BUSJAMIN BUSSON

[ThomasBusFan]

I took the blue bird roof off and made a custom one. it looks much better now.

 

[Busjamin]

I took the blue bird roof off and made a custom one. it looks much better now.

Go on

 

[Busjamin]

@nikitis you may have talked some sense into me ... I'm re-engaging with the Supercoach.

 

[Busjamin]

OK...been feeling fairly frantic this past 48 hours. Part of that is the engrained anxiety of being unemployed, despite knowing I'm good for a while and have prepared for this. I come from a fairly humble background, so the idea of just...willingly not having a job will take some getting used to. I'm taking some deep breaths and trying to trust the process. Every time I've bought a personal vehicle before it has been the same way; I know it when I see it, and that's been working pretty well for me.

The guy with the 83 GMC finally got back to me: Log into Facebook

What a rollercoaster this has been trying to get in touch with the seller. I'm always paranoid with these FB listings that messages aren't going through, or someone doesn't realize the Marketplace messages are under a separate tab...

I knew this rig would fly off the shelf so I had no time to waste. I did some sleuthing (literally 2 clicks on google) to find that this person has a band website and a phone number listed there...it felt a little creepy, but I don't think it really was. I took a shot in the dark and sent a message to the number explaining the situation, and the guy on the other end shared my number with the seller, who got in touch this morning.

There is another couple who managed to beat me to it (I replied on the first day of listing), but they haven't committed yet so I have my fingers crossed. If they don't buy it, we almost certainly will. Even if we need to put a new engine in it right away, the value is there and it would be the perfect launchpad to get us out there. Not to count my eggs before they hatch, but we are going to name it "The Contrarian" as a tribute to its past life.

As for the Supercoach, I'm struggling to get there in my head. It's definitely very tempting and I do love the bodystyle. It's exactly the kind of thing I want for our "forever" build, but that's the thing, it's already mostly built. We can see the value, we're just not sure this is the direction we want to take. We would have to start by selling off much of what the seller has bought and installed, then maybe even tear out walls and finishes to remodel to our taste. This isn't a problem per se, but it does tie up capital in very fancy appliances that may take some time to offload, and unknown things under the surface of the build that we may have handled differently ourselves.

If the seller had it parked in his driveway, somewhere closer to us here in MD, then we may have already sent a deposit and committed to this one. Unfortunately someone else already offered to buy it as listed and is waiting for the chance to test drive it...so not holding out. Seller told me they will get in touch next time they're travelling to MO.

I am just too fresh on the scene to feel confident either way on most of these rigs. Buying at auction and starting from scratch is probably the only way I'll ever truly feel good about the project...it's just a question of whether that's the first bus purchase, or we want to get out there in something else a bit quicker, and go from there.

 

[nikitis]

You will actually have better luck buying a 93 or older bus because they will be all Mechanical. Computers in buses didn't start until my year 94. So they are actually more repairable and in most cases simple enough that you could find aftermarket retrofits and make them work. They are more workable and avoid emissions.

Personally I would prefer an older than 94 than buy a newer emissions bus anyday by far in regards to repairability.

 

[nikitis]

You're likely gonna have to travel regardless of where you go if you want a choice bus. I would just get used to that idea. And nothing like a road trip to discover what is wrong with your bus on the way back. If you buy one already finished, you can sleep in it if it breaks down, you don't even have to find lodging lol.

Regarding the super coach. It looked like he kept the original skins which is a plus in those. I wouldn't remove the skins in such a classic bus as it adds character and it's rare. So seems like they did not either as it contains the original roof.

In such a bus as the super coach, tear down of items actually would be pretty easy and wouldn't take much to do because the original skins are in. So if you wanted to redo some items you could do it, but until then you can actually use it as is for a bit and then you're on your own time table as to when to renovate. The only negative I see about that supercoach is you won't have top notch insulation in it ever because you keep the original skins and insulation with lower R value, but if you snowbird and drive where it's moderate temps all the time it's a non-issue.

