Looking to get started in CA. Need help please!

[magnakansas]

another shorty

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/ctd/d/2001-international-ce-36/6741173874.html

 

[rymorris]

Thanks!

We'd prefer a short bus but we are open to something that we can shorten. I'll make a Google do with what we are hoping for and budget and such so it's easy to reference. I'll post it tomorrow.

 

[rymorris]

Thanks for sharing! Those seem really pricey.

 

[rymorris]

https://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/d/...735513028.html
That bus was up for sale a couple months back then taken down. With the price at 7500 and the issues listed, do you think it is a good bus? I remember that we were hoping to target a 645 because we wanted to tow our car and go to hilly places.

With that in mind, we made some Google docs for easy sharing/re-sharing.

Here is our Q&A form when we called you William: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xB-rs4ov5_MRmf_0VkljJvnO52Q0d0cDsQK7mILNYF8/edit?usp=sharing

Here is the DMV/Emissions Requirements in CA:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w-tqnAIXpvlcRRwMw_vVR6hNV8ic7hQCPnQ6OLRe5CI/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1boqNG90bT7Y2dhwUaG8mztKEc84n7yBKiu_1pYiaTDc/edit?usp=sharing

Just wanted to share some of what we have been learning so far. We will organize our notes as we go so anyone else after us can use them and not have to start from 0 lol.

Thanks!
-Ryan

 

[magnakansas]

short under 26500 lbs

5.9 24 valve cummins... axle and trans unknown

https://tulsa.craigslist.org/bfs/d/02-freightliner-school-bus/6730313511.html

william

 

[PNW_Steve]

5.9 24 valve cummins... axle and trans unknown

https://tulsa.craigslist.org/bfs/d/02-freightliner-school-bus/6730313511.html

william

$6k with ABS warning light on?

I would be reluctant to spend that much on a bus with known issues. Just my $0.02.

 

[rymorris]

I think I would like the Tucson bus better than this one. Were you able to check out the links I posted?

 

[magnakansas]

yes i read them

I need to remember you are after the bigger engines. and other than 545 transmissions


will

 

[rymorris]

Lol not a problem, we very much appreciate your time and help.

 

[magnakansas]

dt466e allison 5sp

I think it is short enough

says is powered by 466e

allison 2000 is a five speed and could have the parts in it to be programmed for six speeds. I think that is a lock up torque converter

description says six newish good condition michelins...pictures make them look really good.

fits your want list.....$4000

fly in to Oklahoma city.... two day drive home, maybe three.

william

 

[rymorris]

Is it one you posted above? Just looking for the link.

 

[rymorris]

We are really struggling with finding something that fits our situation so much we think it may be best to shift gears. When searching we found out about sportsmobiles. Those cost an arm and a leg and we ar hoping to do work ourselves to learn and such. With that said what do you guys think about van conversions.

Something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-Ford-...AOSwCvFb8Ymj:rk:4:pf:1&vxp=mtr&frcectupt=true

It would give us the height/power we want to tow and go off trail as well be something we dont need to find space to work on it as we could fit it in our carport and park our car on the street. It gives us less room but more options to buy and work on it. Tired of just talking lol.

What do you guys think? Is a bus a better option and worth waiting on?

 

[magnakansas]

looks solid

for all the engineering work to make a 4wd van and rebuild/refurbish, I could not build and resell this for ten thou and make any profit.

this sure looks like a hoss deal

william

 

[rymorris]

What do you think about vans vs skoolies? In terms of long term use/maintenance/usage?

 

[magnakansas]

van versus bus

I think long run, maintenance will a wash, different stuff but just as much work, tires will be less expensive, well just about every thing will be less expensive to repair, there are a 1,000 vans for each buss. a lot of the van interchanges with pickups, they make 100,000 pickups a year.

well, now that I am pondering this.... I think it will be less expensive, use about the same amount of fuel, quieter (lot less wind noise)


a lot less space.

william

 

[rymorris]

We followed a couple of vans closely. Heard that the 7.3Ls were great. But they all went for WAY over our budget. The last van we linked didnt even meet reserve at over 19 K lol.

Well, hopefully, now that we aren't being so strict in our search we can find more options.

We did find this: Pit Row – Full Service Auto Repair & Do-it-yourself (DIY)

That's a DIY mechanic space for rent hourly/daily/weekly with tools, space and even help if you need it. So that's a huge plus as it is close to our new place.

 

[cowlitzcoach]

What do you think about vans vs skoolies? In terms of long term use/maintenance/usage?

