How much rust is too much?

[Dapplecreek]

I will be inspecting this bus tomorrow, but I see this through the fence:

The specs on the bus look OK - should the rust be a deal-killer?

• 2003 International, conventional, lift gate, 53 passenger (I think they said)
• 166759 miles on chassis
• New motor with low miles
• Door, long window, eight standard windows, wheelchair lift at back corner
• DT466
• Allison 3060 transmission (I believe)
• Air brakes

Their starting bid is $2000. This is from our local school district, which is meticulous about maintenance. All records would be included. Last batch of buses went from $3000-$3500, though I don't know if any had rust like this.

Thoughts?

 

[Carytowncat]

A fun water leak project to repair on a dry day, or maybe a little rust adds character.

I am not the majority opinion here because i figure even with rust the bus will still outlive me or at least my interest in it. If something rusts through then i can always put some metal over it. The GMC truck i bought a few years ago, the owner went on about the rust and how it could be fixed but was pretty bad, well i have driven it daily for a few years and the rust never once effected how well she runs and hauls



Good luck!

 

[New2Skool]

Rust the Red Menace.
My bus was very rusty, I had to cut out and replace the entire rear wall section. Top to bottom and side to side was rusted like yours. One of the wheel wells was falling apart with rust. I had to cut it out and build a new one. The floor under the drivers seat was horrible and pitted as well as completely unsafe. Waves and no longer structural integrity. So, I had to replace it. The rub rails captured water and rusted through to the interior. I had to replace the entire skin of the body of the bus. All of these things over this past summer and it made things much tougher and more costly.

So far, all in I think I spent $1,500 on replacement steel.
I did a 16" lift of the roof and replaced all of the skin of the body. I replaced floor sections and made a wheel well. I removed all of the rust on my pretty rusty bus. It took a lot more time and boring work but, now I know exactly what is there, its condition and its needs in the future.

If I can save my rusty bus, you can save the bus you are considering. Buy a small menards $100 buzz box welder and a good 4.5" grinder if you start doing body work and rust removal to a heavy extend.

 

[karrlot]

Based on the location of that rust, I would bet that both the inner wall and outer wall are rusted through. If that is what you see there, I would bet the floor (under the plywood that has been trapping moisture for 15 years) is in very bad shape.

If it was me, I would pass on it. Yes, it could be fixed, but that is a lot of work and I am old and lazy. I would rather spend my efforts on building.

There are quite a few on publicsurplus.com in VA that are newer, look in better shape, and currently going for cheaper.

 

[EastCoastCB]

I will be inspecting this bus tomorrow, but I see this through the fence:

The specs on the bus look OK - should the rust be a deal-killer?

• 2003 International, conventional, lift gate, 53 passenger (I think they said)
• 166759 miles on chassis
• New motor with low miles
• Door, long window, eight standard windows, wheelchair lift at back corner
• DT466
• Allison 3060 transmission (I believe)
• Air brakes

Their starting bid is $2000. This is from our local school district, which is meticulous about maintenance. All records would be included. Last batch of buses went from $3000-$3500, though I don't know if any had rust like this.

Thoughts?

They're CRAZY wanting 2 grand for that heap. RUN AWAY! :nonono:

 

[superdave-SKO]

too many rust free buses out there, run

 

[cadillackid]

rust is only a menace if you want it fixed and cant afford to or have the skills to fix it..

you may be abke to fix it up enough to your satisfaction.. so i only say run from rust if it is somethuing you cannot handle..

the price does seem a little high for a rusty bus.. However if its mechanical conditiuon is superb, meets your needs and you can fix the rust then id say give it a look..

personally, mechanical issues dont scare near as much as rust does.. others are opposite..

if it were *ME* personally, I would run from it because i dont have the skills to fix serious rust.. and paying to get it fixed would easily go into the high 1000s..

-Christopher

 

[superdave-SKO]

Something to think about when you see rust. If the body is rusting the important stuff is rusting also Your frame, brakes,fuel and brake lines, hangers ,muffler and everything else Is most likely The same or worse. Run forest run!

