The Freedom Bus

Freedom_Bus · 02-02-2012, 07:38 PM

I want to say hello to everyone and introduce myself. My name is Michael and I live in Austin, Texas. I'm single, don't own a home & I'm always looking for my next adventure. After visiting a friend of mine who lives in a 32 foot Airstream trailer, I saw how someone could live in a compact space. I immediately started looking at RV's, travel trailers & buses but for some reason I was really attracted to the idea of converting over an old school bus. I was surprised to see that there is a whole web forum dedicated to converted school buses. I plan to live on the bus full time.

Several buses are for sale in this area but I want a flat nose. I located a 1994 Thomas Saf-T-Liner that wasn't for sale but I negotiated a deal to purchase it for $3000. It has 170,000 miles on a 5.9 liter Cummins & an Allison transmission. I'm probably going to pick it up next weekend and then start painting it & removing the seats. Here is a photo of where it sits now and I'll post some more photos when I pick it up.

MikeyBskunk · 02-02-2012, 11:23 PM

Welcome!! looks like a very nice bus, very good shape. this wedsite will provide you with all the bus knowlege you need. haha GOOD LUCK!

thommassey · 02-02-2012, 11:39 PM

Congratulations! You found the right site for information about conversions... It can be addicting!

Nice bus.

chev49 · 02-03-2012, 10:26 AM

Thomas busses are a great platform, and your drivetrain should last a long time without work. Mine has 215k miles on it.

syke · 02-03-2012, 11:08 AM

Nice Thomas!

Welcome to the club and please keep the pictures coming.

browncrown · 02-03-2012, 11:52 AM

Nice ride there

Welcome !

Freedom_Bus · 02-03-2012, 02:21 PM

I called around today to try to get insurance for my bus. I don't know if I went wrong by telling people that it's a "former school bus" or not but almost no one wanted to cover it. I finally talked to someone with GMAC's special vehicle department and they are willing to write me a policy. I need to put some cash in the bank and then call back to pay the downpayment. I guess I won't be relieved until I have the insurance card in my hand.

Freedom_Bus · 02-03-2012, 06:43 PM

I also pick up these Grover air horns.

Freedom_Bus · 02-09-2012, 07:07 PM

Today I went to the Texas DMV website to try to get a Transit Permit so I can drive my bus home. I found out that they are only available for passenger cars & light trucks. So I went to the title company and purchased a Texas 30 Day Permit for $35.

Does anyone know of any places in Travis County that do safety inspections on buses?

MikeyBskunk · 02-10-2012, 11:50 AM

I will say that to get plates on your bus you have to kinda talk up the clerk at the DMV and fanagle them into giving you plates its a little tricky

Mikey

Freedom_Bus · 02-11-2012, 04:10 PM

I picked up the bus at about 11:00am today. It was a fun adventure driving it 60 miles for the first time. It was located in Canyon Lake, TX which has a lot of hills & curves. I think I did pretty good considering that I've never driven a bus or RV before. Everything went great but when I parked it at it's final destination, the front got stuck in the soft ground and sunk down. I tried to get out but the rear wheels wouldn't even spin. It was like it was in neutral but I check & triple checked... it was in gear & the brakes were released. It's supposed to rain tomorrow and I'm hoping it doesn't sink down any further.

Here are a few pics from today.

Freedom_Bus · 02-11-2012, 04:12 PM

Me with the bus

MikeyBskunk · 02-11-2012, 05:27 PM

Very Nice and Congrats!!! My bus got stuck in my yard when i moved it to my new house,

i used a old chainlink fence to get it out, i just rolled it out as close to my back tires as possible then rocked the bus in gear once the tires made contact it pulled out fine. Heres the pics haha

MikeyBskunk · 02-11-2012, 05:27 PM

Good Luck!!!!!!!

Freedom_Bus · 02-11-2012, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlennC

Greetings! Very nice ride and welcome to the looney bin. We've got a '95 Thomas RE and will be headed for the Austin area soon and be around for several months as we complete the conversion. I'll check in with you when we get there.
Cheers!
GlennC

Please do.. I'd love to check out your bus.

chev49 · 02-12-2012, 01:43 AM

ie chain link fence road... I did that last year on the back of my property...got the chain stuck in the dualie...

Freedom_Bus · 02-28-2012, 06:59 PM

I've got some more work done and started a blog about it. http://thefreedombus.blogspot.com/

Here are some recent shots of it.

Freedom_Bus · 02-28-2012, 07:03 PM

ans a few more

Freedom_Bus · 03-03-2012, 07:37 AM

Yesterday I rolled on some more color.

chev49 · 03-03-2012, 09:36 AM

Your 20' pictures of bus roller paint job look great. I bet if you lightly sanded it, you could roll on some clear coat.

Yesterday, I checked a roller paint job in a grocery store, that my neighbor painted for them two years ago. He sandblasted and painted all railings, steps, and exterior metal fixtures, and then rolled them with red synthetic paint. They still look excellent, and look like a spray job. I have painted many pieces of equipment, etc for him on a contract basis, and i think i paint with a roller those parts that will be hard to mask off, from now on.

Are you going to paint the top blue?

Thanks for your pics, rick

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