My bus R.I.P.. I need a new one..

[opus-SKO]

Oh heck, dont come here. We dont have sales tax, you wouldnt like it.

 

[Robin97396]

Oregon doesn't have sales tax either. Well... it seemed like it would be easier to move than to make this thing floatable.

Those floating buses are cool. They must be front wheel drive to pull themselves out of the water on the boat ramp.

 

[cadillackid]

ohio isnt bad for classic vehicles.. as far as registering my bus as an RV.. I dot know. though I never see the DOT cars out.. im sure i'd be the one to get pulled over if I had a tag that says 'RV' and I had a bus full of people...

though to register as a 'Van' id have to pull half the seats out and spread the rest out anyway to get below the 16 passenger limit... so maybe slapping a stove and frig in the back (thank god ohio RV reqs doesnt mandate a Toilet or sink).. just a bed, a frig and stove...

im guess all these rules are because people used to buy bisses and then jsut hang out a shingle and say "free rides???".. wierd.. both my insurance comany and progressive will insure old school busses owned by individuals..

I just really dont want to have to go get a full CDL with air-brakes endorsement.. PITA

-Christopher

 

[Kubla]

don't forget the table, "permanent place to eat" , I live in Ohio, bus is titled as an RV

 

[cadillackid]

don't forget the table, "permanent place to eat" , I live in Ohio, bus is titled as an RV

do you have yours outfitted out for all-out RVing or just the minimums to pass DOT?

-Christopher

 

[cadillackid]

wish me luck got a 'hold placed' on what looks to be a Nice carpenter.. 7 row fresh DT-360.. has a wheelchair lift that im sure can be removed and still keep the extra door. ??
pics look good, have yet to drive it and inspect it myself.. No A/C but I was lucky to have it before... so I'll build it like I have done many times in project vehicles before...

does anyone know if you can simply replace the red Flasher lenses with yellow and be legal in ohio? or remove the all the flasher assemblies? I know the stop sign has to come off completely...

i'll have it professionally painted since I dont have the facilities to do such... all yellow gone just to be safe..

does anyone know if carpenter body parts are readily find-able still? like I say I accidentilly broke a window or need plastic window latch pieces, etc.. carpenter has been gone for a long while so thats my one concern over say a bluebird or IC where the company still exists..

I busted a window in the old blue bird and believe it or not it was super simple to find another one..

 

[Kubla]

do not trash the wheel chair lift if you remove it, people want them

 

[cadillackid]

do not trash the wheel chair lift if you remove it, people want them

really? good advice.. .. what do I do with it.. are there places to list them?

I can easily be careful removing it and its electronics intact.

ive never pulled one out so im hoping the door will still close and latch without the lift installed.

-Christopher

 

[Kubla]

the door will work fine, the lift is not hooked to it in any way

 

[2kool4skool]

Well... move over. I think I need to move to Montana. The pacific shelf is going to fall off when the big west coast earthquake happens. I want some of that new beachfront property.
Besides, I hear there is a lot more common sense in government over there.

Maybe sooner than later

MAJOR CARBON MONOXIDE RELEASES In USA | Metatech

 

[cadillackid]

My search is Over.. I bought a bus today!!.. at BGA..

1991 Carpenter Short bus.. fresh DT360 / allison 545 / air ride suspension / air brakes.

great driving bus! that DT360 had plenty of power.. it took off pretty good!.. means i'll have plenty of power to Air condition it.

I wont [ick it up to drive it home for awhile yet.. . having some body work / paint / lettering / new lights / remove the flashers and signs.. and such...

basically making it ready for my mini-conversion..

Got big plans for 'ShortBus' !

-Christopher

 

[FlyboyHPD]

Awesome news Christopher. Glad you found something you like.

 

[EastCoastCB]

Congrats man. Whats the top speed on it?
You in town for the weekend?

 

[cadillackid]

Congrats man. Whats the top speed on it?
You in town for the weekend?

I am in town.. staying in st pete today, then driving to orlando this afternoon so I can do some work at one of my sites tomorrow(likely half day of work).. then not sure if I'll stay up there or stay in the tampa area..

