THIS OLD BUS
This is what the interior looked like before we hauled most of it to the Sanford City Dump.

The original conversion was done a long long time ago (1980's) in a galaxy far, far away (North Carolina).  Looking toward the front you can see the frig on the right stove on the left, sofa and new flat screen TV.  The driver's seat is behind the TV.  Below is a shot looking toward the back of the Bus.  Stove on the right, sink, and way in the back is the bed.

Below, gutted to the skin.  The Bus is all riveted aluminum.  There is no chassis.  It's built in the same manner as an airplane.  It's called monocoque construction.  Since it's all aluminum, there's no rust.  The entire skin of the bus is riveted to the bulkheads and ceiling ribs.  At the bottom of the picture you can see the wheel wells.


Down the center of the floor runs the wiring from the engine to the driver's controls.  Also, the linkage for the clutch, accelerator, and shifter run back to the engine.  Heating pipes also run from the engine to heater radiators in the middle and front of the Bus.

The floor is/was plywood bolted to the bulkhead members every three inches.  Every bolt is rusted solid and has to be cut either with a hammer and chisel, or with a cutting wheel. The plywood floor is an integral part of the structural integrity of the Bus.  It will be replaced with 13 ply 3/4" plastic coated plywood.  The plywood will be glued and screwed to the tops of the bulkheads (the "H" shaped rails you see in the floor).  Once restored it will be stronger than when new.

The Bus is powered by a Detroit Diesel 6-71.  This engine is an amazing piece of engineering.  It was the initial flagship engine of the company.  It is a two stroke diesel (very unusual) displacing 426 cu. in., producing 230 hp and 609 ft. lb. of torque.  Obviously gearing is everything!  Thousands of these engines were manufactured and thousands are still in use today.  Greyhound routinely got 500,000 miles out of these engines and other transit companies pushed them to over one million miles.  Ours was rebuilt 15,000 miles ago, so it should outlast me before needing another overhaul.  It weighs 2190 pounds without the transfer case and transmission which almost double that weight.  The engine is mounted transversely in the very back of the Bus, and is referred to as a "pusher".  It takes 27 quarts of oil (your car takes 4 or 5).  It requires a special type of oil, currently made by only three companies.  A do-it-yourself oil change costs over $300.00 including filters.  They won't do this at Uncle Ed's.

NEXT: A TOUR OF THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUS