- Seller: Jose E
- Location: Toppenish, Washington
- Mileage: Unknown Shown
- Chassis #: BB 18831734
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: Flathead Ford
- Transmission: Standard
Some classics are so dripping with character that it almost seems wrong to restore or modify them. Such is the case with this 1934 Ford School Bus. It is a rock-solid project candidate that offers a world of possibilities. The winning bidder could return it to its former glory, transform it into an ultra-cool parade vehicle, or use it as the foundation for a vintage camper. The owner wants it to head to a new home with someone who can do it justice. Therefore, he has listed this wonderful Ford exclusively with us at Barn Finds Auctions.
Ford “farmed out” many of the specialist body builds for its commercial vehicles during the first half of the 20th Century, with this vehicle heading from the Ford factory to Wayne Works, in Richmond, Indiana. The company was one of the leaders in bus construction, and this gem benefits from one of its all-steel bodies. It retains the signage and lights from its active days, and the body looks remarkably good for its age. There are a few minor bumps and bruises, but no significant rust to cause potential buyers sleepless nights. The trim is intact and restorable, and all of the glass is present. Both doors operate as they should, and the bus rolls on its original wheels. Its overall solid nature and lack of significant panel defects make preservation a viable approach that many may consider.
Ford introduced its legendary 221ci flathead V8 to the waiting world in 1932, which is what we find under the hood of this Bus. It sends 75hp to the rear wheels via a three-speed manual transmission, and while the steel body makes this classic relatively heavy, its performance and ability to carry a full complement of passengers would have been considered fairly impressive in 1934. The good news for potential buyers is that not only is this Ford complete, but the new radiator hoses and other items suggest it recently saw active service. Therefore, returning it to the road might not be difficult or expensive.
One aspect of this Bus requiring TLC is its interior. The owner confirms it is missing a couple of seats, but a brief online search uncovered a few appropriate alternatives that were surprisingly affordable. The dash is missing the speedometer, but like the seats, there should be no issues locating a replacement. The attractive thing about an interior refurbishment is that as many of these vehicles were bespoke, the winning bidder can choose the seating configuration to suit their taste or needs. I have also seen these old classics converted to period-appropriate campers, and if you don’t want to live life in the fast lane but want to have truly enjoyable adventures, that is an option worth considering.
This 1934 Ford School Bus is a wonderful project candidate offering a world of possibilities to the winning bidder. Preservation will be tempting for some, while others will see restoration as the most appropriate approach. Of course, others will let their imaginations off the leash, which is one of the attractions of the classic market. Regardless of which camp you fall into, submitting a bid would be the first step to fulfilling your vision for this fantastic Ford.
Bid On This Auction
David L. Burtnett bid $1,000.00 2024-07-31 19:58:11
Paul O bid $750.00 2024-07-26 22:32:27
Cavepeople bid $500.00 2024-07-26 20:25:38
It does appear to be in a well above average condition and probably very rare. However, I could only see some one with very deep pockets and with a very dedicated reason to want a restored Ford bus. You could fantasize about all the things you could do with it ,from a detailed restoration to a full on resto-mod RV, but it would be BIG MONEY!
Memories! seems like all the old buses from the late 20s and 30s had a lifetime path from start to finish. They left the factory to be school buses, when the schools retired them churches bought them to run as the “Sunday School Bus”. After they were too far gone for Sunday School Buses the next use was sell them to farmers as berry picking and bean picking buses for the early morning pick up of us kids going picking to earn back to school money. That was by the 50s. Usually those buses were pretty well used up and slightly less than compliant with today’s bus safety and reliability standards. Remember multiple trips and a few incidents where the bus “almost made it”. Would be interesting to see as a roadside attraction recalling the “good old days”.
I’d leave the outside alone, install a modern drivetrain, lower it a bit on custom wheels, and install a custom interior with a bar, sound system, and lighting to create a great party limo.
No dance pole?
I like CC Fisher’s idea but with a twist.
