Stan350
Member
Sadly, we are selling our 1995 International Amtran Genesis that we converted into a tiny home/RV. We are asking $15,000. This post is pretty long because I wanted to give as much info as possible.
It has a mechanical DT466 engine and Allison MT643 transmission, which is why we bought it and put so much work into it. It currently has about 234,500 miles; we put about 5,000 miles on it. It is originally from Minnesota and was in service until about a year before we bought it. We lived in it full time from 2018-2021; it made the trip from Minnesota to Missouri and back each of those 3 winters and gets about 10 mpg with plenty of power to do 75+ mph on the interstate. I started it last weekend and it fired up in less than a full crank, quicker than any of the newer buses that we have driven (we have been substitute bus drivers for the past 12 years).
Due to it being a MN bus, it was rusty so we replaced all the exterior sheet metal siding, except the front ~3', and replaced or treated and painted all the remaining rusty portions of the walls and floors. The new siding and floor sections are galvanized steel and the same thickness as original. The original stairs were rusted out so we built new ones and moved the entry door behind the front wheels similar to a traditional RV.
The roof does not leak and has been painted with elastomeric paint. The ceiling height is 5'11"; interior length is ~36'. There is still plenty of room underneath the bus to add water tanks or anything else you might want. The rear door was removed due to rust and the side emergency door was removed because it was too hard to insulate decently and we decided it wasn't necessary. The roof hatch is fully functional and I filled it with spray foam to reduce heat loss, it makes quite a difference. I also made an insulated panel that installs from the inside when it gets colder. We removed all but nine of the original windows. The lower half of several of them have been insulated and covered up.
We built the interior while living in it and figuring out what worked best for us. We kept things simple to reduce problems or break downs: e.g. marine foot pump for water at the sink instead of an electric pump to fail or stay running; no gray or black water tanks to prevent freeze ups; the shelving is all open to allow better circulation since the only heater is in the front; house batteries are stored inside for most consistent temperatures to extend their lifespan. The majority of the furniture/shelving is made from rough cut hardwood lumber, some with live edges. We had a full size bed in the back but there is room for a queen size bed, possibly even a king.
This bus is completely usable in its current state or would make a great platform to start your own conversion. You can change things as you want because there are no permanent walls – everything is anchored to the furring strips in the walls and ceilings and/or to the floor and is easily movable.
Features:
- mechanical DT466 diesel engine - no glow plugs or emissions stuff to cause problems
- MT643 Allison automatic transmission
- ~234,500 miles
- 100 gallon fuel tank
- trailer towing hitch and wiring
- double door storage box with locking handles under pass. side, ~6' long
- passenger seat in front with seatbelt from a GM conversion van (the stairs were moved and the floor was filled in to mount the seat; there is propane storage underneath that is accessible from outside)
- all fluids and filters have been changed in the last 5,000 miles - new starting batteries in spring 2020
- new brake lines, brake hoses, master cylinder, pressure switch, pedal switch, and electric hydroboost motor
- rear: new wheel bearings, wheel seals, brake rotors, brake calipers, and brake pads
- new parking brake shoes
- new fuel lift pump
- new rubber elbow from the turbo to the intake manifold
- new tail lights, turn signals, and backup lights
- rear tires have about ¼” of tread, front tires have about ½”
- wood stove for heating
- 2" of rigid insulation in the ceilings and walls, 3/4" of rigid insulation on the floors, and underside is spray foamed ~1"
- laminate flooring with 5/6” plywood underlayment on top of the insulation
- full size propane range (stove and oven)
- small 110 V chest freezer converted to refrigerator with external digital thermostat controller (it can be unplugged and the freezer will function as a freezer again)
- 600 W (3 x 200 W; 12 V) of solar panels
- 45 amp Tristar PWM charge controller (capacity to add one more ~200 W 12 V panel)
- 2000 W Magnum MS2000 pure sine wave inverter; has built-in bypass switch so you can run all AC on shore power while plugged in and still use solar panels to charge batteries for DC needs (lighting and USB charging outlets)
- 30 amp power inlet (Twist Lock) with 25' power cable
- 420 ah of “house” batteries (4 x 105 ah AGM batteries, enough to run for a few days without recharging, depending on energy usage)
- 140 amp smart battery isolator (charges "house" batteries while the engine is running; also allows solar panels to trickle charge the engine starting batteries)
- 12 V DC interior lights, 4 - 2 port USB charging outlets
- AC distribution panel with 4 circuits; 7 AC outlets throughout the interior
- all “house” wiring is in flexible conduit or wire loom so it is accessible and can be easily moved or modified
- Nature's Head composting toilet
- 2 x 5 gallon freshwater jugs and 5 gallon gray water bucket for the sink - no external tanks to freeze up
- sink is operated by a marine foot pump
- comes with spare front tire, new pinion seal and other miscellaneous parts
With a bus this age there are a couple of quirks:
1 - The brakes work perfectly; however, the brake pressure alarm is constantly on while the bus is running. It has been that way since we bought it and it is an extremely common issue with International buses of that era. There is a plethora of information on the internet about this alarm. We have investigated nearly all of the possible solutions, including replacing nearly all of the brake components, but still haven't figured it out. It could end up being something as simple as a bad ground. The simplest solution that many people have done is to just pull out the alarm relay under the dash.
2 - The backup lights are on a manual switch instead of coming on automatically when you shift into reverse. This is the only way we could get them to work again and we haven't had the time to look any further. There may be a wire from the shift lever position switch or elsewhere that the lights need to be connected to to come on automatically. We have digital copies of the factory wiring diagrams if you are willing to dig further.
3 - The pinion seal has a small seep. We have a new one for it but just didn't have time to put it in.
