BUSJAMIN BUSSON

[Busjamin]

Hello from Maryland!

I'm Ben, and my partner Jess and I are on the verge of taking a big leap into this world. We have committed to moving into a full-time skoolie within the next few months.

The conversation started after watching the Gabby Petito documentary . We will need to change living situations in September. Our landlord is getting out of prison (ugh, that sentence is just...ugh) and wants to come back to live in the house we rent, but that's a story for another day.

Once we started discussing the idea, Jess got onboard pretty quickly. I made the mistake of introducing the idea of a sprinter conversion at first, as that was my plan when I was single and moving around solo. She didn't like that idea, but once I explained that it's an actual custom tiny-home on wheels, she fell in love. It just makes so much sense for us that we now refer to it as the only reasonable option. This has been on my mind for years, and I'm elated to finally have the chance to execute on this dream.

With all my construction experience I had actually been looking forward to buying a brick & mortar house and renovating it, or even building one from the ground up, but that seems so unrealistic these days. I'm glad though, because I think we could have easily missed this chance to think differently about our futures given a less brutal housing market.

I quit my construction management job and have been spending all my time on the hunt, and educating myself on less familiar topics in skoolie-building. I have about 15 years of residential construction experience, as well as 5 years in project management and estimating, so I feel pretty comfortable with all the interiors work as well as planning the project. I do my own maintenance and modifications on our personal vehicles, so I have at least a cursory knowledge of what I'll be dealing with mechanically. All that said, I am very aware that there will be many challenges ahead.

Initially, I had planned to buy a relatively small chassis at auction and run through a simple build to familiarize myself and dig up the unknown unknowns. Then we could work on planning the bigger, badder rig armed with the experience from the first build.

We are now leaning toward purchasing a partial or complete build to get us out there ASAP. There are some decent, livable rigs out there for very reasonable prices. Then, we'll have a chance to live the life a bit, see how we like it, and decide on what's most important for our own custom build. If we love what we have, then we can just renovate to our own taste. OR, on the off chance my partner or I end up hating the lifestyle...at least we didn't dump 6 months and $25k into a build to figure that out.

Right now I'm working on getting in touch with the folks at Wanderlust Waypoints. I really like what I see and this kind of community suits my personality quite well. I contacted them about their work camping program to try and get a foot in the door ASAP. We're totally in love with the idea of digging in at a Waypoint and living life there for some time. We will most likely end up at the WV location if everything works out but again, haven't actually connected with them yet so we'll see.

SO,

We currently have our eyes on a 1983 GMC 6000. If we can get ahold of the guy, it might come home this weekend. Even if there are issues, the price is very reasonable and it would take something pretty bad to make this a no-go for us. It appears to be well maintained, so I have high hopes.

It's a timeless look and I appreciate the classic lines from this era. We do want the exterior of our home to be beautiful too, and a Bluebird Vision just ain't it (no offense BB Vision peeps!). From the fairly simple listing, I can tell the interior is pretty typical, with basic amenities, recycled cabs & appliances, etc. Nice but nothing special; perfect for us...less to tear out later. It appears to be set up for boondocking to some degree, with solar and a "large battery bank". Can't tell if it has a shower and toilet but there appears to be a door to...something.

Running a 366 big block feels pretty carefree as they are abundant and easy to service, and I can probably do almost everything myself. Trying to familiarize myself with the bigger commercial diesel engines was intimidating and I'd be leaning on a mechanic more often than with a gas engine. Could even be a fun project further down the road to build the engine, restore and clean up the engine bay and make it a bit more of a showpiece.

As for the condition of the body, I'm not holding my breath. Unless this bus is from a more arid climate originally, it's gonna be rough. At the very least, every fastener on the body is going to be a bitch and I'll be brushing up on my drill & tapping. While we do not intend to be in motion often, we do want to be safe when we do so this could be one potential dealbreaker.

