Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-11-2011, 06:14 PM   #1
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Time for a slight introduction......

Name is Ryan, wife is Kali and we are the proud new owners of a 1992 BlueBird All-American RE 72 passenger bus.
8.3 cummins with the 643 allison and 4.78 gears (a bit steep for my liking)
183k miles

Drove it down from Northern Oregon last week to our home in Northern Arizona.

Plan is to full time in the bus with our dog and Land Rover Discovery 1 hanging on from behind.

Wish list so far is....
On board veggie oil filteration. (figureing we could mabye use the land rover to collect the oil, then transfer pump it to the bus) - *edit* after further research, I think we have scrapped this idea. For the money we would spend to convert the bus, we could buy a fair amount of diesel. It's just not cost effective. Maybe down the road when I want a new hobby we could give it a try.

Small wood burning stove - just need to find one.... craigslist here I come. *edit* Tiny Tot seems to be the best option.
Small to medium solar array - pretty expensive but I think it's going to work out fine in the long run. *edit* looking like we are going with about an 600 amp hour battery bank and still researching solar panels.
Wind power if its not cost prohibitive.*edit* Wind is out
Generator to help supplement

I have been reading tons and tons of threads on this website. Very useful info. Much appreciated.
I am sure I will have lots of questions down the road but for now I just wanted to introduce ourselves.

Here are a few pictures:


I belive they ran it along a guard rail at some point. Slight damage to the underbelly doors. Nothing a little metal work can't fix.

Makeshift bed for the 1600 mile trip home.
Ran great. Averaged 55 mph on the secondary highways. Got a respectable 11 mpg.

Best part.... Oregon bus its entire life.... nary a speck of rust.

__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2011, 06:15 PM   #2
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

PS, bus will be mostly white once painted. I guess maybe we got the cart before the horse.
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2011, 07:38 PM   #3
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Welcome! Looks like a great unit to build on. They just don't get any better than a "Bird" IMHO. Had a 1988 40-footer for about ten years. Used it to haul antiques and junk as well as some camping. Raised the roof 19" and was in the process of building new front & rear caps when I got an offer that was too good to pass on. Do not, however miss the 6-53 Detroit "Screamer" it came with. That engine was even too loud on the Mekong River! Your Cummins is a much better engine. Doing a 1946 Chevy Shorty starting in a month or so. Best of luck and do keep the progress pix coming.
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2011, 07:40 PM   #4
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: MASS
Posts: 449
Year: 1993
Coachwork: THOMAS
Chassis: SAFE-T-LINER
Engine: CAT 3116
Rated Cap: 83
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

WOW! GREAT LOOKING BUS!! REAL CLEAN TOO! Is that a raised roof Blue Bird? You don't see Blue Birds with raised roofs too often.
BUSBOZO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2011, 07:41 PM   #5
Skoolie
 
RevBill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Tarheel State
Posts: 102
Coachwork: - Still Shopping -
Chassis: - Going Medium/Large -
Engine: - DT466 Desired -
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Great bus .. I am green with envy .. looking forward to reading and following her transformation ..
__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind. - L Pasteur
Luck is the residue of good planning. - B. Rickey
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness ... - M. Twain
RevBill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2011, 11:08 PM   #6
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

I will keep the pictures coming.

And questions... this is our first attempt at building a house on a bus... well our first attempt at building a house period.

I'm not sure if the bus has a raised roof or not but I do know its about 6'2" - 6'3".

What do you think about these tires? Freaking huge lugs and they look to have some siping too. You think I sacrifice some mpg's with these tires? I'm not looking to change them anytime soon, just gonna run um.



I'm glad they don't use salt in Oregon.
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2011, 06:53 AM   #7
Bus Nut
 
Seeria's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Idaho
Posts: 575
Coachwork: Thomas
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Welcome and grats on such a beauty of bus! Have to say those lugs look in great shape. I've seen so many buses over the last two years here in Wisconsin that seeing one without rust is as rare as seeing a white buffalo
Seeria is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2011, 10:54 AM   #8
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE


Before


Just a wee little dusting. I love spring time in Northern Arizona.


