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Old 10-16-2013, 05:56 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Year: 1993
Coachwork: AA Blue Bird
Engine: Cummins 5.9 Allison 545 A
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"Gonzo"

Brought er back home today. a 1993 tc2000 blue bird. 344k miles, 5.9 cummins, 545 at Allison, 78 passenger 6'4" ceiling hiegth?. bought from Redmond school district of a craigslist ad. so far six seats removed and the lights and school district logos blacked out. plan to live in more so then travel with. step one rip out everything. step two insulate & heat. step three live in as we raise funds to complete. ha. thanks for giving me a place to track our conversion and share what little useful information i have! picture time:





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Old 10-17-2013, 09:51 AM   #2
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Re: "Gonzo"

Nice bus and the scenery is awesome too.
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Old 10-17-2013, 10:01 AM   #3
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Year: 1992
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Re: "Gonzo"

Nice bus, looks like you'll have plenty of length for what you need! 2nd on the scenery, love the looks of those mtns in the background! Have fun tearing out the inside, thats what we are doing right now on our bus.
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Old 10-18-2013, 09:14 AM   #4
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Re: "Gonzo"

Welcome to the Money Pit! --- Great unit, love them Birds. The AA I had years ago was a sweetheart, even with the Detroit "Screamer" that pulled it. Raised the roof 19" and could haul almost as much as any 18 wheel rig. Good luck on the buildout and keep the pix coming.

And I'd forgotten just how much overhang there was behind the rear wheels. The Shorty I'm working on now is barely that long!
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Old 10-18-2013, 12:44 PM   #5
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Re: "Gonzo"

This forum has a "short bus" section. I think now we need a "long bus" section!
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Old 10-18-2013, 03:43 PM   #6
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Re: "Gonzo"

Welcome to the Club! Nice pic of "The Sisters" Right? View my Bluebird if you like. Good luck, Frederick.
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Old 10-18-2013, 06:50 PM   #7
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Re: "Gonzo"

Welcome, great looking bus.

Now just to clarify a few things. You bus is a TC2000, not a All American. The All American had 4 headlights, more chrome, wood dash, ect. Also you have a 5.9 Cummins, not a 6.9.

More info can be found here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bird_All_American

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bird_TC/2000

Nat
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Old 10-19-2013, 11:03 AM   #8
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Re: "Gonzo"

Welcome...on the road seeing the world is always the best picture
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Old 10-19-2013, 12:03 PM   #9
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Re: "Gonzo"

Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster
Welcome, great looking bus.

Now just to clarify a few things. You bus is a TC2000, not a All American. The All American had 4 headlights, more chrome, wood dash, ect. Also you have a 5.9 Cummins, not a 6.9.

More info can be found here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bird_All_American

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bird_TC/2000

Nat

69 sounds better. 59 sounds like someone got short-changed.
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Old 10-21-2013, 12:39 PM   #10
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Coachwork: AA Blue Bird
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Rated Cap: 78
Re: "Gonzo"

ha yes nat the 6.9 is a fat finger mistake i sure did mean 5.9. as for the all american i was just repeating what the school district told me. thanks for the enlightenment. seeing as this bus' longest trip in the next year will be to the other side of my property i'm not worried about the stats. And yup the sisters on the right bachelor on the left you from around here frederick? Seats out now thanks to an impact wrench on top and a dirty hippie underneath.


next step heaters out and floor up. clueless on how to remove the heaters so ill be on here for a few hours brushing up on other people knowledge. any tips appreciated. also heaters up for grabs if anyone wants them.
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Old 10-22-2013, 12:26 PM   #11
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Re: "Gonzo"

Moving right along there! --- You might want to consider hanging on to one those Bird heaters. They work like gangbusters over the road and with a fan and a little ducting can keep a substantial area toasty. Relocated one in the 40' AA I had yeas ago and never regretted it.
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Old 10-22-2013, 07:18 PM   #12
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Re: "Gonzo"

If I was closer, I would gladly take any and all the heaters people want to give away. To buy a heater core that size is over $300. They work great with hot water heating systems in residential as well as in RV's, ect.

To remove them is easy. Close the shut off valve at the top backside of the engine. Remove the heaters and lines back to your transmission cooler/heater. It's the box that is behind your stairs, with the lower rad hose running through it. It also has transmission lines running in and out of it. This is where the heater line returns to. Close that valve too.

Most TC2000's have one large heater on the passenger side to the right of the stairs. This one you need to reconnect after your done as it also serves as the defrost for the windshield. You should also have a small heater under your drivers seat. Up to you if you keep it. The two in the back are the ones you want to remove.

The way I replumbed mine is as follows. From the top rear of the engine to the defrost core, from there back to the box under the stairs.

