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Old 09-11-2020, 04:31 PM   #1
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Saving money while doing research

Heyo,

We're currently in the very beginning stages of moving to the skoolie lifestyle. While we save money for the purchase of our bus, we do ridiculous amounts of research on conversions.

We know we want a short or mid-sized bus. Nothing over 30 ft and nothing with only 4 windows(not including driver window). The catch is researching the right engine and transmission for the size we want.

We know we might be out of depth by wanting something that can handle going up and down hills without losing too much speed. A bus like Navigation Nowhere(Mike's) short bus would work well for us, or one the size of Fernthebus on Instagram would be even better.

If anyone knows the best engine and transmission combination for these two types of busses, please let me know, as well as what additional things we can add to the bus that might help the bus with hills and speed(we don't care about going faster than 65mph, or even 60mph, we just want to be sure we can handle hills and not lose TOO MUCH speed on a highway or freeway).

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Old 09-11-2020, 04:43 PM   #2
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There are loads of discussions on this site that go into the minutiae of engine trans. combos and what to avoid whenever possible.

You are taking the right approach and doing research before buying. Many folks don't and buy the first bus that comes along and soon regret the purchase for a variety of reasons.

The two main points that are incredibly important in having a good conversion experience is finding a rust free bus body, and a good engine/trans platform on which to build on.

If you research more threads on here you will find valuable pointers on what years to avoid, along with engines and transmission combos that might be problematic if not properly addressed.

Good luck in your search, and post pics if/when you eventually buy a bus...
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Old 09-11-2020, 05:44 PM   #3
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Yeah this website is kind of my bread and butter when it comes to research; there are many vetted skoolie owners on here.

Being rust-free will always be the #1 priority in our search. I heard someone once say, "You wouldn't build your house on a bad foundation, would you?" And I feel like rust, engine and transmission are basically your foundation for your skoolie, in THAT order.

Transmission can really prohibit you from going certain places, from what I've read about; or at least bring down your driving comfort level. As a couple with one dog and one cat, there is no need for a bus thats even over 27 ft long; but we might decide to tow a jeep, or have some kind of deck/hitch that can hold two Ebikes or dirt bikes.
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Old 09-11-2020, 07:07 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Planet.Slam View Post
Being rust-free will always be the #1 priority in our search. I heard someone once say, "You wouldn't build your house on a bad foundation, would you?" And I feel like rust, engine and transmission are basically your foundation for your skoolie, in THAT order.
Rust is definitely the foundation for my skoolie.
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Old 09-11-2020, 08:29 PM   #5
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Rust is definitely the foundation for my skoolie.
You definitely started with a solid foundation, solid rust. Just think though, you're an expert on the subject now.
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