what year is my bus??! please help!!

[emo]

Hello......I've just bought an international harvester which I have been told is 1969
its already been converted to a live in but needs totally transforming!
It is right hand drive which was a special order for the US military to drive here in the UK.
If I can prove it was built before 1972 then I can become road tax exempt and class it as a historic vehicle
Can anyone help with any info about my lovely bus or how I can get an official age comformation certificate??
any help with manuals or where to get parts would be great.........some brakes would be awesome!
Its a 5lt V8 diesel automatic. vin number is SABTVRO3264217456.........PLEASE HELP ME!! can't wait to get started! thanks Emo.

[timbuk]

wow wierd to see a american bus with the door on the wrong side.That bus could very well be a 69,you will need to look at the vin tags ,etc.Should be able to get parts from the us no problem good luck with it!

[jkindt]

Originally Posted by timbuk

wow wierd to see a american bus with the door on the wrong side.

If by 'wrong' you mean left, then yes, it is strange to see. A standard american bus would have the door on the 'wrong' side if you were using it in the UK, or Japan, or many other countries with right-hand drive vehicles. There has been a trend over the past few years around here to import older right-hand drive vehicles from Japan. This has been leading to many safety issues since it is very hard to pass people on the highway, pull out of parking spaces, etc. There is even rumors of legislation banning right-hand drive vehicles in Alberta due to these concerns. I would imagine it is very similar in the UK when someone imports a left-hand drive vehicle. Which means that our buses are 'wrong' to them. This is all too bad, because I serously think the ultimate skoolie would be one of those double-decker buses that seem to be strictly right-hand drive for some strange reason. Oh yeah, and the fact that double-decker vehicles are illegal here in Alberta. I wonder if I could get around this by registering it as a recreation vehicle that does not carry passengers on the 'upstairs'. Of course it could be a height issue, I am not sure why they are illegal.

[busdriver_phil]

That chassis, International "Loadstar," was one of the longest-running bus models. They made them from 62-79. I don't recognize the format of that VIN. Since it was a custom order, it may have been assigned a different serial number either for export or for military specs. All I can suggest is looking for all the ID tags, you might find a manufacture date on one of them. Look under the hood, on the vertical "cowl" panel right below the windshield, look on the inside of the glove compartment door, and look all around inside near the top of the windshield, driver's window, and maybe near the steps or inside of the door.

Another option would be to try to get a copy of the original lineset ticket. http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/show ... hp?t=74124

And by the way, GREAT FIND! Superior body on a Loadstar chassis was one of the best buses you could buy in the 60s and 70s. I'm jealous.

Edit: For those who don't know, the lineset ticket is like a build order for the assembly line. It would have manufacture date, serial numbers, engine/transmission model, options, etc. They used to laminate a copy and stick it to the bus under the hood, but it's very rare to find one intact on such an old vehicle. That link I posted has contact info for a museum that supposedly has all the old International linesets, they can make a copy for $20. Good luck!

[emo]

hello everyone.thank you for the help.will try and get some more photos soon.got him running today.think injectors want a service.smoked like a tyer yard fire.over here in the uk we have an odd registration system.as the bus came off an american air base its age couldnt at the time be verified so ended up with a "Q" reg number.this can make problems fo insurance.also if a vehical is built befor 1st of january 1973 it becomes classed as a historic vehical.better for insurance and better still road tax exempt!! happy days!problem is you need an official piece of paper to keep the pen pushers happy.any ideas how i could get something like a birth certificate.need to prove his age.i love this bus but it does need quite a bit of work to get it road worthy.a workshop manual is first on the list.i have restored many british and europian cars and vans but never an american school bus!! brakes are none existant.foot or parking brake.all the lights need sorting and some welding is needed.british weather is no friend to steel work! lots to do for MOT test.yearly test to pass before you can drive on the road.so any ideas or contacts for parts that can be shipped would be very much appriciated.got to go get a load of tool as everything i have is metric or to small THANKS AGAIN.EMO.

[jaredg]

I hate to say it but that Superior International is between 1975 and 1978. It has the more modern front roof cap and the 78" high roof package which gives it away.

[Elliot Naess]

That's a 17-digit VIN, which is the current standard. The 10th digit is the year (6). Unfortunately, it does not tell you the decade. So see if you can find something else that matches with 6. The newest possible is 1976, as they used letters in 1980-2000.

[emo]

hello.thank you all for your suggestions.still no joy with line set ticket yet.
nobody recognises the vin number.would it be on a different list as it was possibly special order for military?
anyone got any ideas where to look?!
had a quick look at the brakes.master cylinder is very wet and front bleed screws have been sheared off!!
think i better replace all the rubber components off the braking system.....
list of good suppliers would be much appreciated

here are a few pics of the inside.

[Elliot Naess]

http://jalopnik.com/5165656/how-to-decode-your-cars-vin

There are many other sites that deal with this. Just google "decode VIN" and similar.

I ran your number on an other site, and it came up invalid. Are you sure you read it correctly? But I suppose a military vehicle might not conform to the standard. The S suggests it was built in England.

[emo]

Hi, not been on here for quite some time, but have made some progress on the bus. Sandblasted the wheels and underside and also painted those bits, now it is time to get the brakes sorted. It had new rear cylinders and shoes fitted before i got the bus, but I really need front cylinders and shoes and the 2 remote power boosters (or servos as we call them) with their cylinders. I also need the main cylinder that is operated from the pedal. Can anyone give me any web addresses, phone numbers or contact details of anyone or companies that may have these parts? Also looking for a whole front end (fenders, hoods, rad, grill etc), so any breakers (wreckers) yards with these that may ship to the uk? Thank you, any help is greatly appreciated as I am really struggling for these parts. Really really want to drive my lovely bus! thanks again, Emo.

[bansil]

Welcome back,cool bus

Sorry I can't help with parts tho'

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Shouldn't there be a body build tag somewhere? Might indicate the build date? My 89 Blue Bird had one.