I've already written WAY too much so, signing off for now. God willing, I'll be posting about our purchase very soon. Really looking forward to getting to know the people in this community and starting this fantastic journey.

 

[nikitis]

Welcome, and nice writeup.

I would suggest if you cannot find a pre-made build within your budget, you can do a "Quick" build by not replacing the inside skins, and simply building frames for a bedroom wall, a bed, couches, and buy premade cabinets from Home Depot, and could do it relatively fast to make it livable.

At most you'd have to remove the seats but this can be done within a day to 1 week for most people.

Leave the floors. There could be rust under the floors but if you are going for a quick move in, you can save a lot of time by not redoing the floors, and just building on top of them. You can look under the bus carefully and check for how much rust is visible and where, and if little to no rust your floors will likely be fine as well because the kids juice box tends to drip down and rust the underside as well.

By leaving the Bus skins and roof, you're not changing out the insulation. There is some insulation so as long as you're not in an extreme climate it will work a little bit. If it's too hot of an area, or too cold of an area it can be a problem. This is why many will rip out the skins and build their own walls and roofs to add more and better R value insulations. The benefit of living in a bus however is that you have wheels and can act like birds and move to better climates at different times of the year so you always live in a moderate climate unless your jobs tie you down.

Just some thoughts, let me know what you think of that.

 

[Busjamin]

Welcome, and nice writeup.

I would suggest if you cannot find a pre-made build within your budget, you can do a "Quick" build by not replacing the inside skins, and simply building frames for a bedroom wall, a bed, couches, and buy premade cabinets from Home Depot, and could do it relatively fast to make it livable.

At most you'd have to remove the seats but this can be done within a day to 1 week for most people.

Leave the floors. There could be rust under the floors but if you are going for a quick move in, you can save a lot of time by not redoing the floors, and just building on top of them. You can look under the bus carefully and check for how much rust is visible and where, and if little to no rust your floors will likely be fine as well because the kids juice box tends to drip down and rust the underside as well.

By leaving the Bus skins and roof, you're not changing out the insulation. There is some insulation so as long as you're not in an extreme climate it will work a little bit. If it's too hot of an area, or too cold of an area it can be a problem. This is why many will rip out the skins and build their own walls and roofs to add more and better R value insulations. The benefit of living in a bus however is that you have wheels and can act like birds and move to better climates at different times of the year so you always live in a moderate climate unless your jobs tie you down.

Just some thoughts, let me know what you think of that.

Nikitis,

Thanks so much for your input. We had a hearty laugh at the juicebox rust comment. The point about moving with the birds is also great, and one of the most appealing aspects of this lifestyle for us. She works remote and I can get a construction gig most anywhere if I need to. That said, we do see ourselves being snowed-in at several potential family locations at some point in the future, so our forever rig will need the works.

Doing a more spartan build for now is a possibility, but I personally want to offer my partner and I some decent creature comforts. I considered doing this to get the title converted, maybe even not finishing the work, just enough to send pics to the DMV.

We're in our thirties now and past our sleeping-on-the-floor phase...I don't want to end up giving the bus life a bad rep with her by making us live in suboptimal conditions. She is great and not some prima donna, but I want her to stay happy and cozy to really consolidate this life for us long term. Beyond that, I know it will feel like a waste of time to me since I know it's a shortcut of sorts.

Cheers and thanks again for your thoughts friend.

 

[nikitis]

You can sleep in a bed. It's just the walls may let too much temperature in if you don't do the works. If you can dedicate 3 months straight to a build as in every day and not going to work, and have the money to buy what's needed you can do the full monty and get it done in that time frame.

I'm just saying if you are under a time crunch, it's doable. Build a bed frame in a day, and drop a mattress onto it. You won't be sleeping on the floor. You could do this cheap and if the engine etc is good, you could do it for around 10k in materials by leaving the floor and skin in tact.

