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Old 02-23-2018, 06:28 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
1976 Ford B-500

Hello Everyone! We've been working on our future home for almost 7 months now and its almost finished! You won't see another bus like this. Let me know what you think and I will post more photos on this thread. Here is a google photos link for all the picture so far. A lot to look through. Working on sorting them all out.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZyUwuNdbBBEHNg872
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Old 02-23-2018, 06:40 AM   #2
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
Interior pics

red oak slab and original driver seat
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Old 02-23-2018, 07:07 AM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
body off restoration

decided to take the body off one day. Didn't want to think too much about it or ask any questions. I just wanted to do it. The city was Not happy and my neighbors were going nuts!
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Old 02-23-2018, 07:22 AM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
the dirty work

40 years of crud, mud, filth came out of that bus. It was used as a storage unit and a church bus in the past. Once I saw the brown recluse spiders behind the electrical switches I knew I had to clean Every Inch!

We wire wheeled and sand blasted the whole underside.

Driving the bus around the neighborhood without a body was so fun!
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Old 02-23-2018, 09:37 AM   #5
Bus Geek
 
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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
Lookin great! There have not been many "body off" restos here so you are in rare company. Keep the pix coming.
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Old 02-23-2018, 11:31 AM   #6
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
is the purple too much? haha. we like it. Adds some hidden pop. plan to paint the under side of the hood purple too but im waiting for something.... rain is my excuse now.
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:00 PM   #7
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Campbell, Tx
Posts: 204
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: IC
Engine: T444e, 7.3
Rated Cap: 12
Just looked through your google photos. Holy crap y’all have invested a lot of time and materials into that ol gal. What transmission does it have?
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:07 PM   #8
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by consti2tion View Post
Just looked through your google photos. Holy crap y’all have invested a lot of time and materials into that ol gal. What transmission does it have?
yeah its been a learning process for sure. 4 speed manual. made by new process
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:10 PM   #9
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Campbell, Tx
Posts: 204
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: IC
Engine: T444e, 7.3
Rated Cap: 12
Well you guys have done some great work! Any plans to put a diesel in that old gal sometime?
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:17 PM   #10
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
after tearing into it i couldn't believe I made it home! so many issues i dont know where to begin. no idea how it ran but i drove it 4 hours back home at about 45mph max before it would shake like a dog shitting peach seeds. All 4 shocks were totally shot!
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:20 PM   #11
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 32
Year: 1976
Coachwork: just us
Engine: ford 391FT
Rated Cap: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by consti2tion View Post
Well you guys have done some great work! Any plans to put a diesel in that old gal sometime?
Thanks man! we're proud of it. and no plans for an engine change although it just might happen one day
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:26 PM   #12
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Campbell, Tx
Posts: 204
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: IC
Engine: T444e, 7.3
Rated Cap: 12
Definitely one to be proud of!
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Old 02-23-2018, 04:20 PM   #13
Bus Geek
 
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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
What? The shocks went bad after only 22 years!? That's an outrage!

Very cool old rig...but then I'm a sucker for the "oldies".
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