Picking Up Skoolie Conversion ~ Plans For Build ~ Seat Removal 

NICE!!! This is a start of an exciting new innovative transition from a school bus to a home on wheels! Keep Innovating Chris! 👊

Strong move. Keep on keepin' on. Also, I have that same grinder. I've abused it (badly) for seven years and it refuses to die. It's a true warrior.

So excited to see the progress on the bus! Irma is going to be so cool!

Chris my dad did this in 1968 up in Canada. We had so much fun going to Daytona beach and Manitoba every summer. Here is the thing our old bus is in my brother farm. New tires proves how smart you are . I said to my wife that if we tire of retirement and travel I'm grabbing this type of bus and parking on someones land with a raised roof. Nothing is better as your research shows you.

Congrats on getting the bus. Now the adventure begins! I can’t wait to see the progress as you transform it into your new RV. Great choice on engine and transmission, you obviously did your research. 😉

The suggestions about 300 gallons of water midship is the best Idea. I don't know your underbelly configuration, and if there is not room, here is an idea I've seen. Since you are going to do a major roof raise you can build an inside tank about midship. This would be a raised area in the bus...a step (still leaving you plenty of headroom even for that area that would go port to starboard. Once reinforced and covered with flooring, it turned out to be a fantastic area for a dining booth that gave an awesome view from the bus after changing the window configuration for just that area. The same setup was used on the port side and served as an extra dining area for family and guests, and doubled as a work station when not in use. Other advantage was never having to deal with frozen water in cold climates, and increased head pressure in faucets, less pump effort. Just make sure you have baffles in the tank for less "slosh" transfer and weight transfer on turns.....just a thought.

Raising the roof is a good thing. You'll get it properly insulated and maybe set up a roof rack while you are at it. Have a look at Kelderman for bolt on air ride for those buses. Having a smooth ride is important.

If that's a mechanical Cummins 8.3L then you have the same engine and transmission I've got on my Country Coach. Great setup, so smooth. You will love the Cummins, just a solid, simple engine!

Those 8.3's are good engines and they sound awesome with that huge turbo spool

Thank you for recording and posting the actual building process. Many DIYers show what they did but not the journey. I applaud you sir! God bless!!

So cool. A school bus is a clean slate, a blank canvas limited only to whatever you are imagining to turn it into.

300 galls water at rear may be a bit much. Front end too light may cause under steer . I know I know, it's not a sports car but I spent years driving trucks/ dump trucks and you get a bit of pucker up when you turn the steering wheel and the truck doesn't ! A few calculations will see you right.! (:-)

Cutting bolts? When I've converted Gillig 636 diesel pusher, seats was mounted with metal bolts to the floor, holes was threaded. Took me few hours to take off and disassembly seats. Got nice surplus of stainless steel sheets from back of benches.

It might have been an editing thing but you typically turn the key one click and leave it there for a few seconds (10-20) before cranking the engine on a diesel. ( check the owners manual ) This and warming up the engine before driving will reduce your costs and extend the life of the vehicle.

Chris, this is quite an undertaking, but since I have followed you for while, I know you are up fir the challenge. Thanks for the update, and continued success.

Chris your bus is everything good wrapped up in one bus! It's kind of rare to find one like yours! A 40' RE 8.3 Cummins, Allison MD3060 trans, air ride, ect. Very nice combo! Your trans probably doesn't go into 6th gear! Most are locked out on skoolies. There is a process and some are successfull in getting an Allison shop to unlock your 6th gear. With your 6th gear unlocked your engine RPM's are less save a ton of fuel and possibly picking up a few MPH on the top end.

Do yourself favor ,and locate those heavy water tanks between the front,and rear axle. Save those seats ! there is a lot of usable metal there. Your old truck tires have a trade in value which is usually about 85.00 USD. (Granted that they are within a certain age,and do not have structural damage ).

I'm excited to watch this!!! I don't know why, I have no plans on ever doing anything close to this, BUT I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE END RESULTS!!! Good luck!! Peace, and love!!!

I am very excited to see this. I followed you a few years ago when I had good internet and you were in your other RV. You and SVSeeker are the reason I started watching RU-vid, and the reason I started asking my wife if we could build a skoolie. That was in 2014, last winter she said we should do it. I have been watching more channels since you and Doug got me hooked, and I follow all the same channels, and then some, that you do. Very excited to see your progress. TE also has had a big influence on me, Wes’s is a very skilled builder. Have fun and I’ll let you know what our channel form the build is after we get our bus. I haven’t watched your videos since we started working in the NPS due to poor internet, but I will make it a point to start watching again, your video style from 2015 was one of my favorites. Good luck and tell G I said hello (not that either of you ever met me, but maybe someday).

Congrats!! We started our build a few months ago. It has been so fun and proven hard work!!

Fun project and custom ! lol the seats are heavier then you thought . To bad Kobuck is not with you he is going to miss you make sure to do some facetime with him,best of luck on the new "Adventure" can't wait take care be safe.

Wow. How exciting. A new adventure. You were in my hood.

No way!! 0201 was the school bus i rode throughout all of elementary and middle school. I’m now graduated from high school, it will be awesome to see what’s in store for this bus! Subscribed!

