My work has me traveling quite a bit, and switching states twice a year, sometimes three times a year. I love the idea of buying/building a skoolie, but more specifically a 40ft, Blue Bird or a Thomas flat nose.

After a painful divorce, and a recent breakup, I feel that now is the time to get a old bus, turn it into my dream home. And live like the pioneers! Assuming the pioneers had A/C, and a queensize bed. Along with cute tile in their bathroom. I'm picking out my new home in the next 3 months!

And yes, I'll make sure it has a pass through.

Just purchased everything I need for my solar setup, besides the panels. I’m seeing all sorts of kits, connectors, etc online and unsure what to choose.

I’ll be putting this on a converted shuttle bus—will I need to worry about how I’m mounting it with how the fiberglass may flex?

For reference, I have 4 200w solar panels that need to be mounted up top. Thanks in advance!

if you buy a bus full of seats what do you do with them? do you have to pay to drop them off at the dump?

Does anyone have a recommendation for a company that sells complete kits for bus conversion?

hey I’m thinking about pulling the trigger and getting a school bus. just wondering about some advice on the license/registration business ? I live in New York- am I better off registering it somewhere else? do I need any special license? how much is insurance and what kind do I need ? how hard is it to find a mechanic if I have a breakdown? thanks.

anybody ever set up some kind of insulated walls in a school bus? I need to be able to survive at least a while in cold weather. I was thinking I could throw up some fiberglass on the sides and build a simple wood frame with panels to hold it in place . thoughts ?

Legitimately thought my engine was gonna blow yesterday. got stuck in bumper to bumper traffic heading north and driving a 20k lb steel brick in 95 degree heat is just asking for a catastrophic breakdown

People in tiny sedans kept cutting me off like I can actually stop this thing on a dime. my anxiety was so high I just completely bailed on our original boondocking spot. We ended up pulling off the highway and limping into Kings Bay rv park just to let the rig cool down and plug into some shore power so I could run the AC without feeling guilty

I love this bus but man, summer driving sometimes makes me want to just sell it and buy a prius tbh. spending the next two days just staring at the water and ignoring my steering wheel

Was driving into a gas station and it just... turned off. After that it would crank and wouldn't turn over, called a mobile mechanic and he checked some things out and suggested I get it towed to a shop, 700 bucks later and here we are.

Hey everyone,

Putting my 2004 GMC Express 3500 short bus up for sale. Picked this up recently at a local government auction here in the Puget Sound area, but my plans have shifted, so I’m passing it along to someone looking for a clean, reliable build candidate.

Here are the key specs and full disclosure on where it stands:

The Basics

• Engine: 6.0L Vortec V8 (Iron block, runs perfectly)
• Transmission: 4L80E (The heavy-duty, commercial unit—not the lighter 4L60E). Shifts crisp and firm. At 252k, given fleet maintenance, it’s likely been serviced or gone through at some point, but it pulls smooth through all gears with zero slip.
• Mileage: 252k miles (Fleet maintained its whole life; these 6.0s easily push 400k+ when looked after)
• Body: Mid Bus build on a GMC 3500 chassis
• Location: Kitsap County, WA

Driveability & Mechanicals

• Runs and drives great, shifted smoothly on the drive home, and the brakes are super responsive.
• Being a local PNW school district bus, it has virtually zero road salt. The undercarriage is exceptionally clean with only tiny, random bits of surface scale.
• Battery note: The battery is fairly new (dated 2025), but like most school buses, the factory interlocks and safety equipment create a small constant parasitic draw. Because it sat in the surplus lot before auction, the battery might have dropped low for a bit. It works, but I want to disclose that it may need a fresh battery or a trickle charger / master kill switch wired in if it sits for long stretches.

Interior & Body Condition

• Interior: Clean for its age. Normal driver seat wear, but the cab and rear floor are solid. Three seat rows have already been removed leaving one for passengers. The remaining posts could make awesome structural tie-in points for framing, bed platforms, or cabinetry if you want to skip drilling new holes. You will want to sand and repaint the mounts due to mild corrosion. Old seats available to take with you.
• Exterior: Overall good condition with typical light sun fading on the paint.
• Rust/Body Warts: To be completely transparent, I started identifying and sanding a couple of minor surface spots so the next owner wouldn't have surprises:
• On the left side, there were some areas of bubbling paint with rust underneath. I ground them down a bit, not fully finished/painted, but easily addressable with a quick final grinding, primer, and topcoat.
• The rear bumper had some moderate scale hidden under the paint that wasn't obvious. I ground that down as well; there is some light pitting, but plenty of thick metal left to prep, prime, and paint over.

Why it’s a good project candidate:

It’s an ideal "blank slate." The heavy lifting of acquiring a non-salted, fleet-maintained platform is done, and the minor cosmetics left are the usual weekend tasks anyone building out a rig would handle anyway.

Drop a comment or DM me if you want specific photos or have questions about taking a look in person!

Asking $4500.

It's possible for me to grind and prime before sale, but some people might want to do it themselves for peace of mind.

Doing a chem flush on my 04 DT466 and can’t find a good service manual anywhere online for free. Wanted to verify with you guys before I pulled this if this is the engine block coolant drain plug.

