Well, it has taken me some time, but I'm finally getting started on converting my old schoolbus. I've also come up with a good name for my bus: 'unleashed'. It has multiple levels of meaning for me.
The vehicle is a 1985 Thomas Saf-T-Liner rear engine diesel pusher school bus. The chassis is freightliner, and the body is Thomas. The engine is a CAT 3208 naturally aspirated model, and the transmission is an Allison MT-643 4 speed automatic with lockup torque converter. The bus is equipped with air brakes and air activated automatic chains. It also has air controlled throttle and an air horn. The bus is approximately 39' long with a flat nose and the driver forward of the front axle. The GVWR is 33,280. The bus is already titled as a motorhome in VA, and no special license endorsements are required.
It has taken me a while to get most of the tools I'll need together. Also, there was a colder winter this year, which seemed to conspire to put the bad weather on the weekends. This summer I plan to make up for it.
Right now the bus is being used as a temporary shed to hold some belongings from my uncle's estate (he passed away this march) while they get sold. However, that hasn't stopped me from getting to work.
I initially thought that my roof raise was going to be the first major thing and would hold everything up. However, I now realize I have to deal with the wiring before I can raise the roof. Additionally, I have to allow time for my uninvited guests to raise their little ones before I evict them.
This bus had an interesting control panel above the driver's seat with a lot of switched and indicators. There's a picture of that here. This panel flips down revealing a bunch of wiring harness connectors as well as the controls for the 8-way warning flashers that school busses have. There is also the main power cutoff solenoid for the body electrical system.
I found that one of the harnesses shows signs of overheating in the past. It appears to be the one that ran all those flashing lights. I'm still working on untangling the mess and cutting out the school bus specific circuits. It appears as though I'll be able to relocate all those circuits to a different control panel, eliminating most of the wiring from consideration during the roof raising.
I already have 1 friend that is committed to coming and helping with the roof raise. My dad will also be helping. I suspect I can get an uncle and cousin to help as well. The process has been well documented by others, and I intend to follow their plan quite closely. After it is raised, there will be some fun welding work to do. Still, that is several months off.
Once the roof is raised, I intend to skin both sides of the bus eliminating the school bus windows. I want to put in some RV windows, but I want to make sure that they are dual paned as well as being emergency egress capable.
Another part of my plan is to build a raised secondary floor in the main living area and put the tanks between that floor and the school bus floor. I also am planning to have radiant hydronic heating. I plan to have a split unit air conditioner with the air handler inside and the compressor in the basement area. Batteries will also live in the basement area. The space between the floors and the remaining basement space will be storage.
I'm also planning to put in a small loft bedroom above the cockpit if there ends up being enough space after the raise. I can raise the roof about 3' without any legal issues.
Keeping the tanks and storage low will help me keep the center of gravity low, compensating for the raising of the roof.
I'll try to keep this thread updated at least once a week with some kind of progress. Now that I've started the thread, I have motivation to keep working so I can keep it updated. ;D
more to come later,
jim
The vehicle is a 1985 Thomas Saf-T-Liner rear engine diesel pusher school bus. The chassis is freightliner, and the body is Thomas. The engine is a CAT 3208 naturally aspirated model, and the transmission is an Allison MT-643 4 speed automatic with lockup torque converter. The bus is equipped with air brakes and air activated automatic chains. It also has air controlled throttle and an air horn. The bus is approximately 39' long with a flat nose and the driver forward of the front axle. The GVWR is 33,280. The bus is already titled as a motorhome in VA, and no special license endorsements are required.
It has taken me a while to get most of the tools I'll need together. Also, there was a colder winter this year, which seemed to conspire to put the bad weather on the weekends. This summer I plan to make up for it.
Right now the bus is being used as a temporary shed to hold some belongings from my uncle's estate (he passed away this march) while they get sold. However, that hasn't stopped me from getting to work.
I initially thought that my roof raise was going to be the first major thing and would hold everything up. However, I now realize I have to deal with the wiring before I can raise the roof. Additionally, I have to allow time for my uninvited guests to raise their little ones before I evict them.
This bus had an interesting control panel above the driver's seat with a lot of switched and indicators. There's a picture of that here. This panel flips down revealing a bunch of wiring harness connectors as well as the controls for the 8-way warning flashers that school busses have. There is also the main power cutoff solenoid for the body electrical system.
I found that one of the harnesses shows signs of overheating in the past. It appears to be the one that ran all those flashing lights. I'm still working on untangling the mess and cutting out the school bus specific circuits. It appears as though I'll be able to relocate all those circuits to a different control panel, eliminating most of the wiring from consideration during the roof raising.
I already have 1 friend that is committed to coming and helping with the roof raise. My dad will also be helping. I suspect I can get an uncle and cousin to help as well. The process has been well documented by others, and I intend to follow their plan quite closely. After it is raised, there will be some fun welding work to do. Still, that is several months off.
Once the roof is raised, I intend to skin both sides of the bus eliminating the school bus windows. I want to put in some RV windows, but I want to make sure that they are dual paned as well as being emergency egress capable.
Another part of my plan is to build a raised secondary floor in the main living area and put the tanks between that floor and the school bus floor. I also am planning to have radiant hydronic heating. I plan to have a split unit air conditioner with the air handler inside and the compressor in the basement area. Batteries will also live in the basement area. The space between the floors and the remaining basement space will be storage.
I'm also planning to put in a small loft bedroom above the cockpit if there ends up being enough space after the raise. I can raise the roof about 3' without any legal issues.
Keeping the tanks and storage low will help me keep the center of gravity low, compensating for the raising of the roof.
I'll try to keep this thread updated at least once a week with some kind of progress. Now that I've started the thread, I have motivation to keep working so I can keep it updated. ;D
more to come later,
jim