85 Chevy bus

[Frost-SKO]

I'm new to the site but have spent the last few days pouring over pages and pictures and everything here to get an idea what to do with the tank that I drug home when the wife had a girl's day out.

She's an 85 Chevy full size bus with a 454 and automatic transmission. I drove her to the backyard and was doing donuts in the pasture with the lights going 90 to nothing because....it's a bus and I shut her down when she got stuck. Now she won't crank but that's a different story. This is her and I'm pretty much still searching around for ideas on what to do to her and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

That said, is there a way to disable the buzzer for the low air? I realize it's reason for being there but I'd like to be able to think while I chase wires with the key on.

A bit about me: OIF Infantry guy that decided to stop an AK round with my head and about as mechanically inept as the Pilsbury Dough Boy.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Another Vet...Welcome Bud & thanks for your service! --- The interior looks like a great starting place. Can't help with the air buzzer except to say..."don't forget to hook it back up when you are done". With air brakes, the alert is critical mission data.

 

[Frost-SKO]

Thank you Tango. It's a beast that I am getting the wife warmed up to.

 

[milkmania]

Welcome aboard!

Fixed it for ya

 

[Frost-SKO]

I love it. The wife is a baker.

 

[Frost-SKO]

This thing has zero air conditioners on it. Would someone suggest a window unit (and how to install it) or paying someone to cut into the roof to install an RV AC unit?

 

[Tango-SKO]

Having owned a few, I have a personal loathing of most "RV A/C's". Especially the roof mounts. There are basement units that are much better but I went with a Wally World window unit tucked into my own roof vent. You can put them just about anywhere though. If my bus were bigger, I would have configured the system below the floor and ducted it.

Why window units?

You can buy new window units that are super efficient, in a wide range of sizes and output (BTU's) and all for a fraction of what an RV unit costs. The other big advantage being that when (not if) a roof mount goes south...you aren't left with a big hole while the techs take days to charge you a fortune for waiting on parts and working on it. You can replace a window unit for less than the average minimum service fee on the typical RV unit. And you can do it in minutes while parking for free at any Wally World.

That's my personal dos centavos amigo.

 

[wauto]

I put a window air right above my rear door. Sawzall the hole and stuff it it. Super cold even in GA heat last summer.

If you go this route. Cut three sides of your hole. (left right and bottom). Cut the top about 3 inches lower than necessary. Then fold top lip outward. Keeps rain out and makes sealing up the project easy.

 

[Frost-SKO]

Interesting idea. I don't want to cut into the body itself so I'd have to have someone do it for me. Any pictures of cutting into the back to mount the unit? Where would you mount an AC under the bus if you're going with a 10,000 btu ac unit?

Next I'll be bugging you on how to wire this thing for AC and DC

 

[Tango-SKO]

My bus had no room below or I would have put the A/C there in a box and ducted it. I wound up cutting a hole in my roof and building a heavy gauge steel shroud to protect it from limbs & such. And given that Chevy is from the "Art Deco" series, I went with a configuration that I think compliments the rounded design. With more space over the door to work with, Wauto's solution is much simpler.

Here is the hole...

...the basic box...

...and the hood. My 8,000 BTU fits inside and there is a stainless mesh screen that covers the exhaust area. A drain tube (don't forget that) runs down inside a rear wall. A roof deck will (eventually) line up flush with the top of the box.

Just look over what you have to work with, measure some appropriately sized window units and work up a plan that you can both handle & live with.

But...whatever else you do...take and post lots of pix!

 

[Dragonpop]

Don't know if these new hybrid swamp coolers are available in a small enough
package yet but they're way more efficient than any other A/C out there and
use less energy to boot. Here's the web site Climate Wizard: Hyper-efficient Cooling | Home | Climate Wizard
just read it in the latest Mother Earth News.

 

[Frost-SKO]

I am seriously impressed by the community here already. Thank yall. I'm going to be blowing this up with pictures so stay tuned.

 

[Frost-SKO]

Does anyone have a link to Texas laws on if I have to paint her and cover the flashers?

 

[Crazy]

No way! I wouldn't put that on my bus. You'll have cops crawling all over your bus.

 

[Frost-SKO]

I need to find 4 bus seats. Does anyone have a few?

 

[somewhereinusa]

If it really is some sort of swamp cooler, it doesn't say, they only work very good where there isn't any humidity.

 

[Tango-SKO]

Ya got that right. Typical swamp coolers are great...in the desert...but don't do squat in humid areas...like Houston.

 

[Frost-SKO]

Or like North East Texas. And then you get that neat mold problem. I grew up poor enough to think a swamp cooler was neat and every week you'd have to clean the wall across from the machine to get rid of mildew and mold.

 

[Frost-SKO]

I got bored

 

[Frost-SKO]

Back of the bus done