4x4 short bus conversion?

[ChrisHieronimus]

Hello!

Does anyone know how much a 4x4 conversion of a short school bus would cost? Anyone who has done it here?

I was just traveling in Spain in a rented VW campervan, no 4x4, front-weel drive. And we had some pretty tough times on bumpy, dusty roads....

Gonna buy a short bus and convert it in California this year and was wondering if a 4x4 conversion would be a good addition. Not sure if I actually need it, but once the whole build is done, might be nice. Or should I be looking for a 4x4 short bus to buy from the beginning?

[ben2go]

This guy is great. His name is Chris. I have talked with him and visited his shop several times. I know he has done some large RVs and Ambulances. I'm not sure if he has done any buses. If he can't do it, he may have references to some place that does.

4x4 Van Conversion kits

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[RRRVBUS]

Originally Posted by ChrisHieronimus

Hello!

Does anyone know how much a 4x4 conversion of a short school bus would cost? Anyone who has done it here?

I was just traveling in Spain in a rented VW campervan, no 4x4, front-weel drive. And we had some pretty tough times on bumpy, dusty roads....

Gonna buy a short bus and convert it in California this year and was wondering if a 4x4 conversion would be a good addition. Not sure if I actually need it, but once the whole build is done, might be nice. Or should I be looking for a 4x4 short bus to buy from the beginning?

I think it would probably all depend on what you get for a short bus. My bus is on a one ton GMC van chassis that had a four wheel drive option for the passenger/commercial versions meaning if I can gather the stock parts I can convert it myself. Much easier than custom converting something that didn’t exist before. Having said that there’s very little that CANT be done, good luck!!!

[ben2go]

Some of the large utility trucks around here use Rockwell front axle with third members not the military version a lot of people are familiar with from the 2.5 and 5 ton trucks.

[ben2go]

They look something like this but can be found with disc brakes. Some are air brake axles. They are usually drum brakes tho. This one is a bedford.

[ChrisHieronimus]

Thanks for the info! I'll keep it in mind!

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by ChrisHieronimus

Thanks for the info! I'll keep it in mind!

You're welcome. I hope you build that bus.

[Iceni John]

One member of our Crown group has a small 4WD Gillig-bodied school bus that's built on an International chassis. So yes, 4WD school buses do exist.

John

[cadillackid]

many of the van cutaways can be converted fairly straight-forward.. as mentioned many vans had 4x4 as an option.. (there are a few here with van cutaway busses that are factory 4x4).. the fords ive seen more than GMC.. but ive seen 4x4 GMC savannah regular vans in the wild in the 2500 form..

I dont know how close the transfer cases and front axles of the vans are to the pickup trucks?? go up north and theres a ton of 4x4 stuff in the junkyard all the time.. might be worth looking into or taking measurements on a pickup axle and see if it could fit into the van.
-Christopher

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

many of the van cutaways can be converted fairly straight-forward.. as mentioned many vans had 4x4 as an option.. (there are a few here with van cutaway busses that are factory 4x4).. the fords ive seen more than GMC.. but ive seen 4x4 GMC savannah regular vans in the wild in the 2500 form..

I dont know how close the transfer cases and front axles of the vans are to the pickup trucks?? go up north and theres a ton of 4x4 stuff in the junkyard all the time.. might be worth looking into or taking measurements on a pickup axle and see if it could fit into the van.
-Christopher

The transfer case is the same distance from the front axle as it is in the pick ups. The Vans use the same setups the PUs use. Most vans and van-based vehicles use automatic transmissions, and they are long. Then put on the transfer case adapter tail housing, hang a transfer case on it, and they can get close to five feet long. Longer on some speciality set ups but I digress.

[pengyou]

I was just wondering if the OP had made any progress with his/her idea?

[1Burleyman]

I’m going to have boulder off-road in Colorado do mine .I’m having it built pretty heavy duty and it’s going to cost almost $24,000 for the conversion.

[dazdconfsd]

Originally Posted by 1Burleyman

I’m going to have boulder off-road in Colorado do mine .I’m having it built pretty heavy duty and it’s going to cost almost $24,000 for the conversion.

Do you mind sharing what exact options you're having done? Also who you compared with?

[bus4x4]

You mean something like this? We do this in Australia on Toyota buses and probably one of the very few companies worldwide.

[lqdchkn]

You have less options if you choose a Chevy as most convert only Ford E series chassis

An average basic build from ujoint is $30k, I just got a quote a few weeks ago.
Quadvan starts at $16.5k

I'd say thats probably the range you should expect for a Ford E Series conversion.

I vaguely remember Weld-Tec Chevy conversions starting at $17k I think which is inline with Quadvan's pricing but as Im not looking at Chevy/GMC so I didnt get that quote first hand.