NICE BUS! We have a 2001 All American. GREAT BASE!!!

Super excited to see the build guys! Thanks for allowing us to follow your journey!

Sketch out your floorplan for everyone. A sketch on a piece of paper and then a walk through would be great.

Very cool. Looking forward to the build.

When I took the seats out of my bus I cut the legs off with a Zip-Disc and then removed the mounts afterward as there was way better access once the seat was out of the way.... just a thought

For a first build video, you did a great job of editing, showing enough but not too much! Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Very cool please remember that if you have air brakes you should do a pre Trip test and after your trip to bleed the air tank to prevent condensation which will lead to a rusty tank be safe

I've been waiting for this since seeing the pics on Instagram. Looking forward to the build process!

Wow, what a project! Go for it...I look forward to seeing it take shape.

Soooooooo Cool. Your the best Chris. Happy for you guys.

Wes did a great job

Hi Chris and G, welcome to the big boys ..

Thanks for the shoutout brother....Dig'n that smile when you first started it up! Great job on documenting the process....I'm looking forward to what lies ahead!

Yeah! Saw the introduction of Irma and looking forward to regular updates and seeing all 3 of you again.

i would first check the drive system and if i don't like it get it fixed or replaced and upgraded also check the lights and i recomend leds there reliabul, they are energy effechiant, bright and if you look at the reviews and see whats good and the price they can be cheep. the cummins 8.3 is good but school buses are worked into the ground so check it if its any good still.

The look on your face when it started spoke volumes. This is going to be an exciting build.

Oh no ur bus is full of snow u need a big ass tarp! Good luck on ur build hope to keep get my build done also next summer to cold in the winter in Wisconsin to work outside on it. Will be watching for ideas! Hope G and Kub get to see it soon!

Yes!

Man, how do you not get overwhelmed with the projects? Can't wait to see the end results

What an adventure this is shaping up to be.

We bought our bus from south Fl as well. We only had to drive it to Tampa though. Can't wait to see your progress.

YEAH! This is Great! Chris, YOU DO HAVE LEGS!!! LOL, I'm so happy for you. Wish I knew you were coming to FLA. would have been great to meet you. Can't wait for the next one. Best of luck to you. You're a great guy and I know you'll succeed at this. Safe travels and prayers for you.

Going retro I see. Love it.

Exciting to hear the planned layout! Diesel will get 1 million miles with proper maintenance.

hey Chris this is way better then the Rv this is built strong and tuff

Just stumbled across your video, quite interesting. Good luck with the bus transformation. Can't wait to see the progress. I've watched some other videos of folks turning school buses into tiny homes. I have been impressed with some of them.

That Transcendence man i watched his whole build.

Cant wait to see the out come, very excited!

Makes more sense than a motorhome.

Make sure to deflate when going over mountain pass I have blown up a couple.

I'm so excited to see the whole project. I promise to like every video.

Oooh I see what you did there, Ol Bus.

Don't you love the excitement of starting a new adventure. The engine looked really good and sounds the same. Now you have a place to fly the drone indoors :-)

We live and learn....

I'm eager to follow this project! Very cool that you're going for it!

I assume that when you cut raise the roof you will not cut the first few feet, up to just behind the driver, off then slope from there to the height of the raised roof. This will keep the front more rigid, important so you don't stress the windshield, plus not add to the flat front so you don't create more drag.

Chris, this video reminds me of your early videos, when I fell in love with your channel. Good luck, we did the same with a 1965 GMC 4106 bus.

Looking forward to watching your new adventures. Congratulations on your great find.

Rumor has it the wheels on the bus go round and round. So I've been told.Psyched to see progress on the new project.

Whoa...I thought the last vid was just your sense of humor re: Skoolie . I was expecting a 5th Wheel was the next step . I'll be following this with great interest . Good luck .

engine looks clean.

Should draw some interest. Personally, I can't wait.

Great Chris you push it to a another level :)))))

That's going to be a nice rig!

So excited for this project on the bus 🚍

One and a quarter ton of water on the rear of your rig??? That's an awful lot of weight on the rear end....making the front/steering possibly very light if you're not careful!!! Good luck....looks like an interesting project!!!

Looking forward to the video series.

So excited for you!

Congrats on the bus. It’s gonna be awesome

Awesome engine! "Ol Bus", that's great, lol. Could have also made it "C ool Bus". ;-)

Chris you should think about a wood stove heater. It seems big enough

nice

Thanks for watching everyone! I will be shooting an update video once we get the bus back to AZ.

Been watching everyone's video's getting ready to make the trip myself so looking forward to the adventure will be watching your build have a great time with it. We are bus hunting from San Diego seems like all the good auction busses are mid to east cost.

Best of Luck!

Hey Chris been following you for awhile now but this is the first time seeing this video I remember when I picked up my first bus its like nothing you've ever done before so I felt you anxiety brother but it all works out right because your on cloud 9 right, the seat removal not so much but cool to see your square footage open up Anyway thanks for sharing and keep the numbers on the windshield its cool and it will always bring back that special day brother. Thanks for the ride brother.

