I bought a school bus!

[Trevor Shipman]

UPDATE:

Progress has been good... Finding time to make progress has not. Have her all gutted now. Need to Ospho the rust then coat it with a rust inhibitor. Then insulate and put plywood down. Hope to get that done next week. After that, the fun (framing) can start happening. Going to have someone spray foam it after that.

Getting the seats out went well. I almost didn’t take out the green rubber flooring as it looked to be in great shape but SOO glad I did. Some unexpected rust going on underneath. Had to rent a floor scrapper, it was harder to get that stuff up than it was taking out the back deck of the boat for SeaDek.

Goal is to still have her all done by May.

 

[ifly4fun]

This is awesome, add me to the list to start searching for buses. When it comes time for paint, look into wrapping it... I just did an ‘06 Tacoma in 3m satin gray for $500.. a lot less messy than paint and something you can do yourself.

*Edit. thanks a lot... picking up one on Saturday. I'm screwed.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

Well, lots of little projects have been completed and a list of what’s around the corner

Coming Up Projects:

• Framing for queen bed, bunks, and bathroom
• Run all wires (ac/dc/cable)
• Run pex plumbing
• Paint exterior of the bus

Projects Completed:

• Removed heater (what a mess)
• Removed unused wires
• Added 2 domed skylights
• Maked a new side dashboard with rear camera
• Added hitch and wired 7 pin harness
• Added 10 gal hot water heater
• Blacked out windows that will have a wall covering them
• Added rooftop AC
• Added TV antenna
• Spray foamed the walls and ceiling
• Ran DC wires in the ceiling
• Added 1/4 ply to the ceiling ribs and then put up 3/8” flooring for my ceiling
• Removed decals and reflective stickers
• Sanded the whole bus in prep for paint

 

[Julian]

UPDATE:

Progress has been good... Finding time to make progress has not. Have her all gutted now. Need to Ospho the rust then coat it with a rust inhibitor. Then insulate and put plywood down. Hope to get that done next week. After that, the fun (framing) can start happening. Going to have someone spray foam it after that.

Getting the seats out went well. I almost didn’t take out the green rubber flooring as it looked to be in great shape but SOO glad I did. Some unexpected rust going on underneath. Had to rent a floor scrapper, it was harder to get that stuff up than it was taking out the back deck of the boat for SeaDek.

Goal is to still have her all done by May.

Video says Unavailable.

 

[biglar155]

We need pictures!

 

[Trevor Shipman]

 

[Trevor Shipman]

Video says Unavailable.

Yeah I need to update the video, I was having trouble loading the pictures but looks like they came through now.

 

[Looper7]

That ceiling looks great

 

[Trevor Shipman]

I appreciate it! I can’t tell you how many times I went back forth on the 1,000 different options to choose from. What would hold up the best? Not rob me of ceiling height? Dark? Light? Ease of putting up? Ultimately I chose the 3/8 x 3” hardwood that I wasn’t SUPER happy about putting up but it seemed the make the most sense. Once I had a few boards up, I was happy with my decision. I think it’s one of those where no matter what you put up, you’d end up liking but glad it turned out as well as it did.

Feel sorry for the guy who renovates this in 20 years, every board has enough liquid nails on it to hang meat from it. Ha!

excited to do the framing this weekend. Up to the ceiling it’s been all demo and not very fun stuff. Now the fun starts where I’m putting it back together and it’ll start to take shape.

 

[Hike]

What a great idea! You should rename it "Cool Bus". I live just outside DC. Where did you find such a great deal?

 

[zipper]

What a great idea! You should rename it "Cool Bus". I live just outside DC. Where did you find such a great deal?

That was brought up earlier in the thread... https://jetboaters.net/threads/i-bought-a-school-bus.24049/page-2#post-403841

 

[Speedling]

Do you need a special liscense to drive it?
Obviously don't need the passenger endorsement anymore but i wonder if a class c would be required?
And would towing a boat make you too long for some regulations? My wife would never let me touch a project like this! Looks awesome!

 

[Trevor Shipman]

What a great idea! You should rename it "Cool Bus". I live just outside DC. Where did you find such a great deal?

