School on a Bus (a.k.a. Radical Sabbatical)

When you convert a bus to a motor home, there is no limit to how much money you can spend and how ingenious you can be. Since I am neither an ingenious handyman nor independently wealthy compromises must be made. For us the priorities were:

• Beds for six
• Seating for six
• Cold food storage
• Cooking facilities
• Heat and air conditioning
• Toilet
• A bus that doesn’t break down too often

Fortunately, Ken Robertson, the first owner, gave us a great head start with beautiful cabinetry, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, a couch and a co-pilots chair, and two twin beds. Ken had also installed a propane tank, generator and the fresh water and waste water tanks. That’s a lot but there’s always more to do. I had Jeff Manoske at PacWest RV install a dinette, the AC, heat, water heater, and hook up the water system. Caleb, Sarah, and I put down more wood flooring and I built two bunk beds in place of the existing twin beds.

As far as the bus itself, Ken had installed an automatic transmission which makes it much easier for a novice to drive. He also had a Jake brake installed and had replaced the air drier. (An air drier takes removes the moisture out of the air system to prevent corrosion. The air system provides pressure for the brakes.) I found an experienced mechanic to work on things like a bad wheel seal, a bad bushing on the tag axle, and replace/flush the radiators. But that’s another story.

The best way to find a bus is on the internet. Either E-Bay or an online RV for sales site. Research buses at sites like http://busforsaleguide.com or http://www.busnut.com. Subscribe to Bus Conversions magazine (http://www.busconversions.com). Then look at bus listings for at least 3 months or more and call the sellers and ask them lots of questions. It also helps to find a local mechanic who has worked on the beasts. The interior is completely up to you and how much of a handyman you are. Some people move in a couch and mattress and they’re ready for travel. You can even leave in some of the original passenger seats.

In my case, I’d only worked on old VW buses. We are not talking about that kind of bus here. We are talking about motor coaches that are made to go a million miles or more and are powered by huge diesel engines. My handyman skills are limited to 2×4’s and plywood – not cabinets, lighting, nor electrical wiring. I found there are a lot of partially converted buses out there. Most all bus conversions are sold at a loss – you will never get your money back out of your bus. This is good for the buyer. I was fortunate to find Ken Robertson, a kind man in his seventies who was an excellent craftsman. He had done most of the interior work on a 1979 MCI bus over a two year period. Then he and his wife decided they needed slide-outs and so bought a manufactured RV.

After several conversations with Ken over 2-3 weeks, Caleb and I flew down to Wichita, KS in October of 2005. We spent four days sight-seeing, visiting Aunt Sharon, and checking out the bus. The third day we made the transaction and headed back to Washington State on the fourth. The trip back went well with no major mishaps. Because it was just Caleb and I we were able to live like the truckers. Caleb was 14 at the time so I did all the driving with Caleb offering support and guidance. We sometimes drove late in the evening and early in the morning, pulling into truck stops when I was tired. Although it’s a long 40 feet, the bus didn’t look so big parked between those 18-wheeler long haul trucks.

The first problem occurred along the steady up and down grades on I-70 across Kansas in 90+ heat. The bus overheated and the engine suddenly shut down. I learned the engine has a safety shut down when it gets hot. I also learned that when the water temp gauge is pegged that it really means the engine is too hot. Fortunately, there was an ample shoulder and evening was approaching. Caleb and I played a game of chess while the engine cooled and then continued on in the cool of the evening. We finally had to pull into the next truck stop when a state patrol pulled us over because we had no tail lights. I got one of the tail lights working again by wiggling the bulb in the socket.

We hung around for the weekend at my sister Robin’s house in Denver to see what the local diesel shop said when it opened on Monday. They said it was normal for an old MCI and to keep going and keep an eye on the gauge and pull over before it overheated. (I later learned the radiators were severely plugged.) They suggested a smaller pulley to spin the fan faster and to seal the fan compartment well so the air would have to be sucked in through the radiators. I attempted the later by using duct tape which seemed to help. We did not overheat after that. The day we left Denver, there was 6 inches of snow on the ground and lots of trees down because they still had leaves in mid-October. I-25 was clear to the north of Denver and the snow dissipated quickly as we dropped in elevation.

I became aware of the next problem while going through Salt Lake City on a forced detour. I found myself in the middle of the intersection when stopping at a light. I had all my weight on the brake pedal. This didn’t seem right and concerned me greatly that I might be the cause of a pileup. I was able to ease through town while keeping my speed between 3-5 mph and trying to time the lights right. We finally got onto I-15 north and found a diesel garage run by a couple of grey haired mechanics. (When looking for a diesel mechanic to work on an old Detroit Diesel bus, it’s best to find one over fifty – the younger guys haven’t worked on the older Detroit Diesel engines and typically prefer not to.) The fellow showed me how to adjust the brakes and told me to check them regularly. I wholeheartedly agreed if it ensured I would stop when I needed to. After that the bus stopped relatively quickly for such a hulk of a machine. The rest of the trip went well and we arrived safely in Monroe with our future home.