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Old 07-05-2019, 12:39 PM   #21
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: NY
Posts: 33
Thank you!

I'll get a few more pics over next week.

Took 4 hours of driving this morning, but found some great seats for the bus. One fold up vertical (from a handicap bus).

They are all side mount so it will mess with my set up a little, but we'll make it work.

It's tricky with 5 of us in a shorter bus

Getting closer!

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Old 07-05-2019, 06:24 PM   #22
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: NY
Posts: 33
More pictures

Enough sleep space is a huge priority.

The bunk design was a process.....

I first was thinking slats like I've seen on YT, but I wasn't happy with the design.

Next up was a poorly thought out hinge design for the middle portion to fold down.

At the end, simplicity won out.

2x6s with a notch to slide in 3 2x4s. Since it's a short span, they're plenty strong enough. I stood on each one individually at 250 to test

The bottom right bunk has two plywood sheets on it. The top one will slide out to cover the span during the night and then we slide the 2x4s out during the day and slide the plywood back.

Note: I know I'll get well deserved crap for the particle board haha. A family member wanted to "help" and brought over the wood. It was very helpful overall and I didn't want to be ungracious.

It will be replaced shortly with regular plywood! Small railings will be added too for the kids safety. This was our first mock up in the bus with it.
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Old 07-08-2019, 09:37 PM   #23
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: May 2018
Location: Wamego Ks
Posts: 617
Year: 2007
Chassis: Collins
Engine: 6.6L LMM Duramax
Wow!! I love the ceiling, sides... Floor... All of it... Looking great!! I like the bunk design you're working on...
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Old 07-09-2019, 08:28 PM   #24
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: NY
Posts: 33
Rust all cut out and replaced from the doors.

With little welding talent, I used rivets instead. I spent a summer in high school making sheet metal duct work. It came in handy 20 yrs later!
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Old 09-08-2019, 05:46 PM   #25
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: NY
Posts: 33
Interior 90% done.

Fixed oil pan with the fiberglass cover/epoxy. It was on back order and took 6 weeks to get the shell. All done and working great now.

Scraped under the bus for dayysssss to remove rust. Any left was hit with rust converter and magic bullet under coating.

Replaced exterior spots with new sheet metal.

Cleaned/primed/painted.

Electrical tested and working both off of the battery bank and shore power.

My wife painted a new family mountain image
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Old 09-08-2019, 06:32 PM   #26
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Mt Vernon, WA
Posts: 523
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Bluebird, Collins
Chassis: G30 Bluebird Microbird, E350 Shuttle Bus
Engine: 1995 Chevrolet 350, 1992 Ford 460
That’s a nice looking job you’ve done. I got a 1992 Ford shuttle bus a few days ago. Ive removed the seats and oiled the doors. That’s it. I’ve considered painting mine blue also. But lots of other priorities first. Did you have a issue with the windows leaking? I need to figure out where the water is coming from. The wall panels under and around the windows are degraded so I assume it’s the windows. This one needs to be completely gutted. The floor is wonky also. It has a 460 gas engine. I used to have a Ford short bus with the Diesel engine and a lot more ground clearance . I wish I had converted that one but I was too busy working. Sounds like you’re almost finished.
I also have a short school bus but it’s about 6 feet shorter than the shuttle bus. Not sure which one will get converted yet. The shuttle bus might become a giant tool box. But if it cruises better than the Chevy G30 short bus then maybe not.
What’s a good cruising speed for your shuttle bus?
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Old 05-08-2020, 02:55 PM   #27
Almost There
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 85
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Girardian Handicapped Commercial
Chassis: E-450
Engine: Ford 7.3L
Rated Cap: 9,000
Love your build!!! How's it going for ya these days? I just started a 2001 E450 Girardin commercial in Albany ny
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Old 06-29-2020, 01:29 PM   #28
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Beaverton, OR
Posts: 24
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Ford
Chassis: E450 Super Duty
Engine: 7.3L Turbo Diesel
Rated Cap: Over 1 million bad ideas
Really loving your bus! It's giving me a lot of inspiration. I bought a 1999 E450 shuttle bus that looks very similar. Was your original floor wood? Did you pull any of it up before laying down the insulation and covering?

Also, was the original interior wall fiberglass? That's what you tore out and re-did? The end result looks excellent. I'm debating whether to leave my interior walls in, they're nicely contoured and I'm not sure what's around the window and ceiling hatch frames. I worry that if I took the inside wall out, I'd have to completely re-do the windows right away. I'm solo with a day job, so I dont get big stretches of time to do work and dont want to leave the beast without windows for any stretch of time.
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