Project Cool Bus build thread

[DougsE350]

Since Ive decided to sell my Quigley I guess Ill get a new thread going on my short bus adventures.

I was casually looking for a 7.3 donor for my 97 Quigley when a 97 E350 PSD short bus popped up super close to my house for almost free.
A few catches though 1) it didnt run, at all. 2)it had 0 service records 3) the drivers side tire was off the rim 4) ABS pump and module were gone 5) someone had pulled a bunch of the wiring around the engine fuse block/abs pump area

As I found it.

I took a chance, bought a new winch for my trailer and drug it home.

Got her home pressure washed and dived into trying to figure out why the starter had no power...or rather why nothing had power.

Once we figured out the wiring issue (main fuse block was disconnected) we got the starter to spin up. Sadly that lead us to this....

Stripped flexplate. Joy.

Out comes the trans. Oh even more joy. Trans pan was full of metal chunks and bits. Off to the junkyard!!

JY trans, new flexplate, 03 7.3 starter, JY abs pump, we had a running driving short bus!

This is when I started to contemplate selling my Q van. The bus only has 140k miles, more head room, geared better for towing and more interior layout options.

So now the quest to make it street legal in MD....

 

[DougsE350]

OK in Maryland to re-register a former school bus you have to de-bus it.
So no roof flashing lights, no yellow, no stop sign and no front arm.

I played around with some color ideas but I was walking through lowes and it hit me. Flat black.

Note I had also swapped to the composite headlights by now.

I also decided to convert all the turns, running and brake lights to LEDs.

The roof was painted with Cool coat http://www.amazon.com/Dicor-RP-IRC-1-CoolCoat-Roof-Coating/dp/B00B2ATAWQ

This stuff is a rubberized coating that drops temps on the roof and also acts as a great sound deadener.

Still working on finishing the roof coating here (note you can see 3 of my 4 vans here ha)

SO right before I was going to take it to get inspected trans #2 grenades. And that brings us up to date.

There are some big plans for this in mind, I will say a certain 4x4 shop in NC has my attention.
Main ideas are a solid tow rig that can serve as base camp for my race team (24hrs of Lemons), mild camping duty (no sink, shower or kitchen), and semi capable exploring rig.

More soon.

 

[Corneilius]

Sweet, always loved that platform.

 

[DougsE350]

anyone that has the 6" UJOR setup, how is towing? planning on having a car trailer behind my van quite a bit.

 

[Low594]

Nice start!

 

[DougsE350]

Alright, I've decided to strip the school bus vinyl floor and go with a commercial carpet tile. They offer great wear characteristics and since they have a nice weight to them I am hopeful they will offer some sound deadening.

This is what I will be using. We've used them in our office at the Garden Center for years and the mud and dirt they see is 10x worse than what will be going on in the bus. Plus I've got a few cases so the cost is free, my favorite.

The drivers compartment will stay the stock ford vinyl for now. Eventually I want to put OEM carpet in.

 

[philos]

Oh man, 24 hrs of lemons is SOOOOOOOOO on my list.
You are obliged to post pics of your race vehicle, good sir.

Floor tiles are a good idea. Modular.


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[DougsE350]

Ha this is my current car, 76 lotus elite 3800 Camaro V6 T5 manual trans, Nissan 240 rear suspension and diff. Aka death trap

 

[philos]

The master cylinder and the pause button painted on the door. Those are my most favorite bits. So far... More pics might yield more favorites.
Nice action shot in any case.



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[space]

Doug,

I just moved from MD to PA, otherwise I would be at your place helping you right now! Did you have trouble finding shorties down there? I'm looking to get a 4 or 5 window and start building this summer, but I just can't find any. Can't wait to follow the rest of your build. And if your ever in Philly stop by for some beer!


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[hobovan]

Sweet bus, and those things look bomber with the conversion/lift.

 

[Low594]

Any update?

 

[KeyserSoSay]

I'm really hoping this build thread comes back to life, not a lot of short bus builds to be found.

 

[tgreening]

OP hasn't posted anything anywhere in almost a year. Project probably died on the vine.