[AntiTrace]

Goal: Refurbish an old bus into a drive-able party bus for under 10k.

Purpose: Bar hopping, tailgating, general partying. Game oriented shenanigans of course.

Timeline: Got about 6 months to plan it out and search for a good party bus candidate before I buy and start refurbishing.

Size: Ideally I want a shorter bus so the logistics of driving through cities and finding parking is easier. Keeps costs down.

Vibe: I'm not going for your clean, crisp, freshly painted, futuristic seating style, rentable bus. This isn't a business move, this a project meant to be fun and treated as such. The more ghetto the better.

Phase 1 - Obtaining the bus: Budget 5k

So far I havent had much luck finding good deals. I found a couple on craigslist that match my criteria. I also found some in decent shape for around 8k, which wouldnt leave much for the refurbishing budget. Would hitting a few junk yards possibly yield and old chasis that might work? Any other ideas?

A bonus would be if it could be financed. It would reduce the initial investment and even a small loan helps with building credit.

Phase 2 - Refurbishing the bus. Budget 2k

Given my price range I am expecting a beaten down piece of shit that needs some work. Looking for something that doesn't need much more than maybe an engine swap and some brake work. Got a couple good mechanic and fabricator friends that are in on the deal and are willing do the labor. They don't have cash to front so they want to put in sweat equity for a seat.

Phase 3 - Gutting the bus. Budget 0

Ripping everything we can out. Leaving only the drivers seat, windows, and sliding door.

Phase 4 - Interior Overhaul - remainder of budget

The bulk of the project after the bus has become safe and drive-able.

Floors - Its gonna get drinks spilled on it, pissed on, puked on, etc. The floor has to be able to be sprayed down after a night on the town.

Seating - Remember ghetto? Free couches and yard sales are where I will obtain the seating. If the seating can be sprayed down that is huge plus.

Windows - blacked out windows. What happens on the bus stays on the bus.

Lighting - Probably will just run some neon lights or something along the ceiling.

Drinks - gotta dive into the local law books on this one. Obviously don't want to get hassled by the fuzz. I have heard that if the driver is completely isolated from the passengers, open containers and drinking is legal. Researching to verify that and then figure a way to make that happen.

Sound - A good system is required. Ceiling mounted speakers (Id have to murder a hoe that spilled some shit on my speaker) with a sub or two under the seating. Bonus if I can wire the lighting up to pulse with the beat or something else just as cheesy.

Snack bar - late night munchies are required.

Paint - Ghetto. Were talking spray painting "BUS" on the side and thats it. Might go with something funnier when the times comes, like "School District 420" or something.

Extras - Longhorns on the hood. A plywood wing on the back. Wal-mart plastic spinner rims. Theme nights. You know, classy shit.



Biggest hurdles:
1. Finding a decent bus that will fit into the proposed budget and fits the required criteria. Obviously the lower end of the budget is preferred.
2. Legal limitations/permits. DD's will be required so the bus must be able to be legally driving with a typical drivers license. Drinking on the bus in between destinations is preferred, and I can't trust everyone to clean up empties if and when the bus gets pulled over.
3. Seating and general design of the interior. It must be a cool place to hang out, easily cleaned, and roomy.
4. Maintenance and fuel - Ass, grass, or gas, no one rides for free.


Help me out brothers, I got a good amount of time to plan to make sure this thing goes right.

[Virtus]

where r u

[AntiTrace]

Boston area

[Virtus]

Whatever you do don't name it "The Cherry Bomb" ....


...


Sorry


Anyhow. I am converting a bus into something like that from a 30ft aluminum body firetruck looking thing in LA. .. I'd suggest you look on http://www.skoolie.net/ & http://www.pimpmyschoolbus.com/ ..

best of luck

[AntiTrace]

Good looking out on skoolie.net. Ill be browsing that.

Its a hard decision on the bus size. In New England the city grids were not planned out as well as modern cities area, lots of sharp turns and small streets would make driving a full size bus a pain the ass. But the bigger the bus the more you can actually do with it and more people that can fit in it.

[polymath]

Yo, first and foremost I hope you had a safe week and were not personally affected by the violence that has been going on in Boston, Cambridge, and Watertown.

Second, you should spend some serious time thinking about sound deadening for the engine bay and the exhaust. Nothing will kill coolness faster than jalopy sounds.

Diamond plate for the floors would be heavy and expensive, but any type of sheet material overlay will allow liquids to seep under and rust out the steel underneath. Personally I would have the floor line-x'ed.

Stripper pole.

For seating, couches would be bulky and unsafe. I would weld in benches, spray paint the steel to protect it, and then screw them to cushions that are made of padding, vinyl, and plywood.

For lights, write a program that performs a fast Fourier transform of music from a microphone or line in, then activate different colored LED strips corresponding to different frequency ranges. I'm imagining a meter-wide course of LED strips running the length of the ceiling.

Personally I would try to make it boss rather than funny-shitty. Black metallic flake paint, black powdercoat on stamped steel rims, extreme window tint.

Post pics if you actually get a hold of a bus and start working.

[AntiTrace]

Thanks for the friendly words. Im actually an hour away from Boston and I am not in the country at this time, so I wasn't affected. Luckily no family or friends were either. Im glad they caught that fucker.

The inside is planned to be boss. The outside is gonna be funny-shitty as you put it. The budget doesn't allow for a nice paint job to make it boss from the outside. Paint job may be a year or two down the road.

Im liking the bench idea. Stripper pole is mandatory.

Phase 1 is looking like its going to come in under budget. Turns out I over estimated the cost of the initial purchase. I found a couple on ebay and some govt auction sites that are well within the price range.

I looked into the requirements of a CDL and unless I have seating for more than 15 (including driver) and the bus is under 26000 GVW a CDL is not required. It is also possible to get around the CDL by registering it as an RV instead of a private bus.

Again im about 6 months from the actual bus purchase due to not being in the country. but when the time comes I will start a thread recording the entire process.

[iknowexactly]

Better to have a smaller one that's packed than a big one that looks empty.