Buying a busBy: Adrian Van Loenen
I have a 1975 4905 and I love it. It drives beautifully and solid, it has more room inside than we really need but I do appreciate the added bay space as I carry 3 motorcycles and an ultra light aircraft, It is easy to work on and to adjust valves on the engine and it is reasonably economical to drive and own.
Lots of folks say they are too old, and worry about re-sale value and parts availability. Parts have been no problem except for body panels which any talented Sheet metal man can bend up for you if you need - just drill out the old rivets and replace (no body filler). The lower rub rails (bottom of the bay doors) are still available new. The 8v71 is mandated to remain in parts until the year 2050 as they tell me at the local DD dealer here in Ontario and I have also read on this board from US sources. Chassis parts are easy to come by, including brakes and very reasonably priced (i.e. $40 for a shock, $100 for a front air bag, $140 for a rear airbag). Brakes too are inexpensive - cost me about $1200 to replace all brake parts -
shoes - liners- drums- S cam parts. The DD3 brake cans on the rear are expensive because they are no longer used on any other vehicles. (about $500 each ) Windshields are cheap and the side "D" windows (the big and little D at the front) are cheap to replace - Peninsula Glass sold me mine for $50 and $60 each with gaskets. All side windows can be purchased in an RV style from Peninsula which open and have screens. They are nice. My 05 has all new glass and gaskets - Cost me around $3K US for all ( I have 3 of the large side windows blanked out - 5 were replaced).
As far as re-sale value goes then I would ask myself: Do I intend to keep this bus for many years - or do I intend to convert, drive a spell and then resell. Others on this board who have put good workmanship and sound judgment into their conversions have gotten their money back. Some may not recover their investment as the work done on the conversion and bus itself is mediocre. So if you’re going to put something together in a hurry so you can hit the road then don't spend too much and don't expect too much back. But if you do a high quality conversion you likely will recoup your investment - but keep it sensible. I spent $30K US so far and I have been offered by 2 people more than I have spent. But I have been working on the 05 for 3 years on and off (estimate about 2000 hours).
What to watch for: What does the floor look like. If the plywood is rotten around the washroom, under the windows and has that rotten wood smell ( like in an old motor home ) then you may consider replacing the wood floor - no easy task and will cost you about $1000. The steel sections of the body are mainly around the windows so if the seams are rusty it may be
necessary to sandblast (or soda blast) those sections to get the
rust out and repaint the bus. Tires are good for about 7 years - no matter how much tread they have - and that goes for all buses. You will likely find the tranny hard to shift on your test ride. RJ and Fast Fred can give you tips on how to drive them. Providing the clutch and shift linkages are in good shape you will likely get accustomed to shifting. The clutch can be hard on the leg muscles in stop and go traffic, so some folks install a spring assist to the clutch called a "mousetrap." Installing an Automatic will help re-sale value and make it easy to drive but you loose top end speed (about 65 -70 mph tops) and some fuel economy. Power steering should not be noisy - my original Power steering pump was noisy when I turned but I replaced it with a wreaker pump for $50 and now it's quite. Steering should be precise and solid - these buses are like a train on a track so if it wanders it may need front end work and/or tires. A bit of play in the steering wheel is probably normal as they age - mine has about an inch.
Exhaust likely will have some rust problems and my solution was to build a new system in a new location (air conditioning compressor place) so I have easier access to the front side of the motor and starter motor. Air conditioning system was a big cost for the bus companies to maintain and they weigh about 1000 lbs so if it is marginal you may consider removing it and reducing your weight.
My engine has been rebuilt top to bottom and it does not smoke nor does it leak or burn oil. It does sweat a bit at some gaskets but only enough to let the dust stick to the sweat - not an actual leak. They start very easy because every down stroke is a power stroke. You need to learn how to drive them - they make the power at a very small RPM range and as you learn that you will find them powerful - but
don't expect a screamin demon - they will crawl up the longer -
steeper hills. Mine will slow to about 50 mph and continue to climb most hills at that speed. I did set the governor up higher to get a better run at the hills.
Have a look at the rear electrical panel over the engine - take the cover off. If that is reasonably good and clean then you won't have a huge task of sorting and replacing a rusted out panel box as I did. The front driver’s panel was also a mess in my bus because the drivers window was leaking for years and into that panel. I must have spent a month on the wiring alone.
If you want to raise the roof consider another brand of bus. GMs are monocoque and I would not consider any GM that had it's body structural shell raped by cutting tools ( other than the odd hole for fridge and roof fan etc. ).
The beauty of the GM is the aluminum lower body which is anodized and will outlast anything made of steel. They are stylish, light weight, good handling buses that will be around for a long time yet ,especially if we bus nuts continue to love them and convert them to a renewed life after their useful public life has expired. I paid $5K US for mine. Tachs are not standard - they have governors.
HTH
Adrian.
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