1980 Chevy Class B Bus.. What kinda milage do they get?

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1980 Chevy Class B Bus.. What kinda milage do they get?

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All Messages in Thread	Author	Date
1980 Chevy Class B Bus.. What kinda milage do they get?	Brian Swartz	8-31-00
Hi! I'm looking at buying a 1980 Chevy bus that's a B class (duallie w/350 and turbo 400 trans), and I was just curious if anyone knows what kinda milage this would get. I'm guessing not over 10, but I don't really know. Also, if anyone has one like this, I'm trying to figure out what I'd do to convert it to an RV as well. Any comments / suggestions / help appreciated. Thanx! Brian
Re: 1980 Chevy Class B Bus.. What kinda milage do they get?	Noey	9-1-00
I would guess that you'd get 7-8 MPG. I've got a '56 Ford 30' with a 454 engine and 400 Turbo transmission that I've converted that's getting 9mpg. But I have the stock 2 speed rear.
Re: 1980 Chevy Class B Bus.. What kinda milage do they get?	M!N!-B!RD J!M	7-9-01
I just got back from picking up our bus, a 1986 Blue Bird Mini-Bird, "short bus" with the 350 Chevy Gas engine and Automatic tranny. I drove it over 1000 miles and tested it going various speeds and really watched the gas mileage, to see what was best. Going 55mph on flat roads got me about 8mpg. On hills and trying to go 65mph, I got as low as 5mpg. Also of note, I just weighed the bus with all but the first two bench seats removed, for titling/registration here in Michigan, and it came in at 8840lbs. The vehicle stat plate says 14500 GVWR, for a 5660lbs difference.
Re: 1980 Chevy Class B Bus.. What kinda milage do they get?	Mark O.	9-8-00
I would say don't buy it. For one thing, it has very little space underneath to put any of the tanks you will need for an RV, particularly if it has the 16" wheels. For another, the P-series chassis used in school buses tended to break important pieces off all of the time--spring hangers, shock mounts, springs, etc. You will have very little payload after you do your conversion. The most GVWR those buses had was 14K. Empty weight was usually 10-12K which doesn't leave much left over for the spouse and food. In school use, the 350 would get 8-10 MPG average. Most of the time the gearing meant you were turning the best part of 4000 RPM at highway speeds. Not the best for cruising long distances. Good luck and happy trails. Mark O.