The big difference between a Type 'A' bus (van or van/cut-away) and a Type 'C' bus (conventional) is size.

The largest Type 'A' bus is going to have a GVWR of about 14,000 lbs with an empty weight of about 10,000-11,000 lbs. (at one time I had three and I weighed all of them on a Cat Scale so I know what they weighed).

The smallest Type 'C' bus is going to have a GVWR starting around 16,000 lbs. with an empty weight of about 12,000 lbs. Go a little larger on the bus with a higher GVWR of around 20,000 lbs and the empty bus will still weigh not a whole lot more than 12,000 lbs. We owned on Type 'C' bus with a GVWR of 26,000 lbs and it weighed in under 16,000 lbs.

The larger the net payload is of the truck underneath the bus the less the truck is going to work to move the bus down the road.

My 1994 E-350 bus had GVWR of 14,000 lbs. It had an empty weight of just short of 11,000 lbs. The bus was used on shuttles with a lot of stops and on some tours that had a LOT of big hills. The front brake pads lasted between 10K miles and 20K miles. Every other brake job required new front calipers and rotors. Every fourth brake job required the rear brakes to be serviced. Tires were premium tires with 60K mile warranty and I was considering myself lucky if I got 30K miles out of the tires. Anything more than 35K miles was a true gift! Every tire change meant a trip to the alignment shop. Every 60K miles a new set of glow plugs. Every other year a new set of batteries.

At the same time I had a 1979 IHC/Carpenter 11-row bus with a GVWR of 28,000 lbs and an empty weight of 17,000 lbs. In three years of use, doing basically the same work and distance the E-350 did, I adjusted the brakes, checked the air pressure in the tires, lubed the chassis, and changed the oil and fliters every 10K miles. No brake work, no tire work, no alignment work, and it used about the same amount of fuel. The only time I replaced the batteries was when they got stolen out of the bus. And it didn't have any glow plugs so that was one less maintenance item with which to be concerned.

Of course it would have cost a LOT more to do brake work, tire work, alignment work, and in fact any work on the big bus. But the reality was the big bus was never working more than about 66% of capacity and the little bus was always working at 100%+ of capacity. Working at much less than 100% capacity meant that nothing got over worked, over stressed, or over used.

There are some people on here who have made stunning and exciting conversions based on Type 'A' dual rear wheel buses. But they will all tell you that weight is a real factor when designing the interior and choosing materials.

There are some shorty Type 'C' buses out there that are just as nimble as a Type 'A' but they have much more ground clearance. In other words, they can go to the same places, fit in the same places, and when the going gets rough the Type 'C' can go much further past the end of pavement without having problems.

Good luck!

 

[rymorris]

The big difference between a Type 'A' bus (van or van/cut-away) and a Type 'C' bus (conventional) is size.

The largest Type 'A' bus is going to have a GVWR of about 14,000 lbs with an empty weight of about 10,000-11,000 lbs. (at one time I had three and I weighed all of them on a Cat Scale so I know what they weighed). ...

Thanks for the detailed info!

We were looking for something more along the lines of what you described. Just been VERY hard to find something that not only fits the bill but is in our price range and not on the other side of the country. Honestly, we have found some on the East coast but cant take the time to go get it. Maybe next year when I can take more time off. We started off our search very strict on what we wanted but felt we may need to loosen up or we'd never find anything lol.

Anyhow, really appreciate the details, thanks!

-Ryan

 

[rymorris]

Purchased a 2002 Ford 7.3L V8 Super Duty E350

Hey Guys!

Didn't want to keep wasting everyone's time so wanted to wait till we had something concrete before posting.

We found a van in our hometown that had a lot of what we were looking for. We decided that it was time to pull the trigger as we had such abysmal luck with the bus hunt, even losing our planned work space. Overall, we are pretty happy with it. We did find some rust issues but it is mostly cosmetic, frame looks solid. And the previous owner did add some upgrades like AT tires and beefer brake pads. Even partially converted it so we can use right away while it is a work in progress.

Want to say thanks again for everyone's help. we have learned a lot and hope to give back by updating our documents in the shared Google drive with things we learn so people can avoid our mistakes.

Will update with some pics and plans tomorrow.

Thanks again!
-Ryan

 

[rymorris]

Working on the Drive

Hey guys!

Setting up a drive that we will link here that includes all our photos, plans, receipts, etc. Already have one but it has a lot of personal info on it like addresses and phone numbers so moving that stuff out.

Besides that, here is a quick pic of the van!

-Ryan