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Old 05-10-2019, 06:22 PM   #1
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ANOTHER question !:(

I realise that when buying a diesel bus it's wise to buy 2003 or older to avoid some very expensive pitfalls - but that same thing wouldn't hold true on a gas burner? - newer might be an advantage? - for my purpose, I would prefer a gas powered or even propane powered bus over diesel

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Old 05-10-2019, 06:30 PM   #2
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Thought you pulled the trigger on that green & white LP powered unit?
What happened, if you care to share?
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Old 05-10-2019, 06:41 PM   #3
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Most commercial or common gasoline engines found in a bus are pretty reliable and not cursed with the diesel emission standards like EGR coolers, DEF systems, etc
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Old 05-10-2019, 06:43 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peteg59 View Post
Thought you pulled the trigger on that green & white LP powered unit?
What happened, if you care to share?
that went south when he couldn't give me a valid VIN# - and wanted the bus towed off his lot before I had a chance to get up and see if it would start, or hire a mechanic if I needed one - I wasn't about to hire a tow to another storage facility or heavy duty shop without being there to decide what was the best way to go - he said he was going to get a friend of his that knew buses to see if he could get it started, but haven't heard back in days - you can buy a LOT of trouble for $500 - $600 - lol - I had a friend look at another bus with a reworked motor, transmission, rear end, drive shaft that sounded good online - turned out to be a real mess - the camper conversion would have to be stripped and started with fresh everything - no point paying for a conversion that has to be completely converted, and the owner couldn't be bothered to put some fuel in it so my friend could hear/see it run
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Old 05-10-2019, 07:14 PM   #5
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Most commercial or common gasoline engines found in a bus are pretty reliable and not cursed with the diesel emission standards like EGR coolers, DEF systems, etc
thanks Johnny, that's what I was thinking - nice to get confirmation on a random thought
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Old 05-10-2019, 07:32 PM   #6
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Gassers got a lot tougher to find starting in the mid 80s when navistar decided to nix their gas engines.. GMC keptcthe 454 and 366 going in full chassis busses at least through the mid- late 90s..
van cutaway busses were made along with gas or diesel options and many were purchased as gas.. so you can find the 5.7 and 6.0 van busses pretty readily. Ford also kept them going in cutaway form with the 5.4 and the triton v10.. older units with 460s floating around too.
P30 chassis stuff also kept the gas engine as well.

Now brand new busses are being made as gasoline again with the new bluebird gas bus. The IC 8.8 and the new ford 7.3(gasoline)..
there will be an unfortunate time for awhile in skoolie building where emissions busses will be the only things being sold once the pre 05 and pre 08 stuff is sold off and before the brand new gas busses (which are seeing quite an uptick in adoption by schools)...
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Old 05-10-2019, 07:35 PM   #7
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That's s shame. It was a unique rig!
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that went south when he couldn't give me a valid VIN# - and wanted the bus towed off his lot before I had a chance to get up and see if it would start, or hire a mechanic if I needed one - I wasn't about to hire a tow to another storage facility or heavy duty shop without being there to decide what was the best way to go - he said he was going to get a friend of his that knew buses to see if he could get it started, but haven't heard back in days - you can buy a LOT of trouble for $500 - $600 - lol - I had a friend look at another bus with a reworked motor, transmission, rear end, drive shaft that sounded good online - turned out to be a real mess - the camper conversion would have to be stripped and started with fresh everything - no point paying for a conversion that has to be completely converted, and the owner couldn't be bothered to put some fuel in it so my friend could hear/see it run
I guess another will have be found to let you neek up on your comptitors...
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Old 05-10-2019, 07:40 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
Gassers got a lot tougher to find starting in the mid 80s when navistar decided to nix their gas engines.. GMC keptcthe 454 and 366 going in full chassis busses at least through the mid- late 90s..
van cutaway busses were made along with gas or diesel options and many were purchased as gas.. so you can find the 5.7 and 6.0 van busses pretty readily. Ford also kept them going in cutaway form with the 5.4 and the triton v10.. older units with 460s floating around too.
P30 chassis stuff also kept the gas engine as well.

