2004 E450 Shuttle Bus Project - 7.3L

[jonbobshinigin]

Picked this one up a month ago and will begin soon. There seems to be a lot of unknowns with these Shuttle buses and the various models so I am hoping to share what I can. Apparently certain models/shell manufacturers are better or worse that others. Here is what I know:


2004 StarTrans manufactured E450, 7.3L Powerstroke with 155,000 miles. Engine runs great, front end could use a rebuild likely to tighten up steering, minimal rust, most of which is simple surface rust.


Plans:


Insulate walls and floor

Vinyl wood flooring
Wood slat room and walls

Full size bed in rear
Good sized kitchen
Shower/compost toilet combo in rear
Running water (hot) via tank underneath
Propane tank underneath
Solar system in the 250+ ah range - 300w+ panel on roof

Wooden Roof deck



All the work will be done myself (with the help of friends that have skills I do not). I plan to do my best to document this in a way that will benefit the community in both photo and video form!

 

[jonbobshinigin]

As I said in original post, there are a ton of different options with Shuttle Buses, unlike School Buses. School buses are very consistent with less unknowns. With Shuttles, you have variables in rear doors, front or rear wheelchair lift, co-pilot seat, rear AC, tall windows, mid windows, quantity of windows...the list goes on. One of the first steps for me is to get some bearings as to how I will insulate the shell. At the same time I need some form of a layout so I can put holes, wires, plumbing, etc in the right places before insulation and paneling.


Something that seems to be a variable with Shuttle buses is "what is beneath the interior skins?". There is the outer shell and there are inner panels as seen in the OP. Some have a weird corrugated sandwich insulation that is apparently a pain. I have heard that StarTrans is a higher quality manifacturer, but that StarCRAFT is not...however, both of these companies were acquired by an umbrella company, Berkshire Hathaway/Forest River. From what I have gathered, they bought StarCraft in early 2000s and they bought StarTrans in 2014.


Anyhow, I cannot yet speak on quality. What I do know is that each company began with the same Cutaway Van from Ford, so any lacking in craftsmanship should be in the shell itself and peripherals associated with it!


I peaked under my panels today and was thrilled to fine things pretty simple, along with some metal ribbing in the fiberglass shell. Since there is not a lot of documentation out there, I was not sure what I would find. Primarily, it comforted me in that I now feel attaching wood panels should not be a problem. Before this, I was thinking I might have to somehow attach framing directly to fiberglass without the aid of metal ribbing. Another thing that I THINK is going to be a positive with my Shuttle is that the windows do not go all the way up. As much as I like windows, this design allows for more insulation, but also much better options for storage above! Of course my opinion on this might chance as time goes on.


Attached is front drivers side panel I peeled back, and also the ground beneath engine after it sat for about one month...no leaks!!