I fly home tuesday.. (my bus wont be ready for a few weeks).

im halfway looking for a second home in florida.. so I have been doing a lot of walking around.. I like the st pete downtown area.. tampa downtown seemed to roll up the sidewalks after business hours..

looking forward to when I get to drive my bus back.. I should have the bus before it gets real hot so i wont roast without A/C.. (not that I use A/C all the time anyway... alot of time in my personal car i run with the windows down)...

-Christopher

P.S. I didnt get my GPS out to measure the speed.. (the tach and speedo are a tad touchy at times.. {as most International gauge clusters are at times} but the "Butt speedo" felt like I was running about 62 to 65... and for me not being a commercial driver that runs 1000s of miles a month, I am not sure id feel comfortable running any faster in a school bus.

 

[EastCoastCB]

I am in town.. staying in st pete today, then driving to orlando this afternoon so I can do some work at one of my sites tomorrow(likely half day of work).. then not sure if I'll stay up there or stay in the tampa area..

I fly home tuesday.. (my bus wont be ready for a few weeks).

im halfway looking for a second home in florida.. so I have been doing a lot of walking around.. I like the st pete downtown area.. tampa downtown seemed to roll up the sidewalks after business hours..

looking forward to when I get to drive my bus back.. I should have the bus before it gets real hot so i wont roast without A/C.. (not that I use A/C all the time anyway... alot of time in my personal car i run with the windows down)...

-Christopher

P.S. I didnt get my GPS out to measure the speed.. (the tach and speedo are a tad touchy at times.. {as most International gauge clusters are at times} but the "Butt speedo" felt like I was running about 62 to 65... and for me not being a commercial driver that runs 1000s of miles a month, I am not sure id feel comfortable running any faster in a school bus.

I'll PM you my number if you feel like stopping by or meeting up for a beer or something.

dfinitely avoid tampa. St Pete or Sarasota if you can afford em. Sounds like you can!

 

[Docsgsxr]

Congrats on the new purchase! Hope your new conversion goes more smoothly than your first and you find newer, cooler, fancier things for it!

I grew up in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch is a nice new place. A lot of my friends from highschool moved out there after college. Lots of things to do, and it's pretty modern.

 

[Robin97396]

So, are you going to sheetrock the inside of this one?

 

[cadillackid]

So, are you going to sheetrock the inside of this one?

this bus is going to stay as close to a bus as i can allow in ohio... which is pretty easily done...

though i am going to install a frig, a micro, and a combination bed / workspace (it will convert).. so i can run it on nice long dirves and have a place to nap and keep my soda pop cold / heat up my left over pizza...

im not planning to remove any windows or build walls, etc.. I will A/C it, likely rearrange some seats (or take a couple out.. it only has seating for 15 total people now).. probably install an air-ride drivers seat(though the bus itself is air-ride), cruise control, and some cool techie stuff.. like GPS, internet connectivity, LED interior lighting....

I'll likely make a custom backlit switch panel for the heaters and such.. or may even build a "glass" panel for that stuff similar to one I did a lot of design and test work on for a car project I did.. (glass cockpit controls on an old bus would be fun)..

some stuff stays completely old school... like no air-door, the manual pull knob for the fuel cut-off, the manual throttle control.. most likely keep the original style IHC dash gauges.. I would Like to find the older style steering wheel.. (the one with the black triangle in the middle... 3 spoke) used on the 80s IHC chassis..

I'll be storing it indoors so it will hold up well..

judging from the fact that theres very little wear on the seats and rubber floors.. driving over bumps the only little rattle it has seems to be the wheelchair lift (which is going away).. I am imagining that the 085,6xx miles listed on the odometer very well might be real! so I want to save that dash and odometer...


if i had wanted to register it as a historical vehicle i couldve even left it all original with yellow color, stop lights and all... and then simply placed large "not in service" signs on all 4 sides when driving it...

however the rules for driving a historical vehicle are a bit of a pain in some other states...



-Christopher