During


Just thought it looked cool


Unfortunately I could not convince the dog to make herself useful.


After

With the underbelly storage covering most of the access to the seat bolts, I had to resort to grinding the bolt heads. Ugh! That was taking forever.
Finally decied to just cut the seats off at 1 inch from the floor. Figuring since the subfloor/insulation was going to cover the cut off legs they might just stay in the bus. I'm still debating wether or not to leave them in place.
I don't think they would interfere but it feels like I'm cutting some corners. No pun intended.
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2011, 12:44 PM   #9
Bus Crazy
 
Diesel Dan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,489
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/AT545
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Well... of course if you don't pull up the flooring you won't know whether or not there is rust festering under there. It's rare that a bus floor is free of rust, so the only question is how bad is it? It seems like the wheel wells are the most common rust areas, but there are usually other rusty areas even if the floor is generally in good shape. Leaving the seat stumps would make floor removal incomplete at best, and probably more difficult. I suppose the advantage of leaving them it is that you don't have to fill any holes, and of course it saves a lot of work if you don't pull up the floor.
__________________
Gallery:
https://www.skoolie.net/gallery/v/Skooli ... l_dan_bus/
Conversion Thread:
viewtopic.php?t=4959
Diesel Dan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2011, 12:45 PM   #10
Skoolie
 
RevBill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Tarheel State
Posts: 102
Coachwork: - Still Shopping -
Chassis: - Going Medium/Large -
Engine: - DT466 Desired -
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

.. are you planning on taking up the floor to check out the steel under it?? .. if so you are still going to be ripping up those mounts ..

.. many remodel guru's will tell you it's an "absolute must" to strip the flooring down to bare steel so that you can repair any damage and then lay down a new floor after priming .. and it's generally just a very good idea if you plan on full-timing it or keeping your bus for a while ..

.. even if everything looks good from underneath, the windows may have leaked and you could still (potentially) have some issues with the floor ..

.. ymmv .. but so far you are looking great .. that's just about "the perfect" starting platform you have there .. darn-nice bus ..
__________________
Chance favors the prepared mind. - L Pasteur
Luck is the residue of good planning. - B. Rickey
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness ... - M. Twain
RevBill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2011, 03:02 PM   #11
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Thanks for the heads up guys.
After doing some more reading and rethinking, I am pretty sure I will pull the floor up just to make sure there are no surprises.
Nothing else on the bus indicates any rust damage but I never thought about a leaky window. That could really cause some unseen damage.
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2011, 07:06 PM   #12
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 446
Year: 89
Coachwork: thomas
Engine: 7.3 diesel
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

plenty of the storage underneath, I am jealous, I have a shorty
__________________
see my conversion at https://www.skoolie.net/gallery/v/Skoolies/Putters+Bus/
putterspitt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2011, 07:54 PM   #13
Bus Crazy
 
Diesel Dan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,489
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/AT545
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Quote:
Originally Posted by syke
... I never thought about a leaky window. That could really cause some unseen damage.
Not to mention windows accidentally left open during a rain storm, condensation from the windows during cold weather when the heater was on, snowy boots of kids melting on the floor, spilled drinks, and for all we know the fleet maintenance guys might have periodically used a water hose to spray out all the filth left by the kids ...or... you might go to all the trouble of pulling up the floor and find nothing but glorious pure gleaming metal... but I think the chances of that are slim.
__________________
Gallery:
https://www.skoolie.net/gallery/v/Skooli ... l_dan_bus/
Conversion Thread:
viewtopic.php?t=4959
Diesel Dan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2011, 12:55 AM   #14
Bus Crazy
 
opus's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montana
Posts: 1,626
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All-American R/E
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Yeah, pull it. It will sure save you wondering for the rest of your life.
opus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2011, 01:19 PM   #15
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Thanks guys!
Ya I'm gonna pull it. More pictures to come....
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2011, 05:07 PM   #16
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 14
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Great looking bus, with a very powerful engine.

