Shuttle Bus Conversion Complete- Colorado

[GnshpCSO]

Greetings everybody. I've been a "lurker" here for years, but just joined to post my completed shuttle bus conversion and maybe give back to the community here if anybody has any questions or tips. Here is a bit of what I did:

- Well, the bus is finally complete. It is now a fully converted RV. I have a few minor touches to add and, as any RV owner will agree, there are always changes and upgrades to make along the way.

I purchased the bus from a mobile dog grooming company. They had purchased it from the city where it was a wheelchair bus in its original life. I completely gutted and disassembled the interior, reframed it, and insulated it. Ripped out all the original wiring (probably a few miles worth) and rewired the entire bus. New walls, ceiling, and floors. New kitchen cabinets, butcher block top, sink, microwave, and gas cooktop with exhaust hood. Completely plumbed the sink and shower to new tanks. Built in the bathroom and full shower with an instant hot water heater.

For power, I have all the 12v and 120v lines running to a converter, which also runs to a bank of 3 Marine/Lithium batteries. It is also plumbed for solar if I decide to add panels in the future. Finally, I purchased a 4500w inverter generator with remote and auto start that runs on both gas and propane (user choice). So, in total, it has 4 power sources- shore power (plug into a 30amp outlet at a campsite, etc.) running to the converter, a bank of house batteries, a dual fuel generator, and solar. I also have an inverter in the circuit to convert the battery power from the 3 house batteries to 120v power if necessary.

I built cabinets custom, built the rear bed custom, and purchased a new jackknife couch (converts to a bed) and a new wall hugger leather recliner. Installed speakers and a TV. New carpet and flooring throughout. Fresh paint throughout the interior. Lots more, but these are the major details.

For the exterior, I put in a new transmission and serviced up the engine, new brakes, hubs, rotors, seals, and bearings all around. Serviced the rear diff. Rebuilt the driveshaft with new u joints and carrier bearing and balanced it all. Added new fresh and grey water tanks custom mounted. Removed the rear bumper and welded in frame extensions and a new Mount-n-Lock bumper and full cargo carrier. All new LED's on the rear including replacing all the original wiring with new. Ran propane lines. Installed 6 new 10 ply tires and stainless wheels.

For the body, I took the original paint down. Completed all necessary body and fiberglass repairs. Clean and prep sol'd the crap out of the entire body, then sprayed 2 coats of high build primer, with sanding in between coats, then 3 coats of fresh Classic White paint. After it cured, I clay-bared it down. I plan to wet sand it down in the Spring to correct everything, but it is pretty sharp for now.

It is titled, registered, and insured as a Colorado RV now, and the conversion is complete, so it's now officially, legally, and legitimately an RV. Lots of work, especially considering that 98% of the build was custom, but great therapy for me. I did the entire build myself with no outside help except the transmission and driveshaft rebuild which were done at a local shops.

A couple major questions I had when I was doing my build that others may have as well: In regards to insurance and to help people trying to gauge that cost, I pay $55 per month for liability, and full coverage wold be roughly $150 per month through the insurer I am using. My annual registration in Colorado is $41.50.

I'm open to constructive comments, and look forward to taking the bus out to hit as many natl parks as possible this year.

[BarnYardCamp]

looks very nice. What's the appliance parked under the sink? Portable A/C?

[GnshpCSO]

Thanks for the reply BarnYardCamp. You are correct, it is a portable unit. It is mounted in a frame and vented to the outside (silver vent in the picture of the drivers side of the exterior). I have 110 and 12v outlets throughout running to the PD converter, so the portable plugs into the 110 and can run while on shore power or when I have the generator going.

The rig also has the roof air in the back which I serviced and it is in excellent working condition, but it runs only when the engine is running as it’s compressor is an auxiliary on the engine. So, my options for rear A/C without engine running (shore or gen power) was either another roof mount or the portable. I chose portable because the space is small and easy to cool quickly and the portable will be easy to pull and service or replace if it craps out.

[wheels]

Your build looks pretty darn sweet! I have been contemplating doing something similar and I’m wondering what a good budget would be to build out a shuttle like yours. Did you keep track of costs for this build and would you be open to share? Congrats!

