1977 GMC 6000 w/ a 350 - Where do I start?

Steve · 09-26-2006, 03:31 PM

Honestly I spend so much time fighting the russian spammers on this site that I don't have time to read every topic.

Your bus is going to need a paint job but i've seen many driving around that look just like yours.

My bus has hydraulic brakes with vaccum assist don't worry about not having air brakes the brakes on buses work very well.

The high RPM at 60 mph is normal. Since you need new tires you could do what I did and put on larger tires that will increase your ground speed/rpm. My bus orginally could only do about 65 mph and now about 75 mph.

westport_wayne · 09-26-2006, 03:35 PM

hey jmaes, waving a hand to you from over here in oregon and congrats on (the new to you) skoolie. what is your bus a gmc? as far as front tires go you probably dont want to be running aroud with crappy tires on the front. (steer tires) as there called. in some states its illegal to use retreads on your steer tires. maybe go to the local shwaubs or truck stop and check for some used ones ???? what is the size 20 inch ??. i dont think people are sick of newbies, its just slow lately.

i enjoy reading every post. this is the best skoolie site ive come across - bar-none. there is every kind of skoolie and skoolie info you can think of. i like you, got tired of tent camping and now i got 4 buses in various stages of work. 2 are parts buses and 2 are runners. oh buy the way,i was a bike rider till a couple years ago. had a 72 shovel- pacho rigid frame- duall disk wide glide extended front end-3 gallon sportster tank- 98 cubes.OH YAH, MISS THAT BIKE. good luck on the bus. westport_wayne

lapeer20m · 09-26-2006, 04:27 PM

i have a back porch on my bus to allow me to take my bike with me when i go on an adventure.

my original idea was to make a ramp that would fold down with a push of a remote so i could pull up to the bus and ride inside. That idea was scrapped when i decided to put a jacuzzi inside instead.

Steve · 09-26-2006, 05:11 PM

You will find that although the total length is much longer than anything you have ever driven the trailer will track much better than it did in any other vehicle and you will probably also be able to see around the trailer much better too (unless you had unstalled huge mirrors on your truck).

There is a maximum length for a combined vehicle however there are special laws dealing with a motor home (or converted bus). You may want to check your state laws to see what they are.

eggman · 09-26-2006, 05:33 PM

Hey jmaes, or should I say " Hey Neighbor". I am just across the river in Troy, IL. Welcome to the insanity. That bus will open up a whole new thought process. I know mine has.

I just used mine to tow a scout on a 17 foot trailer out to Springfield, OH a couple of weeks ago. The bus pulled it like it wasn't even there. Backing it up was an adventure though. Took several tries with the trailer on it before I got it right.

Looking forward to seeing more pics of it.

captainkf · 09-26-2006, 09:26 PM

Congrats on the "new" bus. I'm sorry I have no info on the brakes as I took mine to a commercial mechanic and had it brought back up to children carrying standards. It was pricey but the sound of mind was worth it. It sounds like a good deal, if it doesn't need a bunch of mechanical work. Good luck with it, soon the obsession will take over for a while. Get working on it before you get busy with other things! The world is full of ads for 80% complete conversions for sale due to lack of time and money. Don't fall victim. - Richard

sportyrick · 09-27-2006, 10:52 AM

Why do you need to pull a trailer when you can put 4 bikes in the rear of your bus? All you need is a ramp to drive them up into the rear and some tie downs. I like that because they are high and dry, I can keep an eye on them and they aren't out of site like a trailer. You will be glad your engine is turning those kinds of R's, it puts it up in the power band to help pull that trailer. Like the others here, let your imagination go wild, fear and ignorance are the only things holding you back and through education you can overcome both of those. I understand about the drunks and such, we did a pretty good job of changing our bus over and really don't want it torn up but we have hauled drunks already and it worked out OK. I hope to go to hog rock one of these years but love to go to big Sturgis every year. Hope to see you there sometime. Be sure and check your carrier bearings and u joints, they are overlooked most of the time and a bad reason to stay in some town you never planned on staying in before. sportyrick