Possible bus find. Advice please.

[SaltySeaWitch]

spinach and olive oil of course

Hahahahahaha! Glad I am not the only one who went huh?? I think maybe I should be asking you that question HDR???

 

[rvpopeye]

HDR
Never had that problem before (I am a musician after all)
Skuh kuh kuh kuh kuh

OH , I thought Ryegal was going to get them.....

Hmmmmmmm.
Can't get the new 16" tires without 16" rims......
Can't travel 3000+ miles without new tires.......
Catch 22
Still have to save the $$$ too.
I wonder if I could fit 6-truck rims in the back of my mom's Saturn

 

[SternWake]

I think for the asking price, and your being friends with the mechanic/owner says a lot about the possibilities of this Van. Any old vehicle is going to need some work. That platform is likely one of the easiest possible to work on, and rugged as thuck.

The mechanics can be worked on pretty easy. Rust on the other hand is on ongoing battle one will be destined to lose, unless you also have a friend who runs a body shop and can cut out any rust and replace with rust free sections.

My roof gutters make me battle them every so often. i am fighting a battle now, in full retreat, throwing Ospho, epoxy and fiberglass and aluminum and paint, at what should be welded steel.

I am losing and will lose, but it is a war I have to fight, and it frustrates the **** out of me, as while I can't use just half my ass on any given project, neither can I justify using my whole ass on this particular project, not while I dwell within it at night.

So, Don't be me. Loose but salvageable Mechanicals should not be a deal breaker, but rust, for me certainly is. And the rust one sees is but a mere fraction of what lies beneath the paint.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

Thanks Sternwake. When I said rust I mean barely and surface. Very light from what I saw as in tiny flecks, freckle like, small area on one door. I will check it more when I go out Saturday and hopefully it wont be raining!

 

[highdesertranger]

popeye was talking about getting his mpg up I was asking how he was proposing to do that. boy dirty minds hahahaha. Ryegal backed out of the rims and I need them gone asap. highdesertranger

 

[masterplumber]

I'm kind of late to the game, as usual. But here's my 2 cents. Most '85 Chevys had 350 motor with Turbo 400 trans. Great combo and I actually had that set up in an '85 4x4. It got 10 mpg no matter what - never better and never much worse. I also had '73 class C motor home with the same drivetrain, except not 4x4 of course. It also got 10 mpg no matter what. The truck had 16'' rims. The motor home had 16'' in the rear, but 16.5'' in the front. I think by '85 they had them sorted out, but the short version of why 2 different sizes is earlier models only had the rears converted to duals, and still used the single tire rims with less offset in the front. The single tire wheels weren't available in 16'' sizes much before the mid '80s as there weren't a lot of tires in the correct sizes available prior to that, and being that the class Cs and short busses were built on a van cut away chassis that originally came as a single rear wheel application - they didn't bother with the fronts to maintain factory warranty coverage. Later the big 3 began producing true dually cut away chassis which ran the same tires and wheels all the way around, and by the time they did 16.5 rims were on the way out because the 16'' rims have a much better bead design.

As for this bus, I say yeah! even if it does have 164K on it. But that is probably unlikely. Your mechanic will be able to tell though - a vehicle with 164K will feel much looser driving than a vehicle with 64K unless every wear item has been replaced, which isn't likely in this case.

So hurry up and get this thing home and get working on it. You've been waiting so patiently I can hardly wait to see all of the dreaming you've done get put into place.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

I missed that RVPopeye was trying to get his MPGs up. I thought you were trying to give me the rims. It's been a long day. lol

 

[rvpopeye]

SSW
The back story on HDRs rims.

HDR offered them to me last fall and I told him Ryegal was there on the west coast already. I'll not be able to get across the country any time soon , soooooo. Nice set of rims though and free is a very good price !

By what has been said here it looks like you have a good chance of already having 16s , plus your connections for tires and wheels seem pretty good so that will be the least of your problems.
Not to mention 2 mechanics happy to help....
Lots of good info here on this thread so far (lots of which applies to my rig as well !)hope the inspection Saturday goes smooth for you.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

Hey MP!!

