1988 Blue Bird Fully Converted School Bus (Motorhome Title)
Our fully converted move-in ready tiny home on wheels, a motorhome-titled 1988 Blue Bird All American school bus with an 8.2L Detroit Diesel & Allison Auto Trans needs a new family to call her home.
Bus Details:
– Odometer: 96,126 miles (Purchased at 93k in 2015)
– 72 Passenger (39 ft long)
– Transit style, front engine
– GVWR 34000
– Titled as a motorhome, fully converted
– Previously insured with National General
Mechanical notes:
– Originally had onboard air conditioner units run by a second engine. We removed the A/C units but left the auxiliary engine intact
– The cab has heater, and the original dash & instruments
– The fuel gauge doesn’t work but the tank is accessible through the flooring if you need to access it to fix it (we just filled the tank every few hundred miles)
– There’s a small crack on the top right (stairwell side) of the windshield, it’s not in the field of driver’s view at all but if your state requires inspections, it will likely need to be fixed
Our family of six (and our dog!) lived in this school bus conversion for two years and converted her ourselves. Currently sleeps 5, but could easily sleep 7 if the futon in the front and queen bed in the back are re-installed (we can give you exact details on how to do this).
Current sleeping quarters include four custom bunk beds slightly smaller than twin (27″ x 6″ x 67″) with interior shelves and cutouts for privacy, custom 6-inch thick memory foam mattresses and custom-fitted sheets as well as the couch in the front.
We purchased the bus in 2015, where it had sat idle since it was retired in the late ’90s. We fully stripped the bus down to the bare metal, removing all seats, paneling, flooring, and insulation. We hired professionals to install closed cell spray foam in the ceiling and walls.
The metal floor was coated with Rustoleum Metal Primer, and topped with 3/4″ Polyiso insulation and 1/2″ plywood subfloor, with the flooring installed on top.
The exterior is fully painted with Sher-Kem Metal Finishing Enamel paint and we have a box of extra light covers and such. The stop sign was removed and the roof has three coats of elastomeric insulating roof coating.
The bus was set up for solar power to be off-grid, but we didn’t install solar panels. The charger inverter and batteries can power the fridge, lights, water pump, etc. for upwards of two days without shore power. The batteries and inverter charger are in a cabinet in the back office and easily accessible. All wiring is accessible in the channel above the windows.
– AIMS 3000 Watt (9000 Watt Surge) 12VDC Input to 120VAC Output Pure Sine Inverter Charger
– 4 qty 6V 235AH Deep Cycle Golf Cart Batteries (New in June 2021)
– ParkPower 301ELRV 30A Power Inlet
– Camco 25′ Heavy-Duty Outdoor 30-Amp Extension Cord
The kitchen has two 1000 lumen LED lights hardwired over the counters, the remaining lights in the bus were pop lights and plugin fixtures. (The kitchen lights are BRIGHT.)
The bus has both grey and fresh water tanks, a composting toilet, a mini water heater, and deep stainless kitchen sink.
– 46 gallon grey water tank from Class A Customs
– 33 gallon freshwater tank from Class A Customs
– Nature’s Head Self Contained Composting Toilet with Close Quarters Spider Handle Design
– Shurflo 2088-594-154, 2088 Series, 198 GPH, 115 VAC Diaphragm Industrial Water Pump
– Bosch Electric Mini-Tank Water Heater 4-Gallon
– DELTA Stainless Kitchen Faucet with Pull Down Sprayer & Soap Dispenser
– Stainless Steel Single Bowl Kitchen Sink, 8-Inch Deep
The bus has a 10.6 cubic foot fridge/freezer combo. We opted for portable cooktop options so that they could be stored in the cabinets when not in use, they are included.
– Duxtop 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner
– Iwatani of America ZA-3HP Portable Butane Stove Burner for Indoor Use
– Whirlpool 10.6 Cu Ft Frost Free Top Freezer Refrigerator, Model: WRT111SFDB
The bus doesn’t have any built-in heating or cooling beside the cab heater for driving. Included are:
– Two Portable A/C Units
– Two Mr. Heater Buddy Propane Heaters
We lived in the bus using these heating & cooling methods down to -17°F and up to 120°F using shore power only.
The window trim was designed to be removable in case a window needs to be replaced. All windows were completely cleaned and recaulked on reinstallation. Custom window screens are installed in about a third of the windows. We removed two windows (behind the fridge and in the fresh water tank closet next to the kitchen).
There are a lot of miscellaneous details included as we lived in the bus for two years full-time as a family of six with a dog. For instance:
– Verizon MiFi 6620L Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot
– Rand McNally 528013076 Intelliroute 8″ TND GPS Tablet
– Extended ranged walkie talkies
– Curtains for the front windshield when parked and room divider curtains for the bathroom
Please call or text for more information, we are motivated to sell and are taking offers. Last updated: 7/9/2021
