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Old 05-29-2018, 02:14 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Summary of ceiling heights

Hello Everyone. It seems like there should be a ton of online resources talking about the interior ceiling height of various bus brands & models. But my Google search and the search of this forum has turned up just tiny little shreds. It seems that 72" to 78" seem to be about the range, but that difference matters. I'm 5'8". A 72" height (before mods) would be uncomfortable, but a 78" would be doable. It will be enough for me to complete a basic conversion without tossing in a roof raise, so that seems out of the question. So - is there a place to go - or a forum member(s) - that can provide a summary of ceiling heights in the various buses? Alternately - does anyone want to chime in on buses with 78"(ish) stock ceiling heights?



That would be SO cool!

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Old 05-29-2018, 02:37 PM   #2
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my impression is that ceiling height is an option to the school district when ordering, so ceiling height for the same year/make/model can vary.



There maybe a few models that ONLY came with high roofs, but I am not aware of that. It may be more likely that some models never came with a high roof, or not until XXXX year. There may be states that after a certain year required a certain height, but i am not aware of that either.



But if there are a bunch of different roof heights for the same model, the trick probably is to be able to visually identify a high(er) roof from the pictures that will be posted of buses for sale. The ability to ID the higher roof buses comes up occasionally in the threads.



For instance, my 95 Amtran Genesis, you can identify that it is a high roof model because the passenger windows on the side are higher than the drivers window, and higher than the entrance door. Now that i know what to look for, I can spot the difference in that particular model, but I probably would have to do some searching of the old threads if I had a question about a particular Thomas or bluebird model.
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Old 05-29-2018, 03:16 PM   #3
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I appreciate your input. One bus I've been looking at (but now changing my mind) is the Thomas C2 series, which - according to Thomas information - all had 78" heights. I'm sure the variability that you're talking about is probably why no one publishes a neat little summary of this. Thanks again!
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Old 05-29-2018, 03:16 PM   #4
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Should mention - I really like the C2 buses, but they didn't start making them until right at the beginning of the emissions stuff, so there is all that to put up with.....
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Old 05-29-2018, 05:00 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glenncooper View Post
Alternately - does anyone want to chime in on buses with 78"(ish) stock ceiling heights?
GILLIG PHANTOM... Among it's many charms, ceiling is 6'7" tapering to 6'5"
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Old 05-29-2018, 05:02 PM   #6
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Nice! - Thanks.. The Gillig Phantoms sound like great buses!!
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Old 05-29-2018, 07:57 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glenncooper View Post
Nice! - Thanks.. The Gillig Phantoms sound like great buses!!
That may be an understatement. Gillig and Crown buses are considered by many as the best built school buses on the road.
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Old 06-05-2019, 09:31 PM   #8
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I'm 6'2". Should I even invest in a Skoolie?
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Old 06-05-2019, 09:37 PM   #9
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I'm 6'2". Should I even invest in a Skoolie?
Absolutely!

And one of your projects will be a roof raise........
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Old 06-05-2019, 09:45 PM   #10
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I'm 6'2". Should I even invest in a Skoolie?
mine's 6'7" down the center.
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Old 06-06-2019, 10:39 AM   #11
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Yeah, I went with the C2 because of the standard 78" roof height. I am 6'1 and I didn't want to do a roof raise. My bus is a 2010 with a MBE 926 engine and it has been great for me so far. I've put 20K miles on it so far and taken across the US twice and to Texas a couple of times from NC and just had one issue with the fan clutch actuator. Just unlocked the 6th gear on the 2500 PTS tranny so I'm looking forward to seeing how my MPG improves from 8.1 avg while rolling down the highway!!
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Old 06-06-2019, 11:38 AM   #12
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wow thanks Tarheel. Roof raise is not in my plans so Ill put the C2 on the the list of possibilities. This info came at the right time since I'm still in the research stage. Thanks.
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Old 10-26-2019, 01:06 PM   #13
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I'm very much a newbie, what does C2 mean?
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Old 10-26-2019, 01:09 PM   #14
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I'm very much a newbie, what does C2 mean?
C2 is a model of the Saf-T-Liner
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Old 10-27-2019, 04:09 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
mine's 6'7" down the center.
Now I'll have to get my yard stick out to see if yours is bigger, ECCB!
I am 6'1" and fit nicely in our bus (it is a tall roof Thomas .... 78" inside).
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Old 10-27-2019, 06:39 AM   #16
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Now I'll have to get my yard stick out to see if yours is bigger, ECCB!
I am 6'1" and fit nicely in our bus (it is a tall roof Thomas .... 78" inside).
Lol
Fwiw i don't have a factory plywood floor.
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Old 10-27-2019, 07:18 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
mine's 6'7" down the center.
Do you have windows that match the height? My bus is also 6'7" down the middle (without the factory plywood) but it took me awhile to realize my windows are also larger than normal. I got four emergency exit windows from another user here, but when I got them home I realized his windows (on his less-tall bus, like 6'2" or so) were 23" tall while mine are 29" tall.
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Old 10-27-2019, 08:07 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by musigenesis View Post
Do you have windows that match the height? My bus is also 6'7" down the middle (without the factory plywood) but it took me awhile to realize my windows are also larger than normal. I got four emergency exit windows from another user here, but when I got them home I realized his windows (on his less-tall bus, like 6'2" or so) were 23" tall while mine are 29" tall.
Yeah high headroom buses usually have the higher windows except some BB's.
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Old 10-27-2019, 08:49 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iron Horse View Post
I'm 6'2". Should I even invest in a Skoolie?
It all depends on your comfort level. I know people who live in cars, vans, all kinds of situations where they can't even stand up and they seem fine with it. I wouldn't be, but then I'm 5 feet tall so that's almost never going to come up in my life.

My shorty is made by Lewis Bus (have not seen too many from this outfit) and has a 78" ceiling. To make up for that, though, it's very narrow, only 6'2" at its widest point mid-wall.
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Old 02-05-2020, 09:55 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
mine's 6'7" down the center.
That is great! What kind of bus do you have? My husband is 6'2'', and we would like to find the highest ceiling we can so we can insulate and not have to do a roof raise. Thank you!
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