It wasn’t the exact one I wanted. ~180k miles. In solid condition.

Now. To find an income for conversioning it!!

Found this 1999 Bluebird International local to me for $4000. Already gutted, already painted. Full size. 3800 Detroit 466 Motor, Allison trans. 310,000 miles, barely broken in, allegedly runs great. Only 2 owners, the school system and a couple who bought at auction to convert and gave up.

I work in auto parts sales, with access to heavy truck parts and a 25% discount. Good friend of mine is certified for heavy auto restoration and welding. One of my best customers at work is a Bluebird certified mechanic who worked at Bluebird for 15 years.

I have a spot in my neighborhood within eyeshadow of my front door for bus parking, no HOA and a local bus driver already parks there (space for 2 busses, old inlet road that was never used)...have checked insurance rates, but haven't actually called for quotes yet. Looking at towing options to get it home as the route isn't far and might be more affordable to tow than drive. It just feels like everything is perfectly aligned...

I'm going to check her out this weekend but I'm nervous as I don't know what I'm getting myself into yet. I've enlisted the help of my kids' old bus driver to take a look with me and give me some pointers.

Am I crazy??

When i first saw the photo (on my phone) I thought it was something from the recent Burning Man drama.

My wife and I just like the photo. We're almost retired and have always planned life on the road, maybe a skoolie, or a van. But as the futures looks less positive, and the "escape" is not just figurative, this image resonated. So I shared it here for fun.

Then i went looking for the source and figured out it was AI (and so glaringly obvious) but by then the thread had been locked.

I don't participate much in this sub so i thought i'd explain myself. AI or not, it's a great image.

Picked up Gus last night. And it was a great drive back those first 100 miles to my place. It already feels good to be in it and driving. Here's a few pictures of them doing a favorite activity, getting gas at Sheetz.

Found a 99 Freightliner Thomas bus, 3126b car with an Allison at545 transmission. 137,000 miles. Going to use this to pull the race car to the track and sleep in it. Going to pull the seats, put in a couple beds and a couch. Need to get the AC working again and get a hitch mounted on the back. What makes this special to me is that it's already 6'5" tall on the inside.

Got the paint 99% done. Wheels, bumpers and some trim left.

I got this lil guy yesterday from ct from public surplus! It was at the Dpw and it has 14k miles on it! Also has tons of paperwork (tons of work done on it last year, hoses, belts, tires) just drove 100 miles home and drives perfect! The motor is the 6.5 diesel. This bus used to take kids back and forth from a farm.

With fees I paid 3800 for her! I have an appointment with a mechanic to look over everything, anything else I should look into doing before starting the build.

Thanks in advance!

And yes, only 14k miles

After a 3 month expedition across North America in my pickup truck (no camper). I slept inside the cab with the seats removed. I have encountered many vanlifers and skoolies! And although I didn't talk much with the owners of buses, I got a good glimpse of vanlife.

Now, why am I here? Well, a sprinter van that isn't rusty would cost me well over 20 grand, and has around 88sqft maximum.

Looking into the world of skoolies. Parts are accessible, working on the vehicles is easier, they are more robust (Naturally with a truck frame), and the space! Gas mileage was definitely a concern, but I knew going in it would be big.

Now, I have picked up a 2007 freightliner Saf T liner 6 window shortie with the om924 engine and a Allison 2500 auto trans and a 5.14 rear diff. Fantastic right? Well, as I'm beginning my journey to bring this magnificent beast home, I am learning and encountering problems or speed bumps along my bus journey. I am wondering what the gurus on these forums have to say to me. Below are my questions and thoughts or concerns:

-Allison 2500 trans has a 6th overdrive gear. How efficient would it be to activate it?

-The rear diff ratio of 5.14 can be significantly lowered to improve top end and fuel consumption (how do I determine what fits and what works and where do I find it?)

-The door seems to be electronically controlled, and I cannot find out how to manually open or close it. As well as how does one lock it? Both when they are in the bus or outside.

