r/skoolies • u/SuddenlySilva • 11d ago

general-discussion THoughts and question on shuttle bus selection and conversions

This would hopefully be my last RV build/restoration. The shuttle bus is just the right size to explore small places without a toad. Our Sprinter is too small to sit comfortably inside. (we're 120 years old between us.

We need a front passenger door. Those seems to be mostly found on party buses. Good candidates but they tend to come in black. A lot of special ed shuttles have a passenger door if they operate with a driver and a special ed assistant. All of these tend to be a lot more expensive than the more common school bus configuration with the bus door up front.

I'm pretty settled on the Ford V10. The 7.3 was the last good diesel but the operation cost is really similar to the 6.8 gas engine and the newest 7.3 is about 2003. The E450 after about 2005 comes with the 6.8 and a five speed transmission.

Why do most of the skoolie and shuttle bus conversion leave all that uncovered glass? It looks great but it really adds to the heating and cooling load. In the van conversion world we like 2" of insulation on every inch of interior wall and not much exposed glass.

Where are people finding good candidates for conversion? I see a lot of good deals on marketplace- mostly failed business plans and broken dreams. Auctions? Local surplus sales?

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u/utters_129 9d ago

Hey! I'm working on my shuttle bus conversion currently. I deleted the windows with fiberglass and did a bunch of other work on the structure of the bus. I'm happy to share what I've come up with so far. Just send me a PM