Should I buy a mini-bus? Am I out of my mind?

[Kev Williams]

I know someone who did something similar with an old bus. He ended up putting a bed that folded down if needed so he could register it as an RV. RVs seem to have their own classification and the insurance was cheap. As for cutting a hole in the floor to get to the gas leak, I wouldn't do anything that could cause a spark.

Just guessing, but if the 'bus' designation was changed to something like 'tool truck', seems the insurance may be cheaper too, lots less liability if it's not designed for hauling lots of humans around...

[Zachary Hoyt]

Alex Zeller, that's a good thought. If I recall correctly in NY there are 6 or 7 attributes of an RV that you have to have 4 of to register a conversion as an RV, or at least that's what I read online.

Bill Dufour, I have not tried a mini reciprocating saw but I have a jigsaw that I have used to cut aluminum plate, and it might work with the right blade.

Kev Williams, my insurance agent says that the insurance she signed me up for covers both business and personal use as a hauling vehicle. I told her there is only one seat, so I think that makes it clear to the insurance company that I don't plan to use it as a bus anymore.

[Kris Cook]

Reading back through this thread I see there is lots of advice on how to access the tank/fuel pump. Curious if you have found where the leak actually is. Maybe I missed it but I didn't see the leak was coming from that area necessarily. Don't know the configuration of the tank and frame in that rig but if it was in the top of the tank you could drop the tank. I did it in a suburban that had a full tank of gas, using a floor jack. It wasn't fun but not that bad.

Have you been able to diagnose anything?

On another note. I have a friend in Colorado that has a rafting company. They took a full size school bus and cut the body off several seats behind the driver's seat and flush with the floor. Billed as "the worlds largest pickup".

[Bill Dufour]

Sparks on top of a sealed gas tank is not really a safety hazard but... too much hot slag can melt a vapor hose. On mine the bad sender seal meant a little pool of gasoline sat on top of the tank in a small depression until it evaporated off in a few days. Maybe 1/2 cup or so.
Bill D

[Zachary Hoyt]

Kris, the seller said he thought the leak was at the sending unit, but I have not received the bus yet. It is supposed to be towed here this week, and then I'll be able to start looking into what it needs. I took the tank down in a pickup years ago and replaced the fuel pump as I said earlier in this thread, the hard part was getting the bolts off the straps because of the rust.

I'll be curious to see what the tank installation is like on a bus, and how hard it will be to remove it, or to cut the floor. I don't have an indoor space tall enough to bring the bus in, so I'll be working on it out in the snow. I'll blow an area clear first, to park the bus in where it will be out of the way during the rest of the winter.

[Jim Becker]

Working outside, despite the snowy cold, may be a good thing for a gasoline leak...

[Zachary Hoyt]

That's true, although I hope to avoid doing anything explosive.

[Bill Dufour]

City near where I grew up they tore down the dynamite plant and built a huge subdivision. City grew so big it incorporated with the slogan "The dynamic city".
Bill D

[Jim Becker]

That's true, although I hope to avoid doing anything explosive.

It's not even that...the fumes can be uncomfortable and unhealthy in a closed space even without going "bang".

[Zachary Hoyt]

I used to part out dead tractors, and still do have to work on not-dead ones, so I am used to the fumes. The outbuildings here are not at all tight, and when I am working in them I leave the doors open anyway. It's just nicer to lie on a creeper and scoot across the concrete, rather than putting a piece of plywood down on the snow and trying to keep the tools from falling off the edges and getting lost.

[Jim Becker]

I agree that inside is easier and more pleasant in many ways, even if it's the same temperature. It sounds like you have enough ventilation if you can get that beast inside.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Unfortunately I didn't build the outbuildings with buses in mind, and according to the seller the bus is 124" high, so it won't fit through any of the doors. My tallest door is 10x10 and most are 7 to 8 feet high.

[Zachary Hoyt]

The bus arrived about 5 tonight, and it looks like it should be suitable. I was pleased to find that I can carry 16' material on the right side and down the center with the rear door closed. On the left there's a bit less room because of the driver's seat. I looked for a fuel leak but haven't found it yet. At first I was seeing a fast drip in the center of the vehicle, but that turned out to be water running out of a weep hole at the bottom of the muffler while the engine was running. There is a bit under 1/4 tank showing on the gas gauge, so I am wondering if it may be a leak that only appears when the tank is full to a certain level, or on hills or something. I was looking underneath tonight with a headlamp, and will try again in daylight.

The only disappointment so far is that the driver's seat doesn't go back as far as I had hoped, so I have to sort of fold up my left leg in order to be able to turn the steering wheel all the way around without my hand running into my leg. Maybe there's a way to tilt the steering wheel, but I haven't been able to find it if there is. All the fluid levels look good, and while the underside is rusty it's not too bad. The tires look like they will have enough tread to pass inspection, but I'll be able to tell better when they're not covered with snow. It even beeps nicely when backing up, and has a couple of first aid kits mounted on the walls. I've got more looking around to do underneath, but so far it seems good.

[Kev Williams]

Some 'trucks' like that, the whole steering column tilts, and/or can be raised or lowered- not sure what the unlocking mechanism would look like ?

[Bill Dufour]

My first pickup I swapped a steering column from a car with tilt. Pretty easy job. Just need to find a column that will swap in. The trick I learned was not to disconnect all the wiring and risk breaking connectors off. Instead most of the switches can be dismounted with two screws each and mounted onto the new column. A power seat base may be easy enough. especially if you only need temporary power to set it and never move it again.
Bill D