Grant's Shuttle Bus Conversion

[GrantRobertson]

OK, I have the guy a call. The current owner (CO) just bought it from a church. The preacher (P) said it ran when they stopped using it a few years ago. It has been sitting next to the church, sinking into the ground for about 5 years. The battery is bad but CO can tell it has new spark plugs cause the old ones are laying in the floorboard. It has a 460, fuel injected engine.

So, I know for sure it is gonna need all new tires, belts, & hoses. I'll have to flush the coolant and the gas tank. It'll need all new brake fluid and maybe new seals or cylinders all around. All new oil and transmission fluid. It'll need a new battery just to get it moving at all.

I can get a completely rebuilt engine for under $1500, though I don't know if I am up for that.

AAAAaaaa... This one is so full of unknown unknowns. I could spend a total of $3k getting the thing really road worthy and still only have an extended van with a high-top, which is really not enough room for me.

See next post.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Here is another one that Gary68 sent to me. I have had it saved in my favorites on Craig's List but haven't gotten around to calling about it.

[img=194x346]http://images.craigslist.org/00l0l_503HNRzJwbF_600x450.jpg[/img]

https://austin.craigslist.org/cto/5319998768.html

I called the owner just now. He said it has a Chevy 351 gas engine with a 400 turbo transmission. He says it drives great and he has had it up to 80 mph on the highway. He says the body is all aluminum and the frame is galvanized and there is no rust anywhere. He said the lift gate is not included and he will be cutting it off with a torch soon. However, I could still replace it with a fold out/down platform and have a back patio.

It just so happens that FedEx dropped off a package at my son's house just now. He was driving an almost identical step van. so I asked him about it. He says he used to drive one with a 351 in it and it drove just fine. Though, he couldn't tell me what kind of gas mileage it got.

OK, so this one still may need work but, in the end, I will have something big enough to really live in. It is even big enough that I could park a small motorcycle in there and still have lots of room. I can put enough solar on that roof to power myself and a neighbor. I can easily put double-pane windows in it, and tons of insulation, and STILL have plenty of room.

Today, the owner is down in Houston. I will go look at it in Bastrop, TX tomorrow. Bastrop is less than an hour from where I live.

 

[karl]

Thirsty has a 350 chevy carborated (351 is Ford) and came with the 400 3 spd (probably the toughest GM auto trannie)
It averaged about 8 mpg. The one listed looks to be a 14 or 16', mine is a 12' with the lower (6'h) roof.

Hope this helps.

Also- @ 80 mph that engine was turning close to or more than 4000rpm.........

 

[ZoNiE]

Grant, FYI, Regarding that dodge bugout truck, Most (if not all) military vehicles built from commercial vehicle platforms have 24V electrical systems.

You may want to consider getting a used Class C. You would be surprised what you can find, running, in the $3,500 range. One thing about RV's they are not usually driven daily, so mileage tends to be lower than a comparable vehicle of the same vintage, and are not usually driven by kids and workers who beat the crap out of them. RV's are a large investment, people take better care of them.

The best thing about an RV, is even if everything in the "house" doesn't work, all you have to do is clean the hell out of it, and get going. You fix the little stuff as you go, or get rid of the systems that you don't want anyway.

Just something to consider.

 

[ZoNiE]

You may want to consider getting a pickup with a 5K tow rating and a used cargo trailer (CT). Then your "house" isn't part of your vehicle, and the vehicle can be changed out without losing the use of your home. This opens up your pool of good vehicles quite a bit. A V6 midsize truck (Sport Trac/Ranger/Colorado/Canyon/S10/Tacoma/Frontier) can pull a lightly loaded CT, and they are reliable. I have two sport tracs. My 2001 V6 2WD has 140K on it and my son drives it. My 2009 V8 AWD has 98K and is a great tow vehicle. Both get about 14MPG.

Toyotas are known to go to 300K if maintained properly.

In the long run it's more money, but makes sense. I went from a 77 GMC motorhome to a travel trailer I pull with my 2009. I drive the truck to work every day, so if something were to be amiss, I would notice it on my 15 mile commute instead of the middle of nowhere. The GMC only reared it's ugly head when loaded up for the weekend climbing a 6% grade into Payson AZ. We use the TT more in the first year than we used the GMC in 10.

You could even pull the empty CT home with your Bonnie if you put a hitch on it, and, If you had to move the CT, you could. This would give you time to work on the trailer, while still going to work at that place you love so much. :dodgy: You could spend time doing it right and not in a hurry.




Class C's
https://austin.craigslist.org/rvd/5338097388.html
https://austin.craigslist.org/rvs/5336978482.html
https://austin.craigslist.org/rvs/5333796702.html

Class A - If the price is real on this one, there's gotta be a gotcha, or someone's wife is pissed at him!
https://austin.craigslist.org/hvd/5337427085.html (probably $30k)

CT's:
https://austin.craigslist.org/fod/5334283967.html
https://austin.craigslist.org/fod/5329471340.html
https://austin.craigslist.org/hsd/5285582525.html

 

[GrantRobertson]

You may want to consider getting a used Class C.

