Readers have been sending me pictures of crazy RV builds ever since I embarked on my own school bus camper journey. We’ve seen everything from 4x4 lifted buses to a milk tanker that tried to circumnavigate the globe. Today’s bus build remains in the realm of strange bus builds. It’s a school bus with a van on its roof and a cabin hanging off of the back!
This lovely creation is for sale on Craigslist for $11,300 in Commerce City, Colorado. While that’s a pretty big ask, at least the buyer does get a completed bus camper out of it.
The bus is really two vehicles and a portion of a building all in one. The main bus is a 1962 Chevrolet heavy duty C Series school bus chassis. Under the hood resides a V8 engine. Chevy’s C Series heavy-duty trucks at the time had a standard 348-cubic inch Workmaster Special V8 making 185 horsepower. There was also a Workmaster V8 with the same displacement but making 230 horses.
It’s unclear which engine this one has under the hood, but the power is transmitted through a manual transmission.
In terms of speed, this bus would have been outpaced by bicyclists when new. The Dodge A100 van grafted onto the top isn’t likely to help with that. And for even more weight, the bus was extended slightly, using what appears to be a shed hanging off of the back.
The interior is complete and while it’s extremely outdated, it looks somewhat cozy. A sort of sailboat theme is carried throughout the interior and the bus has everything you’ll need for a camping trip.
It has a kitchen, multiple seating areas, a full bathroom and an upper deck that serves as a master bedroom of sorts. Imagine reading a book while looking out at the wilderness through these windows.
Honestly, it all looks pretty well done and would definitely make for a unique way to get around.
Unfortunately, this rig comes with a lot of caveats; its height and terrible fuel economy will be the least of your worries. The seller notes that it sat in storage. So it’ll need fuel lines, a fuel tank, some replacement glass, a carburetor clean and brakes. The exterior paintjob can also use some refreshing.
The title is also listed as missing, but that’s an easy fix. At least when those are out of the way you could probably run the bus as-is.
I contacted the seller to see if he could give me any more information on this wonderful build; no response yet. I love custom builds like these, but this price is high considering the needs. You can get a far more modern — and completed — bus build for the same price. So it’s a shame, but I hope it finds a new home!
H/T - Jason!