scratcheye wrote:
This picture is from three months ago, and I'm still in love with the mural on the bus in the background. I want something like that on Millicent.
scratcheye wrote:
graidawg wrote:as MDF said. Really want a bus, and seeing those roof decks just makes me want one more!
Captain Goddammit wrote:I've forgotten if Elliot mentioned this, but ONLY buy a bus with an International DT466 engine or a Cummins 5.9 or 8.3.
Otherwise you'll very, very likely be very, very sorry. These two are proven super reliable and parts availability is great.
You can buy a gas-engine bus a lot cheaper, for good reason - it'll swallow fuel and be really slow-going. But, I think it's worth considering IF the Burning Man trip is the only thing you're gonna do with it and you AREN'T going to put much money or effort into a full RV conversion. If you go that route and it's a Chevy, try to get one with a 427 rather than a 366. Both are fine but the 366 will be REALLY slow.
But you really want a diesel. Especially a DT466. Ask any truck mechanic. They'll pretty much universally tell you that's the most reliable medium-duty truck motor ever built.
Elliot wrote:It just dawned on me that this business of different brands of engines can be confusing to "civilians". After all, when you buy a Toyota or BMW or Chevrolet, you can pretty much expect it will have an engine of the same brand. Not so with buses and trucks. These large commercial vehicles tend to be assembled from components which are made by independent manufacturers, and the buyer can choose his preferred components.
For example, I used to work in trucking. When my employer ordered 20 new Kenworth trucks, he would choose between Detroit, Cummins or Caterpillar engines, and between different sizes of those brands. It's kind'a like having a house built; you can choose the appliances to be installed. You want a super-large bay window with blue glass? All you have to do is tell the architect and he'll make it happen. Same with trucks and buses.
Brand of engine generally depends on cost-effectiveness. A trucking company that replaces its trucks every two years might buy cheap engines, while a company that keeps its trucks ten years would probably do better to invest in the most durable engines.
And a school district in mountainous Colorado might tend to order larger engines than a school district in flat Illinois.
So when you shop for a used school bus, you will encounter all sorts of combinations. That's why we discuss brands of engines and other features as separate items.
Captain Goddammit wrote: full RV conversion.
graidawg wrote:Captain Goddammit wrote: full RV conversion.
sort of anyway. MDF will probably veto any ideas i have if they conflict with hers and she is the one with the book.
Captain Goddammit wrote:I've forgotten if Elliot mentioned this, but ONLY buy a bus with an International DT466 engine or a Cummins 5.9 or 8.3.
Otherwise you'll very, very likely be very, very sorry. These two are proven super reliable and parts availability is great.
You can buy a gas-engine bus a lot cheaper, for good reason - it'll swallow fuel and be really slow-going. But, I think it's worth considering IF the Burning Man trip is the only thing you're gonna do with it and you AREN'T going to put much money or effort into a full RV conversion. If you go that route and it's a Chevy, try to get one with a 427 rather than a 366. Both are fine but the 366 will be REALLY slow.
But you really want a diesel. Especially a DT466. Ask any truck mechanic. They'll pretty much universally tell you that's the most reliable medium-duty truck motor ever built.
BAS wrote:At one point Florida Church Bus told me it was harder to get parts for a pusher, although that was about six years ago.
Maybe I could convert the "doghouse" into a nice large snack tray for long road trips or something.
Elliot wrote::D
Not for beginners, but could become quite fabulous with enough skill and money.
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