Hello from Oklahoma!

[Owensclan2006]

Hi all!! My name is Candace. Our family of 4 is based in Mannford, Oklahoma a small town about 30 minutes West of Tulsa.

I'm new here but have been creeping and reading various posts for several days before I decided to plunge in and introduce myself. Thinking about the skoolie life a lot lately. I've always loved the idea of having an rv or camper to go wherever we wanted in but the more I looked into it, the more I low key fall in love with the idea of a converted skoolie. My husband and I have slightly differing views, because I love the idea of full time and he thinks he would only want to use it for vacations. I figure it can't hurt to try that out for a while and maybe he will fall in love with the idea of it full time or maybe I will end up hating more than a week at a time haha.

Either way, we have 2 children, ages 9 and 7 and like the idea of maybe having one more in the next year. We also have 2 large breed dogs so I feel like the most space possible would be advantageous. We also definitely want a roof raise for spacial/storage reasons. Neither my husband or I are particularly tall but we have relatives who are and would want them to be comfortable while visiting. I also like the idea of pass through storage but it isn't a deal breaker.

We plan on doing as much of the conversion ourselves as is possible. I was raised by a carpenter who also dallied as a jack of all trades and my husband is skilled in electrical, plumbing and carpentry so we make quite the team. Neither one of us is very mechanically inclined however so we would prefer a unit that is low needs on engine maintenance. Albeit, we will learn if we have to. I'm stubborn and don't back down from projects easily.

Would love a little advice on what models/engines/transmissions might work for our needs if anyone has any ideas. Just a starter idea of what to look into. I've already drafted potential plans based on some other ideas I have seen haha. I'm in too deep...

[peteg59]

Welcome to the site Candace.
If you continue to do research on this site for your various questions, you'll likely find answers that might put you closer to being able to focus on specific bus candidates that will fill your needs.

The real work begins after your purchase, and is not for the feint of heart or persons that are not comfortable around power tools. You'll have that part covered, so it seems!

It would be cost prohibitive for most folks to have to pay for outside help for the conversion process.

And that's one reason it takes such a long time to complete one of these skoolies start to finish, as the work force tackling the project is typically limited to one or two persons.
In turn, who may or may not have ever actually done such a conversion project.

Don't be discouraged from anything I've mentioned, simply keep in mind it takes time to find the right bus to convert, and it takes time to do the actual conversion.

Good luck, and post pics if you actually do get into the hobby...

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Check out the threads linked in my sig, that should give you a good head start. Good luck.

[Owensclan2006]

Yeah, projects don't scare me, nor does manual labor or power tools. I grew up basically on large scale construction sites (think hospitals and huge postal distribution centers, stadiums and the likes) and when my mom ditched us, I practically lived at jobsites with my dad from the time I was about 11 years old. I even had my own sunshine yellow hard hat. I was using all kinds of power tools by the time I was 16. My husband fixes equipment for a large but locally owned chain of convenience stores well known here in Oklahoma. And we have a side hustle doing renovations and remodels. We have all the tools necessary plus have acreage to park a bus for as long as we need and a large workshop on site to work out of as well.

It isn't so much a matter of if we choose to do a conversion but when. I just need to learn more about models and engine types and what sort of thing to look for in that department.

Another reason I think it would be an amazing advantage to us is because it would allow us to travel further to jobs with our family since I also homeschool the kiddos. We have had several out of state situations where it would be far easier to have the kiddos entertained in a more home like setting than a motel.