New guy looking for a bus

[Olddaddy]

I just found this site and forum. I am looking for a bus I can rebuild into a retirement RV/home. I would prefer a Dodge 1936-1956 short schoolbus, but will consider other makes. I really love the old transit busses, but need something a little smalller. Did they ever make a small transit bus? I've built and restored cars, trucks, tractors, and motorcycles all my life, so anything is possible at this point. Thanks for any advice and info.

[Mark R. Obtinario]

Dodge didn't actually make any buses.

Dodge manufactured a lot of chassis that were later upfitted with bus bodies. The last Dodge chassis buses were made in the mid-70's. Some of the more unusual Dodge chassis buses were made on the Power Wagon chassis.

Superior, Blue Bird, Carpenter, Thomas, Ward, Wayne, and Gillig are just some of the bus body companies that fitted bus bodies onto vendor supplied chassis.

Recently someone posted an ad here for a White Superpower/Superior bus that is sort of the vintage for which you are looking.

If you are wanting the vintage look of the Dodge go for it. One caveat about the Dodge chassis buses--parts for the big Dodge trucks are very difficult to find. Some of the parts were common to other OEM's but some weren't. The Dodge specific parts are very hard (read that $$$$$) to find.

If you are wanting something that will be able to travel at or near highway speeds you will need something a little newer than '50's vintage Dodge. Even if you repower with an engine that will have the muscle you won't have the steering or braking capacity to keep up with faster speeds.

Also, the older buses had much lower ceilings than newer buses. 70"-72" was pretty much the standard headroom for school buses up into the early '70's. Superior had a line of commercial buses that had an extra row of windows over the standard school bus windows that allowed for an extra 12" of head room. That line of buses was used by the armed forces for many years so there a lot of them still kicking around.

You may want to expand your search to include IHC chassis buses. Studebaker, White, Reo, Mack, Dodge, Ford, and GM all made chassis for bus body manufacturers. On the other hand, IHC made/makes more chassis for school buses than all of the others combined. Which makes finding an IHC version much easier.

Good luck on your search.

[Jones'n4chrome]

On that note, here is a Dodge bus.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/1739878343.html

[Olddaddy]

Thanks for the info. I knew about the cab and chassis situation. My actual plan is to mount whatever body I end up with on a late model
1 ton dually chassis with a cummins diesel engine. I am partial to
Dodge, but the other brands you mention would be fine.

[Jones'n4chrome]

Here is a 36 Dodge, it is also listed on Craigslist.

1936 Dodge/Superior school bus - $2900 (27thAve.&W.State Ave.)

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/cto/1748020304.html


1936 Dodge school bus , Superior bus body , short wheelbase 157" , Model LE one and a half ton truck chassis , original 201 flathead six, engine turns over free, 4 speed 55,000 original miles, needs restoration but sheet metal very good, seats were removed and a dry sink , table, cabinets and a stove was installed to be used as a day camper in the late 40's or early 50's , still has 1951 Az Republic newspaper in the drawers, sat at 16th street and York from early 50's until 1968 when it was bought and moved to private storage until last year, only a few hundred were built in 1936 because Dodge didn't build a standard bus chassis that year, VERY RARE , most of the glass is broken , it's all flat glass, but it has sheet metal covering the windshield and rear windows so that the dash was protected and the gauges look ezcellent, it still has the original paint with school logo visible "Kirtland Rural Schools" "Lake County"(Ohio) and the owners name "F.S. Booth - Owner" he apparantly had a contract or lease with the school district. I can't put pictures on this computer , but if you seem serious I'll text them to a cell, I've had this ad posted before and had a lot of response and texted a lot of pictures asking $2900 , call (602) 335-8947 (602) 335-8947 eves or leave message anytime , Thanks

[splummer]

old daddy there is a place that sells older buses not far from you, i dont remember the address but its off 95 almost on the geo ,fla line, i didnt stop the last time i was in fla but did a few years back, also he had some mil. trucks in his yard, not sure what part of fla you are in, if your close it might be worth checking into