1936 Ford School Bus Build (with 5.9 cummins)

Tacoma747

Tacoma747

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Winston-Salem
Well, my sister has a hairbrained idea to start a food vending business, she had thoughts of using the 'normal' step van/box truck, or maybe a shortbus. Well, we ran across this, she fell in love with it for the obvious reasons, it's COOL. The plan is to swap a 5.9 Cummins into it with a 5 speed transmission, get it driveable, and just drive it for awhile and slowly put the stuff required to make it a 'food' truck. Her plan (and reason for building this bus instead of a step van) is the have a 'hold' on the high-end weddings and such, to do catering to those type events, as well as car shows, and the normal around-town stuff during the week. It will definetly take ALOT of work and ALOT of money, but I feel once it's done she will have a great business, as the bus is a definite eye catcher, so everyone will remember it. I think the catering at special events will be the main money maker as opposed to the day-to-day type of stuff. Anyways, on to the pics:

schoolbus1.jpg
schoolbus2.jpg
schoolbus3.jpg
schoolbus4.jpg
 
I'm thinking ZZ Top pimp mobile!
 
I will have to get a radiator and intercooler custom made, that or put them under the bus somewhere with some good ducting and fans. There is a place in charlotte (and one in king I think) that will make aluminum radiators in custom sizes, hopefully I can find a custom sized intercooler as well, or have one made.
 
Subscribing. Seen it on CL a while back and thought of all the potential the bus had.

Good luck!
 
Extremely cool build, subscribed!
 
Did this come out of maiden, nc? I looked at one similar a few years back but he wanted to keep it too bad for me

I am thinking dual 4" sidepipes exiting in front of the duals.

Sent via telegraph
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
Did this come out of maiden, nc? I looked at one similar a few years back but he wanted to keep it too bad for me

I am thinking dual 4" sidepipes exiting in front of the duals.

Sent via telegraph
Click to expand...

Yes it is the guy in Maiden, we are actually planning to pick it up thursday afternoon, as long as the guy is able to get off work in time. He does want a pretty penny for it, but with the idea of catering for high-end weddings, and having something that is 'unique' for advertising appeal.

The 91' I am pulling the motor out of is a smoker for sure if you dog it, so she'd have to take it easy around the tree hugger crowd, she has mentioned running on WVO though.

I will be lowering the floor (between the framerails only) about 6-8" (can't remember how much I measured that I could drop it) so that she can stand up without worry of scraping her head on the roof, I'll probably put an A/C unit on the roof, if there is room underneath the bus I may try that, but I think a camper type A/C unit will be the best way to go. I'd build a fake roof rack and put wood paneling on the sides to give it an old 'surfer' look, and to hide the a/c unit. At least thats the plan so far.

First thing once we get it is to get the engine in it and make it driveable, so that at least it will be easier to move around if need be (and so I can have me a sweet rat rod till it's done, haha)

Any ideas feel free to post up!
 
I will be lowering the floor (between the framerails only) about 6-8" (can't remember how much I measured that I could drop it) so that she can stand up without worry of scraping her head on the roof, I'll probably put an A/C unit on the roof, if there is room underneath the bus I may try that, but I think a camper type A/C unit will be the best way to go. I'd build a fake roof rack and put wood paneling on the sides to give it an old 'surfer' look, and to hide the a/c unit. At least thats the plan so far.
Click to expand...

IMO I would push the rear axle back around 24"+ and mount the A/C unit and a generator in a cabinet along the back wall then you would have more area you could lower the floor. louver the back wall where the A/C unit is. It'll be a little harder to maneuver but in all the extra lower walking space would be good. Sorry but I have like a million ideas for this thing, wish i had a project like this...

what is she planning on cooking?
 
Cool project. Looks like a a lot of room to think outside the box. From the pictures it appears to have a fairly solid body for the year, ya just don't see stuff like that anymore. A+ for the acquisition of such old iron.

It will make a sweet mobile food rig, but I can't get the idea of chopping the roof and making it a limo out of my head.

Are you swapping out the rear end for something post WWII? Rockwells?!?
 
Moving the rear axle is not gonna happen, too much body work, my plan is to just have a 'hump' over the rear axle IF NEEDED for clearance.

Frankenyoter, look at the pictures again, it already has a 14bolt swapped in the rear :) . The current owner had already taken a Chevy dumptruck and cut the frame on the bus and welded in the chevy truck frame, both front and rear. That kind of worried me before I saw it, but he actually does VERY nice work, he had quite a few rat rods in his garage (about 8, haha). I am sure I will be adding in some bracing here or there just for overkill, but shouldn't need to rework anything he has done thus far.

Well, I say that, one thing that worries me is that he said he couldn't fit the Chevy steering box, he had a Mustang II steering rack that he used instead to convert it to R+P steering. That is my main worry, the Mustang II rack holding up to the weight. I will need to look at it closer, may either upgrade the rack to something off a newer 1-ton Chevy (I assume they are R+P), or make a steering box fit, I think the body would need to be cut some to make the steering box fit, which is why he didn't want to do it. I won't know what I need to do till I get it.
 
frankenyoter said:
Cool project. Looks like a a lot of room to think outside the box. From the pictures it appears to have a fairly solid body for the year, ya just don't see stuff like that anymore. A+ for the acquisition of such old iron.

It will make a sweet mobile food rig, but I can't get the idea of chopping the roof and making it a limo out of my head.

Are you swapping out the rear end for something post WWII? Rockwells?!?
Click to expand...

iirc from looking at it, it has a newer chassis under it. updated F&R suspension, axles, brakes, wheels/tires.
 
Tacoma747 said:
Moving the rear axle is not gonna happen, too much body work, my plan is to just have a 'hump' over the rear axle IF NEEDED for clearance.

Frankenyoter, look at the pictures again, it already has a 14bolt swapped in the rear :) . The current owner had already taken a Chevy dumptruck and cut the frame on the bus and welded in the chevy truck frame, both front and rear. That kind of worried me before I saw it, but he actually does VERY nice work, he had quite a few rat rods in his garage (about 8, haha). I am sure I will be adding in some bracing here or there just for overkill, but shouldn't need to rework anything he has done thus far.

Well, I say that, one thing that worries me is that he said he couldn't fit the Chevy steering box, he had a Mustang II steering rack that he used instead to convert it to R+P steering. That is my main worry, the Mustang II rack holding up to the weight. I will need to look at it closer, may either upgrade the rack to something off a newer 1-ton Chevy (I assume they are R+P), or make a steering box fit, I think the body would need to be cut some to make the steering box fit, which is why he didn't want to do it. I won't know what I need to do till I get it.
Click to expand...

could use an older push pull type box mounted farther back on the frame, and run a long draglink upfront. sorta like whats used on tbuckets and other hotrods...
 
Tacoma747 said:
something off a newer 1-ton Chevy (I assume they are R+P)
Click to expand...
Even all the way up to 2012, they are still steering box/pitman/idler/draglink setups.

Interesting project, subscribed.
 
This is definately a cool project. You could use the roof rack more though if you had an escape hatch and internal latter. Maybe keep some rarely used items up there?

I think the old bus could be her key to success.

Maybe when replacing the windows if she doesn't want them all paint kids faces on them waving and such.
 
Bout time you posted this up now get busy!!
 
my 2wd dodge 3500 has a R&P
 
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