2-Year Plan!!! Tips?? Pointers?? Newbie Here!!!

RE

refinedj

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2017
Posts
25
Hello all. Awesome site! I'm really excited to be a part of it, so thanks for having me. I've convinced my husband of the Skoolie dream, I really am being pulled into a more nomadic type of exsistance. We have set a date and hope to accomplish purchasing, getting to know all things mechanical and converting a bus. Hubby is really into rear engine w/luggage compartments, 76-78 passengers or a 38footer (his only criteria) I'd like the ability to Ben off grid as needed as well as plugged in, so solar, reserve tanks, flushing toilet, shower, (I am ok with out a washer/dryer (I think I can make something else work in place) which brings us here looking for the best advise from the community.. We live in south Florida, and are planning to live in the bus full time for a few years until we buy a piece of land to park on... I can use all the advice you have to offer! Our goal is to be in the bus within 24months!!!!

Best bus ? ? ?
Any websites worth directing us too? (Besides Pinterest!)
Auction Sites??
Realistic budget? (I have my mind set at 12-15k max) am I being realistic? I know some of you are living the life... are you loving it?

Thanks in advance,
Jen
 
Oh great! Another one from Florida....

37a93637a03e03b9e6bed3446245b3461f73651253eda420d7ee3da0b6cbcbca.jpg


Just kidding, welcome aboard:greetings:

I love living in my bus! It's nowhere completed which brings me to this:
My second biggest regret is living on board during conversion:banghead:
 
milkmania said:
Oh great! Another one from Florida....

37a93637a03e03b9e6bed3446245b3461f73651253eda420d7ee3da0b6cbcbca.jpg


Just kidding, welcome aboard:greetings:

I love living in my bus! It's nowhere completed which brings me to this:
My second biggest regret is living on board during conversion:banghead:
Click to expand...



Lol... you may have two very valid points... Floridans and under construction living ... advice heeded ...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Elephant Pregnancy

Hello and welcome to the Forum.
First, this is the best site for your questions and research.
As far as buses, I am not an expert. I have the standard truck nose bus and I have been told the truck nose bus style are easier to maintain and work on when needed compared to the rear push.
Personally, I like the rear push style better but it is my first bus.
Now, storage space is critical and the extra under desk storage is good.
The best advise I have is to narrow down your desires.
Flushing toilet, normal sized anything, all the benefits of home are pretty hard to come by on a bus and they get pretty expensive in a hurry.
Composting toilets seem to be the way to go on a bus.
It removes a lot of plumbing and tank requirements as well as emptying duties and locations.
Luckily in Florida you can work year round so that is a huge benefit as far as actually fitting to your time table. I dont have that pleasure by any means in my location.
Naturally the first priority is finding the right bus for the right price and while we are on that subject, I hope you have a healthy budget set aside for such a fast project of this size.
There are typically four ways of converting a bus, the bare minimum - seats out, old furniture put in, newspapers over the windows and done. The average - Replaced flooring, sheeted windows, new wiring and 2x4s everywhere and I mean everywhere some of these folks think they are building a 7,000lb wall in the middle of their bus. Then you have the custom - reskin, building furniture and cabinets, welding, lifting the roof, new windows, doors, all of that. Then you have the Pro level - like my friend up above, they find a 1930s bus and rebuild the entire thing from the ground up and make an absolutely beautiful work of art to drive and live in.

That is your first step, deciding what you want to do. Scaling it back to a realistic level, fitting it within budget, collecting the right people to help or learning it yourself, then finding the bus, deconstructing it, prepping it, readying everything, finalizing a layout, buying materials, installing, insulating, wiring, plumbing, changing your plans ten times for each project, the building, finishing, conducting test runs, and then you are done. Hopefully all within two years.

Expect the unexpected, a simple one day project will take three days. A project that should take a week will take two days. You will find problems if you dig deep enough. You will have additional expenses and countless issues that frustrate you, boggle your mind and down right piss you off. It is afterall well it should be a labor of love and not a get away vehicle.

If, I am wrong please tell me guys.
Either way, good luck and have fun.
 
New2Skool said:
Hello and welcome to the Forum.

First, this is the best site for your questions and research.

As far as buses, I am not an expert. I have the standard truck nose bus and I have been told the truck nose bus style are easier to maintain and work on when needed compared to the rear push.

Personally, I like the rear push style better but it is my first bus.

Now, storage space is critical and the extra under desk storage is good.

The best advise I have is to narrow down your desires.

Flushing toilet, normal sized anything, all the benefits of home are pretty hard to come by on a bus and they get pretty expensive in a hurry.

