Shortbusadventure.com

[spencyg]

Due to a strange series of events, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Kevin and Ryan of www.shortbusadventure.com today. They are in the middle of a year-long trek across the continent (and other spots) in a beautifully converted '91 Ford E350 school bus. Kevin has done some amazing work turning the van into a real livable package, and I encourage everybody to check out his blog when you get a chance. We spent a couple hours today going over each others' rigs and getting ideas (at least in my case) for future improvements. I hope they will venture back this way some day so I can have the opportunity to properly show them around my state...

Spence

[Riptide]

That link looks like a dead-end...

[ihatemybike]

http://www.shortbusadventure.com/

[DragRag]

That short bus need a front axle under it!

[spencyg]

He is contemplating a 4x4 swap when they return from their trip next summer. Wisely, he followed the age old "don't want until you're fully prepared to go" advice which would otherwise delay almost all amazing adventures. I hope Kevin pops on here at some point at fills everybody in on his rig, as I don't want to dampen the fire. I will say the interior is extremely well laid out (complete with 2 Engle 80+qt fridges) and his systems are top notch. He has what seems to be around 1000Ah of house capacity, at least 200W of solar, pressure water, custom fuel capacity, and some of the most kick-*** home-brew awnings I have ever seen.

Spence

[shortbusadventure]

Hey Spencer,

Thanks for the shout out. Was great to meet you the other day, and check out your project. I would love a set of your bumpers, and a ton of other fabbing work some day.

We would like our shortbus to be 4x4, and it will some day. For now, the front end is comfy for our long year on the road. The bus turned into a two year project, as I was in a motorcycle accident, that required surgery and lots of physical therapy. I was lucky to have talented and willing friends to help me get the project underway.

We purchsed the Bus in February 2007, off of Craigslist. I flew to Portland, Oregon and crossed the river to Vancouver, Washington. I drove it back to California the next day.

It had seats and seatbelts, as it was last owned by a daycare. Those came out in minutes. We removed the rubber flooring to find a plywood subfloor in great shape. For our shake down trip, I replaced all of the fuel lines with viton, as they were old and dry rot. I wanted to have the option of running biodiesel if available. I ordered a front tow hitch, as the rear subframe needed to much reinforcement for the time I had to install a hitch. We had planned to go to Death Valley with friends to check out some hot springs and ride some dirt bikes. The hitch would allow us to haul one bike. We managed to find some overhead cabinets at a RV salvage yard in Sacramento by chance. We also picked up a pair of seats at salvage from a Chevy Silverado. I sought these seats out, as the seatbelt is completely integrated into the seat. This allowed placing the passenger seat where we wanted, and to put both seats on Captains swivel bases (Ebay). A simple bed frame, and we were ready to pile a bunch of gear on board. Oh yeah, installed a set of firestone airbags on the rear back to help with the load and reduce some body roll.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_1356.jpg
After the high clearance offroad trails, we had a long list of improvements:

Exterior and Mechanical:
Rebuild front end suspension
Replace all shocks
Wider tires with new wheels
New springs all around
air bag controls with onboard compressor
Safari rack
Roof storage pods
Lighting
Note: 30 Gallon aux fuel tank added behind drivers door.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_1805.jpg
Shade awnings that Spencyg mentioned:
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2211.jpg

Interior
Cabinetry
Electrical system (12v, 120w, Battery bank, Shore power, Solar panels)
Stereo
Fresh water storage
Running water
H20 Filtration
Engel Refrigerator coolers
Heating
Lighting
Porta Potty
Curtains
and a tons of other stuff....
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2156.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2155.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2152.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2151.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2149.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2143.jpg
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj133/khopper713/IMG_2144.jpg

[spencyg]

Its about friggin time Kevin. Welcome to ExPo! This site eats more time in my life than I care to imagine, but it is full of some pretty amazing people, some amazing rigs, and amazing stories. We look forward to reading about your in-process adventures and learning more about your rig...

Spence

[mtnbike28]

That bus looks well thought out and like a lot of fun!

Have fun on your travels!