Down the road you can take your time and obtain a second bus and do it right. I don't know the time crunch you're under to get out but if so it's something you can do.

Having a first trial bus can also help you know if it's enough space for you, or if you need to resize for the second bus etc. You'll learn what you can live with and without before putting in a sizeable investment.

 

[Busjamin]

Haha, I just mean that I'm not willing to put Jess thru the experience of living in a totally unfinished, uninsulated build while I work on it. It's a personal choice, I think she would tough it out. We are in a hurry, but I don't want to rush, if that makes sense.

So we have until around September/October. I had actually dialed in to about 3 months work to get us operational and moved in, and yeah that's full-time working only on this project. It's validating to have another verify that timeframe.

The motivation to buy a livable rig is actually to get out sooner than that. If we can hit the road next month, we save a ton on housing costs and I can get myself into a position to tap this community way more directly and make sure my own build goes as well as possible. That said, I haven't heard back from the guy about the GMC, and also haven't heard from Wanderlust about site availability so I may be getting ahead of myself.

 

[nikitis]

Yeah most people shoot for 6 months for a full build, but end up taking 2 years. I see it all the time. Dedicated people who go full monty on it without being distracted can do it in 3 months it's possible. If you got work in between or get a lot of personal distractions, you won't meet that deadline so don't get distracted. I'm in year 2 but I'm doing the EXTENDED build where I go over every square inch of my bus inside and out.

I live in a 2 story house, 2 car garage on 3/4 acreage, and also have 30 acres of land not too far away, so I make my monthly mortgages to both while still building my bus slowly on my own time. I have no time crunch so that's why it's taking me awhile. Additionally I picked a bus I loved the look of, not the best bus to build out of and I had 30 yo computer issues that I had to fix as well as some drive line and bad king pin issues. So I had a lot of mechanical issues to fix. That's all well and good now and she drives great mechanically, but I'm about to do a roof raise which I'm a little intimidated about because I haven't done it but scientifically i've reviewed many roof raises and studied it as much as one can possible do so, so I just need to get out there and do it. It's the next step before I can actually build inside of it. My roof is only 6ft tall, and I added 4.5 inches of XPS floor insulation Plus 0.5inch of OSB flooring, and she's cozy from the ground up. I don't even have side insulation yet, and there's already a world of difference in there temperature wise, but that took out 5 inches and I'm 5'11 so now i'm hunched over and I don't even have 3.5 inches of roof made yet. 3 inches of Foam insulation will go in, and 0.5 inch of roof material, so I have no choice but to raise the roof. I'm raising it total 12inches which will leave me 5 inches of head room when I'm done.

 

[Busjamin]

Interesting! 6-months was my SWAG on the job if I was part-timing it.

I've also noticed quite a few people listing their bus with insulation and subfloor done and are giving up, or broke up with their S.O. or whatever, after year TWO. I'm just glad I know well enough not to buy any of those rigs. The worst are the ones listed in the middle of their roof raise. I guess that's where a lot of people break LOL and listed for likely twice what they paid for the chassis with bonus demolition work included because they built it like a condo.

I'm 6'0" (not to brag ) so standing room is important to me as well. I'm not messing with a roof raise on #1. I have more wild ambitions for the full-time bus, so I'm not missing out by going easy on the first one. I can put up with some hunching if need be. I want to put myself in the position to do something wild, like a double-decker, or more realistically a 40' LF transit bus or some other atypical approach. For now, trying to stay firmly on Earth and just get out there where the knowledge is.

 

[nikitis]

A warning about 40ft bus, great for living if you plan to be stationary, but if you want to drive anywhere and park it's not a good time. 30ft buses are perfect because they are large but can also fit in 2 parking spaces side by side perfectly. A 40 footer cannot, and you have to park on the edge of parking lots if they allow it. If you are rarely traveling in it and parked most of the time a 40 footer can be lived with, but if you are traveling to the beach often or other short remote places, it's more of a hassle and most deem it too troublesome. So you will need to decide what you will do more often. Parking and only traveling snowbirds, or weekend vacation warriors. That's how I'd make the choice.