Looks to be a low headroom Blue Bird to me. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
kshamrock12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2011, 05:59 PM   #17
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Quote:
Originally Posted by kshamrock12
Great looking bus, with a very powerful engine.

Looks to be a low headroom Blue Bird to me. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Thanks,
Ya we are pretty stoked right now.
It should turn out pretty well.

I'm not sure what defines a high or low headroom BB but our's is only a bit over 6 foot.
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2011, 10:30 PM   #18
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 14
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

Honestly the easiest way to tell is just to look at the forward bulk head. There's no specific thing to look at, but when you look at enough buses you get a pretty good idea. A lot of people are fooled by the tall side windows. They assume because the side windows are tall that it must be high headroom, and if they're short, it's low head room, but that isn't always the case. 78" is considered high headroom, and I believe 72" is considered low.. if I remember exactly right. I look forward to seeing this bus come along. I'd like to get a bus for myself, but New York State isn't exactly friendly when it comes to vehicle registration, and my parking arrangements just aren't sufficient for a bus and 3 other vehicles.
kshamrock12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-16-2011, 09:23 AM   #19
Bus Nut
 
yankeflyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pueblo Co
Posts: 310
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Safe T Liner
Engine: 3208 turbo
Rated Cap: 84
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

What good memories - the start of a new skoolie project. On the floor you can set the saw depth and just cut the wood to make a couple inspection holes.
Wish I had kept my seats for the raw wood and steel. Ya northern Arizona is nice - I had a fun couple years there in Winslow. Your off to a great start and I wish I had your tires.
yankeflyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2011, 02:43 PM   #20
Bus Nut
 
syke's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: from: Prescott, AZ currently: Denver, CO
Posts: 469
Year: 1992
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Great White Buffalo - 92 BB All American RE

OK time for a bit of an update....

I ended up cutting about 12 holes in the floor just to check for water/rust damage. Everything looked great. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.

Time for the furring strips, 1" foam insulation and 3/4" t&g osb sheeting. At this point the sheeting is not attached to the floor, its just sitting in place until I get the plumbing holes cut in the floor.

As I'm quickly learning.... this whole bus revolves around the toilet. Actually it revolves around the entire plumbing/fresh water/waste water system. We picked up a complete bathroom vanity from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for $25. Never been to such a store... pretty neat place. We will definitely be returning for other much needed items.
Picked up a 32"x32" shower pan along with the plastic like shower wall panels from home depot. (That was before I learned about the Habitat restore)
China bowl residential style RV toilet arrived in the mail yesterday. Now I can mock up the bathroom and start drilling plumbing holes.


Half the floor is blue dow foam, the rest is white non dow foam. Thanks to my parents for the foam supply. (They own a construction company) I should be getting about R4-R5 on the floor, if I'm lucky. Woohoo.

Let the sheeting begin!

More pictures to come.....
__________________
Ryan
Bluebird All American RE: Great White Buffalo (gone but not forgotten)
Our build thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10065
syke is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Great site great info sources frank-id Everything Else | General Skoolie Discussions 1 06-09-2014 10:26 PM
48 White Bus somewhereinusa Classifieds | Buy, Sell, Swap 1 04-14-2013 10:05 AM
Atomic Buffalo Turds.... timbuk Everything Else | General Skoolie Discussions 0 01-23-2011 07:08 PM
White stuff...... lornaschinske Everything Else | General Skoolie Discussions 5 12-20-2010 12:25 PM
Great White Buffalo For Sale Mark&Steph Classifieds | Buy, Sell, Swap 0 11-02-2005 09:11 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:48 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.