Thylacine

[edfrank]

Ladies and Gentlemen of Skoolie.net,

I have purchased a bus to begin a conversion, so I am starting a new Topic about my conversion. I do not have any brilliant ideas about design at this point, so most of my projects will be a mix and match of what others have posted here previously. If you have been lurking on eBay, likely you saw it advertised. It is from the Rocky River School District near Cleveland, OH.

The Stats:

1990 Navistar International Diesel/Conventional School Bus

Wayne Body Lifeguard
Mileage 125,320
Seating capacity 24
Handicapped Bus
Lift recently inspected – good condition
Interior and Exterior kept in good condition
Gas tank 60 Gallons
Automatic transmission- runs well
Engine 7.3 power stroker
Tires – good condition
Exhaust – new
Air Brakes – new in front – good rear brakes
Routine maintenance performed as part of public school district's maintenance program
State Inspected – passed annual inspection from Ohio State Highway Patrol
length from the back door to the drivers chair 23 feet and 7 feet 7 inches wide

For better or worse, I now own a school bus and will start converting as soon as I can retrieve the bus.

Edward Frank

 

[browncrown]

Congrats on the purchase of your new wheels Look forward to your conversion.

 

[edfrank]

These are the requirements for conversion in Pennsylvania:

All emergency lighting must be removed. All School bus and school district painted designations must be removed. Stop sign and swing arm must be removed. After the conversion is complete the vehicle must be weighed empty and a weigh slip from a certified weighmaster must be submitted with the work. If the applicant is requesting a change in the vehicle type to a motor home, additional photographs of at least 4 of the following components must be included with the application. These photographs must also be signed and dated by the enhanced vehicle safety inspector. If the vehicle is not equipped with at least 4 of the following vehicles, the application will be rejected when submitted to PennDOT for processing.

• Cooking appliance
• Refrigerator
• Self-contained toilet
• Heating/Air conditioning
• Portable water supply
• Faucet and sink
• Separate 110/125 or LP gas supply

The vehicle will need to have an Enhanced vehicle inspection done – Name, address and phone numbers of Enhanced vehicle inspection stations can be found on our website http://www.dmv.state.pa.us Your enhanced mechanic should be able to help you with any further questions. There is also a fact sheet for modified vehicles on the website. You may contact the Special Service Unit at the number listed below if you have further questions.

Loryane Drumheller, Supervisor
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

I have already talked to the guys at the local "Enhanced Inspection Station," so there is no problem on that side of the equation. I also have pulled stuff from a donor trailer that a friend had sitting behind his garage:

Edward Frank

 

[chev49]

trailer has double axle... dont scrap that.

 

[edfrank]

Hello,

It is my friends trailer, and he wants to keep the trailer/axle/frame. I get the camping stuff inside - more to get at this stage - but that is that. I have a propane furnace, propane water heater, stove w/oven, vent hood, black water tank, toilet, double stainless kitchen sink, pressurized water tank and air pump, some miscellaneous pipes, lights, and the external power cord. I am not sure the water tank is big enough for the long term. The idea is to do the minimum needed to get the title changed to an RV Title, and then start over from scratch and do everything as it should be over time.

Ed

 

[ol trunt]

Ah, the fun has just begun! I'd say you're on the right track with all the goodies out of that trailer.

As you no doubt will hear many times on this forum, "start by deciding where the bathroom fits the bus best and design around that". I of course did not follow that advice and oh did it make the project more complicated

Have fun and keep the pics flowing.

 

[edfrank]

Hello,

This bus is bigger than the ones in the Shortie forum, and shorter than the full sized buses. It seemed to fit better here, so I decided to post here. I have been reading all of the posts and have went pretty far back. Tygercub also has a shorter bus and I have been watching that conversion for some ideas. There are the great threads for the Brown Crown, the Good News Bus, and all of the others. I need to wait until I pick up the bus, and see how the space is laid out underneath, where I can put tanks, etc. before I can really lay-out the interior. I am not even sure what interior style I am looking for - from Victorian parlor to ultra modern to exotic hunting lodge. I have been bookmarking particular posts and links mentioned in all of the discussions so I can find them again when I get to that part. I am fair at carpentry, have done some plumbing, but the other skills will be reading about what to do and then trial and error.

Ed

 

[Tango-SKO]

Welcome to the Funny Farm! Good looking & apparently very sound platform you have there. Just do your homework and do it your way. Oh yeah...and have fun.

 

[jkindt]

Nice size, a little longer than my bus. Should be plenty of room as long as you plan carefully, and not too long to drive comfortable most places.

 

[bus-bro]

Yep, a thirty foot dog nose bus is my dream bus.

 

[atcc77]

Thats a nice bus! Hope you have fun with it!

 

[edfrank]

Schoolies,

I saw this on the internet today. Here is the plan for somebody's roof (not mine):

.

 

[chev49]

ought to be great at 70mph

 

[TheRainbowBoxer]

Depending on availability, price, and shipping, I would probably be interested in getting 1 or 2 of the small bunk/bathroom windows that is in your buddy's old camper. I want to put a small (single pane) window on each side of my bus in the bunk room for ventilation, and I only have one at this time. You can PM me or whatever

 

[Diesel Dan]

Looks like you've got a great foundation there, and have already scored some RV parts - cool! BTW, when you say "Engine 7.3 power stroker" I think that may be a misnomer. I don't think a 1990 model year bus will have a Powerstroke engine. Those didn't come out until 1996 or 1997 if I recall correctly. What you have is more likely the International 7.3 Indirect Injection engine with rotary injection pump. This was the predecessor of the Powerstroke engine and is what I have in my 1993 Ford pickup truck. I like having manual injection, but I'm not a fan of the rotary pump. I believe the Powerstroke has electronic direct injection and a rail rather than a single injection pump.

 

[edfrank]

Diesel Dan,

I have just posted what was on the eBay listing. I have not picked up the bus yet. I have been in the hospital for the last few days and have not been able to go pick it yet. I will give it a going over when I get it and see what exactly have. A web search suggests you are right! Thanks for the heads-up.

Ed

 

[edfrank]

Has anyone tried using something like this three way rotary selector switch to choose between different power sources?

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...oles-3-OFF-Positions&i=85667&r=view&from=grid 30 AMP $129.

I have been wondering about changing between shore power, generator, battery etc. without the chance of turning multiple ones on at the same time and frying something, and without dangling possible live plugs and prongs while switching between them.

Ed

 

[GreyEagle-SKO]

Well........... to answer your question? yes, back in my Army days we had a power switch at the power distribution box to switch between AC shore an AC generator....
Also on my motorhome we have a power select switch but no DC there....
I am pretty sure you do not want to run your DC circuits thru your AC switch.
Works great for shore and generator..

 

[chev49]

i would just buy an rv automatic switch for 110v switching.. costs no more than that.
the 12v is normally wired thru the converter anyway

 

[edfrank]

Thanks for the input. I haven't bought anything yet. No I did not mean to run the DC through the switch, I had meant to say the AC power from the battery inverter. Do you have a recommendation on where to get a descent automatic RV switch for 110?

I am picking up the bus Thursday.

Ed