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Old 01-23-2015, 12:49 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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1986 E-350 SCHOOL BUS, a good choice?

Hello,
I am looking for a short bus to turn into a mobile art studio. I found a 1986 E-350 gas shortie on craigslist, they are asking 2500. The owner says it runs and starts good.

Here are the stats
1986 1986 E-350 SCHOOL BUS odometer: 100659 VIN: 1FDJE37HXGHB67735 bus drive : rwd fuel : gas transmission : automatic title status : clean cylinders : 8 cylinders condition: good

I am not super savvy mechanically, so am looking for something fairly reliable that I dont have to fuss with all the time. I am not going to drive it long distances, as I live on an island and want an on-island rig. Just trips to the beach etc.., so I can make my art in different atmospheres. So gas mileage not a huge factor for me.

Anyone have experience with this sort of beast? It is in my price range, but perhaps it would pay off in the long run to spend more money upfront... i am hesitant to buy something cheap, as I know you often get what you pay for.... however I don't need anything glamorous, just utilitarian.

that has a good start inside, it has cabinets and a spot for a woodstove.
heres the listing : http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/4857812011.html

Any input would be helpful! Thanks Bus people!

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Old 01-23-2015, 06:47 PM   #2
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The price looks good and the body looks fine in the pictures so the rest will depend on the condition of the running gear. Gas mileage will be in the single digits but not a big deal if you're not going far. 100 grand isn't too bad for a well maintained motor and trans. Brakes and 6 tires are pretty expensive to replace so those deserve a good look. Since you won't be traveling too far afield you can be a bit less paranoid about reliability.

Around here (Detroit metro area) used shuttle buses go for about that much but they're pretty wrung out.

Most states require that the school bus yellow color be painted over and the top flashers be disabled.
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Old 01-23-2015, 06:57 PM   #3
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That's a neat little bus! I have no experience with E350's from the '80s, but it doesn't have many miles on it for being so old.

The one thing that bothered me immediately is the chimney exit through the side of the bus. Out of necessity, a skoolie with a wood stove will have a much shorter chimney than what you would find in a house. Putting two 90° angles in the chimney will drastically decrease the draft (mm.. alliteration), especially with having such a short chimney to begin with. My guess is that the previous owner had all sorts of problems with back-drafting smoke and smoldering fires. Not a deal-breaker, though. It's easy enough to punch a hole through the roof. You can seal the exiting INSULATED CHIMNEY with something like this: Dektite Hi Temp Pipe Flashing.

The cheap chap in me thinks that $2500 is pushing it a bit, though. If - after a test drive - it turned out to drive smooth I'd offer $2000 and see where that put us.
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Old 01-23-2015, 07:01 PM   #4
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Also, having tire chains is pretty bad ass.. Those can go for a couple hundred dollars. I've been shopping around for triples for my bus and they demand about $300-$400 for a set (though my tires are a good bit bigger than this E350).
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Old 01-24-2015, 06:01 AM   #5
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I'd rather have a fresh one from the school district.
A newer one with the 7.3 or if gm then 6.5 diesel. These shorties go for CHEAP at auction. Like a thousand bucks...
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Old 01-28-2015, 01:24 PM   #6
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Much Thanks

Hi All,
Thank you so much for the wonderful informative and informed replies! Lots of things to consider.
The bus already having a wood stove setup was a big bonus for me, so if I would have to mess around with it anyway, thats a point against it.

I've had a few people that I've spoken to recommend getting one strait from a school district or other organization which has a regular maintinence schedule etc..
Ive also had people recommend a diesel Cummins engine, anyone have experience with those?

Thanks again!
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Old 01-28-2015, 01:36 PM   #7
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That engine is a good one, but not efficient. Expect 8mpgs or less. Vans are cheap and plentiful even as busses. The 7.3 is a much better choice if you can find one. I would offer 1300 or so, maybe 1500.
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Old 01-28-2015, 02:28 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by birdbus View Post
Hi All,
Thank you so much for the wonderful informative and informed replies! Lots of things to consider.
The bus already having a wood stove setup was a big bonus for me, so if I would have to mess around with it anyway, thats a point against it.

I've had a few people that I've spoken to recommend getting one strait from a school district or other organization which has a regular maintinence schedule etc..
Ive also had people recommend a diesel Cummins engine, anyone have experience with those?

Thanks again!
A friend is getting almost 75 mph and over 9 mpg with his cummins. They are good. International is better, but cummins is good.
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Old 01-28-2015, 05:52 PM   #9
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For the price that isn't a bad deal particularly if it is already titled as an RV.

Removing/disabling the 8-way lights is a requirement in the state of WA. One has to wonder why it wasn't done before it left the school district.

Painting it a different color is always a good idea. Keeping a bus National School Bus Chrome Yellow is a good way in which to get unwanted attention from law enforcement officers.

That seems suspiciously low mileage for a bus of that vintage. Figure 10K miles average per year and that bus would be a lot closer to 300K miles. Even at 5K per year it should have 150K miles.

