Got a new Buffalo Bus

[Billsman]

Here's the first few pics of her. Bigger than the last one, tinted windows, good rubber, solid body. I expect to pick it up this weekend if not sooner.

1997 Ford Thomas School Bus
5.9l Diesel Cummins with Automatic Transmission.

[Billsman]

Front view.

[Billsman]

Back view...

[Billsman]

Inside

[ricogarion]

There is no such thing as offseason for Billsman

[Billsman]

Lots of work ahead...

[Billsman]

Looking forward

[Billsman]

I'll have some seats for sale if anyone is interested.

[TallskiWallski83]

any chance you have a digitally made layout of what it will look like after you work on it?


haha you know, like the kind they use to show the public what new stadiums will look like?

[Billsman]

The Captains seat.

[ricogarion]

Give him time Tallski,give him time. :D

[JLB]

613 our new lucky number!! :rockon:


:bills:

[Scary Good]

So much potential.

[Billsman]

That would be cool. I'm still piecing together how I'm going to customize it. I know I'm putting in a sink over one wheel well and a refrigerator/cabinet opposite the sink. I'm not going to have a bathroom but will have/make a custom fold out sofa that converts to a bed.

I'm thinking of tile for the floor or some type of wood flooring, I'm unsure right now.

The interior siding will more than likely be wood from the ground to the bottom of the windows and cabinets running along the top of the ceiling. The kegerator/refrigerator will have a tap/taps indoors and outside too. I'm also planning a awning for the side to keep the rain/snow/sun out. I'm also thinking of a way to allow the TV to be seen inside and out without having to worry about the weather hurting it. Possibly Plexiglas encased with weather resistant speakers.

I'm also going to install an observation deck up top for storage on trips, a place to watch a race (Nascar) from, and a area where I can put in a table and chairs when camping.

The rear of the bus will have a outside patio/deck as well. It will double as a place for the propane for the stove, steps and a place for additional storage (generator/bikes/kegs of beer etc.).

I'm also thinking of adding a very small wood stove for heating it up in winter, the stack would discharge through double insulated piping either out the top or out the side.

Maybe I'll get it all done in a year or so.. lol.

Right now I'm thinking of a paint scheme. I'd like to do the Bills on one side and the Sabres on the other with the Bandits/bisons in there as well. A nice paint job ill be expensive though and I really don't want to spend a ton on the exterior paint job.


any chance you have a digitally made layout of what it will look like after you work on it?


haha you know, like the kind they use to show the public what new stadiums will look like?

[Billsman]

So much potential.

Exactly. There's a cool site at www.skoolie.net and www.skoolie.com (http://www.skoolie.com) where people have custom buses. Lots of ideas there.

[Billsman]

613 our new lucky number!! :rockon:


:bills:

LOL, I saw that. The "School Bus" words are removable from the front and rear of the bus. I could easily make up a new sign that reads "613". People would be WTF is that?

[Billsman]

This is a cool design and it has a jacuzzi in it.

http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/v/Skoolies/Jacuzzi-Bus/New-Jacuzzi-Bus/

http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/v/Skoolies/Jacuzzi-Bus/New-Jacuzzi-Bus/DSC03533.jpg.htmlhttp://www.skoolie.net/gallery/v/Skoolies/Jacuzzi-Bus/New-Jacuzzi-Bus/DSC03533.jpg.html

[smashingt2312]

How much bigger is this one compared to the old bus?

[Darksyde]

Good ole B series cummins engine's. 5.9's are good motors, and the 95's had the much better fuel injection pumps. There were inline style as opposed to the rotary style which sucked. It's the same motor that came in the Dodge Ram's so if you want some performance out of this bus you have ample options to do so. Sorry just the ramblings of a 10yr diesel mechanic........

[Billsman]

Good ole B series cummins engine's. 5.9's are good motors, and the 95's had the much better fuel injection pumps. There were inline style as opposed to the rotary style which sucked. It's the same motor that came in the Dodge Ram's so if you want some performance out of this bus you have ample options to do so. Sorry just the ramblings of a 10yr diesel mechanic........


Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I may need you to come over and look it over. ;)

[Billsman]

How much bigger is this one compared to the old bus?

I wont know exactly until I measure it this weekend. I'm thinking 3'-4'.

[pabstman]

Any plans for a "Foot Print" gas pedal?

[Lynnie]

The Captains seat.

