Ol' Inspired - TatumSkoolie

[BillETX]

Hey everyone, I've been sitting in the background using the search and just stalking all of you for a while now. The discussion of a bus has been going on for a long time between me and my younger brother for 15 years.

We had no idea it was so popular!

After a weekend wedding trip with no hotel nearby we decided to pull the trigger (after a long search of motor homes that would not fit our needs)
We're both Diesel fans/"decent" mechanics and absolutely wanted nothing to do with a gasser.

So we stumble on this ad in Houston Craigslist that seems a little high for a used bus, but when you’re pricing buses everyone has an opinion about what it’s worth. Just remember, it’s worth whatever you find valuable.




Enter the 1996 International Amtran Genesis (As seen on the craigslist ad). Powered by the famous "mechanical" DT466 I6 diesel engine with only 77,000 miles, this "15 window" 40 footer built as a 90 passenger was a little steep at $5,000 and tires that looked like they were just put on in order to squeeze it off the lot. Here’s where the “worth” comes to play individually. This thing already had all but 4 seats removed, the motor was shiny, the electrical panels were shiny, oil was clear, and TONS of belly storage. the only thing I couldn’t tell was the type of transmission it had, either the MT545 or MT643. as soon as I drove it I knew it wasn’t the right transmission, but everything else was PERFECT.
we were able to get a temporary insurance policy and a temp tag to get it the 4 hours home

But first, a blurry selfie was in order:

We've owned the bus since the beginning of October 2015 and only had a few spare weekends to work on it, but with about 30 days of two men and a few friends, it's about 90% complete

before conversion:

A floor plan that fits our family was made up rather quickly:
Here it is as it is now on a recent trip to Kansas:

Here's a video walk through mid conversion:
https://www.facebook.com/TatumSkoolie/videos/1693987264218968/

I'll start making chronological posts but here's a list of things we've done:
1. Full 50 amp service, including a 3000 watt Aims inverter/Charger set up with 6 6volt Golf cart Lead Acid batteries.
2. two 100 watt solar panels and charge controller.
3. Ducted AC in the rear of the bus (sleeping areas)
4. 40 gallon Fresh water and 36 gallon waste tanks with dump
5. Two tv's wired together or separate with 12 speakers (4 on the back using the old safety light holes).
6. The old coolant heaters were left in the bus and built into the build and ducted to provide heat under way.
7. We swapped the Allison AT545 to a MT643 - yes we did.

https://tatumskoolie.wordpress.com/2...-allison-mt643
8. Advanced the timing on the motor from 12 to 17 degrees and adjusted the fuel pump for more fueling on boost which, ACCORDING TO PEOPLE THAT KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, gives the motor between 240-250 Hp
9. Painted the bus with a satin Hot rod black at a body shop, painted the roof with elstomeric white.
10. tinted all remaining rear windows with 2.5% tint
11. Lighting is in three modes, (OFF)-PASSENGER SELECTABLE-(ALL ON) all controlled by the driver - it's a cool mod you should try.
12. Custom full size shower in the shape of home plate right in the middle of the bus for maximum height.

I'm tired, you'll see more. I love electrical stuff and have done some unique things with water pump switching and lighting.

http://www.facebook.com/TatumSkoolie

http://Skoolie.from-TX.com

[Robin97396]

Nice job on the tranny. That is one long beast. This sounds like it was a very fast conversion. Nice job. Well thought out.

[EastCoastCB]

Looks almost just like my bus. Same model, but I got the good tranny from the get-go.
Nice score, keep loading up the thread with pics!

Did you get air ride?

These are GREAT buses, man!

[BillETX]

No air ride, but we were looking at the pricing for that just today! we're about to change the gears from 4.44 to 3.91, after the Engine/pump mods this thing makes GREAT power, time to save on fuel.

[BillETX]

Early days and prep

At first it was hard to get started, everyone wanted to just ride around town in it.
We even drove all over town picking people up one night and hauled them to the old Palestine Jail which is used as a haunted house every year

But eventually we got started one night after some beer on tearing things out and rolling on the flooring.
There's no rust anywhere on this thing except for the small surface rust beneath the wood subfloor

While watching paint dry we started on windows as well


Then in with the insulation and subfloor

[Robin97396]

Yeah, everybody likes to ride around. Wait until they discover garage sales in a bus.

