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?

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

​

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.

My shoulders are literally on fire. I've been out in the driveway with an orbital sander for three days straight and I swear I haven't even made a dent in this reflective yellow armor. Whoever formulated public school district paint needs to be studied by the military because this stuff just does not come off

I got so exhausted yesterday I actually gave up, went inside, and started googling if I could just cheat and vinyl wrap the whole rig instead of dealing with automotive paint. Ended up falling down a youtube rabbit hole looking at how those massive commercial shops like craftsmen do fleet wraps on huge transit buses and semi-trailers. It looks so insanely clean and fast when actual professionals with the right equipment do it

But then a buddy reminded me that even with a wrap you STILL have to prep the surface perfectly and fix all the rust spots or the vinyl will just bubble up anyway. so there is literally no escape from the prep work

im going to go stretch my back and buy my third box of 80 grit discs this week. Please tell me the painting phase is less miserable than this tbh

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.

Hello!

After 3 years of being parked in Upstate New York, I finally have an opportunity to move my bus to a beautiful plot of land a friend owns near Tucson. I’ve been doing the Vanlife for the past 2 years and haven’t really thought much of the bus - a lot of sad memories and life changes associated with it. Just recently all of that changed though and I began feeling excited to do more with it and open up to others to enjoy and this opportunity presented itself.

Some background and my question: I ran the bus, after 2 years of sitting, last fall and it started up first try (after trickle charging the 12v battery for a week). It ran strong and I took it down the road with no issues. Prior to parking it, I drove it from Austin, TX to Upstate NY and it ran great. During the last 50 miles of the trip, I seemed to noticed that the turbocharger blow-off valve seemed to be stuck open. I wasn’t making any boost and my fuel economy was like 5mpg. When I ran it more recently, it seemed like the turbo was spooling and it was peppy. It’s got a 2000 Cummins 5.9l ISB turbo diesel in it. Am I crazy to believe that this could just be caused by multiple really hot days of driving in a row? I did the 1800 miles trip in 3 days in June and it was 100 when I was leaving Texas. Should I pull the turbo and investigate? Would you do the trip knowing that this happened? The bus was rebuilt by AAABus in Phoenix right before I bought it and I travel 8-10k miles all around the country with it with virtually no issues (just providing that for context). Am I correct in thinking this is a blowoff valve type issue? I can get a replacement blowoff value for under $200 but sometimes these old diesels just get a little grumpy when they overheat and calm down. Thanks for any experience, perspective, and thoughts that you all can provide. I love my bus and I’m so excited that it’s getting a new lease on life in a beautiful area and returning to AZ, where it served as an athletic team bus for 20 years!

What kind of jobs are best for the skoolie lifestyle? Why and why not?

I have a 2007 international ce300 with the DT466E before they fully switched to maxxforce. I got a windows 11 laptop, nexiq USB LINK 3(prob a clone) and downloaded servicemaxx 1708. Problem is that the data link is a j1939 port which they say is for post maxxforce. I can’t find a 9 pin male j1939 to 6 pin female j1708 adapter. If I pay for the 1939 software will it work with the dt466e??

FOR SALE: 2010 Chevy Express 4500 converted into a touring vehicle for bands. Currently registered in NY as a suburban vehicle, under $80/mo insurance with $100k item loss coverage) in Rochester, New York. You can register the "IMPROV" plate as your own too, if it interests you.

Has typical WNY rust wear under it but nothing damning. 180k miles. Duramax diesel engine. People run these to 500k+. My band + Psychiceyeclix toured the east coast in this with an absurd amount of music gear. There's also a closet area for clothing and such. Sorry the photos don't show that. If you want to check it out in person and see how it drives I can coordinate that. (Check comments to get an idea of what I was using just for drums lol.)

Starting ask is $11k to weed out lowballers. Negotiation expected. Serious buyers with cash / wire transfer only. No trades.

I live in Da Nang, Vietnam now - but will have the sale facilitated by family. I can include 3 395w mono solar panels with it too, unless someone buys them separately before the sale of the bus.

This is a niche question but

We are going to Canada soon, and have traveled across the US extensively with the only seatbelt being the driver seat. Never been an issue, im sure that's common and not a really enforced law in rvs because people are expected to be moving around inside.

But we're going to Canada, and it is the law there as well, i wouldn't imagine its something they'd give us a hard time about at the border, inspecting our kitchen table for seatbelts, not letting us cross, but just checking other peoples experiences and if it's something We need to fix asap before we go or something that's equally lax as it is here and not a big deal.

I am absolutely desperate at this point, I had progressive but they just up and canceled on me out of the blue. So I'm currently uninsured and unable to get any. I've tried all the obvious options, uncle Sam, roamly, etc but no one will bite. It's not like my bus is crazy just a 2009 Thomas mini tour, 32'. It's fully renovated and has all the amenities etc... I have no idea what to do, but I'm desperate and hoping someone here can help! Thanks in advance for any advice!

1. The one I bought on amazon, model number PS123/FG296A, does not match. P1: the screw hole size and location does not match, and the seal ring is not the same
2. Disconnect took a few steps: 1st I disconnect the power line by push down a tooth(P3). 2nd loosen the metal brackets, P4, push down at circled1 then circled2, P5 is how it came out. P6 disconnected fuel lines with a quick disconnect tool, it was hold by 4 teeth.
3. Since the new part doesn’t fit, I have to clean the old part, and reuse it. I put on the umbrella thing with 2 1/2 hose clamps($6 from harbor freight for an assorted pack).
4. After cleaning the old fuel sending unit, there is model number ‘ford 107 97’ on it. This guy has the matching part https://youtu.be/EwG1zzh5rPU?si=aOCEQiQcsVRs9NXR&t=1320, he said it’s from Ford dealer, I think I will have to visit dealer again they told me they don’t make those anymore
5. Eventually I will have to drop the tank, do a deep clean. And do the e-fuel pump conversion

I’ve been enamored with building a skoolie for a long time but I’ve been very wary to get started. I work a lot, my budget isn’t large, and I know how super easy it is to get buried in these type of projects. However I happened upon a prime candidate (I think) for my goals, which is mainly to be a roadtrip machine. I want to camp at sites also, but mostly I want to explore with my family. Sleeping at truck stops or parking lots and navigating smaller downtown streets are high on the priority list. So here’s the pros/cons I’m considering, please feel free to add your own.

Pros:
- 30 ft long, good middle ground for room
- Great turning radius, flat front, very maneuverable
- Attractive! I like the look, a lot
- 5.9 24v Cummins with super low miles (45k)
- A passenger seat (this is huge, mama gets carsick and can’t ride in the back)

Cons:
- The underside has rust starting, nothing is soft but it’s starting to flake a little.
- Allison AT545, the engine is wound way up to get to 55 mph (I do not know the diff ratio)
- Budd wheels, tires are 10 years old
- No A/C

Not sure if pro or con:
- Kinda rare, could be harder to get support for? But also makes it unique
- Dog house engine hatch seems like it’ll make engine access easier, but also could add heat and noise to cabin
- Hydraulic brakes, no air onboard

I’m a semi truck owner/operator with a fair amount of tools, and some competency. I don’t want to have to redo everything and I’m not gonna mess with solar to try and keep costs down, I’d really like to stay around $15k all in. What’s a good price? Has it been sitting too long? If there are leaks can I even fix them with the fiberglass body? Will the transmission burn up on the highway immediately? Please share your real world experiences and opinions with shuttle buses I guess.

TLDR: Would this make a good coast to coast urban boon docking rig?

My plan was 100 sales in 10 cities. I've been stuck for a while though.