Excuse me, this is my seat
:)

[Billsman]

Excuse me, this is my seat
:)

:lynnie:

Thats why I'm building the porch off the back! I saw how you drive my F350, you're not touching the bus!

http://www.tvacres.com/images/truck_beverly2.jpg

Do we tell everyone about what you did to my truck?

[JLB]

:lynnie:

Thats why I'm building the porch off the back! I saw how you drive my F350, you're not touching the bus!

http://www.tvacres.com/images/truck_beverly2.jpg

Do we tell everyone about what you did to my truck?


:attn:

[Billsman]

Got the insurance switched over today, yeah! I'll be driving down to Horseheads on Saurday to pick it up. The gas milage is @10 a gallon, gulp!

I also found out the overall length is 22'5", about the same length as my truck, so I should be cool when it comes to parking at the stadium and other events.

[shotgun]

thats big rick, are thay going to let you in the pinto lot

[Billsman]

thats big rick, are thay going to let you in the pinto lot

It's the same size as my Ford truck. :) It's 5' longer than my old one but the same length as a full size long bed crew cab. It's taller but will occupy the same space(s). :)

[shotgun]

i'm still saveing , to buy you old billsbus,

[Billsman]

i'm still saveing , to buy you old billsbus,

Dude, it's been sold for a week now.:zzzzz:

[Billsman]

Picked up the bus today...WOW, it's huge! I'm pleased with the over all condition of it, as with anything 10 years old, things need fixing and replacing.

Tomorrow I start the hard nob of taking all the seats out, oh boy...I'll be using a grinding wheel and sawzall for the task and it should take me all day.

[Billsman]

The Bus....I'm heading out now to put in a full day of pulling the seats out, it's a bitch. Each seat is bolted to the floor, each leg has 3-4 bolts, they're rusted and trying to use a socket doesn't work so I have an angle grinder helping me. It's very cramped in there with all the seats but once I remove 1-2 I'll have more room to move around, I hope.

This should take me at least all day. Once that is done I'm pulling up the floor right down to the bare metal. I also have to peel the metal skin back under the windows to see if there's any rust and how the insulation is. If there's rust I have to remove all the interior siding, re caulk the windows and wire brush the rust. Then coat it with rustoleum, reinstall the skin, and paint it with rustoleum.

For the floor I'll be sealing any holes, removing any rust then laying a sub floor. Sub flooring: Coat the metal, add 3/4" foam board, then a vapor barrier followed by 1/2 or 3/4 inch plywood or OSB board. Then I'll wait to get the other things done before installing the wood laminate flooring.

The interior ceiling will also be getting a new coat of beige paint, I'll spray that from the top of the windows on one side to the other. I'm installing 1"x4"x 4'wood slats to the sides under the bottom of the windows for the rustic cabin feel.

The floors will be done in a light wood laminate. Once done I can start rewiring, plumbing my water in and run my electrical outlets.

I'll be very busy... :)

[JLB]

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/06_02/shootersREX_228x300.jpg

We salute you that's a ton of work.

[Scary Good]

Go figure...you can build a fortress out of a bus, but can't work a myspace ;)

[treydawg]

Make sure to take pictures of your progress!!

[Buffalo1]

sweet, make it look like a strip club.

[Buffalo1]

or...

[shotgun]

rick i'll buy the old bus for 2500

[Billsman]

rick i'll buy the old bus for 2500

I already sold it bro.

[Buffalo1]

high demand for Bills party buses out there

[Billsman]

Whew what a day.....
I got all the seats out, what a pain in the arse! Each one took about 30 minutes, there were 10 so @ 5+ hours removing the seats. Down the isle I used my angle grinder and unbolted the 4 bolts that were connecting each seat to the wall. I felt like I played twister all day, I was hanging off seats with my grinder trying to reach the bolts, lol, glad no one saw me.

I also found that my emergency roof hatch leaked water when it rained so I went up to inspect it, I found that the caulking was cracked and missing. So I re caulked around it as a temp. fix. Later I will peel all the old caulk off and do it right. I will also make it a sky light, but that will come later.

I got to tearing out the rubber floor and all the trim that held it in. I had to grind off most of the screw heads as they were rusted and stripped out easily. The rubber came up in long strips which exposed the plywood floor. It's a good thing that In planned on removing everything right down to the metal floor as the wood looked a bit wet.

Tomorrow I'll be removing the drivers seat to get to the rest of the rubber and will give me access to the wood plywood. I'll also pull the plywood in the back. Once I get all the wood removed I'll wire wheel the floor to get any rust out and if I have time I'll pull off a few side skins and check out the walls. If the walls and insulation is ok I'll start coating the metal with Por-15 http://www.por15.com/.

