Sometimes the local high school shop teacher is looking for an interesting project and if you supply the materials it’s a win win all around.

A buddy had his very beat up van restored that way years ago. There was a bit of orange peel in one small spot but it looked great overall and he got a lot of years out it afterward.

OMG another Jawa in their land ark!

My Dad had converted coaches. I even went with him to the converted motor coaches conventions. You have a big job ahead of you, but it can be rewarding.

If I were starting from scratch, I’d eliminate the shower/tub and the necessary increased need for water. Do a half bath only, and do your showering at a KOA , motel, or truck stop. This will leave room on the bus for more living space, and more storage below for amenities.

Wow, that is stepping up. Hell of a project!

Cool project, can’t wait to see the updates.

Jealous. That's so cool.

That is really neat! Congratulations! The nice thing is now you can build it or have it built to your exact taste. To steal one of Burger King’s better slogans, now you can have it your way.

Enjoy. That looks like an incredibly fun conversion project.

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That's going to be a pretty darn good bugout vehicle.

I've got the military trucks for that. If it's not a smooth paved road this thing isn't going anywhere. I've already had it stuck in my driveway.

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Do you drive it yourself then? I'm assuming a CDL would be required?

Yes, but as a motorhome you're exempt from the CDL requirements.

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You have a big job ahead of you, but it can be rewarding.

At first glance it's only 320 square feet, how hard can it be? I have renovated several rental properties. Then you start looking at all of the systems that go into it, and the thought that needs to go into figuring out how that will all work. It certainly is a bit complicated. Luckily I have some friends that have nicer 5th wheels as well as factory built motor coaches for me to go over to figure out things from the engineering side.

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If I were starting from scratch

It will be. If it's mechanically solid the only thing staying on the inside is the driver's compartment.


The parts and pieces required to convert this over will cost far more than the bus itself did. I got a heck of a deal on it. And it's already been an adventure without me ever even starting on converting it. It's currently up at the big truck dealership getting a full inspection, fluids serviced, and an air leak fixed. After that it will need to be gutted and investigated to learn about some of its features that we have yet to locate.

Congrats on the bus. Didn't you also buy a truck that was special in some way? I'm thinking denali or something.

I'd skip a kitchen too, aside from a microwave, and a refrigerator/freezer.

(AKA, just build in some Engel ones.)

That actually sounds pretty slick. A john, some cabinets for food/fridge/freezer, plenty of sound insulation, a safe, a really good stereo...

And if you get tired of it, you can bury it in your yard and you have an instant Boonker!

Congratulations. We just bought a Tiffin Allegro bus, Take delivery on December 21st. I believe you will have an interesting and rewarding conversion ahead of you. Good Luck!

I think fuel mileage will be in the 8 mpg range and DEF will be about 2% of that of course your usage will vary depending on terrain and speed.

Buy one already in motor home configuration. There’s a lot to making the interior and all the necessary systems.
I had use of one many years ago and it was stored in my shop so I’ve had some experience.
Shouldn’t need a CDL and not that difficult to drive, just large.

Two pages and no one has even ventured into naming it…”Shaggin Wagon” it is.

Did it come with ten feet of garden hose for re-fill?

Get ready to spend $100k to $300k on a conversion … ouch.

Or rip out the seats and put some beds down.

Sweet project! post pics often so we can watch the Super Duper Funtime Shitbus build! How big of a gun safe you gonna put in there?

I did my own version of such a conversion about 30 years ago, on an old 1939 Flxible 29' over the road bus. It had been an early 50s project converting it to what my state licensed as a "housebus". Without going into details needlessly, I suppose I could summarize a few important steps along the way.

In the end, its your money, your vision, your project. You have skills and resources at hand.
Managing the timing of subbed out portions, as well as ever burgeoning cost of your project is an essential in successful completion. Good luck.

I've seen a couple of old Greyhound Scenic Cruisers converted. There was a 50's model Greyhound near our old house, the rounded rear end style that had been converted, it was still in the Greyhound color scheme, that one intrigued me.

Best of luck and we need pictures too.

No advice here, but just want to say that's pretty cool.

Lots of potential there.