Beginners - where to start?

[Autumnride]

Hi everyone! I'm just in the beginning stages, researching what type of bus to buy and how to convert it.

You all have such great info here, but I'm still feeling a little in over my head. I'm not particularly experienced in any sort of conversion, carpentry, etc. but am eager to learn. Any resources that will walk you through the basics? Where did you all begin?

Thanks!!

[PNW_Steve]

Welcome Autumnride,

You will find that many of the folks here with very nice conversions started out a bit lite in the skills department and have learned as they went. There are a great bunch of folks here on this site that have the skills and are very willing to share by example (build threads) and by answering your questions directly.

My best suggestion for new folks here is: READ, READ and then read some more.

Your first step is to decide what kind/size of bus that you want. That will depend on how you are going to use it. There are numerous "how to get started" and "what bus is better" threads. Browse those and many of you questions will be answered and you will develop some specific questions that we can (hopefully) answer for you.

Good luck & have fun!!

[brokedown]

I started with no skills and still have no skills! School bus platforms are pretty forgiving to noobs.

[Rusty]

I suggest getting attached to the first bus you see, bidding way too much for it despite being 1200 miles away and it not having run for 5 years and 6 bad tires.

Then read-up and start regretting your purchase. We call this " trial by fire".

[Turtlemaxx]

Originally Posted by Rusty

I suggest getting attached to the first bus you see, bidding way too much for it despite being 1200 miles away and it not having run for 5 years and 6 bad tires.

Then read-up and start regretting your purchase. We call this " trial by fire".

Where is this thread? I must read it!

-Turtle

[cowlitzcoach]

I would agree with what PNW_Steve said about reading, reading, and reading some more.

In order for you to make any sort of informed decision you need to know what it is that you want to do with your bus, where you want to take your bus, what sort of amenities do you have to have/want to have/be nice to have, and what sort of budget do you have to spend.

There is no one perfect bus for every application. Every type of bus is built to provide service for specific demographics and geographics. There is one school district in CA and one in CO that I know of that regularly spe'c's a driven front axle on some of their buses. All full size buses in CO require some sort of auxiliary braking system. WA spe'c buses have the longest list of state required spe'c's of any state or province which can make them more desirable. FL spe'c buses tend to be very low spe'c and generally rode hard and put up wet. WA, CA, and CO have probably the most stringent requirements for maintenance so buses from those states tend to have better buses when they reach the used market.

So before you start asking questions you need to do some reading to find out what sort of questions you need to ask. And once you start asking some questions there are a lot of people on this forum that can answer them for you.

Good luck and happy trails to you.

[chev49]

also always look up on the internet the questions u might have as many of them can be easily answered from such places as mfg sites. many people that are new do not do this but they should do that first b4 asking on this forum

[robkat]

I too am also looking to do this. I have a good basic handyman skillset, but not mechanical or engine savvy. I can find buses for a few thousand, but I think I am more worried about the bus mechanics, what to remove, not to remove, running the plumbing and wires stuff.

The actual wood framing, building, decorating is the easy part. I am trying to decide between a school bus or motor coach bus now, but school's are so much cheaper and cooler too. Fingers crossed, I'll have a full size yellow bird soon!

[chev49]

i would look at intercity transit with det series sixty engine. i have done one transit and it was a good runner.. aluminum ... for most living u dont need tandem axles in rear, just roomy and able to go seventy...

[Gypsy Clipper]

According to my experience there is no such thing as a stupid question here. Every question I have asked has been answered within an hour. These people are an amazing resource.I haven't picked up my skoolie yet but in just a matter of days I was able to get answers that made it possible to find the perfect bus for where I am in my journey. In the words of Aaron Eckhart.You can go left or you can go right. Just make a decision and another great one is Move to live. Join me in my path to tons of regrets. It should be fun.

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