School Bus bike hauler .

[Danger4u2]

12/11/12  Never did make the big trip to St. Anthony dunes so I made a new category to post my bus in. I think the bus will always be a work in progress.  Hope to make a national dune tour some day soon.

Man, still more than half a year away,  I want to be ready by spring so I have no last minute problems.  Started working on my bike haul'n bus.  I replaced all the flex brake lines, new brake calipers,  repack the wheel bearings, new wheel seals, change the rear end oil, change engine oil.  Still need to build ramp,  flush radiator fluid,  new rear tires, paint the bus,  build rear deck,  out fit the generator,  install the wheel chocks for the bikes, get new mud flaps for the rear wheels and 20 small nit pick'n type stuff.  I've never had or worked on a big vehicle like this.  They are expensive, tires 6 @ $350 each, wheel seals 4 @ $30 each,  $85 engine oil change,  $50 for rear end fluid,  calipers 4 @ $175 each,  rear brake pads $80, lucked out the front pads look new.......I'm lucky, I have the tools and the ability to do the work.  I also have a neighbor next door that I can ask any questions I may encounter.  I appreciate my very cool boss that lets me do the work here at her shop and use her fork lift.  That fork lift made it easy and safe to get this thing off the ground.
It's still a work in progress..............

[Danger4u2]

Haven't installed the wheel chocks yet.  Eye bolts made it a quick fix to go riding last Sat.  Learned real fast I want the bikes to run length wise.  When you install them cross wise you have to crawl over them to get to the back door to lock and unlock.  Still have allot to do but it's looking better and it's more road worthy.

[maddoggy]

lookin good danger, that will be nice having a rolling shop.

[Danger4u2]

A few more things out of the way.  Ramped up.  Liquid filled 2 5/8" Ford Motor Sport Gauges from my old 1965 Galaxy 500 hot rod I used to have.  Still need to wire the Amp meter.

[Danger4u2]

Now it's starting to look like a bike hauler.  So far I have 4 wheel chocks and this is how it will lay out.  Like this I can still get to the back of the bus with ease.  Took off the front end to do some fiberglass repair.  It comes off easy, 4 hinge pins and unplug the wires.  3 people make it easy, 2 for lifting and 1 to pull the pins.

[alward25]

AWESOME!!!!!!

[BDI]

Danger I'm gona need you to stop by and pick me up on your way to st anthony. Las vegas is on the way, kinda.

[DoldGuy]

BDI,
Vegas is AFTER that School Bus comes down my street!

Could you imagine being picked up from school in that thing loaded up? All of the kids would want to be your son Danger

DoldGuy

I also just noted that I need one of those fold out Blinky Stop Signs to prevent you fast (& slow too) guys from passing me

[Danger4u2]

This might be the last warm day for some time.  So I glued the fiberglass parts that had come apart in the tilt front end-hood.  Needs to be 70plus degrees.  This is broken because of who ever checked the oil/engine over the years would just let the hood flop on to the tension wires putting strain on the hinge.  
  The 3M 820 glue I'm using is a neat product.  Double syringe and cool gun insure a 50/50 mix.  2 part glue mixes in the special nozzle.  
I still have a big crack in the hinge area that I need to address.  Might glass in a small piece of angle iron for support.

[Danger4u2]

The back up lights were giving me a problem,  work sometimes.  The old 1156 bulb, rusty socket wouldn't keep contact.
So I installed flush mount LED's,  brighter light and gives it an updated look. 
I have a back up alarm some where, I want to hook it up and a new set of horns next.

Out with the old,


In with the new,

[Danger4u2]

I chopped down the original school bus seat frame and built a frame for the seat.  Then I welded the seat frame to what's left of the bus frame.


Seat installed, it's still removable.  The passenger seat is better than the drivers seat, that must change.

[Friar-Tuck]

 Hey Danger,
 The Bike Hauler RV Bus  looks to becoming along quite nicely! 
    What a great Idea! 
 "Danger Dave's RV Customs"
Quality, Handcrafted Multipurpose School Bus Rescue. 
  Tuck\o/   

[Danger4u2]

I've made some headway on the bus, 2 new batteries @ $150 each, removed the rear wheels-blasted them-had them powder coated glossy black then I had 4 new tires mounted at $1600.  I chose a highway tread and it really cut down on the noise.  The bus rides better with the new tires, the old tires were weather cracked and hard with more of a mud type tread.  I've been using the bus when I go riding, so far about 5 trips to the local riding area 40 miles round trip.  I want to find any problems locally so I can deal with them at the shop, not on the road half way to St. Anthony's.  Planning a ride about 1 and half hours from the house as the first out of town test.
I bought sound deadening and light canceling curtains to cover all the windows.  I use magnets to hold them up, makes it real easy if I want to take them down when driving. There are 2 ways to look at covering all the windows so no one can see into the bus.  With the windows covered they can only wonder what's inside.  One friend said that will make them want in the bus more, to find out what's inside.  On the other hand if I don't cover all the windows they can see in and know what's inside and that will make them want to get in.  I am going with the full cover and hope for the best.

[tnixon]

Tint the windows and add a compressor. You really can't see in the windows when they are tinted because of how high they are.

[81cr450]

That'd be a mile of tint & a real PITA. 

Oh man that looks awesome though, I really like old bus's I think one of the late 40's early 50's polished aluminum bus's would make a neat rig. Throw in a shower & stove & you'll be ready to ride anywhere you can drive.