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Old 08-12-2020, 05:37 PM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 2
Year: 2005
Wink Vanlife to Mini Bus Life

Hi folks,

My partner and I just bought a lil 19' short bus and are beginning to plan our build.

In the past, we spent 2 years full time in a Sprinter van until an untimely collision with a UPS truck last year. We salvaged lots of materials from the wreck and have been holding onto them for the right project.

We went with a mini bus this time around due to the safety rating, the interior space and windows, and obviously the cool factor. It will be nice to get our solar panels out of our living room and into the sunshine again...

Our bus is a 2005 Ford E350 diesel 6.0L with 4 windows, measuring 19' from bumper to bumper. RWD with rear duallies. Just hit 200k. It is unspeakably cute. It came up from Northern California and was stored indoors, so no rust thankfully. We bought it from Wolf Creek Skoolies in Oregon and have nothing but good things to say about Kurt and his crew.

Currently we are trying to figure out how to title it as a motor home given that the Oregon DMV offices are closed and their mail-in registration doesn't have room to explain much. I feel confident we can insure it once the conversion is complete but not sure what to for the time being, since we will be driving it occasionally while we build it. A friend suggested that we insure it as a passenger van given it's short size and model, then upgrade to RV insurance once we finish the conversion and can show pics of the professional quality. Does anyone have experience with taking that route?

We expect this project will take long time but are looking forward to the adventure!
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kkwip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2020, 05:48 PM   #2
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 1,349
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Thomas 4 window w/lift
Chassis: G30~Chevy cutaway
Engine: 5.7/350 Chevy Vortec
Rated Cap: Just me and my "stuff"?
Welcome to the site kkwip.
Your bus is similar in size to mine.
I have designed mine as a solo rig for just myself, as there isn't much elbow room for anyone else after installing the fixturing inside.

Also the 6.0 is an engine that can be problematic if it is not made "bulletproof" at fairly significant cost. There is lots of specific info on the site regarding the engine and its issues, if you choose to further research it.

Good luck on your project, and post pics if you go forward with building it out...
peteg59 is offline   Reply With Quote
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