[Robin97396]

Do you know it's likely illegal to have that stop sign on the side of the bus?

Nice job. Most of us work alone and the progress is much slower.

[BillETX]

The sign is staying until we design something cool to cover it up, but so far, We've done parades, been pulled over in Kansas and driven a while with it.. no one has uttered a word.

[EastCoastCB]

Mine was rust free too. Till I pulled the panels. The factory hatches were leaking since they were born.

[BillETX]

We did have a leak in the front end cap, and during hard rains the built in roof vents drip some, it's all been fixed as of now, couldn't find any rust related to it.

[BillETX]

Then started the Subfloor


Then preparing for framing and walls, we used the half inch primed and ready for paint plywood for most things, Liquid Nails on almost every single contact point


We made a nice pattern with cardboard for the roof cuts:



By the end of the second day we were here:

[BillETX]

On the fridge and pantry we decided to build slide-out pantry drawers, after measuring the fridge we would eventually buy we got with it.


This completed the 3rd working day of the conversion, we then decided to go ahead and get the carpet installed and build on top of the rest.



The problem we have is we don't a lot of pictures while working and stay focused on getting things done, so there's gonna be a lot of gaps. But by the end of the 4th complete day here is where we stood.

[Robin97396]

Nice work. You guys are hauling butt in this build.

[BillETX]

Then we started wiring away. as of now the bus has 54 outlets in it.
I know, I know...

But first, This bad boy right here.

3000 Watt Pure Sine wave Inverter/Charger by AIMS.
Tied to to six 6 Volt Batteries wired for 12 volts, I know this looks like a hot mess, but it's a preliminary install photo, LOL. we also ordered 4/0 welding lead wire straight from amazon and made all of our connections.


The first junction box you see in the photo above is to split incoming power to the inverter and also acts like a main breaker for the 50 amp service. here's a diagram for all the A/C wiring. If you are interested in seeing more and a more comprehensive write-up about it, please just visit the BLOG. (maybe I could just copy and paste it???)

https://tatumskoolie.wordpress.com/2.../03/ac-wiring/



The beauty of this set up is the ability to transfer power to the inverter seamlessly and if for some reason I can only hook up to a regular 15 amp extension cord then I can also pass that power through the inverter to the panel above, then, if for some reason the power fails or I trip the breaker on that small cord the inverter takes over automatically and uninterrupted. (like a computer backup power supply) once we reach our destination I can hook up to 50 amp and wait for the inverter to kick over to AC power then flip the transfer switch and give the Bus the 50 amp service directly while the inverter maintains the battery bank.

[sdwarf36]

Anyone trip over the wheel arch yet?

[Carytowncat]

You all look happy enough
I like seeing different approaches, it helps me figure out what style fits me best.

[Timelord]

Excellent job and lots of pictures! What's not to like?

[BillETX]

Thanks guys, I'm hoping there's a Texas Oklahoma meet up one day.
As far as the wheel arch goes, we were hesitant about the floor plan at first, but now it's awesome to have the separate living room at the back and I often find myself or a kid actually resting their head on that wheel hump staring at their phone or tablet.
Just sprawled out in the hallway...

[crazycal]

The bus looks nice. I'm glad the transmission swap was painless. Not one Allison shop could or would give me a straight answer about exactly what I needed to do mine. Some said crank adapter,linkage, shifter, etc. Did you buy new a flex plate.\

Thanks for the PM.

[BillETX]

Originally Posted by crazycal

The bus looks nice. I'm glad the transmission swap was painless. Not one Allison shop could or would give me a straight answer about exactly what I needed to do mine. Some said crank adapter,linkage, shifter, etc. Did you buy new a flex plate.\

Thanks for the PM.

I hear you, I called several shops and a local transmission shop that I just felt could do anything. Sadly, mechanics these days are just "parts swappers" and lack real problem solving and creativity. Wait. ✋ I take that back. I guess I was just frustrated.

I ordered the flex plate from international in fort worth, had to also get new crank bolts because I didn't need the two inch spacer on the crank anymore, they were metric 12x1.25 50mm long (fine thread). And the adapters for the cooing lines. Everything else matched perfectly.