1950s Chevy Short Bus Newbie Question

[Desertkat]

Hey guys!

Not sure I'm posting in the right area...completely new to the site and completely new to skoolies. I am looking to purchase a 1950s Chevy short bus in hopes that I could replace the engine/transmission with something (maybe?) out of a Dodge 3500 DRW. I keep hearing that its going to be pricey and that it can be a headache, but no specifics. I looked up the old bus specs (thanks to heritagegmc) and I'm pretty sure that the DT engine will work as far as capacity...I guess I'm looking for a place to go to find a checklist of things to even ask lol. Willing to do the homework myself but every search I put in seems to end up in a dead end. I love the look of the old busses but want the ability of something 4x4 and newer. I know an engine can be around 4k and that there will be more involved than that. Can anyone point me in the direction of someone who won't mislead me on putting together a pricelist/things to consider/research? I want a school bus one way or another, but hoping to make the older type work *crosses fingers* Any help would be appreciated!!

[rossvtaylor]

You may, indeed, have come to the right place. There are at least 2 folks here on the forum who are working on similar projects right now. Here's one I just saw post: https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/1...tml#post419192


And we have a 1950 Dodge short bus, but any hope of making that a driver in the near future is unlikely... If we did, we'd probably pull the body and box off a Freightliner FL60 and graft the Dodge on top.

[rossvtaylor]

Sorry to double post, but I couldn't add pics through the edit feature. I hope yours is in better shape than ours!

[Ronnie]

magnakansas, and Tango both have oldies with modern drivetrains. Tango has passed away but his thread should still be available.


I want to encourage you, however this is a big project for an experienced mechanic/fabricator. So if these are not your skills it will be an even bigger project. So take your time. Patience and attention to detail are you best friends on a project like this.


For the shorty I would say move the body to a newer truck is going to be the most reliable, and a bit simpler then changing out piece by piece and keeping the original frame but not axles , engine, or trans.



I kept the original axles in mine as the gear ratio was a good one for a gas engine. The engine and trans I did change, however they are just as old, and were an option when built.

[magnakansas]

I have a 1954 ford/Wayne. About 24 feet bumper to bumper. New everything. Similar in scope to what you are doing. Telephone if you like. Any time between 8 am and midnight. Anytime if it is an emergency. 7852077600

William

[Desertkat]

Wow guys....thank you everyone for responding and responding so quickly!! Special thanks to magnakansas for offering such personal help. I am going to talk it over with my husband and read and reread all of these informative posts until it starts sinking in. I appreciate the note about needing experience and we may very well need to recruit a diesel mechanic/fabricator to help where needed. My husband is a shade tree mechanic who mostly wrenches on our utv and a vintage tractor. I myself only dream up stuff and then he tells me what's possible and what's beyond his abilities. He is a bit uneasy about taking on this project so I'm on a mission to either make him feel better about it or just change directions and go with a newer running school bus. I do like the idea of simply using a truck frame...in my head that sounds simpler/cleaner. I was looking at a 7- window 53 chevy in great condition but the wheel base ctc is 192?..which I know is standard, but not as much for a regular truck. Maybe a 4500? I don't know. Have to do more research. Thank you again guys. I will keep you posted as I go further down the vintage school bus rabbit hole

[Desertkat]

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

Sorry to double post, but I couldn't add pics through the edit feature. I hope yours is in better shape than ours!



Attachment 52312

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Wow! Cool bus though! And yes, the bus we are looking at right now appears to be rust-free and in fairly good condition. Its about 500 miles away so we haven't gone to take a look at it yet. Just seen pictures. It's calling my name, but I want to know if its reasonable to assume its a doable project before I invest in the travel expense.

[rossvtaylor]

Ours isn't as rusty as it looks in the pics. Someone, to make it legal not-yellow, at one time went over it with some latex paint. It's actually very free of rust and is quite solid. Unfortunately, someone also removed the axles and springs and cut them off at the spring mounts. So, while we still have a motor and tranny it's got no other running gear and is destined to live the rest of her days as BABE...which is my wife's acronym for Best Art Bus Ever. We towed her home from a couple of miles away, on a flatbed, and I can tell you she weighs a LOT more than I would have guessed. That weight will factor into your build.


