Well RMIHR 2002 was the event we had the good ole Bus, Chris ~ its owner ~ decided he wanted a cushy desk job now that his back is giving him more and more problems and the chiropractor isn't helping anymore (he and I used to work on uneven gravel floors, then he flipped his Suby 2.5RS, then he crashed his VFR800 and now his back is slowly falling apart)... Either way, Chris is slowly driving back to CA with all his stuff crammed into the bus and i'm left looking for a replacement.

I'd like to find a School Bus with the engine in the front so I can make the rear into flat-bed for a crawler... Anyone know where I can find some good condition buses? I don't care about the outside/inside since I'm going to convert it to something more RV-like....I do require a decent running engine (perferably desiel) and a automatic trans. It also must do at least 65 mph (the bus top speed was 52 mph thanks to a 2-speed auto).

I know you guys have some good connections, anyone know where I can find one of these? I'm also open to other vehicles, but I like the bus idea since I can turn the front half into a comfy RV w/ beds while parking a crawler on the back.

Ideas? Leads?

Well for the engine being in front, I think that mostly limits you to school buses. City buses and tour (type) buses are mostly all rear engine that I've seen. So I guess my first stop would be at a school talking to the guy that repairs them.


BTW.......BTT for ya' ;)

ebay... has cheap buses all day long ($1000-$2500... its gonna be IH isnt it

Originally posted by ol John Henry
ebay... has cheap buses all day long ($1000-$2500... its gonna be IH isnt it
Well I hope so...but a guy came down yesterday saying his buddy has two 75 passenger SBs, both front engine, not sure if they are gas or diesel. I'm looking at Ebay now...I haven't gotten far but looks like GM busses mainly. Not a big deal...I'm going to flat-bed the back and definately repaint!

look crafully at what you buy.

MOST buses are run till their dead. Drive train isn't the issue, thats all rebuildable, look CLOSELY at the steering, they tend to drive the things till its worn through. And from what I gather, they usually use brass bushings (or simmular) but they drive them to the point were the brass wears out, and they start cutting into the componats (arms ect), and those are $$$$$ (i.e not worth the cost) to repair/replace....



just FYI, info I gathered from the dad of a buddy of mine, an long time bus mechanic, when I was talking to him about old busses for just this reason.....

Originally posted by RustoleumWhite
...CLOSELY at the steering, they tend to drive the things till its worn through. And from what I gather, they usually use brass bushings....and those are $$$$$ (i.e not worth the cost) to repair/replace....

just FYI, info I gathered from the dad of a buddy of mine, an long time bus mechanic, when I was talking to him about old busses for just this reason.....

Talk about leads ~ the exact reason I asked. I know my limited knowledge of Scouts didn't qualify me to properly inspect a bus... It seem that there are several buses at my disposal, ranging from $500 - $4300. I'll be sure to look at the steering systems carefully.

Thanks

here is one... looks perfect
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1848283981

DUDE!! that would be SWEET. Too bad its not in my area....

Be hard/shame to cut that though..... just tow a trailer.


forget about worn front end parts.... just swap them out with later model Load-Star parts or a D60 in the front :D




hmm... grab that thing for $200.... then shop around for a wrecked diesel loadstar..... graft front frames or whole frame......



2-speed rear, ya.... PHAT!

http://ebay0.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_94a8030f3670e976102ecaea75a5c2fb/i-1.JPGhttp://ebay0.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_94a8030f3670e976102ecaea75a5c2fb/i-2.JPG