My wife and I have a 1996 Thomas ER with an 8.3 cummins and allison 643 transmission, that we are currently converting. We have pulled all seats, windows, floors, interior walls and ceilings, and raised the roof 27 inches. We are still welding in bracing and getting ready to add the skin. We paid $5300 for the bus and drove it from Phoenix, Arizona to Venus, Texas (a small town 30 miles south of Dallas). Thanks for all of the advice and inspiration we have already found in the forums, and I hope to be able to help some myself soon.