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Old 09-11-2017, 09:20 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 27
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Eldorado National
Chassis: Chevy 3500 Express
Engine: Duramax Diesel
Rated Cap: 10
Smile Maritime newbie

Hi all,

we just bought a bus!!!

My gf and I just bought a 2007 GM short bus, not sure of the exact model but its diesel and currently has a wheelchair lift towards the back and a fiberglass body. We have a million questions but we're gonna wait til we take delivery at some point this week before asking anything as I'm sure some we'll be able to figure out.

For now though are there any special groups or we should be reading and following for our type of bus?

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Old 09-11-2017, 11:29 AM   #2
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Cuyahoga Falls Ohio
Posts: 592
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Startrans
Chassis: Ford e-350 single wheel
Engine: 5.4 litre
Rated Cap: 12
Sounds like a "Shuttle Bus". Lots of shuttles under the "short bus" section of this forum.
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Old 09-11-2017, 11:41 AM   #3
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Weeki Wachee, FL
Posts: 3,056
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
Probably a 6.5L diesel, the weak spot on those is the diesel injection pump. Otherwise good reliable boring (boring is good!) motors.

Fiberglass body is probably a shuttle bus, not a school bus. Do you have pics or anything to share?
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Old 09-11-2017, 12:33 PM   #4
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Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
Not a big GM guy anymore but I thought they replaced the 6.5l with the 6.6l Duramax around 2003??
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Old 09-14-2017, 11:56 AM   #5
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 27
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Eldorado National
Chassis: Chevy 3500 Express
Engine: Duramax Diesel
Rated Cap: 10
Fiberglass body questions

Hi folks,

I have a few questions about doing things to the body of the bus seeing as its fiberglass and not steel;
  1. Can we add a luggage rack/deck and or solar panels to the roof and if so is there anything special we need to be aware of?
  2. Are there any considerations for attaching things to the wall that we also need to be aware of (hooks for hammocks, internal walls, shower hook etc)
  3. Over the cab, where the bus lights would usually be on a regular bus there is a large empty space with no points of entry, is it ok to cut doors into this space for extra storage?
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Old 09-14-2017, 03:28 PM   #6
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,264
Year: 2001
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: IH
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 14
I would avoid cutting the fiberglass above the windshield. It'll have a good chance of leaking and be hard to access from outside anyway. Feel free to use that space, just put the access on the inside. I might just do the same thing on my IH/Blue Bird shorty.

School buses have incredibly strong walls and usually can support a hammock easily. Shuttle buses aren't as strong and the tension from a hammock could pull free from the wall supports or even collapse the walls (someone more knowledgeable about this, feel free to correct me). It would be helpful to know who built the body and what material the supports are made of. Attaching partition walls and smaller things like coat hangers should not be a problem.

As for adding things to the roof, such as solar, luggage rack, or deck ... the thing you'll want to be aware of is water getting in through the holes. I don't know if the body will support the weight of a deck plus the folks that will be up there. A luggage rack or solar panels should be fine, though personally I wouldn't want to lug my suitcases up and down a 10' ladder and risk getting wet. I would use underbody (also called "basement") storage compartments or let the luggage ride inside. I also have an enclosed trailer and if a fair size group of folks are traveling, the luggage can go in it.
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Old 09-19-2017, 09:33 AM   #7
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Posts: 27
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Eldorado National
Chassis: Chevy 3500 Express
Engine: Duramax Diesel
Rated Cap: 10
We managed to use the old restraint mounting rails for the wheelchair I figured iestraints to mount hammocks after finding the perfect thing at Princess Auto. If they can stop an adult in a wheelchair from rolling around under heavy breaking they should be able to support a stationary weight in a hammock.

As for the aerodynamic bubble over the front of the cab, the idea was always to cut doors in the inside only and use the space for lightweight storage. I don't forsee any problems there as long as we keep the weight down.

We'll leave the roof as is for now but any feedback anyone can give on mounting things to a shuttle roof would be greatly appreciated.

We're planning to add a rack to the back for carrying a couple of scooters that will either be permanent or double hitch based and removable. The mounts for this would be welded straight onto the frame in place of the existing rear fender mounts. We'll use a backup camera to keep an eye on it and to help parking.

Seeing as the questions are starting to come thick and fast I'll start a new thread probably later today and start posting questions and pics over there.
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Old 09-19-2017, 01:29 PM   #8
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Cuyahoga Falls Ohio
Posts: 592
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Startrans
Chassis: Ford e-350 single wheel
Engine: 5.4 litre
Rated Cap: 12
My shuttle bus has a 1" X 1" steel square tube frame sandwiched between the fiberglass panels. Find the steel tubing and mount what ever you want. My shuttle has all of the electrical wiring in the top front bubble part. Be Very careful when you cut. My shuttle is cut from the factory and has a door for access.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scootermcscoot View Post
We managed to use the old restraint mounting rails for the wheelchair I figured iestraints to mount hammocks after finding the perfect thing at Princess Auto. If they can stop an adult in a wheelchair from rolling around under heavy breaking they should be able to support a stationary weight in a hammock.

As for the aerodynamic bubble over the front of the cab, the idea was always to cut doors in the inside only and use the space for lightweight storage. I don't forsee any problems there as long as we keep the weight down.

We'll leave the roof as is for now but any feedback anyone can give on mounting things to a shuttle roof would be greatly appreciated.

We're planning to add a rack to the back for carrying a couple of scooters that will either be permanent or double hitch based and removable. The mounts for this would be welded straight onto the frame in place of the existing rear fender mounts. We'll use a backup camera to keep an eye on it and to help parking.

Seeing as the questions are starting to come thick and fast I'll start a new thread probably later today and start posting questions and pics over there.
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