I love the smelll of old engines and buses,truck too !LOL How great is that old machines run and live,the joy is the best of this.

I hope a video is made where the bus is on a road trip (even if it's around the block)! Brings back memories of High School! Thanks for the show & tell!

I love these old school buses you know just love them I think about him all the time!

I like that you show your finds abd interests in antique and repairing of them.. KEEP IT UP MAN!

This has the exact same kind of starter solenoid and it is mounted in the exact same location as all of my other Ford vehicles. This is a very mature engine design, I think the 391 first started being made in 1958. This one still has points and condenser ignition. However my 1974 GMC bus starts just as easily! I think any of the big 3 makers used the most bulletproof, time-tested engines in their school bus lines.

Nice score with these busses! Keep us posted.

Oh yeah! I had a good feeling that she'd start up. That old 1977 Ford I used to drive had the two large vacuum pressure gauges where your tach and air pressure gauges are. She sounds good and strong. Can't wait to see the International when you get her home. Thanks for the video.

You won't ever run out of things to do there at the "Retro Ranch" Chad :-) That Ford airbrake sound is very familiar..one of my favorite bus sounds besides Allison transmissions.

The Throttle knob is so you can increase the idle speed such as to get the air pressure built up faster without having to keep you foot on the gas pedal. It is just like pressing down the gas pedal when you pull it out. However I think they may have converted to a different type of Holley carburetor which doesn't have the parts needed to make the hand throttle work as I saw the cable was disconnected and pulling the knob didn't do anything.

Thanks! I found out the S-series Wayne is actually a 1980 model. We are going to probably get it out here this Friday.

Lol amazing, glad you got it running. GREAT!!

Reminds me of my 1976 Ford Bluebird bus I converted into an RV back in 1987, but I had totally rebuilt the 331 engine from the block up. Even the instrument panel around the spedometer is the same, but instead of the RPM meter mine had a vacuum gage and conventional brakes. I still have the instrument cluster and the shift knob, I got rid of it in 1998, I had full time lived in it for 10 years mostly parked in one location. A big problem I had getting parts for it like wheel bearings etc was that Napa etc would tell me they didn't carry parts for that LARGE a rig, while truck parts places would tell me they didn't carry parts for rigs that SMALL, so it was like this was in a twilight zone as far as getting certain parts.

beautiful bus man

wow thats so cool. that even though the bus had some kids break alot of stuff inculding busting up the dash its awesome that all the gauges still work!! keep it up!! cant wait to see more videos!

gotta love the ashtray!

Awesome! glad it runs!

looks great !

Awesome! Now you should come pick all us youtubers up and we can all go on a road trip in that thing lol

LOVE the ashtray XD

I loved the sound of the brakes ford Caterpillar b-7000

I remember riding in a Superior bus (with manual transmission) once back in middle school (1995). About five or six rows ahead of me, I witnessed a full-blown fistfight, and our driver (a coach) slammed on the brakes really hard.

Yes it is the same company, in Lima, Ohio...Superior Coach discontinued building buses in the early 80's.

This is before diesel engines became popular. Lot of old 18 wheelers (well a small portion) had big inline 6 gas engines

Thanks! The tires are all in really good shape so it may eventually be able to go back on the road.

Yeah thats awsome. Today if a bus driver lit just one cig on the job, they would make national news.

Come back 😢

Yeah, the International buses have one too! That reminds me of the school bus driver in "Forrest Gump" who was smoking a cigarette. When I was in school teachers could still smoke in the teachers lounge but I'm sure bus drivers were allowed to.

yo recuerdo lo maravilloso de ver los Ford f 600 con su motor 361 y carburador motor craft en las carreras colombianas y fueron conocidos como piraguas y fueron lo máximo movilizando todos los productos para que este país creciera.

Yes, it's a points and condenser system. I don't know that they ever developed an electronic ignition for the 390 and by this time in the light trucks they were using the 300-6cyl and 302-351-400-460 V8's with the Duraspark system but continued to use the 390 in the medium duty trucks/buses. It's got a 2 barrel Holley carb. The transmission is a 5 speed with 2 speed rear end.

I would love to find a old ford school bus to make into a motorhome conversation. First school bus I ever rode was a 68 ford stick shift.

Interesting parking brake! its got a little knob for it.

I was starting to work on it on Saturday but it started to rain...I will get the other carburetor on it and get it started.

nice man

I was in school back in 1982, then I rode in these kind of busses 170 with Mr. WC Rhodes

Hey thanks! I'm going to try and get some new glass made for the gauges and repair the needles on the air pressure gauge. This looks like it had all the optional gauges including tach and voltmeter...on a lot of Ford bus dashboards especially those with hydraulic brakes I have seen pictures of there are blank plates where the air gauge and tach would be although one time I saw a large vacuum gauge in place of the air gauge.

You're missed on KZfaq so I hope all is well

I remember seeing a single large vacuum gauge where the air gauge is on mine when I rode in a 1970's F-600 Ford truck with the junk man at the junkyard when I was getting some bus parts. I guess the truck only had a single-chamber hydraulic brake system but the Ford buses would have had a dual chamber master cylinder, dual hydrovacs and vacuum tanks for the front and rear (like on my GMC).

Fantastic Good to Mr Ford going gain Richard UK

@ShokaLion The throttle knob works just like stepping on the accelerator pedal. It is used so you can increase the engine idle speed, for example, for getting the air pressure in the brake sustem to build up faster before driving.

