The new mothership project

#1
Picked this up a couple months back, 2013 express short bus with wheelchair lift, 6.0/6spd auto/3.73 rear. It even has a mini bike loader/unloader lol Maybe not this year but next year I plan to hit as many events as possible and do some boondock campin as well with some ridin mixed in. Short term plan is to take care of any mechanical s, get rust proofed, do a few upgrades, wire up all the stereo/amps,back/side view cams, xm/serius ant,pwr window on dr door, cruise control upgrade, all windows ceramic tinted, few coats of tropikool on the roof, roof vent with fan, frame up a NICE twin xl mattress, install diesel heater, install window screens, woodgrain the outside and paint rub rails and try to get a few trips in before winter. I plan to haul 2 mini bikes in the bus where the wheelchair ramp area is when I run solo. I may get a small enclosed trailer for mini bikes/toys when the wife and dogs are with me. Long term plans are to go full solar power, sink/cook stove combo. I also need the wheelchair lift to pick my father up at the veterans home, so its multi use for sure. It got 12.5-13 mpg on the way back from winston salem nc, which is darn good considerin all the hills, mountains, stop and go, full throttle blasts and 157k mile original plugs, wires and clogged air filter. Should get 15-16 when i'm done with. With the rear heat/rear ac this thing will either roast or freeze you out, couldn't be happier with this purchase and they always said I should have rode the short bus lol
 

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mustangfrank

Well-Known Member
#2
Picked this up a couple months back, 2013 express short bus with wheelchair lift, 6.0/6spd auto/3.73 rear. It even has a mini bike loader/unloader lol Maybe not this year but next year I plan to hit as many events as possible and do some boondock campin as well with some ridin mixed in. Short term plan is to take care of any mechanical s, get rust proofed, do a few upgrades, wire up all the stereo/amps,back/side view cams, xm/serius ant,pwr window on dr door, cruise control upgrade, all windows ceramic tinted, few coats of tropikool on the roof, roof vent with fan, frame up a NICE twin xl mattress, install diesel heater, install window screens, woodgrain the outside and paint rub rails and try to get a few trips in before winter. I plan to haul 2 mini bikes in the bus where the wheelchair ramp area is when I run solo. I may get a small enclosed trailer for mini bikes/toys when the wife and dogs are with me. Long term plans are to go full solar power, sink/cook stove combo. I also need the wheelchair lift to pick my father up at the veterans home, so its multi use for sure. It got 12.5-13 mpg on the way back from winston salen nc, which is darn good considerin all the hills, mountails, stop and go, full throttle blasts and 157k mile original plugs, wires and clogged air filter. Should get 15-16 when i'm done with. With the rear heat/rear ac this thing will either roast or freeze you out, couldn't be happier with this purchase and they always said I should have rode the short bus lol
Looks good, building out a pusher schoolie is on my bucket list.

You reminded me of the 4-5 government owned 100,000+ mile Fords I've bought that had original plugs still in them. Gaps of .075-.090 (2-3X factory spec) from the electrodes wearing away...put in fresh Motorcraft OEM gapped plugs only to lose MPG or gain nothing, made me question my maintenance schedules and thinking.
 
#3
Looks good, building out a pusher schoolie is on my bucket list.

You reminded me of the 4-5 government owned 100,000+ mile Fords I've bought that had original plugs still in them. Gaps of .075-.090 (2-3X factory spec) from the electrodes wearing away...put in fresh Motorcraft OEM gapped plugs only to lose MPG or gain nothing, made me question my maintenance schedules and thinking.
Thats about the gap these plugs had but I sure hope I don't have those results lol I know it's smooth runnin as can be now. I'll be glad when I get all these electrical things done so I can go on a short day trip. Those big pushers are pretty cool when done up, but 95% of the time it will be just me, so thats way overkill.
 
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