Oh, I've seen plenty of RVs too. And I know I can get a whole, useable RV for under $3k. However, I will just never trust the structural integrity of an RV. I don't like the layout of ANY of them. I would just so much rather have the empty but durable box of one of these step trucks. Of course, my preference is for a shuttle, but finding one that I can afford AND isn't a rust-bucket has been hard.

Thanks for the gas mileage info. I was hoping for a little better. However, given the size of vehicle I really want, I think my hopes for over 10mpg was a pipe dream. I don't really plan to drive my house very often. As I said, this thing will have enough room for me to store a small motorcycle AND my electric bicycle with plenty of room to spare. I rode a scooter, then a motorcycle exclusively for several years (in KS, through the winters even). I can handle all normal (and quite a few abnormal) shopping trips with a duffle bag strapped to my back and resting on the seat behind me. So, most of my "daily driving" will be either cheap or free.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Trailers are out. I want my driver's seat to be readily accessible from my living area and I want my fridge to be readily accessible from my driver's seat.

 

[highdesertranger]

yeah chevy never had a 351. so someone doesn't know what they are talking about. a chevy would be a 350. again not much info on his ad. you said he was going to cut the lift gate off with a torch. he better be very, very careful with that aluminum body. wonder why he just doesn't unbolt it? another point you keep mentioning double pane windows. when I was at an RV show I talked to a window/door manufacturer. I explained what I would be doing, he said do not put double pane windows on if you plan on going off road. he said the seal will fail, then you will get moisture between the panes. this was from a company that makes double and single pane windows. highdesertranger

 

[GrantRobertson]

yeah chevy never had a 351.

another point you keep mentioning double pane windows.

I think I just misheard or he misspoke. I'm sure it's a 350.

The Tommy Lift is welded to the frame underneath. I may just go ahead and buy it with the lift on it. It will make it easy to get a motorcycle on board and also serve as a nice patio.

If I do get this step van, I will also use it to help my son move. Who knows, I might be able to make some extra money hauling some stuff from TX to AZ.

RE: Double-pane windows.
I will figure something out. I just know I want lots of them, so they will need to be energy efficient. Maybe I'll get random sizes and scatter them all over. I could paint the outside to look like it is shingles and then I would look like the Beverly Hillbillies going down the street.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Trailers are out. I want my driver's seat to be readily accessible from my living area and I want my fridge to be readily accessible from my driver's seat.

Grant, I don't remember if I raised this issue with you before or not.  Do you have insurance lined up for your project?

A converted shuttle bus or box truck would have been my number one choice.  Here in NY, I would have had no trouble getting the state DMV to classify a conversion as an RV.  However, when I explored insuring it, I discovered that getting it insured would have fallen somewhere between extremely unlikely to impossible.  The insurance companies didn't care that the state registered it as an RV, they didn't want to touch a home conversion.  They didn't even want to insure it as an unconverted commercial vehicle unless I could explain exactly what business I was going to use it for.  And in NY, you can't get license plates if you don't have proof of insurance.  I could have ended up spending a lot of money on a project truck, only to discover that I couldn't put it on the road.

I finally decided to go for a converted cargo trailer because the insurance companies couldn't do anything about it - they HAVE to insure any trailer you are pulling with an insured vehicle.
(I share your distrust of the quality standards of RVs.)

I get the impression that this situation may vary by state, so it's possible that you may be able to get insurance in Texas.  But I would definitely make sure of that before laying out any money for a bus or box truck.

Another point to think about is:  Do you plan to KEEP Texas as your "official" state of residence?  If you can get insurance in TX, but can't get it in another state you'd rather be a "resident" of - for any number of good reasons - you might find it hard to "move".

Anyway, be careful and have your ducks all lined up in a row before you pull the trigger on a vehicle.

Regards
John

 

[Almost There]

+1 on checking on registration and insurance before getting your heart set on something.

I had major troubles with insuring my van because I opened my big mouth and asked my insurance broker about RV insurance on the GMC 2500 once I had it converted....no how, no way will I ever ask again. It's listed as personal transportation and that's it.

Had I bought a 1 ton vehicle I might not have even been able to register it as non commercial. Some jurisdictions will allow you to register a vehicle just about any way you want and others are incredibly difficult to deal with for anything out of the norm (and we're not 'normal'... )

I found out something interesting in the past few days. I'm travelling the Natchez Trace Parkway which is a part of the National Park Service. A commercially registered vehicle wouldn't be allowed to travel the parkway, it's restricted to 'recreational hauling only'. I don't know how many other places in the nation that you wouldn't be allowed to drive something like a shuttle bus.

