[Trulyvintage]

Just saw this in a parking lot
in Crossville, Tennessee
so I grabbed my camera to take some
pictures before it drive off …


Jim

[SRR]

That's a lot of weight behind that rear axle. Pretty good use of an old school bus.

[Scarebird]

...and a tow hitch too - lovely.

no faith in this build.

[Trulyvintage]

The hood says “ Freightliner “.
The body is a bus but the frame
and chassis seem to built sturdier.


Jim

[72projectbird]

I've seen a few builds like this. Up here they haul mud trucks and trail Jeeps. Some are actually built pretty cool, like an RV and ramp truck all in one.

[Trulyvintage]

Jim

[Stuart]

I've seen those sorts of conversions before, but I think this guy should have taken off more of the bus's passenger space so the car on the back would be further forward - that's an awfully long tail hanging off behind the rear wheels.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Originally Posted by Trulyvintage

The hood says “ Freightliner “.
The body is a bus but the frame
and chassis seem to built sturdier.


Jim

That's a Thomas Bus body. The best bus made!!!

[Stuart]

Coincidentally, vintage picture of this bus/race car combo were posted over on the HAMB board today. It's a Studebaker bus but the owner swapped in a Pontiac engine, so I figured it was worth posting here. It appears the Fiat race car had a Buick Nailhead. There are more pictures of the bus and car here: https://www.deansgarage.com/carl-grimes-wild-wagon/

[Trulyvintage]

Looking at it in person - it seems there
is adequate frame support behind the
rear wheels to support the load of the
deck and whatever it is carrying.

I have seen a few school bus conversions
over the years - this is the nicest build.


Jim

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by Scarebird

...and a tow hitch too - lovely.

no faith in this build.

Are you a welder? Have you inspected the work performed? Roundy rounder racers around here have been building and using these bus conversions to haul their race cars for the last couple of decades. I’ve yet to see one fail.

[Trulyvintage]

Jim

[Sirrotica]

Having owned a school bus that I actually did buy outside of Memphis TN, I used it to transport my household twice, after gutting the interior except for 4 seats in the front. The chassis is exactly the same as any truck chassis in the same series. The frame is completely adequate to make a hauler out of, as long as it wasn't compromised by rust, which is never a problem in TN.

TN has a mileage rule/law/statute for school buses that when they get around 100,000 miles the bus needs to be completely gone through, front to back, and top to bottom. Certain components are required to be replaced with new, not reman parts. The guy that owned the wrecking yard that I bought my bus from explained it to me, and said that the required refurbishment is more costly than just buying new buses. He had probably 20-25 school buses in his yard that were all operational, just auctioned off in lots by school districts to the highest bidder because the mileage was in the 100,000 mile area.

There is an overabundance of used school buses in TN, and I bought mine for $1000, turn key, nothing at all wrong with it. I would assume the guy doing hauler conversions is buying used buses for cheap, and making some money after doing the conversions. When I got rid of mine it was during a time when scrap prices were high, and I got $1300 from the scrapyard for the bus, and drove the bus to the yard, 7 years after I purchased it.

Mine was a B 700, 86 ford (same as a F 700 truck) 370 CI 2 bbl, about 7 MPG was the best I could get with it. You're carrying a lot of weight, and as aerodynamic as a brick, that's the main drawback. In retrospect I should have looked for a diesel powered one.

As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know, the rest of the story".

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by hurryinhoosier62

Are you a welder? Have you inspected the work performed? Roundy rounder racers around here have been building and using these bus conversions to haul their race cars for the last couple of decades. I’ve yet to see one fail.

Since I've been attending circle track races since about 1960, I can vouch for the school bus conversions I've seen hauling race cars. Dirt track racers are a thrifty bunch, and can make a nickel go for miles.

The reason for the long cab area is so that they can have a living area in the bus. Many times racers sleep on their haulers to save on hotels.

Currently this week is Ohio Sprint Car Speed Week, 8 races in 9 days at different tracks in, and around Ohio. In 2017 my wife and I followed the whole week in my dually, towing a fifth wheel camper. Although it was fairly expensive, had we slept in motels each night, and not cooked our own food, we could not have afforded to do it. Situations like this are what racers face, and a conversion school bus makes even the low dollar, underfunded teams able to make the races each week.

[Trulyvintage]

I would drive one of these modified
school buses if it had a body style
titled as an “ RV “ or a “ Motorhome “.

It would have to be able to
pull my 24 foot all aluminum
enclosed car hauler trailer.

Jim

[limejudge69]

Originally Posted by 77 TRASHCAN

That's a Thomas Bus body. The best bus made!!!

Yessir! Proudly built in my hometown of High Point North Carolina

[necdb3]

Originally Posted by Trulyvintage

Looking at it in person - it seems there
is adequate frame support behind the
rear wheels to support the load of the
deck and whatever it is carrying.

I have seen a few school bus conversions
over the years - this is the nicest build.


Jim

Even if it's got an adequate frame behind the wheels, I'd be concerned about how much lift will be on the front wheels with all that weight behind the rear wheels over bumps. May be scary losing steering over heavier dips in the road. Just looks like too much leverage to me.

[b-man]

Looks difficult to maneuver around town or at a gas station.

Big thumbs down for that long tail design.

A little less bus body with a shorter tail end and it would be awesome.

[Sirrotica]

The front axle weight of the bus is more than adequate to keep the front wheels in contact with the road. The bulk of the hauled cars weight is mostly forward where the engine is located. The front axle of the car would be on the bus rear axle. Typically a school bus has really tall tire, and wheel combinations necessitating having long ramps so as not to have too steep of an angle for race cars. (remember most race cars sit quite low to he ground). You're talking 4000 lbs, usually less for race cars, there would be 15,000 lbs of bus weight for counter balance. And yes, I looked it up, and they can weigh between 14,000 to 19,500 Lbs.

Buses have rear wheel tubs above the floor which rases the ramp angle further. When parked on the ramp the rear wheels of a typical race car would be 4-5 feet from the end of the ramp. Lots of unused real estate on the ramps when the car is sitting where it would ride normally. No one with even a little bit of sense is going to park the car at the bottom of the ramps for travel. I don't think the concern is justified.

Having logged a few miles driving my own school bus, I'd have absolutely no worries about losing steer axle control in a rig like is pictured hauling a car. The front end is heavier than most would think they are.

[Trulyvintage]

All the points Brad has made are
based on real world observations
and experience.

Thanks for posting !


Jim