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Old 06-23-2015, 12:16 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1988
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Rated Cap: 41 Passenger (25 ft)
Cool 1987 international navistar school bus

Hey, Im Em. My boyfriend Caleb and I decided to buy a 25 ft school bus he found at a fire station in connecticut for $100. They told us they were planning to scrap it!

So when we get there, it's ready to go. The bulbous head lights stood out against the faded red paint, and the roaring of the engine told me she was ready to be freed of this gated parking lot. It was like a grizzly bear being woken up early from its winter sleep.

Guys at the fire station kindly filled up our tank with diesel! most likely cost more than what we paid for the bus) and showed my boyfriend the basics, as he had never driven something like that. I was really nervous sitting behind him watching him try out the brakes and the steering. If he was nervous at all, he hid it very well.

We decided to avoid highways, so I was the navigator shouting (yeah basically shouting...) from a google maps print out, leading us through the windy back roads of connecticut. It was very rainy there, and some swamps we drove by were basically lapping at the road. Hills were never ending but we made it.

It took us 2 hours to get there and maybe 4 to get back. We started trying to get the backseat out, and with our process with two wrenches and one person underneath, it took about 40 minutes for one. I will be sad when the seats are out. Its very nostalgic walking down that aisle. The mismatched color on the bottom and back of the seat draws me in. Tearing apart the back seat I found a hidden layer of emerald green that I love, I wish I could find a good use for bus seat pleather!

We hope to make a camper that can comfortable live my boyfriend, 1 yr old daughter, and I, and occasionally a few friends. We have little knowledge about carpentry/electric and hooking up plumbing. So this is a completely new experience for us.

What do you guys think about tearing down the walls/ceilings? I know a lot of people do some serious gutting, but boyfriend is worried about time/money. Do you think it would pay off to put own insulation/ walls in? We plan to do the floor atleast.
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Old 06-23-2015, 01:13 AM   #2
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What you have there is a MAJOR SCORE!!! You basically got the bus for free. Way to go.
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Old 06-23-2015, 01:14 AM   #3
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And your bus even comes with a driver.
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Old 06-23-2015, 01:56 AM   #4
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Great job.

More pics.

Nat
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Old 06-23-2015, 05:37 AM   #5
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Gut it top to bottom. The insulation is crap fiberglass with a good probability of dirt and mold inside. Plus you'll want to check for leaks and rust to seal and treat
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Old 06-23-2015, 06:10 AM   #6
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First off-where in Ct was it?
2nd- alot of questions only you can answer. Are you just using it as a summer camper-or year 'round living? Does it have to be finished by a set date-or when its done its done?
Look around at everyones build thread-many have totally gutted their buses-its a big job but some deem its needed.
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Old 06-23-2015, 06:33 AM   #7
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Bus seat pleather makes a hell of a fire. Almost as awesome as tires.
I think tearing down the walls and ceilings will be the BEST way. Not the easiest, but totally something any school bus kind of person can do.
It will smell a LOT better. It will be insulated a lot better once the factory fiberglass crap is replaced. You'll also be able to address any rust or structural stuff.
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Old 06-23-2015, 09:17 AM   #8
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The rain is the bus's enemy as it promotes rust. Gutting everything opens up the outer sheet metal from within and gives you the opportunity to properly seal the roof and side walls before further damage happens. It's well worth the effort. Doing this will help the bus last for many more years in service to your family.
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Old 06-23-2015, 01:26 PM   #9
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On buses that old there will be leaks, guaranteed. After seeing so many threads on here I can safely say that it's well worth the time to completely gut the interior including all panels. The stock insulation is utter garbage and is worthless after 20 years worth of moisture and mildew.

If time isn't a priority I would do it, defenitely.
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Old 06-23-2015, 01:36 PM   #10
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Beautiful bus! $100 and already painted for you?? That's a steal.

Do you know what engine is in it?
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Old 06-24-2015, 02:58 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycal View Post
What you have there is a MAJOR SCORE!!! You basically got the bus for free. Way to go.
yeah I know, I just wonder how much work it needs to rebuild. They said it might need new gloplugs and wheels soon, but the wheels look alright to me. theres alot of rust underneath this thing too. I'll show pics.

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycal View Post
And your bus even comes with a driver.
Yes! He's also my vacuum cleaner for the messy eating baby.


Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
Great job.

More pics.

Nat
thanks, i will when i get the chance!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooternj View Post
Gut it top to bottom. The insulation is crap fiberglass with a good probability of dirt and mold inside. Plus you'll want to check for leaks and rust to seal and treat
Yeah I already see a few issues with the rusting. Bifold door has chunk missing from bottom, and back door has some on the seal. Unscrewing the ceiling vents did not impress me, leaves and black insulation. awful smell. It seems like they are closed off from the roof so there probably was leaking...

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdwarf36 View Post
First off-where in Ct was it?
2nd- alot of questions only you can answer. Are you just using it as a summer camper-or year 'round living? Does it have to be finished by a set date-or when its done its done?
Look around at everyones build thread-many have totally gutted their buses-its a big job but some deem its needed.
It was in fairfield, connecticut. they told us they don't use salt on the roads, just sand, so rusting should be curbed. But with the salty seaspray in the wind it doesn't seem to make a difference...
And we are not totally sure. I would like to make it as livable as possible, but I don't think we could make it full time in a bus that short for long.. So maybe we'll build it up, take it on a few local trips, and sell it to someone else who better suits it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Bus seat pleather makes a hell of a fire. Almost as awesome as tires.
I think tearing down the walls and ceilings will be the BEST way. Not the easiest, but totally something any school bus kind of person can do.
It will smell a LOT better. It will be insulated a lot better once the factory fiberglass crap is replaced. You'll also be able to address any rust or structural stuff.
I wouldn't burn stuff where I live, we live on a mini farm and wouldn't want the animals breathing that in! I might just reupholster the drivers seat with my favorite pieces scrappy like. Found a really cool green hiding inside one seat. And a friend offered help with the deconstruction , he has a lot of tools that we don't have.