I've been waiting, but I don't think it's been patiently! If it runs, its mine Saturday! I'll leave it there for my friend to work on a few days and move it home the next week. The guy I'm buying it from needs a couple days to clean his stuff out anyway.

I finally caught all my bills up and managed to start saving a little though. I have scrimped and saved everywhere I could. Including putting my hair in a long pony tail and cutting off about 4 inches of my hair off myself. It had to be done and luckily it is curly in an uneven cut emergency lol. I do what it takes when I need to. I make my own soap, laundry soap, and anything that can be made for household use. I have eaten bologna sandwiches to the point I will probably never eat bologna again for the rest of my life. But, it's paying off finally.

Once the bus is here I will get the basics inside so I can sleep in it (like a bed). Then do some more each week until it's nice and functional. My job is commissions so its feast or famine. Hopefully the weather improves so i make more $$$ in the next few weeks. I'm excited. This is really happening!!

Getting a cheaper than I planned on vehicle means I can have enough to pay my real stylist to fix my hair now too. It's the little things

Hope all is well with you MP!

 

[SoulRaven]

I do know about DOT dates because as I mentioned my sister was killed in a car accident because she bought a used tired and it separated and rolled her SUV. I always check my dates! The State Trooper who worked her scene told me about that. I buy new tires, and good tires, no matter what I have to do to save up enough to get them. I also tell everyone I know how to check the dates on tires. It could save a life imo. Good you are telling people here. It is so important!!

I'm so sorry about your sister, @SaltySeaWitch. That well could have been me. I didn't know about reading dates on tires before I bought my first van, and 3-4 different people actually went out of their way to say "wow those are really great tires they'll last you a while" because they had excellent tread on them. Turns out they were cheap tires, possibly re-treaded, and over 12 years old!

Didn't discover that until the 3rd blowout, 4th mechanic afterwards. Now I know how to read dates. Could definitely save a life! The two freeway ones were pretty hairy for sure, I'm still pretty amazed I got through those unscathed.

I don't know anything about busses, but I can relate to the sudden smack of reality Am I really doing this??  Breathing through it is good!

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

I'm so sorry about your sister, @SaltySeaWitch. That well could have been me. I didn't know about reading dates on tires before I bought my first van, and 3-4 different people actually went out of their way to say "wow those are really great tires they'll last you a while" because they had excellent tread on them. Turns out they were cheap tires, possibly re-treaded, and over 12 years old!

Didn't discover that until the 3rd blowout, 4th mechanic afterwards. Now I know how to read dates. Could definitely save a life! The two freeway ones were pretty hairy for sure, I'm still pretty amazed I got through those unscathed.

I don't know anything about busses, but I can relate to the sudden smack of reality Am I really doing this??  Breathing through it is good!

Thanks Bitty!! It could have been me as well. I never had bought a brand new tire in my life until she died. I didn't know any better. I was always struggling to make ends meet and raise my kids. Keep telling people about those dates.

I don't know a thing about buses either lol. What little I do know, I have learned from here and mostly about Diesel because I thought that is what I would buy. I'm just winging it. Getting excited though! I will have my hands full building it to be liveable but it should be fun too.

I hope we get to meet to meet in the future Bitty! I also hope things are going well for you :heart:

 

[cognitive dissonance]

Salty - Long time lurker here, inspired to join and post about my experiences with that engine/transmission/chassis combo.

First, from what I've seen lately, that is a very good price - cheap enough to do everything I'm about to recommend and still have a very reasonable investment in the vehicle.

I used to run four of these in a business I owned. Three were one ton dually trucks, the last was a one ton dually box truck.  The engines, transmission, brakes and chassis were identical to what you're looking at. 