Composting toilets seem to be the way to go on a bus.

It removes a lot of plumbing and tank requirements as well as emptying duties and locations.

Luckily in Florida you can work year round so that is a huge benefit as far as actually fitting to your time table. I dont have that pleasure by any means in my location.

Naturally the first priority is finding the right bus for the right price and while we are on that subject, I hope you have a healthy budget set aside for such a fast project of this size.

There are typically four ways of converting a bus, the bare minimum - seats out, old furniture put in, newspapers over the windows and done. The average - Replaced flooring, sheeted windows, new wiring and 2x4s everywhere and I mean everywhere some of these folks think they are building a 7,000lb wall in the middle of their bus. Then you have the custom - reskin, building furniture and cabinets, welding, lifting the roof, new windows, doors, all of that. Then you have the Pro level - like my friend up above, they find a 1930s bus and rebuild the entire thing from the ground up and make an absolutely beautiful work of art to drive and live in.



That is your first step, deciding what you want to do. Scaling it back to a realistic level, fitting it within budget, collecting the right people to help or learning it yourself, then finding the bus, deconstructing it, prepping it, readying everything, finalizing a layout, buying materials, installing, insulating, wiring, plumbing, changing your plans ten times for each project, the building, finishing, conducting test runs, and then you are done. Hopefully all within two years.



Expect the unexpected, a simple one day project will take three days. A project that should take a week will take two days. You will find problems if you dig deep enough. You will have additional expenses and countless issues that frustrate you, boggle your mind and down right piss you off. It is afterall well it should be a labor of love and not a get away vehicle.



If, I am wrong please tell me guys.

Either way, good luck and have fun.
Click to expand...



Oh how I love your honesty!! The goal is two years, this does mean however it could or could not be met. Hefty budget hahahahaha, I wish, I do however play lotto. We can work Year round, so I guess reality is, getting a bus.... as for all the other, stripping down insulating, sectioning off, I do have a builder French friend that loves patients and a damn good bargain free so I plan on brining him onboard of my idea, he'll be a paid enthusiast but an enthusiast none the less... I can do compost but if one can afford a flushing tier that would be so great... I guess I need the bus to strip down and rebuild, priory will be running with a good engine/transmission... I'd like it 90% finished before boarding it but I hear I may be aiming high, but, I am... international or bluebird ... price verse brand...??? I'm eyeing a few things... oh so excited!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You have accomplished one of the smartest things and that is asking questions.

Questions don't cost anything here and could possibly save you thousands down the road.

As far as purchasing a bus is concerned, you need to decide what you really want, what you might settle for, and what you really do not want. It sounds as if you have already determined you want a Type 'D' RE bus. As far as make is concerned, choosing between one of the three that are still in production is going to have as many opinions as to what is best as asking what is better--Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge. I personally do NOT like Blue Birds, some years of Ward/AmTrans/IC are really good and some are really bad, and Thomas has been consistent in building a quality product. When push comes to shove, there isn't a lot of difference between the different makes and it all comes down to personal preference.


Once you have narrowed your search within the category you need to determine what spe'c's you really want, what you might settle for, and what your really do not want.
  • For your purposes you will want the biggest HP engine and the OD transmission. The DT530/466 will have the most HP. Next will be the Cummins 8.3L/ISC. Cat and Mercedes-Benz also supplied a lot of engines over the years but for your purposes they are probably best left on the cutting floor. All of the other engines used in school buses will NOT have the HP and torque you will be wanting.
  • Non-OD transmissions were still used after model year 2000 so a newer vintage does not automatically mean it will have an OD transmission.
  • Whether it has an OD transmission or not, you will want to make sure the rear end is geared for highway use. I was in a bus recently that had a 250 HP engine and an OD transmission that was up against the governor at 60 MPH. It climbed hills like a scared rabbit but was stuck in the slow lane everywhere else.
  • You will also most probably want a bus with the 12" windows. Those buses have 4" more headroom than the 9" window buses. All IC RE buses have had 12" windows since about 1999.
  • Luggage compartments are nice, pass through under the floor luggage compartments are really nice. But not necessary.
  • All IC RE buses since about 1999 have rear air ride suspensions. Some even have front air suspensions. Air suspensions really smooth out a lot of the bumps out on the highway. Thomas and Blue Bird had air ride as an extra cost option that wasn't always spe'c'ed.
  • When tinted glass and white roof options were spe'c'ed it usually also meant the bus had extra insulation. It isn't that important if you are going to be taking down the ceiling and walls but can speed the process if you decide not to put in more ceiling and wall insulation.
  • Air brakes are a must if you are going to get one of the biggest school buses on the road. If you don't know anything about air brakes you will need to read up on them and learn the basics. Don't be intimidated. The air brake system is pretty simple in a school bus and should be very easy to master. There are a lot of real dummies out there that are carrying air brake repair certificates in their pockets.
  • If there are two buses that are basically identical and priced the same I would purchase the bus with the better tires. But if all things are not equal, don't worry about the tires. Sitting for two years while you work on your bus can ruin a set of tires if they are baking in the FL sunshine.
Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.
 
cowlitzcoach said:
You have accomplished one of the smartest things and that is asking questions.