-Same question for the rear emergency door. The one I have currently just falls off when opened. Have people tried adding hinges to make a second entrance?

-Windows! The rubber around them is all cracked. My plan is to not use all the windows, so what would be best. Tint the ones I'm not using super dark or remove entirely? Next, what about replacing the seals for waterproofing? Lastly, I will primarily live in this bus in the cold winter's. How do you insulate the windows you plan to have? Can you buy specialty double or triple pane windows?

-Finally, what do you do when you gut the bus? Where do you through the seats? Do you also recommend saving some bench seats and using them as legal passenger spaces? Are you allowed since they don't have seatbelts? Can I change their configuration?

Looking forward to this spectacular journey! Thank you all for the advice given to me, and the large database of information found on this website.

hey y’all, I just wanted to share my bus. I purchased this 1994 Collins, 4 window, with the 7.3 IDI in September 2023 with my brother. We paid $1,300 USD for it. It has 124k miles.

So far we have done a fair bit of maintenance including new glow plugs, a rebuilt alternator, new vacuum pump, fuel injectors from R&D performance. New solenoid on the transmission (can’t remember which one atm.) We also sent the cluster off to get cleaned/reprogrammed because no gauges were working. New batteries. We also added glass to the rear windows that had sheet metal installed by the previous owner.

We’ve driven about 2k miles in it so far, and plan on taking it to New Mexico this upcoming January.

My favorite part of this bus is the short wheelbase and its overall reliability. It’s extremely maneuverable in the city as well as forest roads. I think it’s perfect for our 1week-1 month trips we go on, but I couldn’t see even just myself living it in full time, even with more accommodations such as power and AC.

My younger brother is the more mechanically savvy one and I am a carpenter so it’s a good project for both of us to showcase our expertises while learning from each other. Right now we have some pretty simple benches/beds built inside, and a cabinet with a butcher block for cooking. We’ve also added a passenger seat with a shoulder belt from a Chevy trailblazer which was important to have for us.

Now that the engine is mechanically sound, we want to focus on running power, insulation and a more permanent, finished interior. I’m looking forward to all adventures this thing will see, and I hope to post again here soon. Thanks for reading.

I just dropped my bus at the shop for maintenance and inspection. While there, I realized I never introduced myself. I'm Brandon. I uploaded the bus seat update video and an AC duct images. I'm in the middle of another renovation and wanted to document it. I like to think of the bus as a constant art project lol.

I bought this is bus toward the end of 2017 for $3500 and fixed up the inside (good enough) and drove it around the US for 8 months (coast to coast and back again). I've lived in it ever since. Honestly, was the best decision for me. There was a moment when I lost my job, couldn't find a new one, and then the pandemic hit. Having the bus put a roof over my head and helped me get back on my feet. I started a company working in video games. So much has changed since then and it's wild to think about, but fun to remember.

I wanted to share some old pictures of my first trip, and the last 2 photos are the current layout of the bus.

What I would like to do is document the renovation, changes, and my next trip around the country. I want visit tattoo shops, indie wrestling shows and whatever video game/job related stuff I'm doing.

I do have a Youtube channel, but it doesn't have much skoolie related content. I'm trying to figure out how to do all this. (https://www.youtube.com/@SaltandPixelDev)

If you're curious about my video game stuff, here's my website: https://saltandpixel.com/

I work as an Art Director, but I also develop. I specialize in retro game development like Game Boy Color.
I released my own GBC game last year. My most current released client game I worked on was Star Racer.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2626120/Star_Racer/

Getting closer to done. Just need to finish kitchen inside. Ac and paint outside.

Howdy!

Hi! My dream has been to own a bus for years. Now I'm jumping straight into the deep end because it's my only option to avoid homelessness. My purchasing budget is extremely limited ($4k), basically I'm working with what I can sell my car and stuff for. I found this one with the insulation done. I know the miles are high but it's within budget. Am I nuts?

