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Old 08-08-2017, 08:57 PM   #1
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Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 332
Year: 2003
Engine: DT530
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A Bus Named Eternity

After looking at countless buses we finally purchased one.

It is a 2003 IC RE

Here are the features that made this the perfect bus for us. It was oraginally ordered to be used as a sports bus. Because of this there were tons of options on the bus.

-69 passenger (84 passenger chassis)
-Tall ceiling (now I don't have to raise the roof)
-Carrier AC
-Webasto heater
-Cruise control that works
-100 gallon fuel tank
-Basement storage that goes all the way across
-DT530 (pre emissions) with only 76k miles!!
-Allison MD 3060 transmission with highway gears

All this for the low low price of $8500

FYI they have one more if anyone is looking.

More details to come on the plans.



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Old 08-08-2017, 10:53 PM   #2
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Dowdy Lakes, Colorado
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Year: 1989
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Engine: 3208 CAT/MT643 tranny
Rated Cap: 87
Nicely done!!!! You are way ahead of most of us with that bus. I still have to re-gear my drive axle, install engine powered A/C, install my Webasto, but I don't have to worry about a roof raise though.......... Excellent score!

BTW, my '89 has 100K more miles than yours, another score for you as well..... Congrats!

M
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Old 08-09-2017, 09:37 AM   #3
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We are 1 hour into the project and the seats are out.

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Old 08-09-2017, 10:25 AM   #4
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We are 1 hour into the project and the seats are out.
I expect that conversion to be completed by noon.


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Old 08-09-2017, 11:46 AM   #5
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3 hours of work so far and tons of progress.

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Old 08-09-2017, 12:12 PM   #6
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Conversion goes more efficiently when you have help. Doing it by yourself is tougher and takes longer.... HOW do I know.......
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Old 08-09-2017, 10:36 PM   #7
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As promised here are the history, plans and details.

We are a family of 8 with kids ranging from 2-14. We love going on vacation but as you can imagine with a large family it can get very expensive. As the family has grown we have tried everything from tents to class A motorhomes. Each one has had its own challenges. I grew up with RV's and have always been drawn to them. There were 2 main things that led me to do a skoolie. First is that we want each kid to have their own bed and that is not an option in commercially available units. The second and main reason is that any motorhome that we could afford is a death trap an accident.

The plan:

Starting in the rear of the bus will be a queen bed master bedroom.
Forward of that will be six bunks with three on each side.
Next will be a closet and washer/dryer on one side of the hall and the bath on the other.
The kitchen will be forward of that and a living room in the front.

We really wanted an original design but we realized that there is a reason they are all the same.

I have a million ideas running through my mind that I want to do so now I just have to figure out how to get it all to work.

Be prepared for an endless stream of questions!

When finished our goal is to tour the national parks and sights.

I will be posting regular updates on the progress.
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Old 08-09-2017, 11:19 PM   #8
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As promised here are the history, plans and details.

We are a family of 8 with kids ranging from 2-14. We love going on vacation but as you can imagine with a large family it can get very expensive. As the family has grown we have tried everything from tents to class A motorhomes. Each one has had its own challenges. I grew up with RV's and have always been drawn to them. There were 2 main things that led me to do a skoolie. First is that we want each kid to have their own bed and that is not an option in commercially available units. The second and main reason is that any motorhome that we could afford is a death trap an accident.

The plan:

Starting in the rear of the bus will be a queen bed master bedroom.
Forward of that will be six bunks with three on each side.
Next will be a closet and washer/dryer on one side of the hall and the bath on the other.
The kitchen will be forward of that and a living room in the front.

We really wanted an original design but we realized that there is a reason they are all the same.

I have a million ideas running through my mind that I want to do so now I just have to figure out how to get it all to work.

Be prepared for an endless stream of questions!

When finished our goal is to tour the national parks and sights.

