Shuttle bus confusion

[Seeria]

Hiya all shuttle bus people
I'm a bit confused on bus numbers. I see a lot of e350's around. What are these e numbers?

 

[baadpuppy]

Ah, something I know how to answer.

The E350 is a Ford Econoline (E) 1 ton (350) chassis. Basically that means that you can get chassis parts from pretty much any ford parts place.

An F350 would be a ford 1 ton pickup chassis by comparison.

hope this helps,
jim

 

[The_Stuff]

yup its like F150, F250, F350 trucks but the E is for Econoline, Aka van.

350 seems to be the standard for older shuttle buses. 250 for some single rear wheel small models, and now with the newer models there is 450 and even 550 chassis. the higher the # the more beefier the chassis is. bigger brakes, stronger springs, more everything.

also 450, 550 is almost identical for towing/weight etc.

biggest thing is you want a good sized engine in it to. i have a 7.3L diesel in mine. yet the congo bus has a 460 gas engine in it but still lots of power for hauling.

What kinda bus are you looking at?

 

[Seeria]

Great info guys, thanks!
I find a lot of 350s around Wisconsin. Idea is to convert it for long trips (1 to 2 years at a time), boondock enabled, and it has to pull a utility trailer (looking at a 5' long covered). What engine would be able to handle that?

 

[The_Stuff]

id go diesel for the pulling power. but a larger v-8 gas would work to. v-10 fords are okay to.