Just bought a bus! - Page 2

cadillackid · 03-20-2017, 09:34 AM

nice lookin rig!!

its a carpenter, definitely gut it.. their insulation from the factory is JUNK.. at least my carpenter is.

as mentioned, dont rock the bus hard for too long at a time... the transmission heats up very fast if trying to get unstuck..

looks like more rain in the Buckeye state too.. not sure where you are at but looks to be a wet early spring..

good thing is use the rain to your advantage it really helps to find leaks in the bus once you get the interior DEMO'd

-Christopher

questtodivest · 03-20-2017, 10:18 AM

Thanks guys!

Robin, great info on the sub floor! Thanks!! My boyfriend is pretty tall (we're both sharing this account) so we'd like to avoid too thick of a sub floor, but I know there's no such thing as TOO much insulation! He can stand in the bus as is, which we were so happy about! A roof raise would be difficult (I think) because the way the bus is in the back... it kind of angles in halfway up the emergency exit door! I don't know if our wallets can handle one anyway, but we'll jump off that bridge when we get there!

Cowlitz, we definitely got lucky with the paint! We actually really like it the way it is, but due to rust we will probably have to update it a bit.... but it's low priority and we'll probably keep the same colors! Also, thanks for the advice on NOT rocking it! The guy that owns the land was helping us get in the spot and that is the first thing he had us doing... it was his land we were tearing through, though so we thought he should have a say lol...

Thanks cadillackid! Do we have the exact same bus? I see out engine is different, but either way...

And yeah.... weird 'spring' in Ohio, though I find myself saying that every year! We definitely woke up to a storm (maybe even hail if my sleepy brain was correct) and are now considering running a tarp from the side of the barn, over the bus, and then staked down so the ground can dry out....

JojoBrisk · 03-20-2017, 10:34 AM

Good Stuff, you two!!! I'm always excited to see other people start a new conversion. It makes me feel less crazy. We live in Florida, but our bus came from Ohio. In addition to salt, we also found candy wrappers between the seat cushions, and various hair bows. Not to mention we found about $5.32 in loose change by the time we finished gutting our bus. I'm fairly sure whatever you found is not battery acid but it won't hurt to wear gloves, goggles, and long sleeves while you demo. Have fun, and be sure to comb through the threads because I'm pretty sure any question you have has already been answered. Still, everyone here is pretty friendly and won't mind helping out.

Joe

questtodivest · 03-20-2017, 04:04 PM

Hey, every penny counts!! I will do my best to find info before I ask lol I know it must be tiring after awhile! Thanks again for all the advice and help, everybody!!

tobeamiss · 03-22-2017, 03:32 AM

Welcome to the club!! I'm pretty new here myself and I ask my fair share of questions

besides, your questions help other people out too

When I first came on the scene in October 2016 I thought to myself, I'll have this all done by March 1st and that's when I'll take off....hahaha I couldn't have been more wrong lol. So far I've managed to take rip out the ceiling, walls and right now I'm working on getting the flooring up. It's taken me all winter because I'm doing it alone basically with the help of my son here and they are for a couple of hours. Soon though, I'll be on to all the fun stuff and then I'll be asking loads of questions

I can't wait to see what you do with your skoolie

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questtodivest · 03-22-2017, 11:40 AM

Thanks! Yeah, I'm sure our timeline and budget is going to be WAY off! The generator is being delivered today so we can finally get started!! I can't wait to gut it and really see what we're working with!! Good luck with your conversion, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress!!

Robin97396 · 03-22-2017, 12:06 PM

Is it ever easy to underestimate build time! Especially when working alone. I also thought I'd be cruising the highways and byways this past summer, but 18 months later I'm still working on it. Probably this summer.

JunkHunk&GypsyChic · 03-22-2017, 12:48 PM

Congrats! We just bought a bus too. 1997 Blue Bird. Since you are in Ohio, I am wondering what you had to do to drive it home. We bought ours in Michigan and driving back home to Ohio. Planning to drive it home Friday. Our driver has a CDL, but wondering what else we need to do? Insurance, temp tag? Thanks for any info.

Robin97396 · 03-22-2017, 01:12 PM

Usually, and it may be different in your state, new to you vehicle purchases are automatically covered by your current auto policy for 30 days. Certainly you would need temp tags unless you're daring and lucky all at once.