Additionally many campgrounds won't accept over 30ft too so you may be rejected from sites once they learn you have a 40 footer.

Mine is planned to be a weekend warrior vacation bus so we like to park at restaurants etc and can do so without much hassle because we fit and I can say it's really nice to be able to do that.

 

[Cheezewhiz]

We pulled the seats and nothing else, did a real minimal build.

Original concept was for the thing to be a festival wagon, but life happens and now we're full time live aboard.

We only tore out the seats, left everything alone as much as possible, and built in the bare minimum-countertop, gimbal stove, fridge, bedframe. Steel cable with turnbuckles for curtain rods. Turned four of the og seats into a little sitting area.

the open floor plan has been a godsend, as we can rearrange on the fly as need be. Didn't get bogged down in an extraordinarily large project like redoing insulation and floors and ****-as it is, it's been plenty enough project.

Everything always takes longer and costs more.

Insulation is great and all, but you'll lose most heat out the windows anyway, so unless you're covering those up (and having a view is nice) I don't think it matters enough to be worth ripping the whole ****ing ceiling down.

You want quick and dirty? Throw two diesel heaters in there. They crank when they're working right. Just make sure they're easily accessible, they require regular service

 

[nikitis]

We pulled the seats and nothing else, did a real minimal build.

Original concept was for the thing to be a festival wagon, but life happens and now we're full time live aboard.

We only tore out the seats, left everything alone as much as possible, and built in the bare minimum-countertop, gimbal stove, fridge, bedframe. Steel cable with turnbuckles for curtain rods. Turned four of the og seats into a little sitting area.

the open floor plan has been a godsend, as we can rearrange on the fly as need be. Didn't get bogged down in an extraordinarily large project like redoing insulation and floors and ****-as it is, it's been plenty enough project.

Everything always takes longer and costs more.

Insulation is great and all, but you'll lose most heat out the windows anyway, so unless you're covering those up (and having a view is nice) I don't think it matters enough to be worth ripping the whole ****ing ceiling down.

You want quick and dirty? Throw two diesel heaters in there. They crank when they're working right. Just make sure they're easily accessible, they require regular service

Exactly my point. It doesn't HAVE to be extravagant. I know we all get carried away with the science of it all a lot on here, but plenty of builds are still very nice looking keeping the original skins etc. It's cheaper and far faster to do.

I will argue about insulation as right now even just having my floor done makes a difference with only bare outside skins and default windows. Windows you can actually buy tinting for then which REALLY helps as well in the summer time. Not as much in the Winter time though but if you are snowed in, you can always make temporary insulation boards to throw and attach to the windows in the winter.

 

[Busjamin]

@nikitis Yes, all true and good points. Never considered the 2x parking space dimension but that's good practical info. 40-footer would be for a more semi-permanent rig. We see ourselves "settling down" some day. The 30s are way more approachable. All depends on our experience; we're being careful not to commit to any given philosophy we don't need to yet.

@Cheezewhiz Valid, interesting and I'm hearing you guys. Your "open plan" thing has me thinking. Jess rearranges our whole apartment every six weeks already! We will be leaving as much glass as possible, so definitely influences how we'll approach insulating other areas, or not. Seems like there are a lot of ways to get into it without much barrier so we're playing it by ear.

Appreciate the engagement and happy for the advice.

 

[Busjamin]

Windows you can actually buy tinting for then which REALLY helps as well in the summer time. Not as much in the Winter time though but if you are snowed in, you can always make temporary insulation boards to throw and attach to the windows in the winter.

I actually planning on making a modular magnetic panel system for the windows that can be used to cover some or all of the windows and insulate more or less depending on how many are deployed. I won't tint the windows because we really want as much light and open view as we can get.