I think it would be fair for you, from an estimating perspective, to factor the purchase cost of the Chevy plus the cost of a donor vehicle as a base for your build. You might be able to swap the drivetrain in your bus, but then you'd still have do deal with brakes and other things. So, it might be easier and cheaper in the long run to find a donor medium duty truck. Something like this FL70 for $9000...and you could sell off the lift gate and the refer unit and box. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penske-Used...MAAOSwLndfq-M3

[Desertkat]

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

Ours isn't as rusty as it looks in the pics. Someone, to make it legal not-yellow, at one time went over it with some latex paint. It's actually very free of rust and is quite solid. Unfortunately, someone also removed the axles and springs and cut them off at the spring mounts. So, while we still have a motor and tranny it's got no other running gear and is destined to live the rest of her days as BABE...which is my wife's acronym for Best Art Bus Ever. We towed her home from a couple of miles away, on a flatbed, and I can tell you she weighs a LOT more than I would have guessed. That weight will factor into your build.


I think it would be fair for you, from an estimating perspective, to factor the purchase cost of the Chevy plus the cost of a donor vehicle as a base for your build. You might be able to swap the drivetrain in your bus, but then you'd still have do deal with brakes and other things. So, it might be easier and cheaper in the long run to find a donor medium duty truck. Something like this FL70 for $9000...and you could sell off the lift gate and the refer unit and box. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Penske-Used...MAAOSwLndfq-M3

I hadn't thought of a commercial box truck...but that would make a lot of sense. If we went with something like that, my hubby could even get a small storage container out of it with a/c!! Its a lot to fork out all at once during a not-so-great economic time, but a really good idea. Originally the idea was to afford it over time, but that might not be the best option and might end up costing more in the long run. I sincerely appreciate your time helping me with this. You've given me more to think about and I will probably end up actually dreaming about box trucks and school busses tonight lol.

[ol trunt]

I have a shorty that I put on an Isuzu NPR chassis some years ago and have been quite happy with it. I'd offer a word of caution though. Doing a chassis change requires a fairly high skill level so be prepared to run up a big bill if you can't do most of the work yourself.

My original build thread was lost when Skoolie changed hands a few years ago so I have patched together a replacement. If you choose to read through my build pack a lunch as it is 50 odd pages long. Jack

https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/h...ory-31871.html.

[Desertkat]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

I have a shorty that I put on an Isuzu NPR chassis some years ago and have been quite happy with it. I'd offer a word of caution though. Doing a chassis change requires a fairly high skill level so be prepared to run up a big bill if you can't do most of the work yourself.

My original build thread was lost when Skoolie changed hands a few years ago so I have patched together a replacement. If you choose to read through my build pack a lunch as it is 50 odd pages long. Jack

https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/h...ory-31871.html.

Wow..what a cool thread to read through. The tea with wife part made me smile..I could totally see my hubby and I doing that. I only got through to the part about solar panels ruining the lines of the bus and regretfully I have to close it to go get ready for Christmas Linner with the family. Can't wait to get home to read the rest! Thank you so much for sharing!

[Desertkat]

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

[Ronnie]

Merry Christmas!!

[BekuzIkan]

Are 1950 School busses really hard to find ? I would like to purchase one myself.

[Danjo]

Originally Posted by BekuzIkan

Are 1950 School busses really hard to find ? I would like to purchase one myself.

I would say so. What’s even harder is finding spare body parts.

I saw one at a music festival not too long ago that was a resto-mod where the guy dropped the body on a modern chassis. Probably the best option unless you just got to have it original.

Watch your used “trader” publications and Craigslist or other favorite outlets and if you can get geographically specific youre probably going to have your best luck looking at desert areas

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by BekuzIkan

Are 1950 School busses really hard to find ? I would like to purchase one myself.

I know of a few from the late 60's, early 70's. But 50's are getting rare. Just picked up a 73 International with a wayne body.