[GnshpCSO]

Originally Posted by wheels

Your build looks pretty darn sweet! I have been contemplating doing something similar and I’m wondering what a good budget would be to build out a shuttle like yours. Did you keep track of costs for this build and would you be open to share? Congrats!

Thanks for the reply. I did keep track of my expenses, but the cost will definitely vary based on many factors.

The most expensive part of the build was the purchase cost of the bus. If you are mechanically inclined, picking up a bus that needs some work will save considerable money. Probably the most important areas to consider with initial purchase is the condition of the engine/transmission, the condition of the frame, and the overall condition of the “livable” portion of the bus. Make sure to inspect for delamination, as it could signal major window or roof leaks.

I did a new transmission and had the driveshaft rebuilt and balanced, but all the rest of the work I did myself, including body and paint which saved me over $15k by itself. If you have time and ability, you can do a quality build at a big savings. The reason I did this build was partly because I was challenged by another disabled vet to do it, and because I wanted something built to my specs and not a “cookie cutter” RV (I already have a class A that fits that bill).

If you use and repurpose materials like lumber, paint, fixtures, furniture, etc., you can save even more. I didn’t do that- everything I used was new. That said, I’m a “deal shopper” and spent a good amount of time finding the best deals on everything I used. I used coupon codes, discounts, etc. Whatever you do, buy and utilize the best you can afford- you will thank me later.

So, in general, each build is different and the costs associated are as well. Whatever you set as a budget, add about 20% to be more realistic as to what it will really cost for the build. All in, I have an excellent condition stealth RV, easy to drive and park, cheap to insure, parts and service available at any Ford place in the US, built to my specs RV for around $15-16k all in. In general, if you were to hire somebody to do what I did, the cost would probably be in the $55-65k range or more. And people are paying that.

[wheels]

Originally Posted by GnshpCSO

Thanks for the reply. I did keep track of my expenses, but the cost will definitely vary based on many factors.

The most expensive part of the build was the purchase cost of the bus. If you are mechanically inclined, picking up a bus that needs some work will save considerable money. Probably the most important areas to consider with initial purchase is the condition of the engine/transmission, the condition of the frame, and the overall condition of the “livable” portion of the bus. Make sure to inspect for delamination, as it could signal major window or roof leaks.

I did a new transmission and had the driveshaft rebuilt and balanced, but all the rest of the work I did myself, including body and paint which saved me over $15k by itself. If you have time and ability, you can do a quality build at a big savings. The reason I did this build was partly because I was challenged by another disabled vet to do it, and because I wanted something built to my specs and not a “cookie cutter” RV (I already have a class A that fits that bill).

If you use and repurpose materials like lumber, paint, fixtures, furniture, etc., you can save even more. I didn’t do that- everything I used was new. That said, I’m a “deal shopper” and spent a good amount of time finding the best deals on everything I used. I used coupon codes, discounts, etc. Whatever you do, buy and utilize the best you can afford- you will thank me later.

So, in general, each build is different and the costs associated are as well. Whatever you set as a budget, add about 20% to be more realistic as to what it will really cost for the build. All in, I have an excellent condition stealth RV, easy to drive and park, cheap to insure, parts and service available at any Ford place in the US, built to my specs RV for around $15-16k all in. In general, if you were to hire somebody to do what I did, the cost would probably be in the $55-65k range or more. And people are paying that.

Thanks for the info. I’m recently retired and think I’m pretty handy so I will likely test that hypothesis in the near future.

[GnshpCSO]

Originally Posted by wheels

Thanks for the info. I’m recently retired and think I’m pretty handy so I will likely test that hypothesis in the near future.

It sounds like we are in similar situations. Building this bus was enjoyable (most of the time) and is something that I would trust to drive anywhere. If you’ve done any work on standard RV’s, you will know that they can leave a lot to be desired in the quality/quality control department. Doing your own build means you can select better components. However, there is a right way to accomplish a bus build and a wrong way- it sounds like you are ready to do a good build the right way. Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.