 

[nikitis]

This is for sale. The transmission is a AT545 though is the only issue. Slow but is also a longer bus so it's fine if it's parked most of it's life.

2000 BlueBird For Sale

I have for sale a 2000 BlueBird for Sale! Asking $7000. Reasonable offers considered. I'm ready for it to move very soon so I can continue with my next project!!! It is located in Western Kansas, near Scott City/Oakley KS. It is a flat nose bus with the Cummins 5.9L diesel in the front. 125,xxx...

www.skoolie.net

 

[nikitis]

Also found this for sale. Well priced and complete. Looks gorgeous.

For Sale, 1986 Crown Supercoach with Midcentury Build

Hi there! I’m selling my 1986 Crown Supercoach, a legendary bus known as the Rolls Royce of school buses. It has an aluminum body built to stand the test of time and timeless styling to match. The specs include a mid-engine Detroit 6-71 motor, Allison automatic transmission, and only 132,000...

www.skoolie.net

 

[Busjamin]

Also found this for sale. Well priced and complete. Looks gorgeous.

For Sale, 1986 Crown Supercoach with Midcentury Build

Hi there! I’m selling my 1986 Crown Supercoach, a legendary bus known as the Rolls Royce of school buses. It has an aluminum body built to stand the test of time and timeless styling to match. The specs include a mid-engine Detroit 6-71 motor, Allison automatic transmission, and only 132,000...

www.skoolie.net

I looked at this one HARD. Ended up deciding to pass bc of the distance and upfront cost. I do like this body style a lot and will be keeping an eye out for them, reading build threads etc

 

[nikitis]

20k for a completed bus is not a lot of up front cost. A crown itself bare will likely be 10k+. I think it's priced right, well even. If you go the full monty you're gonna spend more than 20k on it before you're done plus do all of the work. This of course means the drive train is in good shape.

 

[Busjamin]

20k for a completed bus is not a lot of up front cost. A crown itself bare will likely be 10k+. I think it's priced right, well even. If you go the full monty you're gonna spend more than 20k on it before you're done plus do all of the work. This of course means the drive train is in good shape.

You are right, it's really nice for sure and trust me I see what you mean. Some day I will build my own version of this kind of rig and be happy to have put the time in, just as they did.

 

[nikitis]

Absolutely, I can appreciate you wanting to do your own build too. Sounds like you don't want a pre-made then and you know which direction to take. What style of bus do you plan on building in? Mine is a mid-90's Thomas which has larger rivets which gives it muscle. I like that look on a bus. Plus the front hood has an amazing shape. Newer years look slumped down. Out of the dog nose busses I like mine the best of all. I may go flat nose for my next bus down the road and try a rear pusher.

I don't recommend my style bus only because 94-97 are 3 box computers and they are 30 years old and dying all over. Harder to find replacement parts for it. Most avoid for those reasons but the look I couldn't pass up. It was worth the mechanical headache for me.

 

[Busjamin]

Mine is a mid-90's Thomas which has larger rivets which gives it muscle. I like that look on a bus. Plus the front hood has an amazing shape. Newer years look slumped down. Out of the dog nose busses I like mine the best of all. I may go flat nose for my next bus down the road and try a rear pusher.

I don't recommend my style bus only because 94-97 are 3 box computers and they are 30 years old and dying all over. Harder to find replacement parts for it. Most avoid for those reasons but the look I couldn't pass up.

I really like the classic workhorse look of those style busses as well. This kind of unknown-unknown is what I'm talking about, I am not looking forward to dealing with 30yo wiring and computers. This beauty is about to get sold to someone else I guess, but just look at her...sale went pending this morning and I'm gutted.

 

[Busjamin]

There's this one out in Montana...we would have no choice but to make a road trip out of it and pick some cool spots to stop at along the way. I do like the idea of having a 5-speed though, which this one does not.

Public Surplus: Auction #3715172

1986 GMC BUS - Teton County Sheriff Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com