How to buy a School Bus for your Bus Conversion/the School Bus Buying Guide that nobody asked for :) 

I just found this channel. I started building Skoolies in Y2K. I’m retired now this is some of the BEST advice I have seen for someone look to get into the nomadic lifestyle!!! I hope this guy grows his channel and makes some $ Enjoy your Journey!

Long way from buying a bus but wanted to say thanks for the visual aids. It nice to see an example of the do's and don'ts. Much appreciated.

one thing i think is important , busparts allso wear when the bus is sitting building out a bus can take quite a bit of time with the bus basicly not driving anywhere i seen a lot of rv conversions on youtube and veryy verry often the busses break down during there maiden voyage , usually brakes airsystem hoses and clogged fuelsystem if youre planning on rebuild / refurbish the driveline or engine wait untill youre done with the interior basicly leave as small amount of time between the repair and the trip youre going to take make sure you got extra bedget when taking a trip as repair will come up , its basicly garanteed can be a small valve / broken hose or the bus busting the radiator or busting the headgasket before youre taking the bus on a mayor trip take it for small trips , expeditions to the local diy store to pick up building materials for the buildout would be perfect wat i often see that builders tear out a lot of the wiring , and theres a LOTof it in the bus , a lot is terminating in a closet next to the driversseat accessable from the outside and its pretty full best thing to do is not cut the wiring but loosen it at the end , then see if it affects the bus starting (door safety switches that cause the starter not working or the buzzer to keep buzzing) if it doesnt work the wiring loose all the way to the front after labeling it , this is to be able to find the termination points in the "box" aircon usually works of the engine , same with the heaters , the cooling fluis allso cools the engine so if you drain it you need to close the circuit and refill the system under the hood or the engine will run without coolant , terminate the lines to the heaters realy good as it will pressurise when it gets hot and will immitate old faitfull INSIDE THE BUS with hot water steam wish can at best scare you half to death while driving the bus or at the worst case cook you alive

Good morning, krewe! We hope y'all find value in this video because we put a ton of effort into this one for y'all

Just because you buy a bus in the south does not means that it lived in the south for it's lifetime. Also, you forgot to mention flood vehicles which are more common in the south. Over all, your advise is very good.

Purchased my 2001 for $4300 with 170k miles, full length dog nose straight from school division. Been a real gem so far with T444E.

I enjoyed a lot of the info you gave out. I've been doing my research for the past several years to prepare me for the leap I'll be making within the next year. Your below the snow line for rust free buses confused me a bit. The entire Coastal Georgia area is above that line. We rarely see snow & if we do, it either doesn't stick or melts in an hour. Our buses aren't rusty.

This video has a TON of information for y'all so check out the chapters on this one so you can find exactly what you're looking for. If we didn't touch on a topic you would like to know more about, please do not hesitate to let us know!

Great info. Thanks!

this is so good thank you!!!

Thank you for sharing and all the great info

So much good information here! Thanks to both of you!

I will have to strongly disagree with you on pricing as I have been working on school busses I see a major difference between cat Mercedes, Cummins and power stroke. Cat and Mercedes engine parts are extremely more expensive, and yes you have to wait on parts if you can get them. I have a bus that’s been down for 3 months waiting on cat parts

Currently driving in front of your bus! And looked up your handle!

What a great video filled with very helpful and useful information. Especially the part that shows what "bad things" to look for, great for reference. Awesome video guys!!! Thank you!

Back when I was in the Scoop from the school back in the sixties we had a a bus to call the pusher man didn't order was in the back

Great information and content. I'm in that research stage on all the details to know before purchasing. Nailed down my engine and body choice. Now it's figuring out were all the hidden concerns are that isn't readily brought up in conversation. Some of which you hit on.

In the first place there is no internal mechanical difference between "Park" and "Neutral " with exception of the engagement of the "Park Pawl" which locks the drive train in position, in both cases the engine is disengaged from the internal portion of the transmission. So you can check fluid levels in either position. With exception of the lighter duty applications very few if any Allison transmissions have a "Park" position.