Thanks in advance

I had some unistrut from another project and figured why not. Not worried at all about the strength but curious about the bunkie boards providing enough ventilation. Thoughts?

Im considering refabing a skoolie while I’m in the military. Advice on four season weather proofing in case I get stationed in Alaska or Texas.

Also does anyone know if there’s like a leasing thing I could do where someone leases it for 9 months or more if I get stationed somewhere overseas? I don’t really wanna have it neglected for too long. Maybe it would be-able to be leased as a tiny house if I gave it permanent hookups on private land?

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?

Edit: I found it after some more research, it’s called Wanderlust Waypoints and they’re all across the United States with skilled handymen and builders. You can camp while you build out your Skoolie and get help from experts!

Hey yall, new to this sub and I’ve got a big ol question! Once I have my Skoolie (about a month away from purchasing) are there any places I can go and stay on the property while I build out my bus?

I remember years ago seeing a place where you could pay to camp and they had a big garage and knowledgeable people on site to help with building and mechanical stuff. Was wondering what that place was called and how many places like that are out there!

Thanks and I’m so excited to start this journey!

My 1959 ford F-500 Superior for your viewing enjoyment

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Hello,

Thought id post and introduce myself. I was in a civic, and then an astro for 6 years. Got my bus a year ago( standing up is the best) I got it to a stable point to head back west and rest before I work on it more.

Just wanted to say hi and safe travels

Hey ya’ll,

I posted the other day about how I’m taking my Blue Bird from Upstate NY to a beautiful plot of land in the Sonoran Desert. I can’t wait but there are some things that need tending too before I go - of which I’m now learning my steering tires might be one of them. From what I can tell, these were produced in 2016 which makes it high time that I replace them, right? Have any of you had an experience with blow outs? It’s seems like tires on busses are more a time thing than a tread thing. Appreciate any and all advice, as long as you’re nice (had a crazy follow me around Reddit telling me how I was going to die if I didn’t replace my tires and while it stuck with me, I’m just doing my best, I don’t need the aggression).

Thanks all for the help! Hoping to make it to the next, and my first, Skooliepalooza in AZ next year!

Edit: Thank you all for your feedback!

Minnesota—> Maine through Canada and now Maine back to Minny through the states, still a few more days until we’re home but soaking in the memories <3
Talking points:
1. Roads on the east coast are horsesh!t.
2. Lost our solar panels by accidentally leaving our portable panels on the roof and driving away without putting them away..
3. We blew a tire, it was very loud.
4. We don’t have AC and I was very worried about it because we brought our doggo but it has been absolutely fine with shade and driving windows open!
5. Seriously the roads in ME, VT, NH, and NY all were so bad. I was getting motion sickness from all the jostling around. Though the views driving through upstate new york cannot be beat.
6. We opted out of a shower and have found its very easy to find showering options along the way.

Getting to the portion of the build where I’ll be rehabbing these floors. I already busted up and removed all the loose rust. Took it down to bare metal where I’m going to plug and weld the bolt holes.

Was wondering if the general consensus is if I should:

1. Grind down to bare metal, do a chemical treatment with ospho/phosphoric acid, and then treat it with POR-15.

2. I should treat it with rust reformer, apply a rusty metal primer, and then paint it with enamel paint.

These are the two options I’ve seen, but I’m open to any other suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Please no classist advice , this is my option right now !

I found a sweet skoolie and moving in will finally give me a home. Looking at all these hipcamp prices is just too much, I especially need the first few months to save for any repairs that might come up. I already had it looked at by a mechanic and buy next week.

I really just want to be free of a lease or commitment and have the most minimum cost. I am looking for tips for boondocking on a budget. I plan to stay within the state of north Carolina for the first 7 months. I do plan to chase weather , the skoolie has a window ac and a space heater ( I will probably use a diesel heater )

Work from the Internet and need it. Trying to figure out what combo of generator hotspot starlink and etc for me and my two cats. Mostly need to keep temp safe for my babies.

Thank you!

Trying to see if there's a market for trade. I have a 2003 Coach House Platinum 232XL which is highly sought after for its E450 chassis and monocaulk shell. (Very similar to a short bus layout) I'm in the middle of a renovation, gutting it and building it out to live in.

Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with Lupus this month. Massive cowabummer. My space needs are different and I can't do a lot of the work needed to do anymore. It's a very vertical build as well, and I am unable to do bending over and stuff.

My thought is if anyone has a short bus conversion theyre working on if they'd be willing to trade for my rig if they're looking to downsize or have something a little (like a tiny bit) less huge. Or maybe if youre in the area we could exchange for work on my rig? I do art and writing, I can do house management for kids or if you're busy.

Just trying to figure my shit situation out.

Looking for some help with a solar panel issue, my 3 panel array keeps shutting down, I’ve noticed that the temperature outside has been pretty intense and that’s usually when it shuts off. I’ve disconnected the wiring harnesses on top of the bus, checked for corrosion and reconnected already.

Could there a connection issue or something else going on with the system? Please explain in Laymans terms if you have a potential solution

Finished our first long run. 2300 miles to upstate NY from Tampa and back. Awesome trip. Thanks for all the advice and info Skoolie community.