Really good bus build YouTube series.

[someguy]

Here is another good channel.  They raised the roof and then gave up and sold the bus.  They put 2 years of weekends into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLwgPhTFtE

https://www.youtube.com/c/BacktoSchoolBus/videos

Seems funny seeing these couples do this work together.  The other 2 couples are working on their bus nearly full time.

It's a ton of work to prep a seated bus for a conversion.  But it looks like a fantastic chassis when you are done.  I'm surprised at how much work it is but also surprised at how well it comes out too.

It's like doing a house reno.  It gets really dirty and ugly for a while before the value becomes evident. 

[Jim Blackwood]

How much you do depends on what your goals are. Insulation is nice but how much do you really need it? It is far from an absolute. And, since your house has wheels it isn't hard to move it to a nicer place if the climate gets too uncomfortable. Seems like sort of the purpose of the bus in the first place. I think it is more a matter of priorities and how much weight is given to such things as appearances vs practicality. They are not mutually exclusive but it's easy to shift the balance too far one way or the other.

I agree with the idea of buying a completed conversion. But if you then take that, strip out the interior and redo it, replumb it, rewire it, and upgrade the tanks and genset, then rebuild or upgrade the engine and transmission and maybe repaint there isn't much difference from starting from scratch. In which case, why not start with as much as you can use without changing it for the least you can pay? That can take many forms but as a starting point how about a roof you don't have to raise? Maybe an engine you don't have to replace. A transmission that is fine the way it is. An AC system that is a decent starting point. An acceptable aux heating system. A paint job you can live with. Maybe even nice Alcoa wheels. Usable tires and batteries. Can you get that for under $10K? Yes you can. Sometimes for much less. I spent the better part of a year learning the market and searching but the end result was all that and more for $5250. Plus a delivery fee to have it driven to my house. Don't discount the value of that part, at the very least it had to be in good enough shape to make the trip. And at the end the driver said it was a lovely machine to drive. A very welcome reassurance. This is a very firm foundation on which to build.

Now the interior is, pardon my french but simply put, sticks and staples. No matter how fancy you get with it, in the end it is no different from any other S&S RV. So there is little to be gained by paying big bucks for what someone else has already done. Tanks? (for the memories) those are just big square boxes. Worth a couple grand maybe but still just boxes. And the rest is detail work. It does become an interesting hobby. So now we get to the crux of the matter. Is the goal to build the thing or to live in it? Some of us enjoy the building enough to put off the living in it for awhile, and that's fine. I have a really nice house to live in. It's not an urgent thing for me. It's paid for and appreciating. Sure I have to mow the yard and such but it's a small price to pay. By the time we start seriously thinking about changing that the bus should be nearly finished and can provide options. So for me this plan works. YMMV

Jim

[buswarrior]

The original converter, long before luvrbus got it... was not a reputable business man.

He went to jail.

Yvan and Syvie's bus is a long way from what you will encounter in another coach, it had already been chopped and changed, and not always for the better.

There was no funny business more recently, everyone knew what and who was involved, but there are more coaches running around out there that came out of that notorious shop.

He preyed on the unknowing directly, and his "work" lurks out there for a whole 'nuther generation of new busnuts...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[luvrbus]

You can't blame Walker for the worst paint anybody ever saw,I did a lot of metal and brace replacement around the tag and engine cradle on that bus and almost had to sell the farm to pay Sam Cayor it is in good shape,paying for the brakes with new drums ,pads and bearings will make you cry,then add Luke with his studs they knew a bargain and never tried to dicker on the price   

[someguy]

Here is another couple working on a bus right now.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJBb9pXSdlfqXAyK_BvUlIg/videoshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0WnEdPE-OA

There are now 3 couples that are currently working on converting an MCI coach on YouTube:
- them (Andy Kavanagh)
- Lacroix Cruiser
- Rehabit8
And Back To School Bus, who stopped working on their coach and sold it.

Andy's bus is by far the newest, being a 2007 E4500 with 475,000 miles on it.  Cat C12 with ZF automated manual transmission.

He seems to have made it through the demolition and prep part of the bus faster than anyone, though he didn't remove the entire bus floor nor the seat rails.