I called 2 places in Key West for RV parks ..and i was told that the park Do not allow school buses conversions in the Park..! even if is done but Chris Travels and business Assoc...!

As usual, you know I'm jumping up and down with excitement for the start of this new project for you. I know once you set your mind to something, It's off to the races. If you don't already know about "ROLL WITH IT" channel, you should check them out. They are a fun Long Island New York couple almost finished with their Skoolie build out. They have pretty good ideas. Good luck with everything Chris. I'll be cheering for you :-)

Great!

Always great do design the rig the way you want and not a factory. How long do you See the project lasting in Arizona? I would love to head over from Phoenix and see your project. I have a 1967 MCI conversion that's converted, and love it .

Wow. Where is your help? Looks like a team effort. Good luck with that.

Chris you are the man, I tho you would go D.. one day, congratulations man

Oh this is going to be fun to watch! update frequently please :D !

Exciting

think you better put some plywood inder the airmatress or you pinch holes in it laying it over those ground down bolts a webasto heater is nice for a dieselheater , there made for truck sleeper cabs in cold climates there made for busses too , the heat the coolant in the engine and usually have airheater ducts too there ususally mounted under the bus

what auction site did you find it?

Your current layout plan would put a much higher percentage of all the weight solely in the back the bus which could adversely affect your ability to steer (ie. 300 gallons of water - 2500+ lbs plus the engine = wheelies going down the road (not literally)). May want to re-consider and/or adjust the rest of the layout to compensate.

Awesome ...Now you've had experience with the ripoff rigs you can make your home however you like and it should be a lot sturdier and last a lot longer ...best of luck take your time, try to get it right the first time, its a lot of work and resources....,now your channels getting good....

Nice

Many more hours of hard work ……..But it will be worth it !!

This will be the MOST brilliant of all coach building and I can't wait for each update! Are you planning to add sound deadening material to the inner shell before placing flooring / side walls?

I'm here getting inspiration, fighting back tears because I want a bus so bad. When you put down the tarp and mattress, I imagined I was putting them down in my own bus. You've seen my other posts before, I assume, so you know I have a very complex situation that keeps me from succeeding in anything, but I have to in this. What did you do for insurance and registration when you picked it up? When I can figure out how, and where, to get one, I'll want two at first, so the initial insurance, registration, etc. is one of my biggest mental hurdles so far. You, Wes, and the folks from Life is a Joy seem like really cool people, so I just wish I could get my finances right enough so you all could help me find one or two, pick them up, etc. while we film the adventure. Being a ba ( black agent ) in the illuminati, I've been a loner, outside of my illuminati families and networks, for a long time, but I've been trying, for almost a decade, to make friends to help us achieve the impossible of saving these worlds, but everyone keeps ignoring me/we lumins. Anyway. Great first video. Be safe out there. Sincerely, PS™ - Predada Severa™, aka US™ - Uncle Sam™, etc. Avatar of G™ - God™, etc. PENTAGONS™ - President of Existence Nonexistence Time Atraorifices Globes Omniverses Nevidomi and Space™, etc. Grey Director™/Black Agent™/Secret™/Classified™/etc., E™ - Engin™, A™ - Atritas™, Bi™ - Black illuminati™, i™ - illuminati™, BA™ - Black Anhinga™, A™ - Anhinga™, BAi™ - Black Anhinga illuminati™, SAM™ - Stofnun Afmyrkur Mid™, SAM™ - Shachor Alsuntral Mossad™, CiA™ - Central institute of Atritas™, CiA™ - Central institutes for Atritas™, BSS™ - Black Skull Society™, BBS™ - Black Bizaza Society™, MJ12™ - Majestic Joint 12™, CiA™ - Central interspace Atraforce™, NSA™ - National Symspace Atraforce™, FBi™ - Federal Blackforce of interspace™, MiB™ - Multiversal interspace Blackforce™, OWL™ - Office of Waterdefenseblackoperations and Landsecurityintelligence™, OWL™ - Office of Watersecurityintelligence and Landdefenseblackoperations™, OBi™ - Office of Blackoperationsprojects and intelligence™, DBi™ - Department of Blackoperationsprojects and intelligence™, DBN™ - Department of the Black Navy™, etc. of AiC™ - Anunnakian illuminatian Coalgovernment™, etc. CEO, etc., BHRKWUE™ - Black Hole Records Knu Whirled Urda Entertainment™ ( One of the largest, most powerful, etc. omniversal governments, etc. ), etc.

heard you say a wall up for added safety when boon docking ..Have you heard of increased problems? curious. You will have plenty of space to add the baby's room now.... ;-)

I noticed the engine has two air conditioner compressors on it...I'm assuming it has AC?

Nice bus Chris Sounds like a nice build that you have planned. Take Care Man... Say hi to G & Kobuck

Why did you choose a rear engine? Im leaning more for a FE cuz more protection in a front end collision....our bus is going to be our home and i really want as much protection while driving as possible....not because of my driving but because of the other 100 million wackos driving lok. So can u give me ur input on that? And a shout out to Wes love his videos also!

I'm from AZ. Should have took me with you for company on drive back. Although IDK where you would sleep. ☺