Hello from Brooklyn, NY

[nautilus]

Hello Skoolie.net!

I want to say how grateful I am for this site. It was a little overwhelming at first, but even in these first few weeks I’ve learned so much from you guys and look forward to learning even more.

My husband and I have been talking about getting a school bus for a year, but have only been seriously researching buses for a couple of weeks. My dad was a city bus driver and I have such great memories of riding with him on his routes to the beach in the summer. We grew up in Southern California, lived in Seattle, Louisiana, and now NYC. We are looking forward to visiting all the friends we've made along the way and of course making more.

My husband is an underwater welder and we've undertaken quite a few large-scale DIY projects. Of course, this will be the biggest but I am naïvely excited. We are looking for something that is powerful enough to handle mountains but handles easy enough to navigate a city and your advice has been so valuable. We’ve pretty much decided on an F450 with a 7.3L Powerstroke. Shocker right!?!

I look forward to learning even more by sharing our failures and success! Now we just have to find our bus!

[sportyrick]

GREAT engine, I drove an E350 with 600,000 miles and it had almost no oil pressure. I asked the Ford dealer about it and they said just keep driving it till it drops, never did drop, probably had 3 transmissions in it's life. It was the early non turbo-d version that got great mileage like 21mpg but was a dog on the interstate. I have had a 2002 E350 for 12 years now and still love it even though I prefer "bow-tie" vehicles, this particular blue oval I really like though. As i have stated before don't let them warm it up before you get to look at it, start it cold and see how it acts. If it has to run for a while to smooth out you are probably gonna need injectors and glow plugs some day and if a shop does it your looking at $5000. You are probably going to get an E450 cutaway, not an F450, those are pickups.

[Bert06840]

Good luck, we were in Red Hook yesterday!

[nautilus]

Originally Posted by sportyrick

GREAT engine, I drove an E350 with 600,000 miles and it had almost no oil pressure. I asked the Ford dealer about it and they said just keep driving it till it drops, never did drop, probably had 3 transmissions in it's life. It was the early non turbo-d version that got great mileage like 21mpg but was a dog on the interstate. I have had a 2002 E350 for 12 years now and still love it even though I prefer "bow-tie" vehicles, this particular blue oval I really like though. As i have stated before don't let them warm it up before you get to look at it, start it cold and see how it acts. If it has to run for a while to smooth out you are probably gonna need injectors and glow plugs some day and if a shop does it your looking at $5000. You are probably going to get an E450 cutaway, not an F450, those are pickups.

This is great information and advice!! I don't mind a dog on the road especially with that kind of mpg! I think you're right, I need an E not F maybe even a E350 based on your experience. I am still learning the differences in all the numbers

[nautilus]

Originally Posted by Bert06840

Good luck, we were in Red Hook yesterday!

Attachment 60706

Good lookin' bus! Red Hook is where I am thinking about renting a place to park the bus when it is finished They also have some great parking lot food festivals

[Bert06840]

I could not find any place to park the bus in Brooklyn, for any amount of money. So I had to go upstate…

[nautilus]

Originally Posted by Bert06840

I could not find any place to park the bus in Brooklyn, for any amount of money. So I had to go upstate…

Dang! I am sorry, it's tough living here, I can imagine driving through is worse. If I find a place to park, I'll let you know so you can have a resource when you visit again.

[nautilus]

Originally Posted by nautilus

Dang! I am sorry, it's tough living here, I can imagine driving through is worse. If I find a place to park, I'll let you know so you can have a resource when you visit again.

I forgot to mention, we're doing the build in PA so I probably won't need to park it in Brooklyn until after Thanksgiving. Either way, I'll keep you posted if I find anything.

[Rucker]

Originally Posted by Bert06840

Good luck, we were in Red Hook yesterday!

Attachment 60706

How'd you get the crane up on the roof of the bus?

[Bert06840]

Originally Posted by nautilus

I forgot to mention, we're doing the build in PA so I probably won't need to park it in Brooklyn until after Thanksgiving. Either way, I'll keep you posted if I find anything.

Ah ok, now I understand. We usually find street parking when we visit. Surprisingly, that has worked out well for us.

What didn't work out was renting a space to park it when I was converting it. The closest place I found was Annsville, NY. And it was very expensive.

[Bert06840]

Originally Posted by Rucker

How'd you get the crane up on the roof of the bus?

The insurance said "NO ROOF DECK". So we went for the next best option!

[nautilus]

Originally Posted by Bert06840

The insurance said "NO ROOF DECK". So we went for the next best option!

I am cracking up over here!