In my experience few little buses with lifts ever do less than 10K miles per year. It is not unknown for little buses to go in excess of 30K per year. Knowing which district in which it saw service could help explain the lack of mileage on it.

If you are not going to be driving many miles I would stay away from diesel engines. Diesel engines do really well going lots of miles and really do not do well on short hops. They need to get fully warmed up to operate correctly.
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Old 01-28-2015, 09:30 PM   #10
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Hmm.... Good point, i hadn't thought about the diesel having to warm up.
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Old 01-29-2015, 05:18 AM   #11
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I normally agree with Cowlitzcoach, but I wouldn't even dream of buying another gas bus. NO WAY NO HOW.
Unless you like getting 3-5 mpg and lower power. A gas engine still has to warm up. True it doesn't take as long, but if you're driving a bus, you obviously shouldn't be in a big hurry anyhow.
That's just my 2 cents, no one is forced to agree!
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Old 01-29-2015, 11:33 AM   #12
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My first skoolie was an E350 with Thomas body. I can't open the craigslist link at work to get a look at it, but I will say that mine came with 126 000 KILOMETRES on it. It was a day camp bus for it's whole life, only being driven two-three months out of the year. So low mileage on an 80's bus is possible (pretty sure mine was an '8. In any case, I loved it and it served me well. Parts were easy and cheap to get, though it was a PITA to work on (hard to get under the hood). I got it for free from the camp, put a couple hundred in it to make it a basic (but so cute) camper, and sold it for $3500 a couple years later
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Old 01-29-2015, 03:59 PM   #13
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I'd hold out for something like this in your neck of the woods.
http://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa...ctid=685#media
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Old 01-31-2015, 10:44 AM   #14
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Diesel all the way... it takes only ten minutes for my engine to reach operating temperature. Not to mention their overall reliability. My 1989 Chevy loves that stop and go driving, topping out at 24 mpg in town and 15 on the freeway.
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Old 01-31-2015, 12:04 PM   #15
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I'd be a bit cautious with that E-350. I've seen that ad off and on for several months now and usually when ads are up that long, it means it isn't a good bus, but that's just my two cents.
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Old 02-09-2015, 11:41 AM   #16
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I can't speak to your specific bus, but I purchased an '87 E350 recently, and it runs great. Granted, the gentleman I purchased it from was the retired mechanic from the local school district it came from, so he essentially worked on it and knew it's entire history (hence why he bought it). While I would agree, if you can afford it, go diesel, but mine was only $1,500 and the service history was known. So, it'll do 65-70 on the highway, and gets 10mpg at best (probably more like 8 or less on the highway). It's a much happier shorty at 55, however.
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Old 02-09-2015, 03:54 PM   #17
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Hmm.... Good point, i hadn't thought about the diesel having to warm up.
How the hell long does it take any motor to warm up? Must be very little!
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Old 02-09-2015, 05:29 PM   #18
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The problem with warming up a diesel engine is they are more thermodynamically efficient than a gas engine.

In other words, more heat goes into work than into waste heat.

In a school bus with a big diesel engine that is not working very hard it will never get to full operating temperature before it reaches the end of the route and is shut off. Which is why so many schools pay extra to have fuel fired heaters (Webasto) to keep the water hot enough to put heat into the passenger compartment.

180* in a gas engine is a lot more heat than 180* is a diesel engine. I know that may sound dumb but every cycle of the engine a gas engine will put 10-20% more waste heat into the 180* water than a diesel engine will. When you start bleeding heat off into the heater cores and defrosters it will take a lot of waste heat to keep that 180* water at 180*.

Back in the day we never had to have weather fronts or heater booster pumps on our gas engine buses, either front or rear engine buses. The gas engines always had plenty of heat to keep things warm.

My brand new 1990 Blue Bird TC2000 with a 5.9L Cummins would scoot up the hills a gear higher than I could ever go up in my Loadstar chassis bus with an MV404 or my GMC/Wayne with an OEM RE chassis with a 401 V-6.

On the way down the hill before I got half way down the 5.9L would have the temp gauge on the bottom peg and I was blowing cold air out of the heaters. The only way I could get any heat out of it when the ambient temp was below 50* was to cover the radiator with a weather front. With the gas buses I never noticed a difference in heat coming out of the heaters or defrosters going up hill or down.

In other words, depending on conditions it is possible for a diesel engine to never warm up enough to get into the proper operating temperature range.
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Old 02-09-2015, 11:42 PM   #19
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I agree with cowlitzcoach...It is one reason you see so many big rigs with thermo-controlled "shutters" over the rad. I know several people with Cummins 4BT transplants who have dropped the mechanical fan for electric and swear it never comes on unless towing a load up a long, steep hill.

Diesels typically run cooler because they convert more heat into toque & HP per CI.
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Old 02-10-2015, 05:22 AM   #20
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I got lucky- mine came with radiator shutters.
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