Savannah- AmTran Genesis FE mid-size

Zndrson · 10-04-2016, 06:54 PM

And so it begins!

Today we won an auction on a 19 passenger AmTran Genesis Front Engine Bus. Tomorrow we're driving it home and getting to work. Dt466, MT643, 6'4" interior height (I'm 5'8 my wife is 5'5 so no roof raise needed), basically rust free, under 32' long, and 165k miles for $2,200. I almost bought a similar bus in Arizona (I'm in CO) for $6500 so I'm pleased as punch. Auctions are the best! Might be buying a Chevy colorado to tow at auction... now I've got the bug.

Obviously its not in our driveway yet, but I wanted to start the build thread because..we can't wait to get started! Plan is to convert into tiny house and full time. (I travel often for company I work for, + I'm a landscape photographer so getting into the mountains, desert, and forests for extended periods is ideal).

I feel like a kid at Christmas

Tango · 10-04-2016, 06:57 PM

Welcome...and I'd say you did really well! That is a great size and...one of the most prized engine/tranny combos. Best of luck with the build and please do keep the pix coming.

cadillackid · 10-04-2016, 07:17 PM

what a great bus!!! i just learned about auctions and must be the lucky couple weeks.. because i won a great bus for cjeap too (now I have 2 busses lol).. enjoy the ride and just wait till you get behind the wheel and drive!!! then you get a big ole grin santa would approve of!!
-Christopher

EastCoastCB · 10-04-2016, 09:53 PM

THAT, sir, is ONE SWEET BUS!

I've got its older, bigger brother, albeit with a bit less headroom till the raise!

Zndrson · 10-04-2016, 11:07 PM

Thanks for the kind words everyone. More photos coming tomorrow once its home!

Geo Jeff · 10-04-2016, 11:34 PM

I just bought that same bus with a 86 passenger chassis. There was a blue bird next to it with the shorter roof. That last 6 inches of height is an incredible difference.

CaptainHooligan · 10-05-2016, 01:32 PM

I'm jelly.

sojourner · 10-05-2016, 09:13 PM

SWEET bus!!

Zndrson · 10-05-2016, 09:47 PM

Got her home! She even fits its in the driveway by three whole inches.

Tiff checking out the view from the driver's seat.

Some of the seats were already loose, so those are out now. Just 6 more to go plus 4 separators. Hoping to not have to use an angle grinder- probably won't since its just 6 to go. We'll see.

WanderWoman · 10-05-2016, 09:51 PM

Nice bus! I just got home with mine today. And I got a sweet deal at auction, as well!!! Can't wait to see the work you do on it.
Sandi

Zndrson · 10-05-2016, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geo Jeff

I just bought that same bus with a 86 passenger chassis. There was a blue bird next to it with the shorter roof. That last 6 inches of height is an incredible difference.

No kidding. We looked at longer busses than this one, and I swear this one just feels bigger on the inside because of the interior height.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanderWoman

Nice bus! I just got home with mine today. And I got a sweet deal at auction, as well!!! Can't wait to see the work you do on it.
Sandi

Nice! Will be fun to see progression side by side. Hope to share some ideas!

Lowkee · 10-08-2016, 10:31 AM

Hey man! My girl and I met you two briefly at the auction site. Looks like we both got our buses! I ended up with #17, identical bus to yours. I'll be making a post this weekend. Looking forward to seeing the progress. I'll send you a PM so we can talk-shop.

I'm in Morrison, what about you?

Zndrson · 10-08-2016, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowkee

Hey man! My girl and I met you two briefly at the auction site. Looks like we both got our buses! I ended up with #17, identical bus to yours. I'll be making a post this weekend. Looking forward to seeing the progress. I'll send you a PM so we can talk-shop.

I'm in Morrison, what about you?

Nice! We're up in Longmont. 17 is a sweet bus. Just sent a PM.

Carytowncat · 10-08-2016, 01:49 PM

Gosh i can feel the happiness and excitement radiating through this thread

Congratulations to everyone.

Zndrson · 10-11-2016, 11:18 PM

Seats out! Floor is next. Also paid Co. taxes and got a 60 day temp today.

cowlitzcoach · 10-11-2016, 11:31 PM

That is a great looking bus you have there.

I hope you have air ride suspension in the rear. Those shorter wheelbase FE buses tend to jump from bump to bump because the front is still bouncing when the rear hits the same bump. They run down the road sort of like Pepe' LePew--moving right along with all feet in the air at times. The air ride tends to smooth out a lot of the jumping.

Good luck and happy trails to you!

Zndrson · 10-11-2016, 11:35 PM

Tiff made a 1/16 scale model to plan with.

Zndrson · 10-11-2016, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

That is a great looking bus you have there.

I hope you have air ride suspension in the rear. Those shorter wheelbase FE buses tend to jump from bump to bump because the front is still bouncing when the rear hits the same bump. They run down the road sort of like Pepe' LePew--moving right along with all feet in the air at times. The air ride tends to smooth out a lot of the jumping.

Good luck and happy trails to you!

Unfortunately we do a bit of bouncing. Guess we'll just get used to it!

slidewayzm5 · 10-12-2016, 01:50 AM

Sweet score! What's the plan with the bus?

Zndrson · 10-18-2016, 10:00 PM

Ok-

So we're at the point now where we've ripped out most of the floors and sub floors. Couple of rust holes, but nothing crazy. I've sanded most of the surface rust off and now just need to cut out the bad pieces and find someone to weld in new steel for us.

The big barrier for us right now are the infamous rear heaters and their coolant hoses.

For the life of me I can't seem to find a valve on the engine to close... Would it be awful if I just cut the hoses and then top off the reservoir afterwards?

Also- I'm no electrician. Our switchbox looks like a rat's nest... Would it be so wrong to cut the wires leading to the two heaters in back and the one under the driver's seat and cap them?

Been taking lots of photos. Stills and video coming soon!

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