First Shuttle Bus Purchase

[jgangi1728]

Hello,

My name is Josh and I am 27 years old and I have been wanting to do a bus to rv conversion for some time now. So, I decided to purchase me first bus which is a 2004 Ford E-450 Super Duty 6.8L Gas V10 shuttle bus built by Turtle Top. 99k miles on it.

The bus is very clean inside and out as I am from Ohio and luckily this bus was in Florida up until 2013 so minimal rust underneath.

I paid $7,250 out the door and am looking to do a nice renovation of the inside and will plan to use this Airstream as a layout and design template.

Please let me know your thoughts and ideas as I dive into this any tips or advice will be appreciated. Did I get a decent deal?

[jgangi1728]

Here are pictures of my purchase and design ideas

[leadsled01]

Looks real good to me. Welcome fellow Buckeye..

[jgangi1728]

Thank you! Looking forward to the game this weekend. Go Bucks!

[cadillackid]

GO bucks!!! and great lookin bus!! cant wait to see you make it like that air stream... love these bright modern style conversions.
-Christopher

[pbeggs]

nice clean looking shuttle!
your design concept looks cool can't wait to see the finished product

[plfking]

Originally Posted by jgangi1728

Go Bucks!

Omg......not ANOTHER one.....

[jgangi1728]

Haha plfking, Are you outnumbered on here?

I am excited to get started with it, hopefully a couple months of work into the reno

Anyone have experiences with the shuttle bus conversions and how they handle the weight distribution on the road?

If there are parts of the reno that I should have a professional take care of I have no problem doing that

Thanks for the help!

[EastCoastCB]

I can comment on the engine. My parents have one in their RV. Real tough to get at certain parts for repairs and maintenance. Even harder in a van chassis.
But they run good, they're reliable, and fairly powerful. Don't expect more than maybe 5-6 mpg. They do drink some fuel.
The spark plugs are the worst part. The design isn't the best and they're tough to get at and easy to strip. Not impossible, but definitely watch some videos before attempting to change them.
That's all I know. Looks like a clean bus. Have fun!

[jgangi1728]

Thank you for the heads up EastCoastCB! It is definitely good to know what maintenance and fixes may be needed when I start to put some miles on this thing

[cowlitzcoach]

When you get your bus stripped out it would be a very good idea to take it over a scale to determine how much weight you can put back into your bus.

Most of those chassis had a maximum GVWR of 14,000 lbs. Most of the limitation is found in the axles (which are 1-ton F-350 dual wheel axles) and how much weight the tires can support.

Empty weight of those buses are usually over 10,000 lbs. In other words, the net payload was less than 4,000 lbs.

Unless you get creative and use light weight materials you will quickly go over the GVWR rating of the chassis very quickly.

Good Luck and Happy Trails to you!

[cdothill]

hey @jgangi1728! following up to see what kind of progress you've made! i have a shuttle bus, as well, and your design plans looked nice!

[jgangi1728]

Hey cdothill, thank you! Progress has been delayed in the build so far. Had to put on the back burner for a bit. How about yours? You working on it currently?

[cdothill]

jgangi1728
ah, been there done that! haha i actually just picked mine back up a few weeks ago after it being stored for the past 7 months. about to gut her and start over, actually.

[nordeking]

Nice! I am looking at a 2000 Ford F450 4x4 shuttle.... I love your interior design! What program are you using to do that?