 

[Busjamin]

I was actually considering southwestern busses for this very reason; not only are they likely to be nearly rust-free, but a 28-hour journey home would certainly lend all the peace-of-mind needed to invest in the build.

I've switched tactics in my search a bit. Spoke with Wanderlust and it sounds the best place for us is going to end up being one of the TN locations...but I need to get a rig together before getting involved with them. My understanding is that you show up and get a site (if they have sites yet) and then work each day helping to develop the site in return for waived site & hookup fees. We'll probably pick a site and head out there as soon as we're livable.

The '83 GMC sold. I'm pretty disappointed as it was a screaming deal and could have worked well for our long-term project. I contacted the guy on the first day it was listed, but I guess someone local to him snuck in and grabbed it.

Today the search continues. I haven't been seeing a whole lot I like at auction, but keeping my eyes peeled. Cruising FBM and CL this morning to see if I can scare up any deals.

 

[nikitis]

Well if you are looking to do the full build the state of many buses won't matter too much because you'll be tearing a lot of it down anyway to bare bones and repair any minor rust issues anyways. The two major things is engine and transmission. Are they good and the right ones. Avoid AT545 if you can for speed reasons. And then just is the engine good with no blow by, the rest can be potentially fixed or spruced up by you. If you like the size and shape, engine type/condition, and transmission types, it's probably gonna be a good buy for you.

No one goes into this knowing nearly everything about the bus they buy. Listings are always vague, sellers don't know the transmissions that are in them or intentionally hide that information. I think it's reasonable to ask which engine and transmission is in it and if they cannot tell you, I wouldn't even consider that bus and move on.

To give you an example about not knowing, I had bad king pins on mine, and bought it with a bad Computer. Both issues are fixed now. I even invented my own king pin press to avoid buying a $2000 tool to do it on my own with a $100 I-Beam, cutting it and welding it into a frame with a hole in it to push the king pin put with a 20ton jack. You'll get creative in fixing items on your bus, but while there are tests to determine if a king pin is bad at time of buying, it's often not something people check. There will be things like that you are gonna find, and it's to be expected, not feared. Just make sure those 3 things are in good about the engine/transmission/body you like.

 

[Busjamin]

the state of many buses won't matter too much because you'll be tearing a lot of it down anyway

If I'm tearing it down, I'd prefer it if the fasteners weren't all seized. I've pieced together a short-list of TO-AVOID keywords... AT545 is one you see a lot. I'd rather have a 5-speed like the older ford/chevy gas V8s, or the Spicers you see in some of that era as well.

I'm a paranoid SOB so I'm bringing my magnifying glass and test kits to whatever I may consider buying. That said, I know it will come down to a gut call, so I'm soaking up as much info as I can.

 

[Busjamin]

Public Surplus: Auction #3720788

1992 Blue Bird Bus - Chino Valley Unified School District #51 Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Public Surplus: Auction #3720781

1998 Blue Bird Bus - Chino Valley Unified School District #51 Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Public Surplus: Auction #3718241

2007 bluebird BUS - Farmington Municipal Schools (NM) Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Public Surplus: Auction #3724124

BLUEBIRD - CUMMINS DIESEL (403) - Washington Elementary School District #6 (AZ) Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Promising group out west.

 

[Busjamin]

We like this size and bodystyle. These appear pretty clean, and low mileage. I will say, the <12k mile one was a little alarming. I'd rather the 50k...and even that feels like too few for the powertrain.

 

[Carl635]

Public Surplus: Auction #3720788

1992 Blue Bird Bus - Chino Valley Unified School District #51 Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Public Surplus: Auction #3720781

1998 Blue Bird Bus - Chino Valley Unified School District #51 Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Public Surplus: Auction #3718241

2007 bluebird BUS - Farmington Municipal Schools (NM) Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Public Surplus: Auction #3724124

BLUEBIRD - CUMMINS DIESEL (403) - Washington Elementary School District #6 (AZ) Surplus

www.publicsurplus.com

Promising group out west.

