 |
|
05-11-2018, 01:28 PM
|
#1
|
Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 12
|
Too much rust?
A school bus has come available that is cheap - $1000 - but I'm worried it has too much rust. The bus is only 14 years old but the school district stopped using it because of the rust. They say the rust hasn't gone entirely through the outer panels, just the surface, but it makes me worried that there could be rust elsewhere.
Has anyone ever bought a bus with rust like this (or know anyone who has) and what was your experience?
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:32 PM
|
#2
|
Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,830
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
|
Having messed with some rust on buses, IMO- that's way too rusty to start with.
Even if you know bodywork etc its still not worth the extra time and effort to try and save that one.
Just my opinion.
That's not surface rust, that's rust.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:37 PM
|
#3
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Wisconsin N.E.
Posts: 412
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Thomas
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
|
There is rust other places. For sure.
That being said it depends what you want to do with it and how good you are at body work. That's way too much for me I'd rather pay more and save the weeks of labor, but if you are short on money and long on time and skill....
The transportation company by me regularly replaces whole sections of body on their buses due to rust. They don't fix the floor or joists they get rid of it. You may want to check, the floor may be falling out.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:40 PM
|
#4
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 939
Chassis: GMC or Chevrolet, I hope
Engine: gasser probably
|
From the bottom of a noob heart
Unless you find the IDEAL bus with all your desired specs + low price.
Why would you buy a rusty bus ???
These big buses sell daily, just spend some time monitoring at the auction sites (if you are not in a hurry) and you will find a nicer one.
__________________
the more i learn, the less I know what to buy . . .
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:43 PM
|
#5
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Wisconsin N.E.
Posts: 412
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Thomas
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
|
I don't know where you are but that looks like some Wisconsin level rust.
Everything here looks like that
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:47 PM
|
#6
|
Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 12
|
I'm in Canada where they salt the roads due to snow, so most of the buses here are somewhat rusty. Sucks but true. But yeah, the one I'd originally looked at through the same company had minor rust. This seemed like too much to me too.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:49 PM
|
#7
|
Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 12
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whatthefak
There is rust other places. For sure.
That being said it depends what you want to do with it and how good you are at body work. That's way too much for me I'd rather pay more and save the weeks of labor, but if you are short on money and long on time and skill....
The transportation company by me regularly replaces whole sections of body on their buses due to rust. They don't fix the floor or joists they get rid of it. You may want to check, the floor may be falling out.
|
They told me that Freightliner uses thinner metal on the body, which is why the panels are rusty, but that they have to meet the same standards as other makers with the bottom metal. I dunno.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:49 PM
|
#8
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 335
Year: 2004
Coachwork: Corbeil
Chassis: Ford
Engine: Ford PowerStroke Diesel 6.0
Rated Cap: GVWR 11,500
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by LBaker
I'm in Canada where they salt the roads due to snow, so most of the buses here are somewhat rusty. Sucks but true. But yeah, the one I'd originally looked at through the same company had minor rust. This seemed like too much to me too.
|
If you were already planning on re-skinning the whole rear and doing a delete of the door AND you can confirm there's no major rust to structural components, it might be worth it. Otherwise, I think it's best to leave this one to rot.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:49 PM
|
#9
|
Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,830
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by LBaker
I'm in Canada where they salt the roads due to snow, so most of the buses here are somewhat rusty. Sucks but true. But yeah, the one I'd originally looked at through the same company had minor rust. This seemed like too much to me too.
|
Redd is up in Canada. If you're anywhere near him maybe he could tell you where to find a bus that's not so rusty.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 01:53 PM
|
#10
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Wisconsin N.E.
Posts: 412
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Thomas
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
|
We are in similar climate and salt conditions, even the ones with minor rust have alot more rust than you see at first. I spent a couple hours in bus yard. I decided to look further south. They don't wash the salt off them in the frozen North so all the little nooks and crannies underneath collect it and start rusting.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 03:03 PM
|
#11
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Palmer, AK
Posts: 279
Year: 2004
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Saf T Liner MVP 11 window 32’
Engine: CAT 3126E
Rated Cap: 72
|
Where in Canada? Our bus cam from Washington...has zero rust. There are 15 late '90 model Thomas 40' RE's to be auctioned off up here in AK, mid August. I looked at them a couple months ago. Rust free.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 03:31 PM
|
#12
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Damascus, OR
Posts: 681
Year: 2004
Chassis: International
Engine: T444e w/ 2000 Allison Trans
Rated Cap: 35
|
buy a west coast (WA, OR, CA) my Oregon bus has zero rust. that looks like too much to deal with.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 06:32 PM
|
#13
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Colorado
Posts: 399
|
It's trash.
You could spend countless hours polishing a turd and in the end you would have a turd.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 07:29 PM
|
#14
|
Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: near Christiansburg VA
Posts: 692
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freightliner
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 44 or 66? 11 rows
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACamper
It's trash.
You could spend countless hours polishing a turd and in the end you would have a turd.
|
ACamper - tell us how you REALLY feel about it - don't hold back!
[Gotta love a straight answer...]
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 08:01 PM
|
#15
|
Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 12
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dapplecreek
ACamper - tell us how you REALLY feel about it - don't hold back!
[Gotta love a straight answer...]
|
Ha it’s true though. A turd is a turd is a turd.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 08:03 PM
|
#16
|
Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 12
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by tugboater
Where in Canada? Our bus cam from Washington...has zero rust. There are 15 late '90 model Thomas 40' RE's to be auctioned off up here in AK, mid August. I looked at them a couple months ago. Rust free.
|
Washington is somewhat close. We live in Alberta. Seattle is a 12-13 hour drive.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 08:05 PM
|
#17
|
Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 12
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Whatthefak
We are in similar climate and salt conditions, even the ones with minor rust have alot more rust than you see at first. I spent a couple hours in bus yard. I decided to look further south. They don't wash the salt off them in the frozen North so all the little nooks and crannies underneath collect it and start rusting.
|
Thanks for the info - bet you’re right and this bus is the same.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 09:37 PM
|
#18
|
Bus Crazy
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: SW New Hampshire
Posts: 1,334
|
Man, if the school system is throwing it out early due to rust, that has got to tell you something.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 09:38 PM
|
#19
|
Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
|
While the body panel rust is bad enough I noticed there were no pictures of the frame and chassis under the bus.
In order to stop the rust the only way to do it is to cut it out and replace it.
Even though the cost is only $1K you are going to be spending $$$$$ and many hours cutting, replacing, and converting just the sheet metal. If the frame or chassis is rusty it falls into the "it just isn't worth it even if it were free" category.
Go to WA, ID, MT, or WY and find a rust free bus. It may cost $3K-$5K but it will be cheaper in the long run.
The only caveat to that would be if the running gear of the $1K bus was your dream power package. By purchasing a running bus it makes it much easier to transplant the whole power package into something else.
With newer electronically controlled engines and transmissions it requires the whole wiring harness, the ECM, and the TCM to make the power package work in something else.
|
|
|
05-11-2018, 10:02 PM
|
#20
|
Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,830
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by LBaker
Washington is somewhat close. We live in Alberta. Seattle is a 12-13 hour drive.
|
Washington and Oregon are great places to get a bus. Worth the "short hop".
|
|
|
 |
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|