The Bus Project

[noahyay]

I have been thinking over the last several years about getting a bus. Well, now its actually getting to that time.

im 15 and nobody better laugh at me and say im too young

my dad owned 2 buses in his lifetime, I lived in the second one for 3 months. he sold it when he started to built our house in alaska. then he moved down to cali to live w/ me

becasue i live in the bay area there relly isnt any place to park a full sized bus unless you have a huge driveway.

so what ive come down to is a small sized school bus -yes like the special ed ones.

im going to take out the seats and walls
insulate it
put up plywood walls and vapor barrier
put insulation in the floor
insulate the doors
put up shelves and a folding bed
put a desk in the back

im not going to buy anything. i know a lot about construction and have built a house almost entirely by myself and i have built a "fort" type building, but it was built to spec. and had insulation and whatnot and i had people offering to rent it out seriously, adults not just immature 15 year old friends.

ive been working 10 hrs a week at the ymca and have about 1000 dollars saved.
school buses are cheap, my dad got his for 2000 and it never had a problem
they are industrial built and will never break

i have several drawings and schematics drawn up for the interior
im going to paint the outside black probably and the inside blue
i can weld on metal over the areas where i take windows out and insulate it
im going to leave space for a toilet and shower if i ever get that far with it

by june i will have enough for a bus and extra for the furnishings
it will be several hundred for insulation and walls, and more for stereos and such

my dads bus had 2 speakers 2 feet across each strapped to the roof on his bus and could be heard two miles away, he owned a bar then and it was a real party bus

i plan to live in this bus for a while and use it to occasionally drive friends down to the beach or mabey to mexico in the summer

what do you guys think?

here are some cool bus pictures:

[mcveighr]

He's riding in the short bus. ;)

[noahyay]

its true but it shall be cooler than ur bus

[mcveighr]

Yeah man, I'm sure the ladies will be all over you in that pimpmobile.

[Jeffy-CanCon]

It's an interesting project. Good luck with it!

My only comment is: do you really want to paint it black in that warm California sun? I'm guessing that the heat inside would be unbearable, especially with most of the windows blocked up.

Post some pics when you are done, eh?

[fcpchop]

sounds awesome to me, good luck on it. :cheers:

[SCpoloRicker]

its true but it shall be cooler than ur bus

It would likely be the coolest bus. I'm not sure what the specifics are, but CA has laws regarding how long a vehicle can be in one location. Even in driveways, you can't leave an RV / bus / semi for an extended period of time.

Trailer parks may be an option.

[noahyay]

i cant afford a trailer park but they are only 21-23 feet long

yeah, ive been thinking about changing the color ill paint it but most of the buses have a/c

[-Tab]

My only comment is: do you really want to paint it black in that warm California sun? I'm guessing that the heat inside would be unbearable, especially with most of the windows blocked up.



does it really get that hot in Cali??

i've been there 3 times - San Diego once and monterey twice - and each time, the hottest it got wasn't much over 70. i'm sure it gets much warmer during the summer months, but you'd think he'd be ok with a black bus.

who knows, i don't live in california, so, i guess i'm not one to give advice

[Thordic]

It would likely be the coolest bus. I'm not sure what the specifics are, but CA has laws regarding how long a vehicle can be in one location. Even in driveways, you can't leave an RV / bus / semi for an extended period of time.

Trailer parks may be an option.

Uhm, drive it to the store, then park it back in your driveway?

[logicmag19]

amazing wish i had thought of the idea had the background knowledge of building had the supplies and the need of a bus with a bed. but if i did id make one too :hail:

[tranman]

You can't really use the AC unless you have the bus running. Not too economical, maybe you could rig a normal small AC unit meant for a house to use.

[dj89]

My unlce put his race car in his full size bus, its a sweet set up I like it. I'v been thinking about doing some with a bus for my ATV's for a long time.

[Bear_Claw]

Well if ya run into mehcanical probs send me a pm lol as im a School bus mechanic lol. I fix em all day. I actually contemplated buying two of em one for parts for my truck and one to convert to a mobile shop to make some cash on the weekends (oil changes, brakes suspenshion and sutch).

I have seen a few 72 passengers (big) converted to mobile homes and have seen a handfull of 20 passengers (small) converted to like hunting campers and sutch.

[mcveighr]

I've seen the big ones converted to carry stock cars.

[dj89]

I've seen the big ones converted to carry stock cars.

Yep, they look cool with the back 1/2 cut off than a new back 1/2 put on so it big enough to fit one.

[mcveighr]

Actually this one just loks normal.

Maybe were thinking of different cars.

[dj89]

http://www.statelineeriezspeedway.com/5th_Turn/Archives/Stateline%202002/Stateline%204_20_02/DCP_0173.JPG

[noahyay]

cool, i thought about doing that, but im not getting a big bus, so it wont work.

im gonna put batteries and stuff in it so i can run things like a tv

[dj89]

Actually this one just loks normal.

Maybe were thinking of different cars.


how is that relevant in any way?

im gonna put batteries and stuff in it so i can run things like a tv


So i showed him what i'm talking about...........

[SlipknotX556]

Why would you want a bus? I dont understand. You live in Cali, get a convertible, or if you really have your heart set on a bus, make the bus a convertible.

[noahyay]

i get to drive my moms convertible :D :D :D
especially a lot now cause she goes to meetings and take the other car
;) i dont have my lisence yet

ill get a quick paint diagram of the floor plans up in a sec

[noahyay]

heres the floor plan

i have very extensive plans on the bed ive measured it all out and it will work

[kosmo]

Forget the sink, get a kegerator. You can wash your dishes with beer!