Now brand new busses are being made as gasoline again with the new bluebird gas bus. The IC 8.8 and the new ford 7.3(gasoline)..
there will be an unfortunate time for awhile in skoolie building where emissions busses will be the only things being sold once the pre 05 and pre 08 stuff is sold off and before the brand new gas busses (which are seeing quite an uptick in adoption by schools)...

this week there were 4 buses in Saskatchewan, all on propane, one with the 8.1 ( l believe it was ) GM motor, and the other 3 with 454's in them - all at very reasonable prices - time and money constraints kept me from bidding on one of the 454's - the 8.1 was gone before I received notice it was for sale - lol - l'm guessing they were being sold by a school board or a transportation contractor
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Old 05-10-2019, 09:18 PM   #9
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there will be an unfortunate time for awhile in skoolie building where emissions busses will be the only things being sold once the pre 05 and pre 08 stuff is sold off and before the brand new gas busses (which are seeing quite an uptick in adoption by schools)...

I feel like we're there right now - especially on the short buses. The only short buses I see for sale right now (just about ANYWHERE) - are all equipped with the VT365.

Cutaway-style buses are a dime a dozen right now.


I think the transportation companies looked at the options, and either shrunk to the cutaway vans, or bought bigger full-size buses.
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Old 05-11-2019, 05:21 AM   #10
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I feel like we're there right now - especially on the short buses. The only short buses I see for sale right now (just about ANYWHERE) - are all equipped with the VT365.

Cutaway-style buses are a dime a dozen right now.


I think the transportation companies looked at the options, and either shrunk to the cutaway vans, or bought bigger full-size buses.
I'm finding short buses when I look. I've had to hold off since buying my truck, though. Just passed up some CHEAP minty shorties with DT's.
You guys are right though. The GOOD buses are drying up.
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Old 05-11-2019, 05:50 AM   #11
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Entropy is a driving force in the cosmos. All matter seeks to return to it's lowest energy state, which is why the supply of desirable bus' is ever dwindling.

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I'm finding short buses when I look. I've had to hold off since buying my truck, though. Just passed up some CHEAP minty shorties with DT's.
You guys are right though. The GOOD buses are drying up.
Prolly just as well you took a pass. Bad enough taking on potential mechanical issues, rust, years of fossilized boogers lining the underside of all horizontal interior surfaces, to get a rig with Delirium Tremens...
Minty freshness notwithstanding.
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Old 05-11-2019, 10:07 AM   #12
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I know that you are most likely to end up buying a gas or propane powered bus because of your climate, but I just needed to point out that my 2004 does not have an EGR as it was the last year the T444e (7.3L) was available before the transition to the 6.0L. Just FYI We are all patiently waiting for you to find your bus. Prime building time right now!
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Old 05-11-2019, 10:35 AM   #13
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I know that you are most likely to end up buying a gas or propane powered bus because of your climate, but I just needed to point out that my 2004 does not have an EGR as it was the last year the T444e (7.3L) was available before the transition to the 6.0L. Just FYI We are all patiently waiting for you to find your bus. Prime building time right now!
thanks - none more eager than me - lol - on one hand the very old interest me - I missed out on a 66 chevy that I liked by 20 minutes because I hemmed and hawed for 24 hrs before I phoned the guy - the right motor and partially converted with hand carved homestead style furnishings, very well done using heavy timber ( I never homesteaded, but my parents, my grandparents on both sides of the family all homesteaded in northern BC and Alberta, as did several aunts and uncles, so I can appreciate that kind of art and the work involved ) I need to do a better job of lining up my ducks and be ready to pounce on a good bus, young or old
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Old 05-11-2019, 12:40 PM   #14
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thanks - none more eager than me - lol - on one hand the very old interest me - I missed out on a 66 chevy that I liked by 20 minutes because I hemmed and hawed for 24 hrs before I phoned the guy - the right motor and partially converted with hand carved homestead style furnishings, very well done using heavy timber ( I never homesteaded, but my parents, my grandparents on both sides of the family all homesteaded in northern BC and Alberta, as did several aunts and uncles, so I can appreciate that kind of art and the work involved ) I need to do a better job of lining up my ducks and be ready to pounce on a good bus, young or old



Hey sledd, I just put you at the top of my list of people to sell my bus to.