It would seem to me that it's almost worth buying as much of a commercially manufactured RV as you can afford and then ripping it apart to customize it yourself. I understand not liking any of the interiors, I feel the same way. Both the DMVs and the insurance companies only seem to care about the little label on them and nothing else.

 

[LowTech]

On the other side of this, I've never once had issues reg'ing any of my builds as RV. The DMV should be able to give you a list of requirements, often you have to meet some of them (like 3 out of 5). So far I've done a van, a shuttle, and a 6x6 deuce 1/2.

As far as insurance, I only have the min because they would just consider them "totaled" in most any serious accident, being that they're old enough to have very low BB value.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Just curious, what state are you in?

Maybe we could develop a list here as to which states are easy and which are hard to insure homemade conversions in.

Regards
John

 

[LowTech]

Once was in Fla, once in Az, and in Cali.

 

[B and C]

If you are going to talk insurance, you need to differentiate between full coverage and liability only with maybe some theft protection for contents.

My $0.02 worth

 

[GrantRobertson]

RE: Insurance

The insurance has been a concern of mine. I have done some research and it seems there are folks on skoolie.net who live in TX who have gotten insurance. It seems skoolies are the hardest to insure because a lot of Skoolie conversions involve raising the roof and building a whole damned house in there. This makes them far less stable than an RV or even a converted box truck, and the insurance companies know that. They do a lot of math there.

I have also read that that RV club will insure any conversion, but only after it is finished. Actually, after it meets certain minimum requirements, which are easy to meet.

I have also read that as soon as you tell an insurance company what you are doing, they will say no and you are blacklisted for life.

So, am I concerned? Hell yeah. Could I get into some serious analysis paralysis issues with this? Hell yeah.

There is an RV in my area that is already stripped. The owner says he discovered a roof leak and pulled everything out and repaired the leak and the damage. It still just looks like an aluminum-foil play-fort to me. There are plenty of RVs going for under $3k around here that look almost new.

I guess I could just buy one of those RVs and call it good. I would then be free to make all the modifications I want.

I gotta sleep on it.

 

[Gary68]

the only rv i would consider for mod would be the full fiberglass shell like a chinook concourse

start at 2 min


i have seen the classic c design in fiberglass but are rare and then there are the ones with just a fiberglass roof,

 

[GrantRobertson]

the only rv i would consider for mod would be the full fiberglass shell like a chinook concourse

start at 2 min


i have seen the classic c design in fiberglass but are rare and then there are the ones with just a fiberglass roof,

Wow, that video was published just five years ago, yet it feels like a blast from the 70s.

 

[GrantRobertson]

OK, I've been thinking about this all through work tonight, and I came to some realizations. I will try to express them as concisely as I can.

1. One of the big reasons I want to live mobile is because I am kinda sick of the mold we are all being forced into by society.
2. Buying an RV feels like adherence to said mold. What, with all the cheesy upholstery and the layouts that try to replicate every room in a standard house. Not to mention how frikkin' flimsy they are.
3. Therefore, I want to build my own.
4. However, any base vehicle big enough to meet my requirements is also big enough to NOT be easily licensed as a personal vehicle. It would have to be either commercial or an RV (see #2).
5. But, those commercial vehicles are very hard to get both licensed AND insured within the same state. It almost seems as if the states that will license them are just the states that won't insure them.
6. Any vehicle that I can easily get both licensed AND insured (such as a cargo van) is just a little too small for my tastes. Even if extended and after adding as big of a high top as I could reasonably make, the space will just be too cramped for me. I have read the rhetoric about "living out of your van instead of in it." However, I want to also be able to live comfortably IN my vehicle rather than feeling cooped-up in it when I am unable to get out or when I need to get work done that cannot be done outside.
7. So, it seems as if social norms and lobbyists from the RV industry have conspired to make it as difficult as possible to evade said social norms. (That seems to happen a hell of a lot in American society.)
8. If I buck said norms, life could become very difficult for me and cause me to spend far, FAR, more energy thinking about said social norms than I would like.

The conclusion seems to be: If I want to avoid the hazards of bucking the social norms I have to avoid bucking said norms (at least on paper) while still bucking them in the ways that are most important to me.

In other words: I have got to settle for a regular RV, in order to avoid all the licensing and insurance hassles. Then I can modify the holy crap out of it later, if I want. Hell, I can yank the entire back end off and mount an Airstream trailer body there instead. I can stick some ears on the cab and a big tail sticking out the back and call it the Silver Arma-Frikkin'-Dillo if I want, yet it will still be considered a regular RV for all intents and purposes.

Damn-it! Trying to get away from this society is just making me hate it even more!

 

[ldmccain]

@GrantRobertson

This is an RV conversion on a budget, I've been watching on advrider (picture heavy)

http://advrider.com/index.php?threa...-into-a-global-expedition-vehicle-gxv.847293/

I don't like the floor plan in my RV but it's paid for.
Just some ideas.