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Old 09-24-2016, 06:18 PM   #1
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Out The Gate (OTG)

Bought our 1985 Chevy Handicap Short Bus for $850 at the bus auction in the next county over in June. It wouldnt fit on my car trailer because of the steps so I had to drive it home . One of the rear tires has a bubble in it and one of the plug wires was bad so it felt pretty special hammering down the road at 60 .
The school have been using it as a service vehicle and the interior was already stripped of seats .


We found only a little rust for such an old truck.




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Old 09-24-2016, 06:21 PM   #2
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We worked to get it ready for paint quick because we are an instant gratification family .






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Old 09-24-2016, 06:25 PM   #3
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Mixxed our tractor supply white, ford blue, and safety yellow aiming for a teal or turqoise but settled for aqua blue-ish.

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Old 09-24-2016, 06:29 PM   #4
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
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Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
bad ass!! I love the old school van front!! was my fav style..

also love the retro aqua color!! cant wait to see it on the bus
-Christopher
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Old 09-24-2016, 06:29 PM   #5
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We got alot done today. Plywood in. Painted interior. Majes the last few weeks of scraping, sanding, patching, etc. Worth while.

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Old 09-24-2016, 06:30 PM   #6
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Year: 1991
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
p.s. i drive my bus at 55 all the time even though it will run 65-68... just feels better for a bus.. and whe nim on a road trip im not tryin to commute so I can enjoy and see the sights
-Christopher
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Old 09-24-2016, 06:35 PM   #7
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Thanks! The hardener we got for the paint helped alot with the interior paint. Almost to quick.

We're aiming for a family trip with a flat towed jeep next summer. But we're hoping for some test trips this winter. We're in florida so we probably wont worry too much about heat.

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Old 09-24-2016, 07:10 PM   #8
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Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
is your dashboard heat-only? (void of dash vents).. if so I will tell you that the stock dash heater and defroster in those vans without factory air-conditioning was TERRIBLE..

I had a chevy VanDura like that.. it didnt take me long to tear that whole thing apart and outfit it with the air-conditioned version// (then again I wanted factory A/C)//

if you have or had factory A/C originally on the dashboard your heater will be pretty good.

-Christopher
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Old 09-24-2016, 07:11 PM   #9
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Chassis: International 3800
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your interior color is a lot like the factory interior colors on school busses.. its real close to my carpenter interior ceiling color.
-Christopher
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Old 09-24-2016, 07:20 PM   #10
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Cool. We had dash AC and i want to fix that back up. Need to find a compressor and bracket for the motor. We did score an aftermarket bus AC that mounts inside and condensers with fans that mount underneath. Salvaged off a full size bus BUT theres not enough room underneath to mount the condensers. looks like I'll sell that.
Still not sure if we'll get the dash ac going and figure a mounting option for a 110 AC wall unit. ?

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Old 09-24-2016, 07:20 PM   #11
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I told my wife it ironically looked like a bus color.

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Old 09-24-2016, 07:27 PM   #12
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Year: 1991
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Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
the dash A/C should be easy to fix up.. ive done a bunch of them... is the compressor actually gone? is that a Chevy 350?

if so we can easily find you a sanden 508 compressor bracket.. likely driver side as thats where the factory GMC compressor wouldve been.. it may have had rear A/C originally and someof it may already be under the bus... Transair used an up-under condensor that didnt face the bus skirt... and there would be multiple line T or Y fittings under the hood..

if it was dash only it would be void of that... building a tie-in system is a bit different than hsving a dedicated rear syste, using a secondary compressor...

if you are going to camp in it you will want aux A/C that doesnt require the engine to run so a camper-top unit on the roof or another type of unit out the back or underneath and of course a generator to run it..

seems a lot from florida on here.. I have homes in both columbus Ohio and st pete florida...
-Christopher
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Old 09-24-2016, 07:44 PM   #13
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Thanks. It does look like they disconnected the factory ac and had some aux ac in the back above the door but theres nothing left but the hoses. I would be okay with Dash AC and a 110 mounted discreetly somewhere. I want to put a small back porch on it where I can hide a quiet 2KW generator to power the AC and some Outlets inside. I think I can run the 110 AC and Generator while going down the road if I needed extra Cooling . Would it work?

Jeep, bus, repeat.
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Old 09-24-2016, 07:59 PM   #14
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Chassis: GMC or Chevrolet, I hope
Engine: gasser probably
bus looking good man
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Old 09-24-2016, 09:32 PM   #15
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Year: 1991
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Chassis: International 3800
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Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by yellowxj View Post
Thanks. It does look like they disconnected the factory ac and had some aux ac in the back above the door but theres nothing left but the hoses. I would be okay with Dash AC and a 110 mounted discreetly somewhere. I want to put a small back porch on it where I can hide a quiet 2KW generator to power the AC and some Outlets inside. I think I can run the 110 AC and Generator while going down the road if I needed extra Cooling . Would it work?

Jeep, bus, repeat.
people do it all the time.. run the genset and drive. im not sure if a 2K genersator will start up the compressor on a camper or window unit or not..

I have a 2 hose portable I use for when im stopped in my bus. (I have a regular large bus (short but tall).. I installed 2 A/C in it for the road but when im stopped i need air.. my portable unit is called a climax and it is soft-start.. (no surge current) but of course portable units tke up a bit of interior space physically..

the nost part of your dash air might still be there... and that GMC van style was made through 1995 so a lot of the hoses, coils etc up through the 92 model year would work to replace anything that the coach builder set up as a Tor Y under the hood... I yanked a whole system out of a junk yard for the Vandura i did... then i just bought new fan motor, heaster core and accumulator.. the rest was all used and that thing blue ice cold for many years after I sold the van to a friend.

-Christopher
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Old 09-24-2016, 09:57 PM   #16
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love the "imstant gratification family" lol

Welcome! Sweet bus and i third the color is awes.
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Old 09-29-2016, 04:07 PM   #17
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Conversion van seats $100. Will we use them? Probably.

Jeep, bus, repeat.
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Old 09-29-2016, 04:40 PM   #18
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Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,707
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
that back seat looks interesting... almost like a futon.. i could see 2 of those making nice dinette seats and then fold fown into a big bed.
-Christopher
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Old 09-29-2016, 06:21 PM   #19
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Jeep, bus, repeat.
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Old 09-29-2016, 07:13 PM   #20
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,707
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
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Jeep, bus, repeat.
thats badass cool!! was that in the van or is that set up in your bus?

-Christopher
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