 

[cadillackid]

rust down low like that could if the bus took a rear-end hit and was fixed cheaply.. its worth a look to see if the rest of it is rusting like that..

-Christopher

 

[Tango-SKO]

Absolutely crawl under and check the frame, floor braces, wheel wells & such. Some rust is just PITA cosmetic and easy to fix if you are a competent metal worker...and other rust is a total deal killer. Someone here just a while back found themselves strapped with a total loss unit due to serious oxidation damage. Broke my heart to see someone pay good money, get all wound up to build a skoolie, then discover they had bought a complete junk pile.

 

[jazty]

You're better off paying a bit more for a non-rusted bus. Use the rust repair money to get a plane ticket to get a rust free bus.
Fixing rust will absorb a lot of time and a bit of money. The time is the real killer, though. Repair a rust panel, or install insulation? Repair more rust panels, or install a toilet?
I bought a rusty bus and would be well ahead of the game if I would have held out for one with less rust.

 

[forest-SKO]

I would RUN. Rust like that can cause lots of expensive problems.

 

[buddyvz]

Have you looked at what's available in northern Virginia? I had a small patch of similar rust in the same spot and it was just on the outer shell. I didn't have any rust on my bumper.

 

[Jolly Roger-SKO]

That bumper is the thickest piece of steel on the bus and what's it's showing might be surface rust but if it looks like that then the frame which is second thickest and the body the least thickest are probably shot.
It can be salvaged if you have skills/shops/suppliers for metal working,welding, and suppliers available and more money to pay for it and time to do it? Even though it has a brand new power train its not worth it unless you have the time and space to sell the power train, salvage what could work for your real bus and sell the rest for scrap? Steel is 1-cent a pound here right now so it would need to be stuck somewhere until prices go up for me?

 

[BArielleReid]

Rust the Red Menace.
My bus was very rusty, I had to cut out and replace the entire rear wall section. Top to bottom and side to side was rusted like yours. One of the wheel wells was falling apart with rust. I had to cut it out and build a new one. The floor under the drivers seat was horrible and pitted as well as completely unsafe. Waves and no longer structural integrity. So, I had to replace it. The rub rails captured water and rusted through to the interior. I had to replace the entire skin of the body of the bus. All of these things over this past summer and it made things much tougher and more costly.

So far, all in I think I spent $1,500 on replacement steel.
I did a 16" lift of the roof and replaced all of the skin of the body. I replaced floor sections and made a wheel well. I removed all of the rust on my pretty rusty bus. It took a lot more time and boring work but, now I know exactly what is there, its condition and its needs in the future.

If I can save my rusty bus, you can save the bus you are considering. Buy a small menards $100 buzz box welder and a good 4.5" grinder if you start doing body work and rust removal to a heavy extend.

I am currently looking to do just that. Can you send specs or a link to the buzz box welder you mentioned in this comment? I already have a grinder and the will to keep moving forward. Any help or tips are highly appreciated!

 

[Ronnie-SKO]

For sheet metal and other light metals I like my Hobart 140 mig welder. You can use flux cored wire, or solid wire and co2/argon gas. It runs on 120 volts.

 

[Rob_386]

IMHO, any rust is too much rust. Buses are not rare. Just get one from a climate that isn't salty.

If it's an old vintage one... well... still. Not that rare. Rust sucks.

 

[nikitis]

The bumper can be ground and repainted. The rear panel is a loss. You'll need to cut it out around the corner and rivet in a new section on both sides.

If this is ALL the rust there is, it's not too terrible to do and you'll learn some skills. (Preview to a roof raise job as well).

But look under the bus. Are the main C-Channels severely pitted as well?

The main places to check are the C-Channels which is the main structure of your bus and holds everything, and then around the rear wheels, there are two bars coming across the C-Channels perpendicularly across the whole bus side to side. Are those rusted through as well? A lot of support rides on that section.

If those are all clean and it's only there it should be okay, but it's likely if that rear spot is that bad there's far more like that on the bus in other areas and I'd walk away. If it's only there I'd replace it myself but check those other areas.