First Conversion
Hey guys! After reading through some of the posts on this forum, it would seem there's a wealth of knowledge available. I'll be posting here-and-there, so I figured an introduction is in order.
My name is Matt, and I'm undertaking converting a full size bus. I'm a certified ASE Master Automobile Mechanic, worked in the automotive field since 2006. Unfortunately, some of the stuff on this bus is completely foreign to me, as I've never had to work with air brakes. I really appreciate the old-school/heavy duty aspect to the chassis wiring/electrical set up however (all solenoids/relays/fuses easily accessible), this is a breath of fresh air compared to some of the automotive wiring challenges I've had... Picture removing half the interior of a vehicle, say a 2016 Audi Q5, just to find where a rodent had chewed through a wire harness to figure out why a reverse light wouldn't work (why couldn't it be just the bulb?). The rest of the bus feels mechanically familiar, although I've never changed tires on split rims.
Our (my wife and I) bus is a 2007 International PB107 with the VT365. 185k miles, dog nose, 39' long. Dual AC, Dual heat. No extras. 6'6" interior. This engine has very similar architecture to a Ford 6.0 power stroke, and that's why I was interested in this bus specifically.
That's about it. I purchased it from a school district, their prep work involved removing cameras, spraying over the exterior lettering, and removing the stop sign/cross bar).
Current state: I removed everything bolted (not welded) to the floor (minus the dashboard and pedals). I just finished the first coat of clean metal primer on the back half of the bus (1qt spread over 100sqft, per mfg, just didn't cover the way I was hoping it would). The front half of the floor is down to the metal too, but I'm currently working on re-installing a front seat, with a seat belt, just so I can use the bus for my Class B road test on Monday.
I'll post updates from time-to-time. Nice to see a mixed bag of experiences here. I don't have any questions yet ( I haven't read the entire forum yet). Nice to meet everyone.
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