SHUTLE BUS CONVERSION

Built on the same E-350, E-450 chassis as C motorhomes, by commercial divisions of some of the same companies (Thor, Forest River) you get the same range of sizes and performance, walls, ceilings and floors less well insulated, more windows (usually not opening), none of the house stuff, less room below floor (usually no basement space).

I suspect you won't find them on the market until they are pretty worn out, if actually shuttles. A few moderate mileage example hit the market here from failed small town mass-transit efforts, though most of those will have a lot of space used up by wheelchair lifts.

If I were looking for something C-sized to do a conversion, I think I'd rather find a E-350 or Express 3500 school bus. Those are still steel body, and usually become available at lower mileage, although often much older model years.

gotsmart--Funny you should ask that question.
Yesterday, I recalled that I had a product called PRI-G in my RV. It is recommend for gas tanks when the RV is in storage to keep the gas good. It also is recommended for boosting performance. On an impulse, I decided to add some to my gas tank. Almost immediately, I noticed more power. When I checked the mileage for that tank compared to mileage from the rest of the trip, it was 1 mpg better.
That was only 1 tank, so, I'll reserve final judgment until I use it over many tanks of gas. However, it is encouraging.

TOMMY47 wrote:
Currently on a long trip in an older (1990) class C. Pulling my car.
Ford E350 . Have had problems up the hills in and around the Rockies.
I am making changes to the rest of my trip to avoid Rockies in Colorado.
Am thinking of selling the C and getting a shuttle bus --converting it to a MH. There seem to be a lot in my area for sale.
I now know what I need and what I don't. I really don't need a lot.
Anyone tried this and how did it turn out?
What kind of mileage do these thing typically get? I do not plan to tow my car on the next trip.

I was thinking about doing the same thing,
most shuttle buses I see around here are made of fiberglas,looks nice but wonder if it strong enough,,,
the small school bus might be better idea as they are made with a metal cage which should be much stronger safer and longer lasting,,
have no idea about mpg but I doubt its any good with such a big square box,,
Finding one in good shape with low miles on it would be pretty difficult I think,,
makes for nice platform to build just what you want in it though,,

Hello All! I am in the finishing moments of converting my shuttle bus. I am just waiting for a solar panel to hook up my power, but I have been living in it. I absolutely love it! I was living in a cargo van for 8 months but needed to be able to stand up. I am living very minimalistically, so maybe this is why it works for me so well. No running water and very little power usage.. done purposefully of course. For lights, at night, I use a lamp for just the amount of time I need it. It really depends on how you choose to live. I have pictures on my site in my blog, "Raw on the Road" if anyone is interested. www.rawmispeaks.com

McZippie wrote:
So I'm not the only crazy one that wanted to converted a Shuttle Bus to a RV...(snip)

Zip, Very nice job. It looks like you are pretty handy. Good use of space. Way more project that I would have ever taken on. But if you want a rig that does exactly what you want it to do, you can't beat building it yourself.

Now your choice of football teams...Eh, not so much. :)

When you say shuttle bus, I envision something the rental car places use at airports, not a full size 45' bus.

I is an idea that has always facinated me as well. The shell is certainly far stronger than any class C having to stand up to tougher safety standards I imagine than any RV.

Sounds like a great project for somebody with the skills, the time & the place to make it happen.

Just understand going in that nowhere near whatever is put into it will be recovered when it is time to sell. Same as a custom or heavily modified boat.

Jim Shoe wrote:
And the heat and A/C aren't going to work unless the engine is running. No bathroom, shower, holding tanks, refrigerator, stove, sink, interior lights, beds, chairs, etc.

That's not an RV - that's a hard sided tent.

The SB "tent" has probably seen hard stop & go service.

There's a reason lots are for sale - service life is over.

Driven hard - or at least a *LOT* - and put away wet.

Plan on drive line rebuilds & repairs (and breakdowns).

Quantum leap from the frying pan (C) into the fire...:R

YMMV - and..... whatever rings your chimes..:C

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