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Old 01-23-2018, 12:02 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: PNW
Posts: 33
Year: 1987
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: Dt466
Rated Cap: 42
Tool Bus aka Pac-Man

We bought this today!

1987 International Blue Bird
Dt466 engine (rebuilt)
Mt643 transmission (rebuilt)
28ft
225k miles

We purchased this directly from the school district that bought it new, where is had most recently been the service vehicle aka tool bus. So we have a file of it’s complete service records. It has a large rear trunk that bumps into the passenger space, which I haven’t seen before. There is currently a big air compressor mounted in there for tire filling. They couldn’t have been nicer. Even tossed in some expensive bus seats that have car seat style restraints. (We have small children so this is a huge bonus!)

Despite having found a friendly title office to change it to rv, we’re not quite legal yet because back in 1987 someone missed a letter in the VIN on the title. So we need a VIN inspection with the state patrol, who is apparently scheduled out until into Feb. This may have also been the source of confusion with trying to get an insurance quote today as well. 😅
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Old 01-23-2018, 07:55 AM   #2
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 973
Quote:
Originally Posted by evathedefiler View Post
We bought this today!

1987 International Blue Bird
Dt466 engine (rebuilt)
Mt643 transmission (rebuilt)
28ft
225k miles

We purchased this directly from the school district that bought it new, where is had most recently been the service vehicle aka tool bus. So we have a file of it’s complete service records. It has a large rear trunk that bumps into the passenger space, which I haven’t seen before. There is currently a big air compressor mounted in there for tire filling. They couldn’t have been nicer. Even tossed in some expensive bus seats that have car seat style restraints. (We have small children so this is a huge bonus!)

Despite having found a friendly title office to change it to rv, we’re not quite legal yet because back in 1987 someone missed a letter in the VIN on the title. So we need a VIN inspection with the state patrol, who is apparently scheduled out until into Feb. This may have also been the source of confusion with trying to get an insurance quote today as well. [emoji28]
Hopefully the VIN gets fixed this go'round...sounds really cool that you got setting for the kids...welcome to skoolieville...

Sent from my VS500PP using Tapatalk
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Old 01-23-2018, 07:57 AM   #3
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 20,048
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
how sweet an old S-series!!!!!!! my favorite blue bird body and chassis combo
-Christopher
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Old 01-23-2018, 08:15 AM   #4
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,830
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Dude thats a pretty sweet bus!
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Old 01-23-2018, 08:37 AM   #5
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 20,048
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Dude thats a pretty sweet bus!
looks like the schools knew what they had and made one of their best runners a keeper and work truck!!!
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Old 01-23-2018, 10:37 AM   #6
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Welcome...and a most excellent find! Great chassis and outstanding engine & tranny combo.

Yes Virginia...there really are Unicorns!
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Old 01-23-2018, 11:35 AM   #7
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: PNW
Posts: 33
Year: 1987
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: Dt466
Rated Cap: 42
I’ve lurking on the board as a guest for awhile. You have all been so educational! When I saw this come up, we basically dropped every, threw the kids in the car and drove 150 miles to go see it.
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Old 01-23-2018, 04:21 PM   #8
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: West Ohio
Posts: 3,835
Good score, I like the old S-series internationals as well. Something about the way they look.
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Old 07-03-2018, 12:26 AM   #9
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: PNW
Posts: 33
Year: 1987
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: Dt466
Rated Cap: 42
Been working on the bed situation. We have two small children who both end up in our bed most nights.

Finally decided on twin bunk over a pull out king. It designed so that all the mattresses will fit in the bottom bunk leaving the top as a table/counter.

As another option (camping with friends instead of kids it could be left as twin bunks and either leave the third mattress home or put it on the floor.

Anyway it’s pretty rough still. It proved to be much more fiddley than I expected to both get it to pull without binding and to get it all over the wheel arches with minimal clearance. The top bunk is on the todo list for tomorrow.
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Old 07-03-2018, 08:01 AM   #10
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 334
Cool.
Nicely done
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Old 08-01-2018, 10:25 PM   #11
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: PNW
Posts: 33
Year: 1987
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: Dt466
Rated Cap: 42
Gave the bus a thorough scrubbing and painted the roof white. It is now noticeably cooled to the touch than the sides sitting in the full sun on a 90+ day. Had to evict some wasps trying to set up house in the rear vent.

Finally getting around to changing all the filters and found a gem. 😂
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Old 09-11-2018, 04:40 PM   #12
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: PNW
Posts: 33
Year: 1987
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: Dt466
Rated Cap: 42
Took the bus on its first long trip to Nevada for Burning Man. 8% down grade on a two lane cliff side road was not my favorite. I’m sure I excised an over abundance of caution and annoyed people behind me. 😁 Things went smoothly for the most part, except for the Oregon gas station attendant who put $60 of diesel through my sander and onto the ground. Whoops! Bet he had a lot of paperwork to file for that.

To-dos

I think I’d like to rebuild the power steering gear box and see if I can get it to stop leaking. Bonus points if the steering improves but it’s not bad. Unless you are going 50mph on a little back country highway that suddenly decides that pavement doesn’t need to be flat. Whee!

The air-powered passenger door leaks air and functions at its whimsy. Fortunately we have an interior method of securing it or it might have a more exciting drive.

I can’t seem to tighten the oil filters enough to stop them from leaking. We had a hard time getting them off for our pre trip service and now it’s obvious why they were on so tightly. Even thought it didn’t completely stop the leaking before, it is worse now.
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Old 09-11-2018, 06:11 PM   #13
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Tahoe
Posts: 513
Year: 1997
Coachwork: International
Chassis: 3000RE
Engine: T444E w/ MT643
Rated Cap: 84 pass, 40'
Quote:
Originally Posted by evathedefiler View Post
Took the bus on its first long trip to Nevada for Burning Man. 8% down grade on a two lane cliff side road was not my favorite. I’m sure I excised an over abundance of caution and annoyed people behind me. [emoji16] Things went smoothly for the most part, except for the Oregon gas station attendant who put $60 of diesel through my sander and onto the ground. Whoops! Bet he had a lot of paperwork to file for that.

To-dos

I think I’d like to rebuild the power steering gear box and see if I can get it to stop leaking. Bonus points if the steering improves but it’s not bad. Unless you are going 50mph on a little back country highway that suddenly decides that pavement doesn’t need to be flat. Whee!

The air-powered passenger door leaks air and functions at its whimsy. Fortunately we have an interior method of securing it or it might have a more exciting drive.

I can’t seem to tighten the oil filters enough to stop them from leaking. We had a hard time getting them off for our pre trip service and now it’s obvious why they were on so tightly. Even thought it didn’t completely stop the leaking before, it is worse now.
I like the sunshade. How did you attach it to the top and what is that tripod thing on the end?

Also, playa sand is corrosive. You'll want to really clean your bus well now that the burn is over.
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Old 09-11-2018, 07:11 PM   #14
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2martins View Post
what is that tripod thing on the end?
2 ratchet straps tensioning the corner pole.
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Old 09-11-2018, 08:46 PM   #15
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: PNW
Posts: 33
Year: 1987
Coachwork: International
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: Dt466
Rated Cap: 42
The shade is just wrapped down the other side of the bus with a few ratchet straps. It reaches about the middle of the roof. Next year I hope to have more structure so that it isn’t lying directly on the roof.

I’m aware of the corrosive nature of playa dust. Working on getting my motivation stores back up to undertaking the cleaning. ��
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