Did mine with old timbers too, but not overdone. They sure add structural strength for building other things off, walls, shelves, doors etc.
No two pieces look alike so you find yourself looking at all the wierd woodgrain and in my case, I liked the marks made from old rip saws.
No idea how old they are, couldn't figure that out. Looks like they may last another 500 years in their new home.
That would give the dogs lots to chew on...


Not sure of delivery date though yet...



John
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Old 05-11-2019, 02:02 PM   #15
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Hey sledd, I just put you at the top of my list of people to sell my bus to.


Did mine with old timbers too, but not overdone. They sure add structural strength for building other things off, walls, shelves, doors etc.
No two pieces look alike so you find yourself looking at all the wierd woodgrain and in my case, I liked the marks made from old rip saws.
No idea how old they are, couldn't figure that out. Looks like they may last another 500 years in their new home.
That would give the dogs lots to chew on...


Not sure of delivery date though yet...



John


good to know that l'm at the top of someone's list - lol - I've thought about doing the camper part of my conversion, in a 'cabin-in-the-woods' style, but it's not written in stone yet
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Old 05-11-2019, 02:40 PM   #16
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I thought you were going to furnish in well aged, repurposed timbers.
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good to know that l'm at the top of someone's list - lol - I've thought about doing the camper part of my conversion, in a 'cabin-in-the-woods' style, but it's not written in stone yet
But now what? Faux rocks..?
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Old 05-11-2019, 03:08 PM   #17
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I thought you were going to furnish in well aged, repurposed timbers.But now what? Faux rocks..?
a possibility
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Old 05-11-2019, 03:08 PM   #18
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a possibility
But not yet written in stone...
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Old 05-21-2019, 11:48 PM   #19
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I think you will find most of the propane powered buses that were built up into the 2010's are all pretty limited in go power and very limited in range. Unless they are a dual fuel and then they don't run well on either.


The new IC buses with the PSI 8.8L engine are outstanding in performance whether it is on gasoline, propane, or CNG.



The biggest problem with buses with alternative fuels is sometimes it is hard to get fuel. Propane is very available just about anywhere these days but sometimes getting a bus next to the propane pump for a fill up is a bit difficult.


I am not sure exactly why you are not wanting a diesel powered bus. I know being in the frozen north there are challenges but if you understand what is going on and make the proper prep work a diesel engine is no harder to get started than a gas engine.


Here is a bus you may want to consider: https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/...874595369.html
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Old 05-22-2019, 12:30 AM   #20
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I think you will find most of the propane powered buses that were built up into the 2010's are all pretty limited in go power and very limited in range. Unless they are a dual fuel and then they don't run well on either.


The new IC buses with the PSI 8.8L engine are outstanding in performance whether it is on gasoline, propane, or CNG.



The biggest problem with buses with alternative fuels is sometimes it is hard to get fuel. Propane is very available just about anywhere these days but sometimes getting a bus next to the propane pump for a fill up is a bit difficult.


I am not sure exactly why you are not wanting a diesel powered bus. I know being in the frozen north there are challenges but if you understand what is going on and make the proper prep work a diesel engine is no harder to get started than a gas engine.


Here is a bus you may want to consider: https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/...874595369.html

I drove an overloaded one ton truck in about 1985 - during the winter I hit Yellowknife, northern Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and into north central Manitoba, and as far south as Truckee Ca for a total of almost 11,000 miles in 3 months ( felt like I had a one ton truck grafted to my spine ) traveling from one race to the next held on back to back to back to b - - - - weekends - heading north from Ft Nelson, there were no tracks in the snow that had fallen 24 hours before, not one sign of habitation or a soul on the side of the road for the first 150 miles - the truck was propane only and other than making a miscalculation in the middle of Nowhere Saskatchewan, I had none of the troubles you describe, and I can only expect that availability will have improved in the last 30 +/- years - I would prefer to get a dual fuel bus, but I'll take either a gas or propane, but not a diesel - it's bad enough having mechanical problems on the Mackenzie highway, heading from Yellowknife to northern Alberta with the simplicity of a gas motor, and something entirely different driving a 20 year old diesel that I have no experience with - the more I learn about diesel maintenance in this GREAT forum, the more I realise I don't want to go that route - there is a small difference in power between propane and gas, but the substantial difference in the per gallon cost more than makes up for the slight loss of power - for what it's worth, that's my experience, at least
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