Cabover/COE Buses

[Hemp Bus]

In my quests of looking through two of my favorite current obsessions, buses, and vintage COE trucks, I started wondering how many are out there or have been at one point or another. It seems most of the vintage ones that I have found are a shorter wheel base, but very cool. However, there is one particular guy who took the front end off a 53 GMC Cabover, and whipped out some pretty nice metalworking to bring it all together with the back end of an old schoolbus. Anyone ever considered doing such a thing? It's damn near impossible to find old COE's now, but sometimes you find them without any frame or engine, just the cab shell. Seems like that would be a perfect project for someone with some serious metalworking skills. I feel like the ride height would be improved, as would the front end visual. Would work well with a little roof raise as well I'd think.

This is the best video that I have found that shows the majority of the photos. If anyone knows where to find articles on the build, or how to contact the guy, I'd love to know.

https://youtu.be/CCg9oUM9O3I

Also, if anyone has any other cool COE bus photos, feel free to nestle them in here as well. Love to see unique vintage steel!

[aaronsb]

That's fun, looks like a giant marshmallow. Not really my cup of tea though, due to the difficulty in getting to the engine and other running gear bits.

[Mark_In_MA]

I love the idea, and the construction quality looks good, but it looks too much like a yellow blimp to me.

Some searching on Google came up with

Can't find any info other then the picture. . .
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...cf6f44f5df.jpg






GMC Model AFKX 4x4 Truck

US Army "shop van". Chevy chassis, supposedly a Ward body. I think it was a parts supply truck.




I think the idea could look pretty awesome, you just need a wide enough cab and a narrow enough bus body.

[cowlitzcoach]

The green Ford chassis bus has a Gillig body on it.

[Tango]

Personally...I love the "blimp" look of the older cabovers. Spent a fair amount of time myself looking for a solid COE truck that I could just add a living box behind. There are a few COE buses out there but they are few and far between. If I had been able to locate the right unit at the right price...that is what I would converted/built. And building the living area from scratch would have been much simpler than adapting a skoolie body.

There are a number of COE's on the page below as well as a bunch of other seldom seen Chevy buses. From rare and pristine vintage to the simply bizarre. Cool stuff.

https://myntransportblog.com/2014/01...oletchevy-usa/