[biglos454]

welcome to expo! good luck on your year long trip. and i love the fact that u left the bus its original color. i bet it would really turn some heads with some winch bumpers and a pumpkin under the front end:sombrero:

[shortbusadventure]

welcome to expo! good luck on your year long trip. and i love the fact that u left the bus its original color. i bet it would really turn some heads with some winch bumpers and a pumpkin under the front end:sombrero:

It doesn't need a pumpkin to make heads turn, it stands out like a pumpkin. We can't stop for fuel or anywhere for that matter with about be asked about the bus. I do plan on a 4x4 conversion, along with all the mad max accompanying attire. Right now, we are cruising the country and lite duty off-road. In time, it will become a beast.

[xped]

here's your 4x4, just swap your interior.
http://humboldt.craigslist.org/cto/1401559076.html

When you finish the Mad Max makeover we should meet up at Black Rock City next year.

http://images5a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp63252%3Enu%3D36%3A%3A%3E%3A%3C2%3E25 8%3EWSNRCG%3D324464525%3B349nu0mrj

Colin

[adrenaline503]

Wow, I love your bus and have been considering if that is a direction I want to go. It seems to answer a lot of the requirements that I would have in a camper:

-Pass through
-Being able to stand upright (I'm 5'7")
-Secure storage for 2 bicycles

I have a few concerns though I though you could shed some light on.

-How is it over long distances? I prefer to cover ground quickly until I am in the area I want to explore.
-Whats the power like? I live in Seattle so I am surrounded by mountains on 3 sides.
-Mileage? I am curious how it would compare to a pickup and camper.

I am sure this will lead to more questions....

Thanks

[shortbusadventure]

Wow, I love your bus and have been considering if that is a direction I want to go. It seems to answer a lot of the requirements that I would have in a camper:

-Pass through
-Being able to stand upright (I'm 5'7")
-Secure storage for 2 bicycles

I have a few concerns though I though you could shed some light on.

-How is it over long distances? I prefer to cover ground quickly until I am in the area I want to explore.
-Whats the power like? I live in Seattle so I am surrounded by mountains on 3 sides.
-Mileage? I am curious how it would compare to a pickup and camper.

I am sure this will lead to more questions....

Thanks

Hey Adrenaline503,

- We have no problem doing 65+ on flat ground at low altitude. Keep in mind we weigh in at 10,500 fuel of fuel and fluids. She could be lighter, its two of traveling for a year, with lots of crap.

-I feel the power is adequate. I wish it had the Powerstroke turbo version 7.3
I would be happy with a turbo kit at some point as well. With all the weight, it can get slow above 6k ft. If it had a turbo, I think it would be great.

-We are averaging 12.5mpg. We can get 15mpg, but not too often. I bet if we did 55-60mph we could attain the better mpg.

Oh yeah, one of the bummers of our bus: We can NOT stand. It is 5'4" inside. While we would like it taller, but we work around it. We do plan to aquire another rig in the future, as my list of improvements to the shortbus is honestly to big. We will however hold on to it as a work van and project vehicle. ***Most short buses are plenty tall to stand up in unless your are over 6ft. Our bus is not your average short bus height. It does however help reduce the height, which does keep clearance down.

-Kevin

[adrenaline503]

Thanks for the response, it sounds like I wasnt that far off in my expectations. In my brief searches I have found quite a few van - minibus conversions that look interesting. How common is your drive train? I dont know much about American made trucks so the lingo doesnt do me much good.

[shortbusadventure]

Thanks for the response, it sounds like I wasnt that far off in my expectations. In my brief searches I have found quite a few van - minibus conversions that look interesting. How common is your drive train? I dont know much about American made trucks so the lingo doesnt do me much good.

The 7.3litre diesel is quite common. It was later made Turbo from the factory. Many Ford enthusiasts consider the 7.3 powerstroke motor to be the most reliable FORD turbo diesel setup. There is a ton of info on the diesel forums about it.
-Kevin

[Funrover]

I love the shortbus man!

[NickTheTinkerer]

Very cool, any more pics?

[shortbusadventure]

Very cool, any more pics?

Anything in particular you would like to see?

[Jnich77]

Mauahhaaa... I love it. for years I have thought of converting one of those... just never got around to doing it.