Searching for 1st Bus to convert

[zena180]

Hey there!

My husband and I have been searching for our first school bus to convert into our family of 4s home.

We’d like a dog nose bus, preferably 5-8 windows in length with no handicap.

Looking into buying a bus with one of these engines:
Dt466
Dt360
Cummins 8.3
Are main concern is a working engine and no Rust on the chassis.

We live in california, but would be willing to travel for the right bus

Also we have a Mazda 2014 cx5, trade value $10,000. We are selling and even willing to make a trade.

Thankful for any help/direction you can give us!

 

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

the 360 is underpowered in a bus even in a loaded down shorty.

 

[rossvtaylor]

There are these...which will end up going for about $4000-4500. The only downside for you is that they won't sell to California residents. But if you have a license from another state...or can show residence elsewhere...these have been solid buses and they have a good drivetrain combination.

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=367&acctid=19243

 

[BarnYardCamp]

Are you a family of 4 people? Or is it a combo of people and pets?
I ask because if this is going to be your home....you may want to consider something larger. My bus has 8 windows...my build is just for camping/vacation trips for 2 and space is tight.

My first bus, when my kids were small had bunks over the wheel wells and a queen bed in the back....

good luck on your search! be patient, be picky..don't settle for something close to your needs. Also, if no roof raise is planned,,,then ad high roof to your list of traits your bus must have. That extra few inches makes a huge difference.

 

[zena180]

Thanks for the advice, ill cross that off my list.

 

[zena180]

Are you a family of 4 people? Or is it a combo of people and pets?
I ask because if this is going to be your home....you may want to consider something larger. My bus has 8 windows...my build is just for camping/vacation trips for 2 and space is tight.

My first bus, when my kids were small had bunks over the wheel wells and a queen bed in the back....

good luck on your search! be patient, be picky..don't settle for something close to your needs. Also, if no roof raise is planned,,,then ad high roof to your list of traits your bus must have. That extra few inches makes a huge difference.

Actually I miscalculated we are about to be a family of 5. We have no pets but eventually would like a medium size dog. It would be my husband and I plus 3 children. In the build we are thinking of 2 queen size beds in the back of the bus, and a pull out bed. yes we would like a raise roof, I heard just today that busses with handicap lifts have raised roofs and no wheel wells so I was reconsidering.

Thanks for the information/advice. Its been a journey so far just to find a bus.

 

[zena180]

Hey there!

My husband and I have been searching for our first school bus to convert into our family of 4s home.

We’d like a dog nose bus, preferably 5-8 windows in length with no handicap.

Looking into buying a bus with one of these engines:
Dt466
Dt360
Cummins 8.3
Are main concern is a working engine and no Rust on the chassis.

We live in california, but would be willing to travel for the right bus

Also we have a Mazda 2014 cx5, trade value $10,000. We are selling and even willing to make a trade.

Thankful for any help/direction you can give us!

I would like to add that we are open to suggestions, nothing is definite and I know most of you all are a lot more experienced. We have no issue with changes our plans.

So for know the DT360 is out, handicap bus is back in and we may need a bigger bus We really wanted to stay away from anything to big, but things may change *

 

[Drew Bru]

Our bus is 11 windows and comes in at 36', but its not a flat-nose bus...its conventional style. I think there's 24' of living space (back door to back of drivers seat). We lived full time for a couple years, just two of us and a dog, and had plenty of room. Maybe we could have gone with a 10 window. However, with 3 kids I think you'd want something in the 24' living-space range. We have a pull out sofa up front that doubles as a full-size bed and I guess it could sleep 3 smaller kids?
I understand the wish for a smaller and more nimble rig, and everybody's intended use is different (boondocking vs. campground living, etc.). I just wanted to give some of our real-world experience so you're not going into it blindly.

 

[musigenesis]

My living space is 24' long and it's the absolute bare minimum into which I could imagine cramming my bachelor requirements (which include a 30" wide bed). The skoolie families I've seen on Youtube with 2+ kids seem to always have 40' buses - and even then things seem incredibly tight. You have to remember storage requirements in addition to just where the major appliances and bits of furniture are going to go.

Full-size buses (35'+) also seem to be a lot more common and less expensive.

 

[peteg59]

There are these...which will end up going for about $4000-4500. The only downside for you is that they won't sell to California residents. But if you have a license from another state...or can show residence elsewhere...these have been solid buses and they have a good drivetrain combination.

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=367&acctid=19243

While it won't help the OP, that bus in the link looks really nice body wise, mechanically, and in current price, judging from the pics. Mileage is high, but that's what they're made for.

Someone's gonna make out well in buying it, no doubt.
Thanks Ross...