[tony3]

My grandpa, when my mom was young, turned a grayhound bus into a really nice R/V, camper thing. They had 12 kids, so it was much needed to be that big. We have some pictures of it. It was really horrid outside, well because it looked like a used grayhound. Inside though was very nice. 2 funny stories about it. They used air brakes and for some reason they didn't have pressure in them and he was putting it into the driveway and couldn't stop and went right through the garage.

It was eventually stolen. It was found 2 days later when someone called the fire department about a bus on fire outside their house. The thing caught on fire when the people were stealing it.

[CasingBill]

If it comes out like this then I say cool....if not...... :eek:

http://www.brisbaneperformance.com/cars/174/School%20Bus.jpg

[noahyay]

thats not even a real bus

for an update: im still working on saving.... my dad was really annoying this weekend by saying i could never afford it and that i would have no place to park it

my mom then says i can park it in her driveway so its all cool -sometimes divorced parents are good

it would fit anywhere on the sidewalk only 18' by 6.75'

the electrical system will start out by just working when im plugged into a house -can always upgrade later

will be able to hook up to water too

have a small gas stove

[mcveighr]

What kind of bus are you getting, year/make?

[noahyay]

i dont yet, probably whatever i can find

anything for a few thousand that runs ;)

[paintbattler]

booooo.......

[CasingBill]

so you mean more like this.....with a plug in the side for electric???

<a href="http://www.whysanity.net/muppets/mfs/bus.jpg"><img src="http://www.whysanity.net/muppets/mfs/bus.jpg" width="700" height="550"></img></a>

[mcveighr]

That things awesome...

[noahyay]

yup exactly

[quik]

I've been thinking of doing something like this WAY down the road. Possibly taking a bus, converting it into a livable place, and going on a road trip around the country. It would be great I think, and you would get to see a lot of great things while enjoying your cool bus.

You sir are the american dream :headbang:

[CasingBill]

you guys could just get really crazy and buy an RV........ :confused:

[PyRo]

you guys could just get really crazy and buy an RV........ :confused:
The man has a point.

[SCpoloRicker]

The man has a point.

Doubtful that much cash is an option...

[maxama10]

even if money wasnt an issue, wheres the fun in that?? :) :cheers: party on wayne party on garth :dance:

[noahyay]

i know, the fun is having something that fits your every need cause you built it

:eek: ill need a new licence and special insurance i believe
this is not good

[noahyay]

here ya go:

[PyRo]

http://abilenedragstrip.com/images/special/Cool_Bus.jpg

[noahyay]

went to a rv place this weekend w/ my dad and we checked out some class c's

they are ford e450's with overdrives and pretty big

he wants to get one and live in it permanently if he had a place to park it
i want to get a bus still and i'm thinking about finding a broken rv that i can scavenge parts off of... hehe

ill take showers pumps electrical sytems and all that fun stuff, and if im really lucky ill get the overdrive if it is the same model of bus

i get my first paycheck on friday and it should be for 750 or so. so i will put it all in the bank and save, my goal is for august but i need to finish my dune buggy and some other things before i get it

[AGD202]

all i can say is.... when ur "living" in this bus and you will obvously need electricity and water?

u gonna leave the bus on 24/7 for the electricity w/ these gas prices and where u getting water?
Unless u do go to a trailor park but ur 15... thats just dumb... live at home where things like electricity and water are free

[noahyay]

im pluging into my house for electriity and water

i will also install a 50 gallon tank and some more batteries if i take a trip

[nippinout]

Is it going to be a short bus? My girlfriend used to ride one, and I think that's really sexy.

[Bear_Claw]

I dont know bout out there but i Fix these things for a living. And the BEST most reliable ones are the 1988-1994 E350s. The Best of those would obiolsy be the newere 94's.

The Older Gms are TRULY GUTTLESS and are a MAJOR PITA to work on. Thy have decent engine reliablity and GREAT transmishions but the rest goes down from there. If you find a Old GM Diesel that Aint leaking oil RUN AWAY cause the owner let it LEAK DRY.

The Ford E350 20 passenger schoolbuses have a 7.3L IDI Diesel N/A (NO COMPUTER, NO TURBO) and the later years have the E40D automatic 4 speed Overdrive Transmishion (NOT the greatest Trans but they average a 200000km life with NO SERVICE). The 86-88 E350s have the Venerable C6 Trans witch is TRULY bullet proof but lacks a overdrive. they average around 13-14mpg and the best i have seen is 16mpg

Places to watch for when buying a used Bus Especially a FORD. Check the OIL PAN as the fords have a HISTORY of rusting out and its a HUGE job to fix (IE. you need to pull the engine.. Ask when the last Transmishion was put in. Check Coolant DCA Levels (PM Me if you need more info on this IT IS IMPORTANT).

A Duel alternator kit can be had very easily from the abundance of Ex Ambulances for this engine. This would be a good investment if you plan to run extra batteries.

As for the newer buses i would advice staying aways from them as they WILL need repairs just as mutch as the older one with the exception that the newer buses repairs are MUTCH more costly.

Any more info you wish give me a shout.

P.S. i personally would not want to live in an EX school bus but what ever floats your boat. I would DEFFINATLY suggest a GOOD cleaning and sterilizing befor hand as you have NO IDEA how many times kids puke and piss all over em lol.

[noahyay]

wow, thanks

Thats quite possible the best advice on buying a bus in two years or internet browsing at about 5 hours a week

:D