Put the seats back in it and turn it into
one hell of an Uber or Lyft mobile. Can you imagine how many drunks you could carry home on weekends?!!
If memory serves, these buses were
the backbone of small regional bus companies that went where Greyhound and Trailways didn’t go. This bus reminds me of the one Clark
Gable and Claudette Colbert rode in
Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night.
And lest we not forget those early band buses that carried musicians all
over the country. One thing’s for sure,
it’ll never run out of uses!
And over on this side of “Arts” yard, the old school bus he never got around to, yep, dragged in by the C series Ford. I bet you can still smell the vomit. This has an entirely different appeal, and will certainly be repurposed into some kind of resto-mod. The sky is the limit. Camper on a modern chassis would be really cool, just for the design, but its days of any kind of people transport are long gone.
Panels are laser straight…sort of.
Newer hoses could also mean someone in this century tried to get it running – successfully or otherwise.
Back in the late 1940s & early 1950s rode a bus like this to elementary school in West Virginia. No seats like today’s buses, but had bench seats with a seat across the back of the bus. Finally, much to our surprise, at the first day of school in 1953, we had a brand new International school bus! Unbelievable! With regular seats & heater!
This thing is too cool for school! ;) I would think the movie studios would want this for their movie vehicle collection. Or maybe Jay Leno? If $ was no object I would make an RV out of it, find a similar wheelbase Class B motorhome and drop the body on it. Maybe make a rooftop patio, a fold down porch on the back, and tow hitch for car trailer. Hmmm, who wants a 34 Ford pickup?
What’s the story on the ’34 pickup?
@Chuck – Please send it in so we can auction it for you: https://barnfinds.com/auctions/sell/
Fords, Greenfield Village needs to have this as a people mover around the village.
Neat project! That flathead with probably a 4:11 gear5 in the back on that 2 gallon gas tank wont get too far. Looks like the OEM mechanical brakes are still in situ…
This has my juices running! I’d put a modern drivetrain in it, upgrade the suspension & brakes as necessary, and convert the inside to a very basic motorhome. I build a teardrop years ago and this would be just as basic.
But what is the deal with that back door that doesn’t go all the way to the bottom???? The door looks unmodified but a panel missing from the body would require that you step over it to get in/out.
Whassup??
Doesn’t look like it “rolls” on any wheels at the moment. Right side tires are flat and in the dirt.
There’s bound to be a lot of stories from this old mover. Personally, I would’ve preferred a 1.5 ton truck that I could put a stake bed on. There were at least (3) BBs that saw service into the early 70s east of town. Two of them are still in the neighborhood. I’ve got an acquaintance who wants to locate them but no one’s talking because the acquaintance is a butcher. All I can say is good luck to the owner. Try to keep it original…
chevy crate rebuilt suspension and an RV a/c add a composting toilet and a propane stove and a bed that suspends leave the kitchen and seating
This is a perfect candidate for museums like NATMUS in Auburn Indiana and should be preserved as such. In private hands, a magnificent white elephant requiring a bus/truck facility just to keep it running, And storage? Think about that one. Anyway mods this one should be off the table. Just imagine how many kids that rode in it served and died in WWll That would be raping history,
It reminds me of the bus in big trouble in little China 😂. Could be a cool 😎 tour vehicle with the right imagination and build, IMO !
Ah so, the “Egg Shen Bus Tours” was a White and is currently being used in Yellowstone. That was the hoakiest of all trucking movies, I’m sure Mr. Russel would love to forget. Apparently, he had to learn how to drive a truck and said he was terrified.
Send this to Counts Customs or one of those guys, I’d love to see what they do to it !!
If I had it I would leave the outside alone and turn the inside into a camper put a couch that folds flat down into a bed put a projector screen so I can turn my projector on and watch movies with on my iPhone put a kitchen with fridge and a small closet to put my clothes in for the drivetrain I’d put a cummins diesel that makes 1,000hp with chrome wheels and a modern suspension and I’d drive it to car shows with it and sleep at rv campgrounds