Estimate of costs for infrastructure, energy conversion, plbg, wiring, engine...

[Bobi]

We found a nice GMC with what seems to be real good basics like those listed in the Subject line but the interior needs to be gutted and redone and the exterior fixed up.  So, my question is, what's the value of that good infrastructure?  The engine has a fairly resent rebuild.  The batteries, plumbing and wiring seem in good shape.  Tires will get us to the tire store for replacement.
Sure appreciate your thoughts and wisdom here.  We spent a couple years traveling in a C class RV but are total newbies to bus conversions. 

[Geoff]

So, you want us to tell you the value of what you are thinking of buying?  I'll leave this one to Don F.

[Dave5Cs]

GMC what? 4104, 450?.   410 03, 4106.........Unless the drive train is certified by a major company or someone who can rebuild and proved they know what they are doing as well as receipts from good parts etc, etc.. They aren't worth much. Tires alone are 3,000.00 on up single rear axle and if its a Scenic that raises that price by two to 4 more tires at 500.00 each. So a little more info would be good and then still won't know much more....They are worth what someone is willing to buy it for.

[Bobi]

Yeah...sorry about that.  I wasn't trying to be obscure, just unsure.
Its at 1961 GM Coach Conversion.  I'm guessing a 4106 by comparing images online. 
The drive train is probably a good thing to know about 

My main question, regardless if for this coach or another is, is there a ballpark figure of what it costs to put the infrastructure in?  The bare bones parts of turning a bus into an RV - such as plumbing it for bathrooms and sinks, installing batteries and running wires and for fixtures/outlets, a heater and thermostat, and whatever else I'm not aware of.   Done by a professional, what might one expect to pay?

Many thanks!

[chessie4905]

Make sure you aren't getting into a city bus with no baggage compartments. As far as cost, you can figure on 10,000 dollars to do a nice interior, OF COURSE, your taste in the quality of the materials and components will raise this figure. If you want to do an economy job, money can be saved. Ask Zephod.This is assuming you do all your own work. I'm not figuring generator, tires, brakes, glass, suspension, or air conditioning. If you are going to have some one else do all the work, quadruple that number.

[Dave5Cs]

30K to 80K if someone else does it and that is the basics today....

[PP]

Welcome to the forum, Bobi. They're not trying to scare you off or discourage you, but it's a fact that everyone learns eventually. It's not cheap to build an RV on a bus chassis and it's even more expensive to maintain said chassis. But once you get a bus in your blood, there's no kicking the habit. We're all nuts or we wouldn't be here  .
Good luck in whichever way you move on this bus and remember, this forum is a wealth of information when it comes to keeping these old beasts moving.

Will

[Zephod]

I've built everything in my bus by hand by myself. Some sniff at my choice of materials but... it works...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[kyle4501]

The cost will depend on your taste, the quality of materials & the quality of the craftsmanship.
Some have used shipwrights to build their coach $$$$$$.
Some have used a handyman $
Some, a good local cabinet shop $$ to $$$$$

The GM buses have a left hand turning engine, almost everything else utilizes a right hand turning engine like the class 8 trucks. So, service down the road will have fewer options.

1 --  Do you LOVE the body style & can't can't walk away with out looking back several times?

-OR-

2 --  Do you want a motor home & this one is cheap?

If 1, you are so done, since you aren't going to get any rest, you may as well dive in & start throwing money at it. 

If 2, STOP, take a deep breath & do some reflection as to what you really want - then begin a new search to find what you really want.


For me it was both & I spent 10 years collecting parts & busses. Then, one day we stumbled onto a ready to use older motorhome. We bought it & are selling off all the bus stuff.

Good luck !

[windtrader]

Hi Bobi and welcome,

When you say "found one" does that mean you have NOT purchased it? If not, think first how much free cash and time and energy you have for such a project. As described, even if the basic motor is fine, there are many other mechanical and electrical systems that always need something. Remember, we are talking about a mechanical relic a half century old.

If you have NOT purchased it and do really want a bus conversion, then check your budget and I'd say if you have 10k-12k you can find a basic conversion in decent shape. Between 15k-18k you can find a nice conversion in good shape. All are likely dated interiors but solid running coaches.