When it comes to tires, I am VERY picky.  (I'm sorry to hear about your sister, but from that I doubt you'll think I'm going overboard...)  If the tires/rims are 16.5 inchers, they need to go.  Get the guy you mentioned to find you a et of 16 inch rims that fit and buy brand new tires. 

The only tires I would consider are are the Michelin LT (light truck) or the BF Goodrich Commercial TA.  BF Goodrich is owned by Michelin, and there is a lot of technology transfer between the companies.  I ran the BFG TA's on my little fleet of trucks and was very happy.  They are a tough, high quality tire and last a looong time.

Michelin LT tires are durable as well, but won't last quite as long. They ride a little better and are quieter on the road. Having driven on both the BFG TA and the Michelin LT, I can say the Michelin does better on ice and snow.  (I live in Colorado, so that matters.)  I run the Michelins on my current truck.

Closely related to tires (for both a nice ride and for safety) are shock absorbers. I run Bilsteins.  Bilsteins are original equipment on BMW's, Porsches and the like, and you see them on performance suspensions and at the race track all the time.  They are spendy (a bit over $300/set of 4) but are well worth the money.  Bilstein has a no questions asked lifetime warranty. Back in my BMW days, I snagged a couple of sets out of junkyards, turned them in and received brand new shocks in the mail within ten days! Good shocks make road trips a lot more tolerable, and can make the difference in emergency maneuvers.

Just as important is your brakes.  Those have pretty good brakes from the factory, but I installed the top of the line brake pads and shoes and got astoundingly good braking.  All auto parts stores seem to be the same on this, so don't worry about the brand - just buy the best grade and be done with it. 

Installing an Edelbrock carb on that engine is excellent advice.  I put Edelbrocks on every GM 350 engine I owned,  Every time, I got better power, better starting/warmup AND about 20% better gas mileage!  The part number you want is 1406.  (They sell for abut $325 new. I have a lightly used one I'd sell for $175 if you're interested - a friend's kid bought it and ran it for a few weeks and then replaced it with one that was more high performance oriented at a loss of about 3 mpg...)

As others have observed, the transmission is almost certainly a GM Turbo 400.  That's a good stout transmission, although it lacks an overdrive.  Heat is what destroys transmissions.  That is a concern, because by the time you've turned this beast into your home, it will have gained a lot of weight. The transmission will build up heat - especially on long road trips or when climbing mountains.  Hence, I would install an external transmission cooler and run synthetic transmission fluid. I have always used Amsoil synthetic ATF and been very pleased. (That's a good brand for engine oil too.)  Amsoil is not in stores - you'll have to track down someone local who is a dealer. Around here it seems like there's an Amsoil dealer behind every tree.

If you buy that rig, I hope you can do all these things to it.  I know money doesn't grow on trees - particularly in the midst of this counterfeit recovery.  All I can say is if you were my girlfriend or my daughter, all of the above would be done before you hit the road, even if I had to pay for every last bit of it myself.

Good luck!

 

[ahh_me2]

I bought an 87 GMC 1 ton cube van last spring, very similar to your bus in terms of mechanics.
I have the 350 engine with a turbo 400 automatic transmission, both were very common, lot's of knowledgeable people to work on them and parts can be very readily found.

I recently tested my gas mileage, and I get around 10 mpg, so it's to be expected in that range.

Firestone is the only remaining manufacturer of 16.5 inch tires, and we don't know for how much longer.
Your best bet is to replace the rims with 16 inch ones, I did it last year, and now I can almost buy off the shelf tires, 10 ply Load rated "E"

It sounds like a solid vehicle to me, I paid $800 for my cube van and tires and rims set me back another $1500.

Unless you can find some major flaw that would cost thousands to fix, I would say it looks worth getting.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm coming late to this thread, but I'll add my $0.02 anyway.

While it's entirely possible for a used MOTORHOME to only have 64,000 miles on it, I find it hard to believe that a good, running BUS was taken off the road with only 64,000 miles on it.  I think 164,000 is far more likely, and I wouldn't rule out 264,000. 