Nat
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Old 10-22-2013, 07:28 PM   #13
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Re: "Gonzo"

Are you going to have a hot water heater in your bus? If so, one of them big heaters can be used as a furnace. Simply plumb it into a loop with a radiant heating pump and a switch, thermostat or both. On demand heat when you need it.

Nat
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Old 10-25-2013, 05:04 PM   #14
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Re: "Gonzo"

Small update took the heaters out by cutting the lines after the drivers heater under the bus and putting in a "u" joint to shorten the loop. kinda took a short cut there but it was cheap and easy. also have about a quarter of the floor up with no serious rust just what i think to be standard surface rust. also ill be optimistic and say I've got about 1/4 of the rivets on the inside drilled out. since i don't have much visible progress on the bus so i thought i'd post some pictures of my first conversion.

it's not a skoolie but i've spent more time in this van then my house for the last three years.


This is my dodge 2002 ext work van. and as i travel all across the northwest promoting my company's product (organic barrel aged balsamic vinegar's and gourmet olive oil blends) i decided to make a portable hotel room to lower my overhead.

like a few other of the more recent thread starters i'm only 21 and have been running this company since the day after high school ended. i made this with the requirements of having to haul about a ton of vinegar while fully insulated with room for clothes, food, a couch that folds into a bed, a portable toilet, sink for food handling, a cigarette light powered fridge, and a stove for under 250 bucks. this conversion was done on a nickel budget not even a dime ha. it's been about a year and a half a year since I've done any work on it so it's in need of an update especially where my counter top broke and caused the sink to fall through under the red stove. and its got some warping from my initial lack of experience when i started but i call it a work van so it doesn't have to be pretty.



Nat my water heater is a stove for no electricity and an on demand system that is leftover from a third project when plugged in. i will definitely keep the heaters if there is no interest just thought they might help someone more then they will help me.
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Old 10-25-2013, 06:22 PM   #15
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Re: "Gonzo"

I started out with a van too. A ford E350, my dog and I used it for camping. Got tired of not being able to stand up in it.
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Old 11-16-2013, 05:08 PM   #16
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Re: "Gonzo"

picture update.

all but 6-7 roof panels off now. drilled the easy rivets ground the hard ones in half then used a steel chisel and hammered them away. the floor was taken out with a flat bar and a long pry bar. worse part was the rubber over the wheel wells.

worse spot of rust is right in front of the rear emergency exit. otherwise a little where the seat bolts go through and the seams in the plywood floor.

next is a few more roof panels and then finally getting that floor looking purdy. my wire wheel isnt working very well to remove the rust any other recommended means? i plan to treat with oshpo after removing as much as i can. any reason i can't use the roof metal to seal up some windows?

and as for antifreeze it has fleetgaurd es optimax 60/40 in it but i cant find that anywhere near me. what can i use instead?
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Old 11-16-2013, 06:44 PM   #17
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Re: "Gonzo"

Quote:
Originally Posted by GetTheFunky1
my wire wheel isnt working very well to remove the rust any other recommended means? i plan to treat with oshpo after removing as much as i can. any reason i can't use the roof metal to seal up some windows?
They make a wire wheel for your grinder. That is what I plan to use, a lot more power.





I was hoping to use my roof steal to cover my windows, but my roof steal is full of holes. If your isn't more power to you, a lot of people re-use it to cover windows.
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Old 01-15-2014, 11:47 PM   #18
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Re: "Gonzo"

moving along. slowly but moving.


windows out some floor stripped passenger side insulated with 2 inch foam.

as it sits today a few weeks of floor grinding later...


after burning up a grinder with a wire cone i found the flappy disks and a heavier duty grinder worked the best for removing the rust. more 2 inch foam in all sides and the center of the roof are insulated. acid washed the floor today tomorrow pick up my por 15 @ 117 a gallon light sanding and paint! also have shaved the top flashers front and back. started to try and remove spare wires but the main board/harness made me pull out too much hair. the tedious bits are apparently going to have to wait for a more patient day.
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Old 01-16-2014, 08:11 AM   #19
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Re: "Gonzo"

Your rust was likely pitted into the floor is why the wire wheels didn't work as well as the flap wheel. Unlike the wire wheel, the flap wheel is able to chew the high spots down.

Your floor looks great. Looking forward to more pics.

Nat
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Old 01-16-2014, 06:58 PM   #20
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Re: "Gonzo"

after sanding the floor holding an orbital with my foot and getting the wheel wells prepped for paint i vacuumed and clean the floor and put down a layer of paint!


second coat tomorrow then ill mask a floor plan and start sheeting the window holes i don't want then refinishing the ones i will keep. hopefully i can do a whole side in a day to keep the most moisture out.

thanks nat the floor is work i dont enjoy so im just trying to get it over with especially since ill never see the work that im putting into it. once the wood work begins it will be more fulfilling for me.
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