Comparing the two conversions, I'm not sure Lacroix Cruiser gained anything by buying a pre converted bus.

For example, the coach door on Yvan's bus was all messed up.  Someone had installed an RV latch that didn't work in it and bent the door.  Yvan said he spent 40 hours fixing it.  He did a fantastic job, but 40 hours is 40 hours.

The coach door on Andy's bus appears to be in perfect condition.

[someguy]

Here is another conversion.   2002 J4500.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ6eXMxYmrkvXwStNTm5R7Q/videos

[luvrbus]

Here is another conversion.   2002 J4500.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ6eXMxYmrkvXwStNTm5R7Q/videos

If you wait 2 more years you can buy the J coming out of CA up to 2009 models real cheap and convert you one, in 2023 they have to be gone or upgraded to a 2010 engine,that guy with the ZF transmission will have his hands full keeping it going,a bus coming out of service with a 1/2 million mile on the clock is going to cost to keep going that is why the company sold it off .The Cat C-12 is not a bad engine but not one of Cats greatest achievements by far,the ceramic cam followers fail in bus application's .Yvan and Sylive are allways up for a challenge they love to work lol me I was going to buy another door     

[Jim Blackwood]

I also opted to keep the floor and seat rails, why tear out a solid floor? If I felt I needed to insulate that could go over the old floor just fine. Ditto walls and ceiling. Balanced against headroom that might not happen. Turns out a flexible light strip should fit those seat tracks pretty close. Seats came out easily, cut off the bin rails behind the rearmost AC unit where the first wall goes for the bathroom and shower. New gas struts for the bin covers (cheap on ebay) and replaced the cracked covers with the spares. Voila, instant overhead cabinets. Looks nice and lots of room. Who says it has to look like a bar in Las Vegas?

Jim

[Paso One]

The 96 MCI 102 D3 in my signature was a real good candidate for a conversion as the structural modifications were all done by the government owned bus company I bought it from using tax payers money.
The motor and trans had both been replaced and are being removed for future sale.
The shell will be turned into a hunting shack, tiny home, cabin, you get the idea.
The wheels will be left on it for moving purposes.
With the wheels left on around here it doesn't attract excessive property taxes.
I had planned to take most of the good parts from the 96 and use what I can for the 88 A 3
I was also planning on raising the front  suspension removing the air bags then welding stops to hold it up to give adequate clearance to move to a "remote site "  or to move if sold as I don't need it.
The D3 has lots of room inside and would be cheaper to convert than to build a small cabin.  especially with the lack of taxes.
Sorry to hijack the thread but the Ivan's and Sylvie's project  has lots of ideas.

[someguy]

If you wait 2 more years you can buy the J coming out of CA up to 2009 models real cheap and convert you one, in 2023 they have to be gone or upgraded to a 2010 engine

Even without that there are a lot of E/J4500s coming on the market.   Es started in 2001, so some of them are approaching 20 years on the road, not exactly what I'm looking for.  But there are newer ones.   

The sweet spot for E/Js is pre 2007, when they had less emissions stuff on them.

that guy with the ZF transmission will have his hands full keeping it going,a bus coming out of service with a 1/2 million mile on the clock is going to cost to keep going that is why the company sold it off.

I don't know about that.  Almost all these buses will need bushings, air bags, shocks, some brake work, etc.  Depending on how his was serviced, it shouldn't be that bad in that regard. 

The unknown is the engine and transmission combo.   I think the ZF will be OK, but I'd swap the C13 for a S60 as soon as I could.  He'll get good money for a running C13 and S60s are reasonably priced and plentiful.  I'd rather do an engine swap than do a bunch of body work or fix rust.

The Cat C-12 is not a bad engine but not one of Cats greatest achievements by far,the ceramic cam followers fail in bus application's .

That engine would be my last choice.  My order of preference is S60 -> Cummins ISX -> Volvo -> Cat.

Yvan and Sylive are allways up for a challenge they love to work lol me I was going to buy another door     

Or just spend a bit more money and get a better coach.  I'd rather do an engine rebuild (inframe) than endless body work and rust fixes.