My New Project!

[hordechick]

hello all, i've been lurking for awhile now, trying and trying to register on here to post as i went on my conversion. i had to create a new email address on aol just to register on here. this site is great! TONS of information i have found very useful! i actually was going to make a conversion out of an old box truck (uhaul type), but i came across a deal on a bus that i couldnt pass up. maybe in a few years i will get around to doing that. the bus is from a catholic school. it is a 2000 chevy midbus. diesel, 29 passenger, and they have reciepts for about $3000 worth of upgrades and replacements last august and it only has 500 miles put on it since then. including all new tires! they were asking $3000 for it, but i got them down to $1000! it had been sitting for about 3 months without being started up, and here in wisconsin it was in the middle of the last big snow. it had about a foot or more of snow and ice caked to it. i got in and it started right up! so we drove it home and barely got it into our carport, well halfway under the carport anyway. as you can see from the pictures. i am making it into a camper / bug-out vehicle for our family of 4. i realize it is small but i think with a little creativity it can be done. i will keep posting on here as much as i can to keep you all updated as to the progress. and ideas or suggestions are more than welcome!

[hordechick]

here are a few more pics...

[hordechick]

here are a few more pics...

[hordechick]

here are a few more pics...

[hordechick]

and still a few more pics... sorry, ive been working awhile now, and can just now upload them

[hordechick]

ok finally the last of my update pics i have at the moment, i will finish uploading the rest tonight. thank you for bearing with me. also does anyone know of a way besides ebay that i could sell the stop sign from the side? it is brand new, they replaced it last august. the front swing arm i have "other ideas" for

[TygerCub]

Hey! Great to see you figured a way to make it onto the forum! I'm surprised the gmail account didn't work. Very strange.
Anyway... The bus looks like a great find. I'm looking forward to seeing how you fix it up.

[bansil]

Nice find,how much room is behind the drivers seat?15ft? It looks great inside

Putting the scooter on the back might be a better option

[hordechick]

i thought about putting it on the back, went over it again and again, but i am already making room inside next to the scooter for the kids' bikes. as i am sure you all have made layouts and floorplans but only to change them over and over again as you go. i have gone through about 10 different ones myself. as of right now as i start building the bunk and bed areas thats what i am going with. i kind of wanted a self-contained small bus conversion. something i havent seen too much of. behind the drivers seat is 12' to the back wall. i am hopefully painting it tomorrow (fingers crossed) as soon as it is done i will post pics.

[Tango]

Welcome to the Madhouse! --- Looks like you found a really solid starter unit. You also found the right place to get answers to many of the issues surrounding a buildout. There's probably several centuries worth of experience here so don't hesitate to ask questions. Best of luck with your project and please do keep the pix flowing.

[somewhereinusa]

Just curious, when you took all of the stuff out, did it get enough lighter to touch the rafter in the car port?

[Stuff]

welcome aboard! by the time you're done you can sneak it under the car port lol

[hordechick]

it actually didnt change at all after i got all the seats and everything out. i was afraid of that but no change at all. i think the suspension must be pretty good on it still. i just finished painting the roof white. all in all it was 5 coats i put on. so since i started painting it it no longer is living in the carport, i finally moved it out to the very small part of the driveway that it will reside in. now we can get the minivan into the carport again. here are a few pics.

[Bullwhacker007]

Just a suggestion?
Putting the moped and bikes inside of your bus you will lose allot of floor space.
Even for what you say making things fold up.
Installing a tow hitch on back you can get a carrier to put into the receiver and then load the moped onto it and strap it down.
A bike rack on the front of the bus for the bikes.
Even if you did only install the receiver hitch on back you would have the option of pulling a trailer.

[sdwarf36]

Welcome! You stole that bus!
Bike out back works just fine.

[hordechick]

one of the big problems with the scooter on the back and the bikes on the front is the size. as you can see from the pics above if it was any longer or stuck out any more it wouldnt fit in our driveway. i dont want to have to put these things on and off whenever i want to use it. i am building it and stocking it so all we have to do is grab a few clothes in a couple bags and get in and go. i am sick of packing and getting ready for days before camping or going anywhere. this way all we have to do is get in and go. scooter on the back and bikes on the front are good ideas but it just doesnt work for me. i have gone over the layouts over and over and this plan should work out good for us. i will keep you posted with pics as i go. thank you for all the feedback and ideas

[hordechick]

sorry everyone for not posting in awhile, its been a little busy around here. i hate it when life gets in the way lol. we are making a real "push" to get it finished within a week! here are a few pics of what we have accomplished so far. thanks for looking

[hordechick]

ok well i tried to upload pics but apparently that isnt working at the moment. i will upload all of them when i can.

[james843]

How much for the sign and is it air or 12v?

[chev49]

i have an air stop sign....well, its in one of the scrap piles...