Cool!

Thanks! I will need to get a Holley rebuild kit for the carb. I am going to try and bring home the other bus in the next week or so.

5:24 - *covers ears* lol...hated that air brake sound. :p

My old summer camp uses one of these, except it's been painted white and the stop sign and red lights were removed

What does that 'throttle' knob actually do?

This one actually has spaces for air conditioning units but there are no compressors so the A/C system evidently wasn't installed. The air warning light is for the air brake system. If the air pressure gets below about 40 PSI or so, the parking brake will engage as a safeguard against driving the bus with no braking ability. The normal pressure should be around 90-100 PSI and the LOW AIR light goes on below 60 PSI.

Thanks! I had a feeling it had been well maintained until it for some reason quit being used and then got some vandalism. I'm not sure exactly what that engine is but likely 361/391 I would think. It is points and condenser ignition.

No, these are just collector's items I own for fun, they're not for commercial or passenger use anymore.

Yeah I know! I think I likely have a lifetime of projects here to do. But I am NEVER bored. I had never actually heard a Ford bus running or the air brakes. The brakes really seem good but when I went back to the bus all the air pressure was gone after about an hour. Someone had put a male quick connect fitting on the air comp. like to hook up an air hose to inflate tires. I think I need to put a valve on there to shut it off as it may have leaked from the hose I put on as a test.

The musty air and old grease warming up on once dormant iron

Thanks! I will have to keep an eye on it. They may have over-filled it slightly with oil as the level was a little above "full" on the dipstick and I saw bottles of oil inside the bus. The Grand Marquis will do this after sitting for a while too but then the smoking goes away. This bus was likely not started for 10 or 11 years so hopefully once I rebuild the carb and let it run a while the exhaust will clean up.

Those gauges look almost brand new (the actual mechanical part, not the glass).

Very nice man! She starts up very nicely and runs good! What engine is in it?

replying at 1700iDiGuy, the bus i rode on was a petrol engine and it has a 454 4 barrel carb, and it gets around between 9 to14 MPG, for a medium build buses like the handicapped bus, they don't use the 454, they can go smaller engine size, but a bigger bus, they need bigger engines or diesel engines

2 speed rear end? do u switch gear at the rear between every other gear shift?

That's the same kind of school bus I first rode on. Does it have a 361 or a 391?

How do you read the air gauge on this one?

I am guessing this was before they started to put LOW AIR PRESSURE BUZZERS IN? and before they came out with the DIAMOND YELLOW PARKING BRAKE KNOB?

is that an ashtray on the left of the insturment cluster?

The engine sounds really good, and the bus overall looks to be in good condition. What are you going to do about the smoking and burning oil? Could it be just valve guides leaking from sitting to long? I hope we are going to have more interesting videos showing the repair progress on the buses.

Oh whoops should have said bus drivers were NOT allowed to smoke.

good to see that you got it towed home ok. are you going to make a video driving it in the fields? that would be interesting to see

But you also need to have the cluch in if your starting any manual vehicles.

My dad has a 67 F600 dump truck with a 352 Industrial V8 sounds identical

I love the plastic dash. I want a husband who loves vintage buses :)

@bubba2301 This bus will not be driven on the road anymore. It doesn't have the protective cage around the fuel tank. It is driven on private property only and I use a marine fuel tank inside the bus to fuel it like they do in demolition derbies.

cool, that bus has a choke, lol, my moped has a choke on it. i never seen a bus wit a stick shift before . what made you want to repair old school busses?

i know i've been to the bus dealer a lot here in IL and my buddy has a 1983 b-600 with the standard ford das

@ihfan29 I agree!!! 7.3 Powerstroke

seems to run great considering the hell she's been through! did you find out what engine it has? looks like a 361.

what size engine?

Did buses back then had ashtrays? Just wondering

I'll definitely make a video of driving it...just need to replace the float bowl and accelerator pump gaskets on the carburetor.

it's in the title there. year difference would make this bus 33 years old.

Gas or diesel?

what is the engine governed to? or has some naughty bus driver "popped" the gov?

haha nice still got this clunker?

@foshowty18 LMAO I was just thinking the same thing. You know it's old school when it has an ashtray.

is it a school bus?

how old is this bus

This way before school buses started coming with air conditioning

Do you run a bus company? Or do you fix buses for other people?

It's an old FE Ford, burning oil is mandatory.

sounds like a 305 v8 starting

@BIGizza buses need air pressure for the air brakes

No, it was factory built as a church bus for church groups.

is this built by superior the hearse builder. that needs a diesel.

The choke knob should be out instead of in at the very beginning.

4:28...i forgot school buses use to have ash trays

you should get a close up so we can hear the doochylooch of the exhaust.

It is a 390 CID Ford gas engine.

Why would a bus need air pressure?

the glass in front of the rpm meter is cracked,

is that an ashtray in that bus....lol

Not good to play with the starter!

and that why theres camras on the bus now days

@Uknowmetom gas buses accelerate soo much faster than diesel...

I'd like to have that 460 engine sweet

wow that wireing looks sketchy as hell.

hey awesome bus...hey retro Chad I could restore those two gauges on the left for you...put new glass in,,and all contact me sometime..and we could discuss it..I live in Kansas...please get hold of me sometime..erica

yeah that makes sense otherwise you'd be stalling the engine trying to take off with a busload of people