Hello from a Cincinnatian newbie! (and my first question)

[raindogs451]

Hi
I'm Matt, a former lurker. I'm contemplating going all in, and buying a bus to convert but live in/ (and retire to)

I'm finding myself more and more attracted to minimalism. So on to my first (and I'm sure first of many) question.......

Wouldn't there be more 'living space' from directly behind the driver to the rear door in a blunt nosed bus? (total sq feet) I mean, when you consider the front engine buses, wouldn't that HAVE to come at the expense of square footage in the cabin?

Pardon my ignorance. I'm just getting started.....

Thanks.

 

[Njsurf73]

Flat nosed busses have more livable space. Front engine flat nosed "fe" 40ft bus has the most room (usually) followed by rear engine "re" busses.
Some people prefer one over the other or the classic look if the conventional busses.


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[raindogs451]

thanks

follow up question.......

I intend to buy in the next 2-3 months. Anything to stay away from?

thanks again.

 

[Njsurf73]

07 or newer anything (in my opinion) too much emissions equipment that is expensive to fix or replace. Older mechanical engines are easier to maintain, and people tend to shy away from CAT engines because of the expense of repairs

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[Kubla]

Bid on this one, desirable engine and transmission plus AC
Public Surplus: Auction #1813789

 

[cadillackid]

in general Ohio Busses are gonna have rust... alot of what you bid on and mayu want depends on the lifestyle you intend to lead..

Big engines and brute transmissions are a must if you are gonna go travel the country and run across the rockies.. but if you are just gonna be stationary with the occasinonal trip to florida from ohio or the "mountains" we have here in the east then you can get away with a lower spec drivetrain (and save $$)..

first thing to decide is how much spoace you want, and then what kind of lifestyle travel-wise you want to live.. and that will help us determine what may be a good fit as faer as a bus type and size..

they come in All kinfs of shapes, sizes, engines, and transmissions...

-Christopher

 

[dan-fox]

Welcome to the forum!

A few things to consider about flat-nose buses:

front engine is louder and hotter for the driver.
front engine has a back door. That's important to some folk.

Both kinds of flat-nose are more difficult to do engine work on than are dog nose buses. FE flat-nose are more difficult than RE flat-nose to work on.

rear engine has that large weird shaped lump back there. Some folk think it intrudes into the living space; some build a platform bed on top of it and reclaim what storage they can underneath. I'm in the rear-engine-platform-bed school of thought, myself, but I don't have a bus yet so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[PNW_Steve]

Welcome!

I concur, a front engine bus will give the most living space for a given bus length and have the worst access to the engine for maintenance. A Rear engine bus will have slightly less living space but has better access to the engine than the FE.

The BIG reason I am stuck on the RE buses is to avoid the noise & heat that you get with a front engine. I like to have a conversation with my copilot while running 70 down the interstate without yelling. Seriously, if you are going to spend most of your time parked and not put many miles on then a FE has advantages. If you are like me, and suffer from wanderlust, then a RE bus is worth giving up a few feet of usable space.

I put 250k miles on my last bus and would have hated life if the engine had been two feet from my right knee.

Just my $0.02

Good luck!!

S.

 

[raindogs451]

Thanks everyone so much.

You've-----as expected-----inspired another question. I'm leaning towards RE blunt nose. Heavily.

I hope to be on the road a fair amount. That said, is there an engine/ transmission spec/ type/ name I should look for or avoid?

Thanks so very much

 

[Njsurf73]

My .02... Look for Allison "world" or "3000" "2000" or 643 .
These are the ones I know have OD or trans lock up. Still need to keep an eye on rear gears as well. All 5 gears won't help if you are geared so low your engine is screaming to do 55.
The best choice for engine is the dr466 or Cummins 8.3
Both are sleeved motors that can be rebuilt (hopefully never have to) in frame.
If you aren't a mechanic all motor work is going to be pricey but CAT seems to have a reputation of being the most expensive for parts.
Once again my opinion. I am about to buy a bus with a Cummins 5.9... Because it has everything I want and the price is right. I don't plan on full timing or traveling year round. So I am flexible.

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[PNW_Steve]

My .02... Look for Allison "world" or "3000" "2000" or 643 .
These are the ones I know have OD or trans lock up. Still need to keep an eye on rear gears as well. All 5 gears won't help if you are geared so low your engine is screaming to do 55.
The best choice for engine is the dr466 or Cummins 8.3
Both are sleeved motors that can be rebuilt (hopefully never have to) in frame.
If you aren't a mechanic all motor work is going to be pricey but CAT seems to have a reputation of being the most expensive for parts.
Once again my opinion. I am about to buy a bus with a Cummins 5.9... Because it has everything I want and the price is right. I don't plan on full timing or traveling year round. So I am flexible.

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What he said.....

Big engine and a 5/6 speed transmission is my idea of "ideal". 8.3 or DT466 & an MD-3060. The MT-643/647 are 4 speed non-overdrive. The 2000 series will be more common in 2003 and later buses.

Avoid buses with serious emissions controls. Somebody correct me if I am off a bit but I think 2006 or 2007 is when things begin to get ugly.

 

[sojourner-SKO]

Lot's of good advice given. I have a FE model with a DTA408/MT643. While not so common as the 466 it's a great motor as well and mine has great fuel economy. In fact everything but the crankshaft is the same. It's a de-stroked 466. There are some things you can do about the noise to deaden the sound a good bit and like PNW Steve said, if your not going to be on the road that much (most think they will be traveling more than they actually do) it really doesn't matter that much and you do get more floor space (something that's at a premium in small living spaces). Another thing you might want to consider is the suspension. I have leaf springs and I can tell you, while empty on the drive home, it rides rough in the rear. Air ride, I would think, is preferable. If you're not much i the fabrication dept, look for an activity bus that will have storage bays already installed and , if fortunate, have highway gears (something in the 4.44-4.10 range). Mine has 4.78's and while a pulling beast, the mid 50's is cruising speed with the engine not laboring at all.
I totally agree with ohio buses are rust buckets. I'm currently located in Adams County and every one I've seen for sale has the classic "coffee stains". There's a reason it's called the rust belt . I've never seen so much salt applied to roads before (and I've lived in the PNW) than here!! Look for one from any of the southern states as a good base to build from.