Thank you

This is a great and very informational video, Eli. I also like seeing my bus on here lol. I'll be sure to pass this video on in the groups for you. Keep'em coming, please.

Love the video

The dt444e has a blowby tube that goes down the back side of the engine on the drivers side...so good luck finding any blowby at the filler cap.

excellent video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here in Southeast Missouri the school district had buses called Superior bodies

Really loved this video. Y’all always do such a great job of teaching and sharing your experiences. Much like the transmission video…this was very informative and helpful. Thank you very much. One of the things that I would love to hear you discuss would be braking systems in the different types of bus options. Are all of them Air brakes? What are some of the differences as well as pros and cons

Great video.

I'm not a mechanic either but it seams more of an oiling or venting issue if there's no real blow-by at the valve cover then it's not blowing by but it's obviously creating crankcase pressure for whatever reason. Just my thoughts on it. Great video!

PCV valve and compression test? I am not a mechanic either. If your pcv valve is worn out or the lines are plugged you burn oil and lose power.

South carolina had plenty mid size flat nose rear engine buses rhey just took off road. I see a lot of fs65 at some district lots rotting away. Maybe they will sale them before they scrap them. But south carolina has recently updated they fleet so its a lot of busses they just parked. My favorite is the 88 international bluebird . Yes we were still using them 2020😂. They just won't stop and easy to fix

Love the honesty! Maybe you have done so in a previous video but, would you expound on your decision to put the exhaust pipes after the side mirrors vs before them.

Great video! Quick question, how do you recommend changing any governed speed concerns?

Really great videos as always. My bus was complete on December 11, 2022. Just doing mechanical work till weather gets warm for travel. Question 4U. Being in a bus yard, do you have a Allision M5643 and the whole shabang for sale to swap out a at545? 2002 Thomas Freightliner, Cummins 5.9 24v. If so we need to chat.

Got any video on the Mini-Split Air Conditioning you added to your bus?

300 bus's??? WOW!! Id like a full size bus, DT466 mechanical, 5-6 speed manual transmission. What'cha got???

Great video! Is 175,000 miles too much for a bus I thought that would be low? Most dealers on Facebook marketplace don’t have anything under 100,000 miles.

Hi I really want to buy and convert a skoolie but have 0.00 knowledge of where to begin. Can you give me advice

So what type of bus do you recommend buying easy to fix parts availability?

How many miles is too many. Found a 7.3 shuttle bus with 196k and a t44e 5 window with handicap ramp with 188k.

Where are you guys located I am very interested in buying a bus for you guys bus yard

Lets be honest, when you buy something used or worn, you're going to have problems. And nothing can prepare you for when something does go wrong, this rule applies to just about everything in life. In life, there's risk either we take or we don't.

You live in a bus yard? Does this mean I've found a good viable used parts locatio :)

I WANT A FULL SIZE BUS 🚍 DOG NOSE 👃 SO I CAN LIVE IN AS A R.V.❤❤

Not gonna lie its really hard to focus on what your saying with them tatties floppin around

Just subscribed. What would it cost to get a full size pusher in good condition from you guys?

i saw this one couple do no research or inspection and then go all in on ✌🤪 #SkoolieLife, they ended up in a clapped out bus with a hole in the oil pan that blew up on the way home. then the bus got bought back and they ended up with one in "perfect condition." rms puking oil, losing coolant, pump died, then they dumped money into parts and labor. then it slung a rod. then they got a crane tow to drag it out of their backyard, completely destroying all of their paving, their nice deck, almost fell on their house. their "entire life savings" they said. they learned nothing. it's really hard to spare some empathy. i'm just intending to pick up a pusher eventually and wrench on it when i'm resetting at home (will be driving otr come sometime next q) long term, end goal eventually being to park it at the company lot when it's finished. i'm no diesel technician but i roleplayed one at work long enough to learn a decent bit.

5.9 Cummins is not under powered at all. You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

DO YOU HAVE OLDER SCHOOL 🚸 BUS 🚍 FOR SALE AND WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED AT?

I WANT A INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 🚸 BUS 🚍 ❤❤