I like the looks/specs of the last one.

 

[Tejon7]

I'd recommend not posting links to any potentials that you're interested in. Not to disparage the ethics of anyone on this fabulous internet of ours, but somebody might come in and snake a bus out from under you. It is useful for discussion though... maybe post pics and specs, but not the actual link? Then somebody would at least have to put in the effort of a google search to steal your prize bus!

 

[Busjamin]

I'd recommend not posting links to any potentials that you're interested in. Not to disparage the ethics of anyone on this fabulous internet of ours, but somebody might come in and snake a bus out from under you. It is useful for discussion though... maybe post pics and specs, but not the actual link? Then somebody would at least have to put in the effort of a google search to steal your prize bus!

Haha, I did actually consider that for a moment. I figure anyone seriously looking for a bus right now wouldn't miss this batch of clean busses smack in the heart of skoolie heaven.

Also, it is an auction so they would be going into it knowing they're up against a motivated private bidder, and not the dealer who currently has entry bids placed on all these...

 

[Busjamin]

OK now that we are officially bidding on busses, I'll outline our initial approach to the build:

Because we are very aware of all the unknowns, we are not going to pour our heart and soul into this first bus, at least not right away. We're open to the idea that this may or may not be a good "forever" rig for us, so I'm going to essentially 'phase' the project. The basic idea is to build it out in a very simple fashion with everything "loose" so we can rearrange and experiment, all without investing a ton of time in tearing the bus apart.

Phase 1 - March-April

Acquire the bus.
Initial maintenance.
Drive it back to build location #1 in MD (our current rental home)
Demo and make final assessments of the chassis

Phase 2 - May-June

By the beginning of May, we should have a base chassis ready to build out, and enough experience with the bus to feel good about committing to it.

Build out as 'open plan'
Minimal 'construction', only what's necessary for functionality
Don't bother with insulation yet
Establish utilities (Power/water/HVAC) - I'll have pros involved as soon as we have a bus
Plug-in lighting w/minimal hard-wired fixtures
Travel to build location #2

Phase 3 - June-???

Phase 3 will be TBD. Doing Phase 1&2 this way allows us to leave Phase 3 largely undefined. We may proceed to do a more robust build-out, or start looking for another bus that better suits our needs. As we work through the simple build and then get out and spend some time living in it, we can fill in the blanks.
_

Bed

I have some aluminum and steel scrap lying around that can be used for supports. I have some wrapped slats from an old IKEA bed somewhere for this too. Basic frame that can basically lay in place and be clamped or bolted down for easy removal later. Mattress from our current Queen bed will work.

Kitchen

I have a couple pieces of furniture that could be adapted for this, but I'm also looking at secondhand commercial kitchen equipment. We'll use a propane cooktop with it's own bottle for the time being (will find a way to contain & vent it to outside. Probably a window blank with a hole in it for duct that can be used at any given window.

I looked into all-in-one kitchenette units but they feel overpriced and a bit boring. Not sure they're easy to offload either. We have things like a minifridge and toaster-oven that will work just fine until we get a nicer setup going.

Shower

Water will be its own section below.

A pre-fab fiberglass enclosure seems like the quick & easy way to establish a wet room. Probably a three-wall, but I'm playing with the idea of a corner stall.

I'll run very basic plumbing, with the showerhead going up and over the top of the fiberglass for now. Minimal effort to set all that up and if we want to rearrange later, the whole thing could be disassembled and reused elsewhere. It can be held in place by some galvanized metal studs.

Toilet

The natural choice for us is a composting toilet, however I would like to have a sort of hybrid setup. Haven't done enough research to know if this is a common thing. I don't see emptying a composting toilet as any less gross than dumping a black tank... In any case, I see us probably getting something like the Separette Villa to start, and plumbing the fluids to a grey tank.