Quote:
Originally Posted by M1031A1 View Post
The rain is the bus's enemy as it promotes rust. Gutting everything opens up the outer sheet metal from within and gives you the opportunity to properly seal the roof and side walls before further damage happens. It's well worth the effort. Doing this will help the bus last for many more years in service to your family.
thank you for the back up! I would much rather see this as a long term vehicle, not something that with all our hard work will fall apart once we get it on the road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WIbluebird View Post
On buses that old there will be leaks, guaranteed. After seeing so many threads on here I can safely say that it's well worth the time to completely gut the interior including all panels. The stock insulation is utter garbage and is worthless after 20 years worth of moisture and mildew.

If time isn't a priority I would do it, defenitely.
thank you! If you have any in mind can you lead me too them? We have no idea where to start after the floor.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jazty View Post
Beautiful bus! $100 and already painted for you?? That's a steal.

Do you know what engine is in it?
yeah i know! even if I didn't plan to renovate, having a bus is still pretty cool! & it needs some touch ups here and there, and maybe a white roof, but I think we'll keep it red for now. And i think its a 1988 idi v8.7.3 L.
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Old 06-24-2015, 03:29 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kanijapukka View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooternj View Post
Gut it top to bottom. The insulation is crap fiberglass with a good probability of dirt and mold inside. Plus you'll want to check for leaks and rust to seal and treat
Yeah I already see a few issues with the rusting. Bifold door has chunk missing from bottom, and back door has some on the seal. Unscrewing the ceiling vents did not impress me, leaves and black insulation. awful smell. It seems like they are closed off from the roof so there probably was leaking...
Go further in, and pull the cable chases down. I found mold and dirt in all the insulation in my bus towards the back of the bus, but since I was going to replace the ceiling and insulation anyway, it's all coming out- top to bottom.

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Old 06-24-2015, 09:54 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooternj View Post
Go further in, and pull the cable chases down. I found mold and dirt in all the insulation in my bus towards the back of the bus, but since I was going to replace the ceiling and insulation anyway, it's all coming out- top to bottom.

Nice, I like pics of members working on their creations!
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Old 06-25-2015, 06:32 AM   #14
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No salt? Hmmm. What the new thing is even worse-a salty brine like liquid they put down before the storm-rots things even faster.
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Old 06-25-2015, 07:07 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by kanijapukka View Post
Tearing apart the back seat I found a hidden layer of emerald green that I love, I wish I could find a good use for bus seat pleather!
Save it to make cushions for the seats in your dining area!
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Old 06-26-2015, 07:47 AM   #16
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Rated Cap: 41 Passenger (25 ft)
come check out my garbage! its cool, i promise!

So we've been busy. Told some friends we would meet them at the drive-in with our new chill out spot this sunday, so the floor needed work asap.

This is alot faster than unscrewing by hand, and cooler to watch! I brought out my old school film camera and hopefully caught some nice extended exposures, I'll know in the next few years when I get my own black room set up.

Here's the floor after ripping out rubber and the remaining trim, which I coaxed out with a crow bar. Some of the more rusted spots, the rubber just tore up rust flakes with it.


I just pretended I was an unofficial organ donor processor... after the first few were down I got a good rythm. tada!

Check out my hobo bed.


Really rusted around the wheel wells though. Looks like its a straight shot to the ground in some areas. Reinforcing it is a priority, but should we try to keep weight off the wheel wells? My idea was to put up a wall that expands from about midpoint on each wheel well, and this will be a main shelving unit for the back bedroom. If I do it closer to the rear, my futon/bed will be blocking the emergency exit. I'll post pics of the floor plans as soon as its finished.
Some rusting along the emergency door and the front swing door. Im not sure how patchable these doors are, might just find new ones to replace.
Took her to get weighed and heres the view crossing the bridge. Headed towards my home mountains...
we could only fit her in sideways, even after cutting the seat open. Caleb didn't want to drive the bus alone yet. i think it was pretty sturdy, our only issue would be if we were hit from the right side, so we drove slow.

So here's my pay at the end of the day, along with about $1 in change. Did anybody else dig through their bus seat trash...? Well I did, found some cool tokens that my older brother might remember. farley's teenage mutant ninja turtles gummies, tootsie"surprise pops! each pop turns your mouth a surprise color!" carefree sugarless bubble gum, and origami candy wrapper frog, and a ripped up note that seems to say "Kate, I am going to katherines. ok? from leah." and has some long division on the back. this stuff is cool because i wasn't born yet!
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Old 06-26-2015, 08:20 AM   #17
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I found a little flash drive on my bus. The kids apparently made a Pizza Hut themed rap video, so I posted it to youtube.... Todd County Ky Representin!




I'm STILL finding candy wrappers and the occasional penny.
My first bus came with a free dimebag of weed that we found in one of the seats.
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Old 06-26-2015, 08:37 AM   #18
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I found a tube of sunscreen and a bag of new foamy ear pro in the glove box, and a whole bunch of kids crud between the seats, including crushed Chinese Matchbox car knockoffs
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Old 06-26-2015, 09:03 AM   #19
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I found a lot of candy wrappers and old chip bags. Got excited when I saw a zippy bag, but didn't find anything as awesome as EastCoastCB. I took the foam off the seats and saved the scrap metal. Any seat with a hole in it was crammed full of crap.
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Old 06-26-2015, 08:31 PM   #20
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Eastcoastcb LOL. Just watched the entire video... wow. pretty funny ****. Main question though, did you end up smoking that dimebag?
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