Bus or Bust? Time will tell. We bought a bus to remodel into a tiny house. Most likely we will end up taking it on weekend camping trips. But we thought it would be fun to document the progress or lack thereof. Much research has gone into every stage, but the photos tell a better story.
A google search for used buses in North Carolina took us to the DPI website of surplus school buses and we found a bus in Orange County that we love: 1994 Ford with 130,000 miles! The guys in the shop were very helpful answering questions. They know a heck of a lot about buses and LOVE to talk about them.
A google search for used buses in North Carolina took us to the DPI website of surplus school buses and we found a bus in Orange County that we love: 1994 Ford with 130,000 miles! The guys in the shop were very helpful answering questions. They know a heck of a lot about buses and LOVE to talk about them.
She fits perfectly in our back yard.
It's a diesel Cummins 5.9 liter engine, basically a Dodge Ram engine in a school bus. It doesn't move very fast, but we're not in any hurry. During the inspection at our local garage (thank you Ten Ten Auto) the mechanic said he would work on the engine if we ever had any trouble...but, we would never have any trouble.
Oh, but Ben did have a little break down on the side of the road on the way home. That didn't make us feel good about the purchase initially. The guys from the county where we just bought it 20 minutes ago, came out and were super helpful. The solenoid fuel shut off valve busted. The mechanic rigged it up with a 10-cent zip tie. It turns out the part is a few hundred dollars. Instead, for a few bucks Ben created a choke for it and now we just have to use that to start and stop. Cheap and easy fix. (You can see it on the inside in above photo. The wood panel installed under the door opening with a choke handle on the left side drilled through.)
Oh, but Ben did have a little break down on the side of the road on the way home. That didn't make us feel good about the purchase initially. The guys from the county where we just bought it 20 minutes ago, came out and were super helpful. The solenoid fuel shut off valve busted. The mechanic rigged it up with a 10-cent zip tie. It turns out the part is a few hundred dollars. Instead, for a few bucks Ben created a choke for it and now we just have to use that to start and stop. Cheap and easy fix. (You can see it on the inside in above photo. The wood panel installed under the door opening with a choke handle on the left side drilled through.)