Who hasn’t dreamed of chucking it all in favor of a footloose lifestyle – favorite person at your side, best four-legged buddy on board, only what you need in the cupboards and closets. This 1958 GMC school bus offers the enterprising owner an opportunity to make that happen – even if only for long weekends. It was bodied by Wayne Corporation, founded in the mid-1800s as a foundry. Like so many early American companies, Wayne shifted with the times, turning to production of farm equipment, then wagons. In 1892, Wayne made its first “kid hack”, a wagon designed to haul schoolchildren. The company entered the bus market wholeheartedly in the 1910s. Find this Wayne-bodied bus here on facebook Marketplace with an asking price of just $3000. Haul it away from Lincoln, Nebraska. Thanks to Kelly H. for the great tip!
In the 1950s, Wayne, along with its competitors, would have built its buses on a variety of GMC truck chassis, made to ferry from 16 to 60 pupils, optioned with GMC’s Jobmaster, Trademaster, or Taskmaster V6s and V8s. This seller notes that the gas-fueled “304 engine was replaced in 1970”, without mentioning the make (AMC? IH? is it GMC’s later 304.6 V6?) or whether the bus now runs. It is equipped with a two-speed rear axle and GM’s Hydro-Matic transmission. The good news is that school buses were maintained on a strict schedule; the bad news is that we have no idea how this one was treated after it left service. But the interior has already been the subject of some customization, as all but two seats have been removed.
Here are the two remaining seats. Remember these horizontally-set steering wheels? My kid days are far away, but I remember our bus driver stretching hand over hand to operate that thing.
This entryway must have seen thousands of little faces over the decades. Converting a school bus to a home or RV has been done a thousand times: configurations are nearly limitless, but most likely you’ll leave the single-seat operator’s station alone. Other considerations include the flooring – not always sturdy enough to install everything you want; insulation; HVAC provisions; wiring … you get the idea. But these buses are sturdy as heck, so your new home will outlast any fiberglass RV.
The seller notes that rust is minimal – though that doesn’t mean there’s none. The back door needs new glass, too. But just imagine this vintage bus – with its roundie lines and frogeye lamps – after a thorough restoration. What do you think – have you ever been tempted to restore a bus?
Seen some innovative dandys on YouTube. Amazing the finishing some people end up building onto a bus. 😎
Veronica Crabtree, “Sit down and shut up, or Mr. Bunny Rabbit gets it” ( holding gun to rabbits head) I didn’t spend much time on a school bus, we had to walk uphill in blizzards both ways to school and back( cough), and dear, if you want to bring YOUR favorite 4 legged buddy, you’ll have to cut the top open,, :)
Okay, enough 4 am tomfoolery, took me a while, I’m a busy man( at 4am?) but I never saw this type of bus before. Most were the conventional type. I read, this was a Wayne GMC “Superamic Transit” bus and typically had the 305 V6 GMC motor, although early ones had a 302 in-line 6. Most had the 4 speed Hydramatic, but nothing said about a 2 speed. These come up from time to time, usually some old hippies bus from the 70s, some are pretty nice, but not for the faint of heart, or wallet. One came up on FB, I forget, a 50s Flxible maybe, same style, priced right, but nice inside, ready to run, I don’t know, pull the Jeep behind, like the big shots do? Driving around in a 50s school bus,,,um,,I’ll get back to you on that.
Now, I want to make clear, on the International 6 speed post, I practically am PLEADING the staff to feature more of this stuff. I said in the post, if you folks want to see more of this stuff, check the thumbs up. Well, I’ve gotten 59 thumbs up so far, indicating what people would like to see. Websters defines a “member” as: a person who is part of an organization or team compensating them for membership and possible decisions of said organization( I added that last part). The future is all about change, none more evident than right here. I realize the irony of ME saying that, but BarnFinds has become more than just a collection of overpriced classic cars, it’s more of a gathering place for angry loners like me, to reminisce about the times we cherished so, and tough to find these days.
I’m telling you( Jesse) you have a wonderful staff of writers, this Ms. Rand is truly a special person, and knows what we would like to see. I only hope these writers don’t become dismayed at the lack of interest on say Lambos or Corvettes, and may go elsewhere with their great talents. That would be a shame. I’ve been around these sites for almost 15 years, and have seen sites crash and burn. I hope that doesn’t happen here, thanks to all that contribute to these posts.
Howard, thank you so much for the compliment; I smiled all day!
PS. I think that rear door is an emergency exit- Betty Lou the pinto could sashay up a ramp right into Main Headquarters- no need to section the roof, ha ha!
This is (Sk)ool!!! There are a good number of people who have made “Skoolies”. I’m actually very curious about the GM Hydramatic and two speed rear end. I’ve never heard about that setup before. Every school but I was in had a manual transmission. And I’m with Michelle, I remember those steering wheel angles, great for leverage if you had (gasp) manual steering. I’m going to say that I’m one of those 59 thumbs ups on Howards post on that International 6 Speed Special. I really enjoy seeing vintage trucks and buses. But I do also enjoy everything else too, even if it’s a 2 Million dollar Ferrari or a ’70 LT1 equipped Corvette that I’d never have a chance to own, I still admire them. But old cars and trucks and tractors and boats ( railroad equipment huge core boring machines etc) seriously tug at my heartstrings, and I always enjoy learning something new on here. A tip of the hat to Kelly H for a great tip, and of course Michelle for a great write up too. I don’t think I can emphasize enough that not only myself, but many people on here appreciate this site and the work behind the scenes that goes on, and the time the writers take to research what they’re writing up as well. Thank you!!!!
-Dave
Myself I would like to comment on these lovely front windshields. Notice how they drop down to observe the front corners of the bus. Now this old girl chassis I am sure was built quite stout. The drivetrain is more geared to run locally I would guess. A newer pusher assembly could probably be installed but at what cost. Not something you can do in a garage during the weekends. I am sure Howard would agree there. Sure like the looks of that front end!
I forgot to mention the bow-shaped windshield – thanks for pointing that out.