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Help, MPG, Floor size and Colors.

Home > Discussion Forum > Bus Conversions - School

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All Messages in Thread	Author	Date
Help, MPG, Floor size and Colors.	Jaws	3-24-02
Hello, I am planning to convert a school bus for travel and work. I am a broadcast engineer and would like to travel to various Christian television and radio stations and help how ever I can. When I think of my requirements I would like to convert the rear into a back end cargo bay maybe with a fold down ramp to load equipment and maybe even a small car or motor cycle for away trips. I am set against a tow behind as I like a streamlined self contained look. I imagine this cargo bay to be 8-10 feet long, If it was not inhabited by a small vehicle of some sort it would make a great store room or bed room, I think its ridiculous to have a huge bus and no storage less than a pick up! hence I really want to push the cargo bay. That said what is the interior dimensions of standard schools, they rate in seating capacity not floor space I need floor space (Bluebirds site is no help), also what size is good? is bigger always better, how does this relate to MPG, and what are you getting in real world MPG. Also what about payload? I have a small suziki samuri jeep 1 ton or 2 I would like to drive in. In addition I like the bunk style with lights tv a stereo for each traveler and storage drawers. Also large closets. I would like to keep the first 3 rows of seats for travelers. Also a computer center office. plus all the regular BR, kit, so on. I have toyed with the idea of a pop up tent on the roof for a Bed up there with an interior ladder and hatch, this would ride very flat. Also with a roof rack. In conclusion any ideas on the color of the ship? I mean bus! (: I want clean and professional. I have been thinking all gloss white, or silver (going this way so far)or black or dark blue. ps- is the flat nose worth more money to shake the hippie bus thing (nothing wrong with hippies though) I do not have a lot of money, 4-5 K for bus, than couple hundred a week for conversion. future schoolie, Jaws.
Re: everyhing is possible in a school bus	Nic	4-1-02
:It can be done. A lot of race fans...snowmobile, bikes, and small ice race/dirt buggy people use a bus as a hauler and a camper. It is not easy but do-able. Also, in West Virginia the raft companies cut the rear half off, move the emergency door and back panel up and make flat beds for the rafts and leave the seats up front for the passengers. It costs them little. I have seen farm buses for hauling cattle..llamas in the flat bed and use a canvas top for bad weather. The ramps can be done a few ways... The fancy ones are a strpped out version of a ramp truck with the hydraulic ramp bed taken from an old junk yard truck...$2000 minimum investment + converting it into the bus. You simply cut out the floor and the rear..keep the sides and roof...need to cut out the frame from the rear wheels back.. and add the ramp bed. Put a garage door in the rear to replace the emergency door. The other way is more simple and cheap and a good weilder can do most of it. Make your own ramp bed with mechanical, cable or hydraulic lift equipment. Make a ramp out of c channel steel beams heavy enough to hold your vehicle, might add a lighter floor for weatherproofing. Weild in a pivot point out of heavy pipe...2-3" diameter steel and slip inside of 21/2"-31/2" pipe collars to support..weild the c rails to this and the larger pipe to the bus frame. that is the pivot "hinge". Place this such that when your car is in position..put there by an electric winch and cable, then chained to the rails with come-a-longs. the weight should be close to balance..if you do it correct, you can actualy pivot the car by yourself, or add a come-a-long to lift into place. This pivot point should be a cuople of feet back from the rear wheels. A safety lock once in place, is anoughther pipe pinned thru the rails in the up right position. This is how the old farmers made a ramp truck. Use the garage door in the rear for clearance. Also note , trhat nothing says you need to get the car up to bus floor level...3' off the ground, you can angle the vehicle, you can cut down into the existing floor and hang below it...I have seen a sunken living room in the rear behind the wheels..The only reason the floors are so high is to get over the driveshafts in a front engine bus. A rear pusher will not do. If you have questions, want a sketch...I also have a 1/2 converted 83 Inter/Thomas in great running shape for sale e-mail at nreitzel@cdstech.com good luck and have fun God be with you Nicolas
First step:	Kd5kfl	3-24-02
Read everything in my Backflip. You will figure out what that means when you get there. Link at bottom of post. I would forget the cargo ramp thing. Do you want gas fumes in your living quarters? Or a vehicle rolling into the coach, or out of it, if something goes wrong? And if the vehicle breaks, how are you going to get it up the ramp? I use a Jeep CJ as a toad. The ability to liberate it and drive around with about 45 seconds of work makes it very useful. Yes, go with a flat nose. Thomas, Crown, Gillig or Blue Bird. Diesel pusher or mid-engine. My choice for a conversion would be a Crown, '75 or later. As big as I need it to be, underfloor storage, and they got turbos in '71 and dual air system in '75. The Crown Message board in the Crown section of my Backflip ( at Yahoo Groups - you will need to sign up to post, but not to read. Free. ) has a FAQ in the files section that answers all your questions ( if you wisely choose a Crown ), and more . http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crowncoachjunkies/files/Crown%20FAQs.txt
Re: Help, MPG, Floor size and Colors.	Nic	4-1-02
Hello, I am planning to convert a school bus for travel and work. I am a broadcast engineer and would like to travel to various Christian television and radio stations and help how ever I can. When I think of my requirements I would like to convert the rear into a back end cargo bay maybe with a fold down ramp to load equipment and maybe even a small car or motor cycle for away trips. I am set against a tow behind as I like a streamlined self contained look. I imagine this cargo bay to be 8-10 feet long, If it was not inhabited by a small vehicle of some sort it would make a great store room or bed room, I think its ridiculous to have a huge bus and no storage less than a pick up! hence I really want to push the cargo bay. That said what is the interior dimensions of standard schools, they rate in seating capacity not floor space I need floor space (Bluebirds site is no help), also what size is good? is bigger always better, how does this relate to MPG, and what are you getting in real world MPG. Also what about payload? I have a small suziki samuri jeep 1 ton or 2 I would like to drive in. In addition I like the bunk style with lights tv a stereo for each traveler and storage drawers. Also large closets. I would like to keep the first 3 rows of seats for travelers. Also a computer center office. plus all the regular BR, kit, so on. I have toyed with the idea of a pop up tent on the roof for a Bed up there with an interior ladder and hatch, this would ride very flat. Also with a roof rack. In conclusion any ideas on the color of the ship? I mean bus! (: I want clean and professional. I have been thinking all gloss white, or silver (going this way so far)or black or dark blue. ps- is the flat nose worth more money to shake the hippie bus thing (nothing wrong with hippies though) I do not have a lot of money, 4-5 K for bus, than couple hundred a week for conversion. future schoolie, Jaws.
Re: First step:	Jaws	3-25-02
Thank you and Back-flip is a good idea, I still am pushing for a cargo bay as I can not see having any less storage than a full size van at least! Also I am still leaning towards a schoolie, but hope to get a flat nose, once in a while at a tower site the terrain is rough. I still like the idea of driving the little jeep or motorcycle right in the cargo-bay. if you think coach this is offensive but if you think school bus it makes sence to me at least?
Re: First step:	Lee	3-27-02
Cargo space is a good idea (I use the back of my schoolie for a complete wood shop), but the drive in bay for a small car is a bit of a stretch. The motorcycle would be easy. A ramp would fit in between the frame rails and the standard door could be used on a conventional style bus. You could find this type of bus for somewhere around $1500, and it could be a minimal conversion for another 1 to 2 grand. The mileage would depend on the engine, transmission, etc,etc. You could realistically count on between 5 and 10 mpg. Have fun with it.