If you already own it, get a professional bus mechanic to do a full survey. That way you will have a good idea where you are starting. You will be throwing much money into to project, so at least minimize throwing good money into the hole.

Good luck

[Bobi]

This is great information.  Thank you!  You've given me good food for thought.   I've been thinking I could certainly simplify my life by buying something reasonably priced and ready to go.  We did that years ago and spent a wonderful 1.5 yrs traveling Mexico with our young children.

But, I didn't design my original question very well from the very beginning and confused things. 
What I'm wondering is what is the cost of all the stuff you don't see?  Like the electrical wiring, fresh and grey water plumbing, battery relays and , connections, converters and all those other things I'm unaware of.  That's what I'd want to hire out.   I think I can get a reasonable idea on building out the space (I have some experience there) but am totally clueless to the realities and costs of all the underneath stuff. 

Am I saying this right?  Does this make sense?

Thanks again,

Bobi

[luvrbus]

Jump in the water is fine, the interior stuff wiring, plumbing and for mention stuff are all fairly reasonable in price and you can do 95% of it yourself just buy Dave Galey's or George Meyers books from this site.
You are not going to spend big dollars till you start buying new diesel generators,inverters, solar and the big AGM battery banks.You can convert one and make it as complicated or as simple as you choose.
Damn where was this site when I bailed into a rusty old Eagle to convert   ,seriously buy a good sound bus for a foundation,(running gear) and go for it if you can keep a class C going you can do it.Everyone here knows I am not a GM fan but those are good buses if the  maintenance was done over the years      

[Iceni John]

I'm glad you understand that the "little things" will cost a lot.   For example, my four tanks (made by Ronco Plastics in Tustin CA) were $2.50 per gallon, so there's $1000 just for them.   I have a solar system that has cost almost the same as the bus itself  -  4/0 cable is $4 a foot, and Blue Sea switches are not cheap (they're designed for the boating crowd).   Over the eight or nine years I've been working on the bus I've spent well over $1000 just on miscellaneous bolts/nuts/washers/plumbing fittings/hardware/etc.etc. at my local industrial hardware supplier who's still MUCH cheaper than Grainger and the big box stores.   So, what I'm saying, but you seem to be aware of this already, is that the little stuff is a significant proportion of the overall cost, regardless whether you make things yourself or you hire someone to do it for you.   If the latter, factor in $100 an hour for labor, at which point it's usually no longer cost-effective to pay someone to convert a bus.   Besides, where's the fun in that?   Bus conversion is, at least to me, a completely hands-on process, but I'll still spend about $20K before I have a usable conversion, and that's excluding the initial cost of the bus itself (which is actually the cheapest part of the whole thing!).

John  

[RJ]

Bobi -

Welcome to the madness!  Busnut fever in incurable, but it can be controlled. . . Sometimes!   

This coach you're considering - can you post the VIN?  That way we can give you a better idea of what you're dealing with, as well as identifying it properly for you and providing a little history along the way.  Also, if you can update your profile info to something similar to mine below (1st name, home/base city/state as a minimum), we can better direct you to vendors and service facilities that can help you.  Simply click on the Profile tab above.  When the next page opens, click on the "Forum Profile Info" option in the LH column and follow the prompts from there.  Thanks. (Added bonus: You might discover another busnut nearby, too!)

As a general answer to your general question: It's the nickels and dimes that add up to a whole lot more than the big buck items.  For example, perhaps you need new house system batteries and cables.  $200 each for the batteries and, as John mentioned, $4/ft for the correct size cable.  If you need twenty feet of cable to go between the batteries and the breaker panel, there's an additional $100 between the two cables (+ & -) plus the connection fittings, tie-downs, etc. 

It's been said over and over, and makes even more sense in today's market, to spend a little more up front to get the newest coach you can afford that's "ready to roll" and only requires minimum renovations, than to buy a cheap coach or a shell and start over or from scratch. 

"It's easy to buy a coach, but much more difficult to sell a mistake!"

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Jon]

I keep thinking if you had to ask that question you aren't ready for the shock of what it costs to own and maintain a completed conversion, much less the cost of materials and time to convert one.

Fuel, insurance, repairs, tires, batteries, routine maintenance, etc can be breathtaking.