I drove my bus with a temp tag that was not visible through the tinted windows for several weeks before getting the plates on it and never got stopped. It's a yellow and black school bus and people don't look twice.

cadillackid · 03-22-2017, 02:44 PM

my carpenter is older.. they changed a few things with the front dash and heaters around 1995 i think.. 91 or 92 i think was the last year of my DT-360 engine..

im definitely familiar with your 444E as my other bus is a 2000 Bluebird with that engine..
-Christopher

questtodivest · 03-23-2017, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JunkHunk&GypsyChic

Congrats! We just bought a bus too. 1997 Blue Bird. Since you are in Ohio, I am wondering what you had to do to drive it home. We bought ours in Michigan and driving back home to Ohio. Planning to drive it home Friday. Our driver has a CDL, but wondering what else we need to do? Insurance, temp tag? Thanks for any info.

We did get temporary tags, which was a bit stressful. Lots of phone calls to Columbus and tense moments, but we were able to obtain tag for getting it home... in Ohio, unless you're using the vehicle for commercial purposes you can legally drive it without a CDL. So besides the insurance, we were legal. I think it helped we weren't driving between state lines... I'd call both BMVs! Good luck!

cadillackid · 03-23-2017, 06:20 PM

when I got my dealer bus of course the dealer issued a temp tage in florida... my second one which was from texas.. texas had a way online to make a temp tag or trip permit and porint out...

you may check the state you bought it in and see.. it may be very easy to get a tag for it there.. possibly online..

when I called the DMV in ohio.. they stated technically you need a CDL to drive it ifits Fitted seating is more than 15, or if it is GVWR over 26k.. however I havent heard of anyone being stopped... and there are plenty of school busses running around ohio... esop near Cbus for buckeye games.. and they have lots of seats many times..

-Christopher

questtodivest · 03-23-2017, 06:34 PM

Yeah, maybe if it's still titled as a bus, there's no exceptions, but my Motor Vehicle Laws handbook says 'the law exempts these categories from the CDL: A vehicle that is operated for non-business purposes'. Maybe the title matters, but the handbook doesn't indicated that a bus is necessarily for business purposes, so at the very least you've got a good argument lol

Again, maybe state-to-state is different, but they never asked to see our CDLs or anything

cadillackid · 03-23-2017, 06:51 PM

my first one is a RV title.. my red one, they asked very few questions... in fact they just looked at both of them long enough to verify the VIN on the bus matches the VIN on the title... even the one titled as RV they neve checked to see that I qualified for the ohio RV.. like having a bed, frig, stove... the guy even said "neat Bus!"..

the second one I reg'd with all the school lights and everything still on it.. still said 'SCHOOL BUS'.. the guy asked how many seats.. i said '14'.. he never questrioned it.. and it is registered as a bus becvause thats whats on the title.. but stated I dont need a DOT number unless i want to hire it out in any way.. and said because its under 16 seats it doesnt need a CDL..

they were more interested in getting me done and out the door than they were looking up any regulations or such.
but thats how the DMV on south High in columbus is.. they move people through there..

-Christopher

tobeamiss · 03-23-2017, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by questtodivest

Thanks! Yeah, I'm sure our timeline and budget is going to be WAY off! The generator is being delivered today so we can finally get started!! I can't wait to gut it and really see what we're working with!! Good luck with your conversion, it sounds like you've made a lot of progress!!

Awsome about the generator! Good luck and be sure to post pictures

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tobeamiss · 03-23-2017, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Is it ever easy to underestimate build time! Especially when working alone. I also thought I'd be cruising the highways and byways this past summer, but 18 months later I'm still working on it. Probably this summer.

This summer for me too... and if I'm not done, I'll finish it up on the road. As long as I have all of my major stuff done like insulation, plumbing, electric etc, there's no reason to stick around

I'm 6 months in and getting real antsy.

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Robin97396 · 03-23-2017, 10:26 PM

Yeah, I've been looking at the same scenery for a very long time. I got rid of my car and have been using this "26' van" as my daily driver. This bus does seem to love getting on the highway even if we do get a long line of traffic behind us from going the speed limit.

Doing one of these buses as a project is a long row to hoe. It's amazingly slow without that extra hand once in a while. The insulation is already paying me back in warmth and I nearly have the interior completed.

tobeamiss; I'm curious to know if you carry towing insurance. I was thinking of trying to find a tow service for the first year out on the road. It's expensive but getting towed once would be more expensive.

tobeamiss · 03-24-2017, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin97396

tobeamiss; I'm curious to know if you carry towing insurance. I was thinking of trying to find a tow service for the first year out on the road. It's expensive but getting towed once would be more expensive.

No I don't right now but I will definitely need it....At least for my major trip south. Well actually for the first year on the road because I plan to travel and see the sights first before I go stationary

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