93 Blue Bird All American build - What first?

[Edward Arne]

Hello! I've been lurking the past week as I've been gutting this thing out and have a ton of inspiration for our bus. I really want to build it safe, sound, and warm. It's going to the mechanic at the end of the month for a complete run down and check up. SOO

I was wondering if there's anything suggested to do before the build starts - for electrical or plumbing, anything? One thing I would like to do is have the radiator hoses run under the bus instead of Inside along the wall. Any objections to that?

Any feed back would be Very appreciated!

[Rusty]

Feed us- we need Pictures !!!

I have a Blue Bird, too. You have the 8.3L, noice ! Feed it proper ELC coolant (or additive)- so no cavitation. Do mechanicals first- make it reliable, then make pretty/livable.

Vrooom.

[cowlitzcoach]

About the only reasons why the coolant lines running to the heaters and defrosters were routed inside the bus is to protect them from road damage and extreme temperatures. If they are not insulated if it gets cold enough outside you will never get any heat through them to the heaters.

So running them under the floor of the bus can be done. But I would make sure you insulate them are route them through heated compartments.

[SDR76]

My advice: make sure everything is road worthy first, (no need to waste time polishing a turd). Then: Plan it all out, know where wiring and plumbing and such is going to be first. Fishing wires behind a wall or floor you've already built sucks....

[Edward Arne]

Thanks for the replys, guys! As rusty requested I'll get some photos today. And I'll definitely heed the advice on making the bus road worthy first. The local diesel mechanic use to be the school districts bus mechanic! So I'm eager to see what he has to say. Thanks for the info in the hoses CowlitzCoach and for some order of the process SDR76. Appreciated.

[Edward Arne]

This is all I've got for photos but

Here's the bus itself and a photo of some shenanigans... Gonna prime all the steel with rustoleum anyway, figured I might as well have some fun with some spray rustoleum!

[cowlitzcoach]

That is a nice looking bus.

It looks like one of the buses that was in one of the recent Stokes Auction in Port Orchard.

Good luck and happy trails to you!