 

[zena180]

Our bus is 11 windows and comes in at 36', but its not a flat-nose bus...its conventional style. I think there's 24' of living space (back door to back of drivers seat). We lived full time for a couple years, just two of us and a dog, and had plenty of room. Maybe we could have gone with a 10 window. However, with 3 kids I think you'd want something in the 24' living-space range. We have a pull out sofa up front that doubles as a full-size bed and I guess it could sleep 3 smaller kids?
I understand the wish for a smaller and more nimble rig, and everybody's intended use is different (boondocking vs. campground living, etc.). I just wanted to give some of our real-world experience so you're not going into it blindly.

Thanks, this helps a lot actually, as we hear from more people and watch more videos we are getting an idea of how much room we need and how people go around in town. Its opening up our eyes a bit more. We love being outside and are used to living in a small space. We may just go with the biggest bus we can get Thanks for the info.

 

[zena180]

My living space is 24' long and it's the absolute bare minimum into which I could imagine cramming my bachelor requirements (which include a 30" wide bed). The skoolie families I've seen on Youtube with 2+ kids seem to always have 40' buses - and even then things seem incredibly tight. You have to remember storage requirements in addition to just where the major appliances and bits of furniture are going to go.

Full-size buses (35'+) also seem to be a lot more common and less expensive.

Yes thank you, I noticed that the 35'+ busses are a lot cheaper and have a really good engine. I was talking to my husband and we did notice that we would need to carry a lot more water than a couple would need, I mean we are a family of 5!! so we did decided on a bigger bus, I guess when you live in a house you don't realize how much water you actually use. Thanks for your input.

 

[cadillackid]

the 360 is underpowered in a bus even in a loaded down shorty.

my DT360 has gotten the job done for over 40,000 miles and nearly 6 years.. ZERO engine trouble.. bus aint fast but she gets me there..


biggest issue with the 360 is its often mated to an AT545 trans.. which DIDNT get the job done for me

 

[DeMac]

Wheel wells + floorplan = lifestyle

Thanks, this helps a lot actually, as we hear from more people and watch more videos we are getting an idea of how much room we need and how people go around in town. Its opening up our eyes a bit more. We love being outside and are used to living in a small space. We may just go with the biggest bus we can get �� Thanks for the info.

------------------------
Since you are open to suggestions and considering all the options....

Rear engine buses have longer wheel bases. I first thought about turning radius, campsite limitations, etc. But for us, that's not important. We wanted volume and a side hallway.

Many new buyers are surprised that the rear wheel wells have so much impact on their pre-purchase floorplan. Dognose and FE flat nose buses have the same problem. Six and a half windows to the rear wheel humps, long overhang behind.

Our RE has nearly 10 windows between the humps.

Dognose: from entry door to humps, 6.5 windows
Flatnose FE: from front hump to back humps 6.5 windows
about 27" each window, about 15 feet.
RE buses: 7 to 10 windows from hump to hump up to 22 feet between. That's an additional 7 ft of walk around.

(Note: the rear wheel wells begin near the back of the 12th window.)

An all inclusive, full size bathroom is a great place to have quality time while preserving water rations. Shower in the arch with 6'6" headroom. No swinging doors, one slider. At home, we usually leave the door open, when we wee. The bathroom door is not visible from elsewhere, on the bus. Wide open chassis, below.

The floor plan above would work in a flat floor handi bus (fiberglass or steel) or a long wheelbase RE, only.

(blocking out the floorplan to assess a side hall)

IC Corp's 303" wheelbase (25'3") RE300 is 42'2" long, overall and they're claim, "has the widest entry in the industry".

(5ft x 5ft and 36" x 80" door, tall & wide)

If you are living full time with kids, you may need the space at the entry. Look around your current home's front entry. Do you put various items near the entryway, then a motor hump and narrow stairs won't be great. Tiny home life will force lifestyle changes, more space up front is a treasure for house keeping. Just as a full private bath, that all can use, is a special space.

All this and thicker body steel too. Built using 16g body steel since the mid 2000s. If you want to go long, this is it. Those who intend to travel narrow roads, & stay in small campsites, disregard.

 

[Rakubum]

I want to get started…

I’m brand new and I’m just starting to check out my options. I’m pretty handy with power tools, built my house 20 years ago with a lot of knowledgeable help. I learned a lot during that process. I’ve been thinking that I want to convert a bus into a camping vehicle for local camping and when I retire drive it across the country. Yesterday, I saw a 1994 Chevy G-30 diesel 4 window bus on FB marketplace for 4,500k. It had 90k miles on it. I saw video of it running, it smoked a bit when it was first started and he said it was because it’s a diesel. Long story short, it sold before I could go look at it. I have no experience with busses. Now I’ve been thinking about moving forward with a conversion. I don’t want anything big but probably bigger than his. It had four windows. I’ve scoured the internet for used busses, found some on EBay much bigger than I want. What are the other places I can look? Thanks in advance! PS here’s what I almost bought. He had added solar panels and the seats were out and a bit of construction framing had been started.