Fly high, FREE BIRD!

[MI-to-WY Bound]

So, this all started as a joke.

Backstory...

My brother Ian, cousin Matt, buddy Steve, and a few others make a trek every other year to deer hunt west of Cody, WY. Being a bunch of MI boys, it's a little bit a drive, and we couldn't stomach the thought of stuffing 5-6 guys in an F-250 again for a 27 hour one-way-trip out, and the subsequent journey home. We started discussing alternative options. Renting an RV was going to be our solution until we discovered that we would be looking at $2500 - $3000 for rental, fuel, insurance, and mileage charges.

Coincidentally, I received a random text in late October from a friend of ours stating that he was selling his Motorhome, a 1984 Ford that was in surprisingly good shape for only $1400! We discussed the possibility of using the Motorhome for about a week before coming to the conclusion that we would have to put in a lot of $ (including tires) to have a chance of making a 3600 mile round trip with a 31 year old RV that hasn't been used in forever. Probability of having a breakdown was high, so we abandoned that plan.



The more we looked into the RV idea, the more we realized that we really didn't want to buy something that had a bunch of crap in it that we didn't want taking up space. Namely, the bathroom & kitchen area would be a waste, and lack of practical sleeping/lounging area were the areas was problematic. So, getting back to the first line, in the beginning of November my cousin Matt sent us a text with the listing of an old school bus on ebay for around $3k. This was totally a joke when he sent it, but it definitely struck a chord with each of us, because as we spoke to each other over the next few days the idea went from joke to possibility.

Fast forward about a month and we were in the midst of the bus hunt. Spending all of our time here on Skoolie, as well as Ebay, Craigslist, public auctions, schools, you name it, we called and searched for information and leads to get us our perfect bus! We got pickier and pickier as we searched, and were at a loss for finding units that met all of our search criteria. Long story short, we ended up finding and buying a bus that was EXACTLY what we wanted. Problem was, the bus was in Tampa. As it happened, Ian, Matt, and Steve flew down, completed the transaction, climbed aboard and headed North!

I have A LOT of pics that I will be posting later this evening, but gotta run to dinner right now. I'm looking forward to getting some feedback on what everyone thinks of our ideas, and suggestions!

-Brandan 12/27/2015

[CaptSquid]

Welcome to your NEW addiction.

[2kool4skool]

Welcome /////////

[MI-to-WY Bound]

[wunderhut]

Welcome aboard!

[MI-to-WY Bound]

[MI-to-WY Bound]

Just some random photos...

[MI-to-WY Bound]

Here we are taking out the seats last week. From everything that I have read on here this was supposed to be the worst part of the conversion. It only took us about 3 hours with 3 guys to get them out. I would guess that about 60% of the bolt heads snapped off (which was the preferred outcome for us!), we had about a dozen that we had to cut off with a grind wheel. The rest came out relatively problem free. I should mention that we used air tools.

[MI-to-WY Bound]

Here is the heating system that we decided on. It is a ventless propane heater. It is rated to heat up to 1000 sq. ft. areas, so hopefully it will do us well on the bus. We are running it off of 4 - 20 # tanks that run into a manifold that Ian and Matt built. We will be testing it later this week when the other 3 tank lines and the new (hopefully un-cracked) regulator gets in. I will try to get a better pic of the manifold when they take it out before it is permanently mounted. As you can see, we are mounting the tanks and all of the fittings in the under storage.

[proconsul100]

I love the pics, keep them coming

[Scott Marcano]

way cool, great ideas for my build.

[superdave]

gas is very wet, ventless heaters will pour water down your walls, mold will grow everywhere.

[cowlitzcoach]

Nice looking bus.

It has a lot of options I like and some that I don't. But then, there is no one perfect bus out there.

Do you know if the engine is the ISC or the ISB?

Do you now if the transmission is the older style AT/MT/HT series or the newer WT 1000/2000/3000 series? There were some buses built with electronic engines and mechanical transmissions and some buses built with mechanical engines and electronic transmissions. I have seen both.

Be very careful with those windshields. While they offer really good panoramic vision, if you break one they are not cheap or easy to find.

The spoke wheels limits options for wheel and tire upgrades. But changing tires or doing wheel end work can be done using hand tools. Budd wheels need pneumatic tools to get them off. If you do take a wheel off, make sure you line the wheel back up when you put them back on. If you don't they will wobble and the bus will not drive straight.

Good luck and happy trails.

[MI-to-WY Bound]

Originally Posted by superdave

gas is very wet, ventless heaters will pour water down your walls, mold will grow everywhere.

Yes, this has been a concern of mine, and something that we will be testing before I start putting up the interior cedar. We are going to hook it up this week and run the heater for a couple days to determine whether or not it will work. We will only be using the heater for 8 - 10 days every other year, but if it rains in there, we will have to look into another option.

[MI-to-WY Bound]

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

Nice looking bus.

It has a lot of options I like and some that I don't. But then, there is no one perfect bus out there.

Do you know if the engine is the ISC or the ISB?

Do you now if the transmission is the older style AT/MT/HT series or the newer WT 1000/2000/3000 series? There were some buses built with electronic engines and mechanical transmissions and some buses built with mechanical engines and electronic transmissions. I have seen both.

Be very careful with those windshields. While they offer really good panoramic vision, if you break one they are not cheap or easy to find.

The spoke wheels limits options for wheel and tire upgrades. But changing tires or doing wheel end work can be done using hand tools. Budd wheels need pneumatic tools to get them off. If you do take a wheel off, make sure you line the wheel back up when you put them back on. If you don't they will wobble and the bus will not drive straight.

Good luck and happy trails.

When I mentioned the phrase "Perfect" it is meant in a liberal sense. This bus is the make, model, engine/trans combo, minimal rust, good rubber, under storage both sides, 90 passenger, front engine with tinted windows that we were looking for. Engine is the ISB, trans is the MD3060. I'll let insurance worry about the cost of the windshield if needed. As for the wheels, one of the guys in our bus group is a heavy equipment/diesel mechanic. I'm sure he's qualified to handle such issues. Thanks for checking it out!

[opus]

Originally Posted by MI-to-WY Bound

I'll let insurance worry about the cost of the windshield if needed.

My understanding and experience is that you will only be able to insure the bus for comprehensive insurance. That means, no coverage but basic.

Someone will chime in if I am wrong, I'm sure.

[JA Savage]

We live in Colorado, we do not fulltime in the bus, on the occasions we take the bus out in cold weather we use propane for heat and have never had a moisture problem. The air out here is very dry and the moisture added to the air while heating with propane is actually helpful. It all depends on how you use the bus and how humid it is where you use the bus. Hope this helps.

[Stu & Filo. T]

Originally Posted by opus

My understanding and experience is that you will only be able to insure the bus for comprehensive insurance. That means, no coverage but basic.

Someone will chime in if I am wrong, I'm sure.

I believe you mean Liability.

[opus]

Originally Posted by Stu & Filo. T

I believe you mean Liability.

Read what I think, not what I type. Yep, thats it.

[Tango]

Looks like a mighty sweet find! A Cummins AND lots of underbelly boxes...cool!