I will be posting regular updates on the progress.
Awesome, we are a family of 5. We are on our trip home with our 2000 International FE with the dt466. I have a close plan, but bunks to rear, then master. Going to have the bottom bunk fold up, and put the mattresses on the bunks above to provide a play area for the kids besides the front of bus.

In front of master will be kitchen, then dining room utilizing Chevy suburban 3rd row seats for comfort, safety, and built in seat buckles. Will be utilizing box trailer for a separate laundry room, with storage, freezers, etc. That will be for our home base.

Let's keep track of each other as we go along, so we can share any info as our builds come together. For us, it's all about the kids and loving space. If we live full time in it, it has to work ergonomically.

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Old 08-11-2017, 08:30 PM   #9
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It has been a productive week thus far. The interior is mostly gutted and we have learned a few things.

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I was dreading the process of removing all the rivets in the walls and ceiling but my bus came with screws!

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With lots of help things go so much faster.

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Today we removed all lights and markings designating it as a school bus... now we have to do something about that paint.

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Even free labor gets a break.

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For a year+ we have been working and planning on how we wanted to do our Skoolie. Now that we have the bus and can actually measure everything out we had to redesign our floor plan. My son is working on a Google SketchUp file that I will share when he is done.
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Old 08-11-2017, 09:43 PM   #10
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Why did it rotate my pictures?

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Old 08-12-2017, 06:34 PM   #11
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Worked on cleaning out the heaters today. Not sure if those kids had any heat.

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Old 08-12-2017, 06:37 PM   #12
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Location: Houston, Texas
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Year: 1946
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They could just peel off that layer of woolly fuzz and use it as a blanket.
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Old 08-12-2017, 10:08 PM   #13
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LOL that looks like the heaters from my Ohio bus..

My houston Bus my heater coils were perfectly clean.. but my A/C coils were like your heaters heheh
-Christopher
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Old 08-12-2017, 11:38 PM   #14
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Worked on cleaning out the heaters today. Not sure if those kids had any heat.

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Wowsa. That is a LOT of fuzz, but I would have chosen a different tool for the job.
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Old 08-13-2017, 09:02 AM   #15
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The second and main reason is that any motorhome that we could afford is a death trap an accident.
YES! THIS!!! I cannot get thru to some factions in our circle of family of family & friends how much more important safety is than convention!

And it;s such a great thing for a young family to do together. The experiences of accomplishing a satisfying task together, and learning new skills will carry thru life forever.
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Old 08-13-2017, 09:23 AM   #16
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YES! THIS!!! I cannot get thru to some factions in our circle of family of family & friends how much more important safety is than convention!

And it;s such a great thing for a young family to do together. The experiences of accomplishing a satisfying task together, and learning new skills will carry thru life forever.
This was our biggest motivating factor. Growing up my father would repair wrecked cars and rv's to help support our large family. Because of this I know rv construction inside and out. People would be shocked if they knew how unsafe they are. Busses are designed to roll over and remain intact unlike a motorhome.

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Old 08-13-2017, 09:34 AM   #17
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That's just terrifying.
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Old 08-13-2017, 09:41 AM   #18
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to me, it seems like a LOT of the motorhomes on the road are unstable.. granted if you arent familiar with a school bus, Bump steer can be an issue ifyou hit big bumps just right.. but many of these motorhomes are a LOT wider than the wheel base and just arent stable to drive.. esp at the speeds people drive them.. 75-80+

MOST of the school busses we are driving arent running above 65-70 and the heavy suspensions make them much more stable...

thinking about integrity during a crash is important.. but keeping rubber-side down is ultimately the most important thing.

-Christopher
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Old 08-13-2017, 10:43 AM   #19
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Absolutely agree. Stix & staples do not a reasonably safe ride make. The only big dollar motorhomes I would even consider are all...bus conversions. You can spend close to a half mill and still be in a death trap piece of crap.
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Old 08-13-2017, 11:52 AM   #20
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You can spend close to a half mill and still be in a death trap piece of crap.

Yeah, but the mahogany trim, Corinthian leather and granite backsplash sure are purdy.
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