Ludicrous Speed

[TheRainbowBoxer]

We are planning to buy a bus hopefully this weekend. The one I am currently looking at is a 1986 Bluebird All American with a front engine CAT 3208. It is a 15 window 40 footer :shock: . I have been lurking here for about a year, and I am finally going to bite the bullet.

About us: My wife and I have 5 boys, ages from 5 to 15. We have camped every year that we have been married (16), mostly in a 18 ft Ford/Midas '79 motorhome (older boys in tents). The old S&S is falling apart after having been propped up and rebuilt over the years.

We have already amassed a decent supply of parts/materials from tearing apart my parents' (my childhood) camper and trolling Craigslist.

I have also laid out several possible floorplans on Google Sketchup, MS Paint, and random scraps of graph paper.

My wife has progressed from an adamant opponent, to a cautious skeptic, to somewhat interested, to on board but still not thrilled. The boys are all for it!

I first caught the skoolie bug from a friend who had a minimally converted bus that my band used to travel to shows out of town. I found myself mentally laying floor plans out in it. The fever has gotten stronger every year that we have camped in cramped, leaky quarters. Once I found this site, my fate was pretty much sealed.

(Edited to remove temp signature now that I have it in my profile)

 

[chev49]

you can get good ideas here
Dont forget to put the keyboard on the bus...

 

[kotflb]

Nothing better than a family project for lifetime memories. You have a great looking crew, so I'm sure you'll end up with a grand conversion. Keep us updated.

 

[mchunt]

Welcome, looks like you'll have plenty of help.

 

[Diesel Dan]

...My wife has progressed from an adamant opponent, to a cautious skeptic, to somewhat interested, to on board but still not thrilled. The boys are all for it!...

Join the club! My wife is exactly the same! I'll tell ya what made the difference for her is any time someone saw the bus they would rave about how awesome it is. That peer confirmation of coolness finally started to work it's way into her mind, so she couldn't deny that there might just be something positive about this project. Then when the interior started to take shape and we actually started using the bus as an occasional habitation and recreational vehicle she couldn't deny that it has a practical purpose. We spent a month living in it when our house was being remodeled and although it was hard for her to "rough it" I made sure she didn't forget how much money we were saving by not staying in a hotel, not to mention the convenience of being able to stay on our own property. Another time there was a major fire threatening our neighborhood, and although we never actually had to evacuate, the bus was loaded and we were ready to "bug out" to safety along with our valuables. Yeah. 8)

 

[browncrown]

Welcome, and have a great time building!!! The time spent will build fond family memories for years to come

 

[mightybus]

What a cool looking family! Your wife is deserving of five gold stars for her accomplishment. There were only two 15 window buses that I know of that had the 3208fe. Your blue bird and the Wayne Lifestar. It is the largest displacement engine ever put in a FE. In my opinion it is also one of the most reliable engines and most affordable out there. I easily get 10/11 mpg in my Lifestar. Others have different opinions, but I say you win. No computers, no flashing, no lift pumps etc. It is a proven motor in garbage trucks, dump trucks, generators, buses and yachts.

 

[TheRainbowBoxer]

I am so angry right now. The guy I committed to buy the bus off of just called and informed me he sold it out from under me. I had already arranged for time off work and was working to set up my truck to toad tow it. GRRRR.

 

[bansil]

NO worries,that one obviously wasn't "THE ONE" for you and the family.....start looking again....since you have the money to get one,as you look start saving extra $$ to get a better head start on the conversion...kind of like giving yourself a loan

 

[Stretch-SKO]

This is dan's friend Dennis. Found a tc2000, 5.9, 545, 13 window, front engine flat nose. 3000. Rust free, 141,000. Driving from Tenn to Ohio, towing his suburban. Nice bus. Will try to get pics up soon. It does not like towing a suburban in the hills, down to 35mph on some of them. Engine seems governored low at 2300 max power, 2500 rpm and the fuel is off.

 

[TheRainbowBoxer]

This is dan's friend Dennis. Found a 1995 tc2000, 5.9, 545, 13 window, front engine flat nose. 3000. Rust free, 141,000. Driving from Tenn to Ohio, towing his suburban. Nice bus. Will try to get pics up soon. It does not like towing a suburban in the hills, down to 35mph on some of them. Engine seems governored low at 2300 max power, 2500 rpm and the fuel is off.

he's some in travel pics.

 

[itsme1738]

nice...good things come to those who wait!.....was this a better deal than the last one?

 

[itsme1738]

nice.....went and checked...10 years newer and,a flat nose<--------im jelous

 

[bansil]

Good show...see first one wasn't ment to be...congrates!

 

[keith-SKO]

Ha man on that bus u need to drop the trans down to 3,i got the same set up on my bus and to pull the mtns i have to drop in into low .i got a tc 2000 94 model w/5.9,w/545 trans ,so to save on trans repairs ,use the low grear,it sound like u got the 160 hp eng and the fuel pump can't be turn up.check and see if the pump is a p71 on the code if so, no turning it up i have the same thing,most tenn,ga,ala,miss bus's had this pump.

keith


what manuels did u get with it ??

 

[keith-SKO]

HERE MY DASH AFTER MODS AND PAINT

 

[TheRainbowBoxer]

more pics.

 

[TheRainbowBoxer]

pics

 

[Jarlaxle]

22000RPM at 50MPH...WOW. That has REALLY deep gears...5.29's, maybe. That will be a SLOW runner on the highway.

 

[TheRainbowBoxer]

The data plate says 4.78