But I still wouldn't think that was a deal-breaker as long as the body and frame is - relatively - rust free.  Do they use salt on the roads in TN?

As far as MPG, goes, have your mechanic check the rear end for the tag which gives the rear end ratio.  Odds are, it could be changed to something that would give you better MPG.  Plus, if your mechanic opens it up to swap gears, he could install a good limited slip like an Eaton True-Trac at the same time.  This will go a long way to help keeping you from getting stuck if you go off-pavement in the desert or on Forest Service roads.  Save you a lot of grief and aggravation, and would probably pay for itself the first off-road tow call it helps you avoid.  One of those would be VERY expensive!

Good luck with it.

Regards
John

PS:  You HAVE checked with your insurance company and made sure they are ok with insuring a homemade bus conversion, right?

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

If you buy that rig, I hope you can do all these things to it.  I know money doesn't grow on trees - particularly in the midst of this counterfeit recovery.  All I can say is if you were my girlfriend or my daughter, all of the above would be done before you hit the road, even if I had to pay for every last bit of it myself.

Good luck!

Thanks cognitive!

You have a lot of good advice that I appreciate so much! I will do all those things. It will be a little at a time but since I have to be here anyway to save more money, and will soon have an extra $300 a month by not having to pay utility bills, I can manage it. if not, I will get a second job for a while.

One thing I love about these forums is that I can come back to this thread again and again to get the information I need. That is good info on the transmission. I had no idea you could do that.

If you are single, you had me at new tires

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

PS:  You HAVE checked with your insurance company and made sure they are ok with insuring a homemade bus conversion, right?

Hi John, good info as always. Thank you. Yes, I can get it insured as a passenger van or RV easily in TN. They do salt roads but we have very few snow days here. The counties surrounding me get a good bit of snow but not us.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

I bought an 87 GMC 1 ton cube van last spring,  very similar to your bus in terms of mechanics.
I have the 350 engine with a turbo 400 automatic transmission, both were very common, lot's of knowledgeable people to work on them and parts can be very readily found.

I recently tested my gas mileage, and I get around 10 mpg, so it's to be expected in that range.

Firestone is the only remaining manufacturer of 16.5 inch tires, and we don't know for how much longer.
Your best bet is to replace the rims with 16 inch ones, I did it last year, and now I can almost buy off the shelf tires, 10 ply Load rated "E"

It sounds like a solid vehicle to me, I paid $800 for my cube van and tires and rims set me back another $1500.

Unless you can find some major flaw that would cost thousands to fix, I would say it looks worth getting.

Anyway, good luck!

Thanks. I am going to see if the guy I am buying it from has some 16inch rims and get them thrown in the deal if he does. he owns a scrap yard so he may very well have them. 10 MPG kinda sucks but honestly, I want to be comfy. It's going to be my FT home. I have gone from big house to small, small house, and now to mini bus. Maybe I will eventually go smaller but for now this is as small as I can imagine being happy in. I also plan to take my grand kids on some trips so I want room for them too.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

Okay...It is a 1986, not 85. It has 16 inch rims all the way around. A Turbo 400 Transmission.

Any battery recommendations?

Does the 86 have a carb or fuel injection?

 

[Konaexpress]

Photos!!!

John

 

[29chico]

Okay...It is a 1986, not 85. It has 16 inch rims all the way around. A Turbo 400 Transmission.

Any battery recommendations?

Does the 86 have a carb or fuel injection?

 I checked rockauto.com and it shows that the bus has a carb.

Have the mechanic check the distributor for proper function of the mechanical and vacuum advance systems. He might as well check to make sure that the distributor shaft does not have excessive play as well.

Without the ignition timing advance systems working correctly you will get horrible mpg's.

The diaphragm in a mechanical fuel pump in a carbed rig can sometimes fail when the vehicle has sat a bunch and then be put back into service. Watch for rising engine oil level and a smell of gas on the dipstick.

I hope that the bus checks out for you.