That's all I can think of for now. PM me with additional questions. Please, serious inquiries only.
It has a mechanical DT466 engine and Allison MT643 transmission, which is why we bought it and put so much work into it. It currently has about 234,500 miles; we put about 5,000 miles on it. It is originally from Minnesota and was in service until about a year before we bought it. We lived in it full time from 2018-2021; it made the trip from Minnesota to Missouri and back each of those 3 winters and gets about 10 mpg with plenty of power to do 75+ mph on the interstate. I started it last weekend and it fired up in less than a full crank, quicker than any of the newer buses that we have driven (we have been substitute bus drivers for the past 12 years).
Due to it being a MN bus, it was rusty so we replaced all the exterior sheet metal siding, except the front ~3', and replaced or treated and painted all the remaining rusty portions of the walls and floors. The new siding and floor sections are galvanized steel and the same thickness as original. The original stairs were rusted out so we built new ones and moved the entry door behind the front wheels similar to a traditional RV.
The roof does not leak and has been painted with elastomeric paint. The ceiling height is 5'11"; interior length is ~36'. There is still plenty of room underneath the bus to add water tanks or anything else you might want. The rear door was removed due to rust and the side emergency door was removed because it was too hard to insulate decently and we decided it wasn't necessary. The roof hatch is fully functional and I filled it with spray foam to reduce heat loss, it makes quite a difference. I also made an insulated panel that installs from the inside when it gets colder. We removed all but nine of the original windows. The lower half of several of them have been insulated and covered up.
We built the interior while living in it and figuring out what worked best for us. We kept things simple to reduce problems or break downs: e.g. marine foot pump for water at the sink instead of an electric pump to fail or stay running; no gray or black water tanks to prevent freeze ups; the shelving is all open to allow better circulation since the only heater is in the front; house batteries are stored inside for most consistent temperatures to extend their lifespan. The majority of the furniture/shelving is made from rough cut hardwood lumber, some with live edges. We had a full size bed in the back but there is room for a queen size bed, possibly even a king.
This bus is completely usable in its current state or would make a great platform to start your own conversion. You can change things as you want because there are no permanent walls – everything is anchored to the furring strips in the walls and ceilings and/or to the floor and is easily movable.
Features:
- mechanical DT466 diesel engine - no glow plugs or emissions stuff to cause problems
- MT643 Allison automatic transmission
- ~234,500 miles
- 100 gallon fuel tank
- trailer towing hitch and wiring
- double door storage box with locking handles under pass. side, ~6' long
- passenger seat in front with seatbelt from a GM conversion van (the stairs were moved and the floor was filled in to mount the seat; there is propane storage underneath that is accessible from outside)
- all fluids and filters have been changed in the last 5,000 miles - new starting batteries in spring 2020
- new brake lines, brake hoses, master cylinder, pressure switch, pedal switch, and electric hydroboost motor
- rear: new wheel bearings, wheel seals, brake rotors, brake calipers, and brake pads
- new parking brake shoes
- new fuel lift pump
- new rubber elbow from the turbo to the intake manifold
- new tail lights, turn signals, and backup lights
- rear tires have about ¼” of tread, front tires have about ½”
- wood stove for heating
- 2" of rigid insulation in the ceilings and walls, 3/4" of rigid insulation on the floors, and underside is spray foamed ~1"
- laminate flooring with 5/6” plywood underlayment on top of the insulation
- full size propane range (stove and oven)
- small 110 V chest freezer converted to refrigerator with external digital thermostat controller (it can be unplugged and the freezer will function as a freezer again)
- 600 W (3 x 200 W; 12 V) of solar panels
- 45 amp Tristar PWM charge controller (capacity to add one more ~200 W 12 V panel)
- 2000 W Magnum MS2000 pure sine wave inverter; has built-in bypass switch so you can run all AC on shore power while plugged in and still use solar panels to charge batteries for DC needs (lighting and USB charging outlets)
- 30 amp power inlet (Twist Lock) with 25' power cable
- 420 ah of “house” batteries (4 x 105 ah AGM batteries, enough to run for a few days without recharging, depending on energy usage)
- 140 amp smart battery isolator (charges "house" batteries while the engine is running; also allows solar panels to trickle charge the engine starting batteries)
- 12 V DC interior lights, 4 - 2 port USB charging outlets
- AC distribution panel with 4 circuits; 7 AC outlets throughout the interior
- all “house” wiring is in flexible conduit or wire loom so it is accessible and can be easily moved or modified
- Nature's Head composting toilet
- 2 x 5 gallon freshwater jugs and 5 gallon gray water bucket for the sink - no external tanks to freeze up
- sink is operated by a marine foot pump
- comes with spare front tire, new pinion seal and other miscellaneous parts
With a bus this age there are a couple of quirks:
1 - The brakes work perfectly; however, the brake pressure alarm is constantly on while the bus is running. It has been that way since we bought it and it is an extremely common issue with International buses of that era. There is a plethora of information on the internet about this alarm. We have investigated nearly all of the possible solutions, including replacing nearly all of the brake components, but still haven't figured it out. It could end up being something as simple as a bad ground. The simplest solution that many people have done is to just pull out the alarm relay under the dash.
2 - The backup lights are on a manual switch instead of coming on automatically when you shift into reverse. This is the only way we could get them to work again and we haven't had the time to look any further. There may be a wire from the shift lever position switch or elsewhere that the lights need to be connected to to come on automatically. We have digital copies of the factory wiring diagrams if you are willing to dig further.
3 - The pinion seal has a small seep. We have a new one for it but just didn't have time to put it in.
That's all I can think of for now. PM me with additional questions. Please, serious inquiries only.