Questions don't cost anything here and could possibly save you thousands down the road.

As far as purchasing a bus is concerned, you need to decide what you really want, what you might settle for, and what you really do not want. It sounds as if you have already determined you want a Type 'D' RE bus. As far as make is concerned, choosing between one of the three that are still in production is going to have as many opinions as to what is best as asking what is better--Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge. I personally do NOT like Blue Birds, some years of Ward/AmTrans/IC are really good and some are really bad, and Thomas has been consistent in building a quality product. When push comes to shove, there isn't a lot of difference between the different makes and it all comes down to personal preference.


Once you have narrowed your search within the category you need to determine what spe'c's you really want, what you might settle for, and what your really do not want.
  • For your purposes you will want the biggest HP engine and the OD transmission. The DT530/466 will have the most HP. Next will be the Cummins 8.3L/ISC. Cat and Mercedes-Benz also supplied a lot of engines over the years but for your purposes they are probably best left on the cutting floor. All of the other engines used in school buses will NOT have the HP and torque you will be wanting.
  • Non-OD transmissions were still used after model year 2000 so a newer vintage does not automatically mean it will have an OD transmission.
  • Whether it has an OD transmission or not, you will want to make sure the rear end is geared for highway use. I was in a bus recently that had a 250 HP engine and an OD transmission that was up against the governor at 60 MPH. It climbed hills like a scared rabbit but was stuck in the slow lane everywhere else.
  • You will also most probably want a bus with the 12" windows. Those buses have 4" more headroom than the 9" window buses. All IC RE buses have had 12" windows since about 1999.
  • Luggage compartments are nice, pass through under the floor luggage compartments are really nice. But not necessary.
  • All IC RE buses since about 1999 have rear air ride suspensions. Some even have front air suspensions. Air suspensions really smooth out a lot of the bumps out on the highway. Thomas and Blue Bird had air ride as an extra cost option that wasn't always spe'c'ed.
  • When tinted glass and white roof options were spe'c'ed it usually also meant the bus had extra insulation. It isn't that important if you are going to be taking down the ceiling and walls but can speed the process if you decide not to put in more ceiling and wall insulation.
  • Air brakes are a must if you are going to get one of the biggest school buses on the road. If you don't know anything about air brakes you will need to read up on them and learn the basics. Don't be intimidated. The air brake system is pretty simple in a school bus and should be very easy to master. There are a lot of real dummies out there that are carrying air brake repair certificates in their pockets.
  • If there are two buses that are basically identical and priced the same I would purchase the bus with the better tires. But if all things are not equal, don't worry about the tires. Sitting for two years while you work on your bus can ruin a set of tires if they are baking in the FL sunshine.
Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.
Click to expand...



OMG! I Thank you for this wealth of information!! I can not thank you enough for your time and the treasure trove of info! I'll begin that list, must, might, no way and go from there ...

My husband is not at all mechanically shy; he's an over the road trucker so air brakes and such don't make him a bit nervous, and now with your encouragement I'm beginning to not feel as nervous about learning as much as I can about all things DT530/466... and am looking forward to more then just my colorful floor plan! Geared for highway- who would have thought it... me now, thanks for that nugget, I don't want to be weighted down like his semi, crawling thru any traffic that would suck! Thank you Thank you Thank you, I will certainly keep ya posted!


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Man I love when Cowlitz explains stuff. I could never be so concise.
What he said about tires is a great point. All I cared about with my bus' tires was getting home on them. I figured a fresh set after the conversion would be best for me once I realized I'd be working on this for more than a year or so.
 
EastCoastCB said:
Man I love when Cowlitz explains stuff. I could never be so concise.
What he said about tires is a great point. All I cared about with my bus' tires was getting home on them. I figured a fresh set after the conversion would be best for me once I realized I'd be working on this for more than a year or so.
Click to expand...



Feeling loved/welcomed/educated...

Oh sckoolie community I think I'm in love!!! [emoji6][emoji8]


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Oh and I just learned how to reply without quoting, the morning is getting better with each moment lol!!!


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