overall I would say it was a great find though.
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Old 02-15-2012, 08:04 PM   #5
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

That's a rad looking machine you've got there. For $1,500 I don't think you can go wrong. You've got a good engine in there too. I hope you do something cool with it!
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Old 02-16-2012, 05:22 PM   #6
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Great start and a great vehicle! I'd hit the major rust spots with a wire brush and some rust inhibitor as soon as you can. It's not imperative, but you'll need to get to it and find the really bad spots before you start any serious building.

I look forward to seeing how you fix it up! Looks like loads of fun!
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Old 02-18-2012, 08:12 AM   #7
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Check the power steering fluid...the brake booster runs off the PS pump, low fluid (or a bad pump) can set off that light.
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Old 02-18-2012, 08:56 AM   #8
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

The dry rot on the tires worry me. Dunno how strict your motor vehicle dept. is-but that would fail around here.
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Old 02-18-2012, 10:34 AM   #9
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

The rusty brake lines worry me, I have had two hardlines fail on my DD this fall/winter one time on the trails(I pinched it off and drove in 1st gear low range back to camp) the other time the side I didn't replace "popped" at red light at autostore)so I replaced it and borrowed an employee to pump my brakes when I bled them
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Old 02-18-2012, 11:01 AM   #10
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

find a mechanic friend and ask them to go over the whole thing and check it out. $1500 isnt too bad i guess. Id be painting it not yellow lol
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Old 02-20-2012, 03:14 PM   #11
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

About the fuel gauge. The gauge itself could have failed, or some part of the wiring, but the most likely suspect is the sending unit inside the tank. And it may only need a new float -- mine did.

You should not need to remove the tank in order to access the sending unit. There should be a hole in the floor with a cover screwed on. Just look inside the bus above the tank. The cover is maybe six or eight inches square.

The best place to find a new float may be at a commercial speedometer shop. They work mostly on big trucks and other commercial vehicles.

Good luck!
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Old 02-21-2012, 12:42 PM   #12
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Yea I forgot to mention that the parking brake is not working. I called the local mechanic and he said that to fix it you would first have to figure out whether it was working the drivetrain or going to the back brakes. If my back brakes were disc brakes, the parking brake probably works with the drivetrain and if the back brakes were drum brakes then the parking brake probably worked with them. I took a look through the back wheels and couldn't really see any disc. I didn't climb under the bus to see if I could check out the parking brake because it's parked on a busy street and it's probably not the best place to do that. Anyone have any info on what type of brakes these buses have on the back? Or how to go about fixing a parking brake?

The other thing I was worried about was when someone mentioned that because my hard brake lines were pretty rusty they could fail. Is there a good way to test them to verify their strength?

And what size jack should I use to change tires? 2 ton? 3 ton?

One more question, the guy I bought the bus from told me I should change the oil with 15W40 Diesel Oil. He said I will need 2 20L buckets of this. Is this correct? And is there anything I should know before I change the oil? I assume it's the same procedure as any other vehicle. (I've changed the oil on several different smaller vehicles)

Thanks so much!! This forum is a goldmine.
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Old 02-21-2012, 01:20 PM   #13
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Changing the tires on that bus is not a do-it-yourself thing -- at least not to my mind.

No, there is no way to test the brake lines for strength, other than to stand on the brake pedal as hard as you can. All it takes for a failure to happen is a microscopic pin hole of rust anywhere in the line. Preventive replacement is a matter of judgement and priorities.

Yes, diesel engines must have engine oil (motor oil) that is made specifically for diesel engines, and they contain much more oil than you are used to.

You will probably have to crawl underneath the back to see which style brakes you have there. Type of brakes can vary from bus to bus, depending on what the original buyer ordered.
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Old 02-21-2012, 03:12 PM   #14
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!


this picture show the caliper for the front disc brake, look thru one side of the back at opposite side and see if it looks like the front, looks like you may be able to see it from the rear bumper area
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Old 02-26-2012, 05:58 PM   #15
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Is the parking brake a square, yellow button on the dash (pull to set brakes, push to release), or is it a lever under the dash or on the floor? If the button, it has air parking brake. If the lever, it has a clamp on either the back of the transmission or the front of the rear axle (where the driveshaft goes in)...either should work the same.
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Old 02-27-2012, 09:16 AM   #16
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Air brakes have a yellow pull out square parking brake system.
Brakes in the picture are hydraulic...
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Old 03-01-2012, 02:25 PM   #17
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

I just changed the oil on my bus a few weeks ago, it was a $110 oil change! haha 6 gallons of Shell Rotella 15w 40 and 2 Huge oil filters but it is running alot smoother now.

Keep us updated

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Old 03-03-2012, 06:55 PM   #18
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Old 04-07-2012, 07:41 AM   #19
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Re: Just bought a bus. What do y'all think?!

Quote:
Originally Posted by chev49
Air brakes have a yellow pull out square parking brake system.
Brakes in the picture are hydraulic...
Many Internationals used hydraulic brakes with an air e-brake. If so...it will have an air-brake type park brake knob. If not, it will probably have a lever under the dash.
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