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Converted 1986 International 40' Diesel Bus
You are looking at a converted 1986 International Skoolie. The bus has officially been converted to "RV" status on the Texas title and was insured by National General. No special license is needed to drive it. We have since moved to Arizona and have not re-registered the bus nor kept up the insurance since we have not driven it further than around the block. If a current AZ registration/title and/or insurance would be helpful to a potential buyer I would be happy to take care of this task to prove that it is possible (and relatively simple since the bus already has "RV" status).
The bus has a naturally aspirated 7.3L diesel engine that runs strong. The transmission is the four speed Allison automatic and shifts smoothly. Mileage reads just under 48,000 and we have only put a few thousand miles on it since purchasing it about 5 years ago. I don't know if the mileage shown on the odometer is accurate OR if the bus has over a million miles on it. Ultimately I'll never know and all I know about the bus' history is that it was used to shuttle tourists by a river tubing company after being retired as a school district bus. The oil was changed before driving the bus from TX to AZ a little over two years ago (which amounts to less than 3000 miles) and the bus has been started as often as I could remember (I have tried for once/week but admit to being less than perfect in that regard!) The other mechanical fluids are likely due to be changed but we just haven't traveled enough in the bus to make this endeavor worthwhile. Overall the bus is mechanically sound and has presented us with zero mechanical challenges. NOTE: Hood latches have been installed after these pictures were taken.
Please carefully review the pictures to decide for yourself whether or not you are comfortable with the condition of the tires. Five of the six are in relatively good condition…the outer rear passenger tire shows cracking. If the cracking tire is a make it or break it deal for a potential buyer then I am willing to purchase a new (used) tire and have it installed.
From the ground up, here is how we completed this build:
Bear metal floor was sanded and sealed with rustoleum paint. Old metal panels on walls below the windows were removed and all old insulation removed. Windows were caulked/sealed and all leaks corrected. None of the windows were blocked off because we wanted to preserve the maximum amount of natural lighting.
One and half inch foam board insulation was used on the floor and walls below the windows - 2x4's were used between boards to act as support for the floors and walls to come. Six millimeter plastic was then applied over that as a vapor barrier.
The floor of the front section of the bus (about 75% of floorspace) was covered in real hardwood planking (see pics). The rear floor section is plywood sealed with water based poly (see pics). Walls were created from smooth wall wood panels and sealed with water based poly.
We opted not to insulate the ceiling to preserve precious height in the bus. Instead, we painted the interior ceiling and applied several coats of high quality roof coat type paint on the exterior to keep the bus cooler. Since we were in southern TX at the time of the build, keeping things cooler was far more important than keeping things warm.
Living facilities were designed to comfortably sleep and house five people. All woodwork was completed by a professional woodworker with 50+ years experience as a craftsman - seams are tight and beautiful, wood has been sanded smooth. Facilities include the following: medium size refrigerator (a five foot tall model, the biggest one we could fit in the bus), a natural gas stove that has been converted to run off of propane (along with two 20lb propane tanks), triple carbon water filtration system, double bowl stainless steel sink, overhead shower set up that drains into a watering trough that doubles as a bathtub, dry/compost toilet, liberal wooden/sealed countertop space (ample cooking facilities/space was prioritized in our build), a table with one sided bench seating, comfortable couch with storage underneath (couch doubles as a bed once the back cushion is removed), side table, twin bunk beds, a full size bed, liberal overhead shelving, a dresser and additional shelving across from the full size bed. I'm happy to send the mattresses along if desired. Please review the pictures and feel free to ask any questions about the setup.
The bus is fully self contained with two 45 gallon tanks - one for fresh and one for black water storage. An electric pump carries the water from below the bus to the sink and shower. 30 amps of electricity are available via a hardwired circuit breaker (with a 55 foot hook up cord) and two separate circuits. Outlets are placed throughout the bus for convenience.
The bus has a full set of curtains in excellent condition and I would be happy to send these along with the bus if desired.
The bus has an older air conditioner but I purchased a brand new one (intentionally overrated in terms of cooling capacity) that I would be happy to replace/install if that is helpful to a buyer.
We never installed a heater since we never lived in the bus during cold weather...when things got chilly we used a 1500 watt space heater but in temps below freezing I think you would need something more.
All exterior metal was carefully prepped and painted with high quality oil based paint. As you can see from the pics, we used a green and yellow two tone approach and accented with silver and black.
The body of the bus is not cosmetically perfect - the hood has been repaired with fiberglass and the front bumper was replaced with wood. There are a few cracks in the windshield and driver's window but all have been addressed with a windshield crack repair kit.
Asking $15,000 and willing to consider trades for any vehicle of equal or greater value. Also, there is the possibility of meeting you somewhere to pick up the bus...let's discuss if this is relevant for you.
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