Hah, actually just north of DC. Found it on eBay and bought a one way flight up to get it and drove her home to Charlotte, NC.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

Do you need a special liscense to drive it?
Obviously don't need the passenger endorsement anymore but i wonder if a class c would be required?
And would towing a boat make you too long for some regulations? My wife would never let me touch a project like this! Looks awesome!

The GVRW is over 26000 so yes technically I think you need a class C. I rolled the dice driving it back when I bought it. When I register it as a “house car” a class C will no longer be required (from what I understand). But who knows, I’m sure there will be some pain points trying to get it legal. As most “skoolie’s” will tell you but they all end up getting legal one way or another.

As for length, that’s why I flew to DC for this specific bus. It’s on the shorter size (really is super easy to drive) and the interior ceiling height is 6’3. I forget what the rules were for towing but I’ll be far under compared to the other real RV’s pull

I didn’t want a larger bus for just that reason, wanted it to be able to get in and out of small streets and something that was reasonable to tow the boat.

For what it’s worth, I can’t wait to hook the boat up to this thing. Lol

 

[RiverRat]

As long as it’s “not for hire” meaning personal use only you wouldn’t need a CDL. You can go out and buy a full size motor coach that weighs 80,000 pounds and has air brakes and don’t need anything more than a class D.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

After being backordered for over a month, apparently they had a recall on these, my ‘down the road’ power source came in.

Went back and forth on cheaping out a little bit as well as getting something with a similar footprint (but a little bit larger wattage) inverter but think the 2200 will do just fine (and it is the most compact). Really, I just need it to power the AC (which doesn’t require the cranking power needed for a lot of the other rooftop AC’s out there). The Furrion AC I bought has something similar to a hard start kit already installed on it. So this should do the trick. Everything else is DC or propane.

Ultimately decided on the Honda as you never hear a bad word about them. Love the idea can keep this in the garage for a power outage, tailgating, or when it’s time to hit the road on the bus. And since it’s Honda I know I’ll have it for many years.

Framing is going down tomorrow. I’m handy but my brother is a GC with a very creative mind so he’s going to do it. I have a weird jigsaw puzzle going on with the bottom bunk semi going under the queen and the top bunk going above the feet of the queen (perpendicular). Excited to see how it all turns out Sunday! I’m not allowed to go over there and supervise as his wife is pregger and doing all the necessary things to try and avoid the [HASH=3551]#*%+[/HASH] COVID.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

Put in the side storage tool box. Would love for it to be used for storage but I cannot find a good place under the bus for the generator that will allow me to refuel, turn on, turn off, and to take in and out easily. Not to mention it getting abused being exposed to the elements. Putting it in the box is great for access, refueling, but would require putting quite a few holes in it so it can breathe. Not being a welder is sure making this one hard to solve. But none the less the box is in and IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. She’s in there solid. Really happy.

Also got the base framing of the queen bed, the 2 bunks, bathroom and loaded in the fridge today. (That’s not the actual front to the fridge, there are black stainless steel looking inserts that go in.

She’s staring to take shape!

 

[Julian]

I'm curious....are you keeping track of the weight of all the stuff you are installing? Also the left right balance? Or does it not matter?

 

[Trevor Shipman]

I'm curious....are you keeping track of the weight of all the stuff you are installing? Also the left right balance? Or does it not matter?

I’d say if this was anything but a bus, yes. It’s really crazy how beef’d up these buses are. Unlike a class C, which I’ve driven a few of over the years (and often just feel overweighted/scary to drive) buses are stout. You walk around or drive it and there’s no flex. Drawback is a bit rougher ride. I do wish I had a gas station close with a scale, I would have light to weigh it before/after out of curiosity.

 

[svana]

I’d say if this was anything but a bus, yes. It’s really crazy how beef’d up these buses are. Unlike a class C, which I’ve driven a few of over the years (and often just feel overweighted/scary to drive) buses are stout. You walk around or drive it and there’s no flex. Drawback is a bit rougher ride. I do wish I had a gas station close with a scale, I would have light to weigh it before/after out of curiosity.

Try your local landfill. They normally charge by weight dumped and have scales that are designed to weigh dump trucks.