I'll post some pics or have Lynnie do it. I'm beat, time for bed.

[treydawg]

Awesome, thanks for the update.

[Billsman]

Here's the pics link...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/BillsBusII

I'll try and update them daily.

[JLB]

All I can say is holy shit! :rockon:

what a fantastic amount of work!!

Coors Light!!

great pics!

[Bills-RHRN]

Wow Billsman! I'm so psyched for you! That is awesome and looks like a lot of Fun! (i.e. Hard Work)

Thanks for sharing!!

[Billsman]

Man, I'm sore today..lol Taking a bit of a break, it's prety windy outside so I'm trying to keep the doors closed as not to blow all the dust and crap all over the inside thus blinding me. :)

[shotgun]

awesome work rick,!! keep it up ,and tell lynnie great pics

[Billsman]

Day 2 pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/BillsBusIIDay2

[Billsman]

Thanks gun although I've been doing most of the pics myself. I wanted to keep a photo album of the build as a reference to anyone that may want to convert a bus.

Be sure and check out www.skoolie.net
I post there a lot if anyone is interested.

awesome work rick,!! keep it up ,and tell lynnie great pics

[Billsman]

Day 3 in the books, not many pics, as it was boring. I sanded down the metal flooring in preparation to the coating of rustoleum. I washed the inside of the bus from top to bottom as there was a layer of rust dust all over. Today it's pretty much dry inside so I'm going to caulk all the holes in the floor made by the bolts that held down the seats. Once the caulking is dry and the weather is warm enough I'll coat the floor.

Once the floor is coated it'll be time for the sub flooring which will be 1/2" to 3/4" insulation followed by 3/4" OSB board and a wood sealer. The laminated flooring will go on after a spray paint the ceiling followed by the furniture build.

[Lateralus]

awesome

[Bills-RHRN]

Thanks for posting the pics BM! I am living vicariously through your pics right now! I am so ready for a project of my own, i've got some serious cabin fever....

I actually finally got out to do some yard work yesterday, almost time to start working on my passion/obsession...GARDENING! I grow a 30'X30' vegetable garden every year...root crops go in soon!

[Billsman]

If you buy a bus, let me know, I can give you all kinds of advice. :)

Thanks for posting the pics BM! I am living vicariously through your pics right now! I am so ready for a project of my own, i've got some serious cabin fever....

I actually finally got out to do some yard work yesterday, almost time to start working on my passion/obsession...GARDENING! I grow a 30'X30' vegetable garden every year...root crops go in soon!

[Victor7]

amazing Rick !!! that bus is huge !!

Cant wait for the final product !!

Congrats my friend !!

[Buffal0B1LLs_fan]

That look like it's gonna' be terrific. That Skoolie site has some pretty crazy stuff.

[Billsman]

Got the front huge mirrors off and the holes in the floor sealed up.

[Wojo1203]

heated tilessssssss, that would be great for the Winter

[г]

Awesome bus, Rick.

I've always wondered if you've ever thought to yourself when you get behind the wheel of one of those things;

'Sooooooo, this is what minimum wage feels like ?' :krusty:

[BillsPride12]

Thats awesome, I'm sure its a fun project and the work will payoff, as I mentioned in another thread my uncle is putting a Bills bar into his basement, so I'm gonna help him do the work on that and its just been so fun thinking about ideas and searching for Bills/Sabres memorbilia and stuff.

[Billsman]

My Dad stopped by yesterday and I put him to work on the bus. lol He actually enjoyed it. Today the floor goes in!

[anEinherjer]

This is plain awesome.

But seriously.... Coors Friggin' Lite? :yikes:

[shotgun]

coors lite rocks, why just becuase you don;t get wasted, easy, dose not make it a bad beer,. i love it, and i now love miller chill

[Billsman]

For those wondering about the NYS laws here ya go:

You ask what do you have to do with a school bus if you acquire one for personal use and/or wish to convert one for use as a RV.
A “Bus” is defined in the law as: “Every motor vehicle having a seating capacity of fifteen or more passengers in addition to the driver and used for the transportation of persons”. Obviously the appropriate number of seats must be removed so the vehicle no longer meets this definition.
If a school bus is no longer officially functioning, as a school bus and is being operated on the NYS highways the vehicle may not display or be equipped with certain equipment. The primary equipment that is authorized on a school bus, Top red flashing lights, top amber flashing lights, top School Bus sign, school bus STOP signs and school labeling on the side must be removed. The color must also be changed.
Section 375 (21) of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL) states that every motor vehicle having a seating capacity of more than 7 passengers and used to primarily transport pupils or pupils and teachers to and from school, shall be painted the color known as “national school bus chrome”. It also states if the above mention vehicle ceases to be used to transport pupils or pupils and teachers, the color of paint herein provided for, shall be changed within of 15 days.
To qualify for passenger plates as a motor home, recreational vehicle or house on wheels, a vehicle must, meet the requirements of Commissioners regulations part 106, see below.
106.3 Passenger registration
(e) motor home. A self-propelled vehicle designed as a traveling place of abode. To qualify as a motor home, a vehicle must have at least four of the following facilities:
(1) Cooking with an on-board power source;
(2) a gas or electric refrigerator;
(3) a toilet with exterior evacuation;
(4) heating or air conditioning or both from an on-board power source separate from the vehicle engine;
(5) a potable water supply system including a faucet, sink and a water tank with an exterior service connection; and
(6) a 110-125 volt power supply separate from the vehicle engine.

[Billsman]

Ok, yesterday I got the insulation all cut and laid down between the 1"x4"'s and taped most of the seams until I ran out of foil tape.

Today I'll finish the taping of the joints. Once that is done I'll cut the OSB board to lay over the insulation followed by caulking of the edges with liquid nails.

We went to Home depot looking at flooring yesterday, I'm going with a medium colored laminate flooring and then I'll probably have a carpet runner laying on top for tailgating.

I'm also kicking around the idea of removing the back door and covering up the space. That would give me additional space for storage as well as a place for my potable / drinking water, water pump, expansion tank and water heater not to mention making it a bench type of seat. When your converting a short bus space is at a premium and you really need to plan things out well.

With the back door removed I'll be able to plumb the water lines to the shower and toilet as well as the sink with the water lines running above the flooring rather than under the bus.

I took some pics but haven't uploaded them yet, sorry. Will have more to share later on tonight.

[Billsman]

Updated pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/BillsBusII
http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/BillsBusIIDay2
http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/Days3Thru8
http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/Days9Thru11

[Billsman]

The ol gal is gone to a new owner, good people, I'm very happy and excited for them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/BusExchange

[Billsman]

Here's some updated pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/BusInteriorConstruction

http://picasaweb.google.com/Lynnie.BuffaloRange/SearchForParts

[McD]

Looking good Rick!

[Billsman]

Thanks.

[jlpubarch]

Why take all those pictures?

Looks like the exact same type of cheese bus that 90% of us rode to school for like 10 years.

[Bosco]

Why take all those pictures?

Looks like the exact same type of cheese bus that 90% of us rode to school for like 10 years.

jlpubarch, you rode the "short bus"? :D

[jlpubarch]

jlpubarch, you rode the "short bus"? :D

ok, take that bus, double the length of the drive shaft and add 24 seats.

Look exactly the same except for the length of the extrusion.

:jujubee::jujubee::jujubee:

[SabresAllTheWay]

Awesome Job Rick, now that I'm moving back to B-Lo I will be able to tailgate with you guys! :rockon:

[anEinherjer]

COME ON BACK SATW!! I just got here last week and it feels better than sex. :D

[McD]

COME ON BACK SATW!! I just got here last week and it feels better than sex. :D


Damn, what kind of sex have you been having?

[Billsman]

It's hard to beat spring time in WNY.

[emiller1181]

Why take all those pictures?

Looks like the exact same type of cheese bus that 90% of us rode to school for like 10 years.


****** that. Keep the pictures coming Billsman!

I can't wait to see the completed bus, I wish I had the energy and knowledge to do something like that. It looks so damn cool.

Good luck Rick!

[Billsman]

Thanks. The reason I'm posting pics as I go along is for others that may or may want to see how things got done. Who knows maybe someone will want to try this project too.

It's been slow go the past 3 weeks as I'm looking for parts (RV sink, stove top, heater, water tank etc.). Once I have everything I can cut holes in the bus exterior and build around that.

I'm painting the inside this weekend and building the last of the bench seats up front. I already have it framed I just need to cut the OSB board to size. It'll double as a storage box with plenty of space under the lid.

Once I have that done and the ceiling painted it'll be time for the wood paneling for the walls followed by the wood flooring I'm installing.

Thanks for the interest.