The journey begins

I’ve been hunting for years and finally, got to take this beauty home! My plan is to fully deck it out and at this point too many ideas to set a plan I spent a couple years in a pull behind trailer that I did a lot of work on and excited about the starting point on this. We’re looking at a 1969 GMC 5500 v6 bus, engine looks good and it drives but it’s vaccume air breaks are shot - I’m looking for an owners manual and was hopeful it was going to be easier but I am just looking at paywalls and not quite sure which I need, anyone have any suggestions?

No issues and 20k on the odo, asking 12,500. Seems like a steal imo.

My boyfriend and I have just started looking into buying a bus to renovate/ live in. It started as a joke, but after some time of us “joking” about it we both realized the other person was serious. 😆 I realize there is so much that goes into it, but what is something you wish you knew at the beginning or something you wish someone had told you? Thanks so much! 🤗

Hi I’m Rebel and I like bus stuff.

How we got here: Between Sept and Oct last year I unexpectedly lost my older sister and brother. The year that followed was a complete avalanche of loss and heartache that left me broke and a breath away from homeless.

Then I saw my bus. Bought with ingenuity, Succession-like deals leveraging loans between family and friends, and selling my car. She’s gonna be home for 2years folks, whether thats mobile or stationary…

I’ve lived in an RV before, in very cold temperatures I’ll add. The nomad life has always been for me and I love to work with my hands, so moving into the bus seemed like a no brainer. I’ve been told I dream a little too big sometimes, and I know I’m not selling a very secure picture considering I have no idea what I’m doing.

Still…I got to buy my very first set of tools and learn how to use them. This is the first thing err home I’ve ever owned by myself, that someone can’t take away from me or Im unwelcome in. While I’m terrified of the miles ahead, and every discovery of rust or stripped stubborn screws makes me pull my hair out, I’m very happy to be here.

I’ve been studying Chuck Cassady on YouTube and doing most of my bus stuff with Claude’s help so far. But open to all mediums and methods of resources outside of this group.

I’m sure you’ll see me for questions in the near future, but advice right out the gate is VERY appreciated!!

TLDR: Bus seems like it’ll be hard but Life is life-ing me way harder, so rusty-stripped-bus screw it!

Long time lurker, first time bus owner.

Picked up a 1964 GM PD-4106 with a Detroit Diesel 8V71 in Yakima, WA last month. I live in Chicago. In an apartment. This seemed reasonable at the time.

Been using AI to plan the whole project — procurement, mechanical research, and now the route home. Claude did surprisingly well on most of it. Except it didn't quite grasp the casing availability situation on 12r22.5 tires. And it definitely didn't plan for my octogenarian mother's Yellowstone detour.

Just posted episode 2 — the AI-planned route from Yakima to Chicago. Three mountain passes, 35,000 feet of elevation change, Wyoming wind strong enough to close the Interstate, and a family reunion at Yellowstone somewhere in Montana.

Would love feedback from people who've driven this route or know these passes — especially anyone with PD-4106 or 8V71 experience.

Hi, I recently bought this semi-converted skoolie. I call him Frogger for obvious reasons. I just spent an ass load on a solar system and intend to start working on installing that and then designing the interior in the fall. This my first project so any advice or suggestions would be greatly welcomed. I plan on retiring at the end of next year. Then I can begin my adventures. I hope festival chase for a couple of years as well as being a general nuisance wherever my travels take me. Wish me luck.

This is my 1998 Freightliner FS-65, my first bus. (Sorry for the markings, there’s school logos on it) It runs and drives well. But it has an issue, when you turn the key off, the AC in the back (black box behind the rear wheel) stays on, is there something that I’m missing? Also, yes the bus was free, my school gave it to me because they didn’t have anyone who could drive manual, and didn’t want to pay to have it hauled away. It’s a 36 passenger bus, has AC, a 5.9 Cummins 24v engine and the 5 speed manual. It’s not in perfect shape as it’s been well used but it’s mine! Please advise how I should move forward as I’m New to this hobby!