WATER

I am inclined to overbuild the utilities in the bus. I've read a lot of complicated and scientific debate on how to optimize your setup, but I'd rather just go overboard where possible and not worry. I'm totally down to nerd out on all these various systems and solutions, but I just don't have time to become totally fluent before making some of these decisions. I don't want to feel like I have to keep eying our tanks all the time, which I would.

To that end, I'm thinking a 100gal Fresh tank and 100gal Grey tank, mounted under the body to keep the weight low. I'll have to look at the space I have to work with once I have the bus. From what I've seen, 75gal each is reasonable for two people. I've also read that the grey tank ends up being the limiting factor, need to look into that further.

POWER

I want to work toward full off-grid capability, without major sacrifices from how we might live on shore. This may be achieved right away, or after upgrades down the road.

I don't mess with electrical...I leave it to the professionals both because I'm not experienced in that trade, and also because some of the things we'll be dealing with are really ****ing dangerous, both to work with and if improperly installed. I'm happy to spend the extra cash up front to know we have a bulletproof setup. We're going to engage with some local solar companies, ideally who have their own installers, and get things set up very nicely for whatever we may want in the future.

HVAC

With spring arriving, our timing is fortunate here. Neutral temps will allow for some easier temporary solutions. I have a window unit that should be enough to keep us cool in bed over the summer. By winter, we'll have reached the "Phase 3" part of this plan and likely already have our heating solution in place.

Or, we'll just drive south with the geese.

 

[Busjamin]

Today I laid my eyes on an auction bus for the first time. Low mileage Thomas, ~35'.

Not the prettiest chassis but it could be good for what we want. Rust levels more like what I'm used to here in the mid-east...could be manageable but still ugly.

The exhaust is shot, and has been spewing soot all over the driver's side undercarriage. You can see the seam that's rusted through and why everything that seam is facing is matte black (see pic 2). Can't imagine what this bus's operator must have been breathing in each day towards the end . I can see few other trouble spots but honestly, doesn't look too bad to me for a mid-east bus. Seems solid where it counts.

Concerns:

No ID on the transmission; will see what I can find online based on these pictures.

Some areas where oil appears to have been leaking through, however with how the rest of the undercarriage looks, I'd imagine it's just never been cleaned...hard to tell what's a major issue.

Bus appears to be leaning toward the passengers front corner...couldn't tell if it was just how it was parked, or a suspension issue.

Given a thorough cleaning and tune up, this could be a good candidate. Gotta ID that transmission.

 

[Busjamin]

Can anyone explain the function of what appears to be a large EM brake assembly on the driveshaft? I'm having a hard time finding answers online. The link below is the only match I can find.

VOLVO FL6 (ELECTRIC FRICTION BRAKE) – Talleres Capelan

tallerescapelan.com

Probably something I would know if I was more familiar with this type of vehicle. Parking brake? Retarder? If it's this uncommon it may be a dealbreaker.

 

[nikitis]

Dunno, I don't have one on my bus. Nor have I seen one before.

 

[cessna175]

Good afternoon, I believe that is just a parking brake not exactly used as an E brake. Lots of industrial vehicles that are heavy utilize that type of parking brake. It's very effective when properly adjusted.

 

[Busjamin]

Good afternoon, I believe that is just a parking brake not exactly used as an E brake. Lots of industrial vehicles that are heavy utilize that type of parking brake. It's very effective when properly adjusted.

Thank you. I suspected it was probably just a parking brake. Makes sense to apply it to the driveline. Is that what we hear go shwoosh when the bus parks sometimes?

It really stood out to me under this bus as a huge ungainly component. Given the difficulty in even finding basic info on the part, I'm gonna go ahead and rule this one out. Shame because it's SO close and the right size. Plus it has the better windows.