For sale is a 1997 International Amtran school bus conversion (Skoolie). This is a full-length (~37 ft bumper to bumper) flat nose school bus with a 24” roof raise, and a beautiful interior. It has been a long-time passion project with no expense spared along the way. It features top of the line appliances, state of the art air management, a cozy wood stove, natural and non-toxic building materials whenever possible. Beautiful, reclaimed wood accents with a modern aesthetic that will be easy to make your own. The bus is ready for its new owner and the possibilities are endless. Your new highway warrior, quirky backyard AirBnb experience, tiny home, homesteader house, or other ingenious invention, if you’re interested, keep reading…

The bus is equipped with a front engine (DT466) paired with an Allison AT545 transmission. It was originally decommissioned from Manhattan Christian School with right around 130,000 miles. It has about 140,660 now. Maintenance is up to date. The bus has proven to be reliable on our travels. Updates include new fuel lines, block heater, brakes, and oil changes. Mechanical auto meter gauges, new viscous fan clutch, replaced some turbo/intercooler piping. Six heavy-duty 10-ply tires were mounted by Eagle Tire a few years ago and have always been kept covered when parked.

The interior was fully gutted to the steel and treated with rust-inhibiting floor coating. The roof was raised 24” and framed to receive six beautiful, frameless, insulated RV windows by Jayco, purchased from Big Sky RV (now Bish’s) in Bozeman. The entire bus was framed out to accommodate both 12v and 120v electrical, as well as 3.5” of Havelock sheep’s wool insulation in the walls, with 3” of rigid foam insulation below 3/4” subfloor OSB.

The bus was meticulously designed in Google SketchUp, to pair multi-functionality with a modern aesthetic. The entire bus is floored with Hardwood flooring. American hickory hardwood in the living area & bedroom, and oak panels that lift up revealing storage areas and the mechanical room under the raised mid-section of the bus. The living area features a dual-purpose slat bed style couch with convertible cushions that fold out into a roughly twin sized bed that is long enough for a 6’ tall person to stretch out comfortably. Across from the couch sits a Dwarf 4kw wood burning stove by Tiny Wood Stove in Idaho. It’s got an exterior fresh air intake, tile hearth, and sits next to a custom-built wood storage rack and entryway cubby that can house coats, shoes, hats, and more. Built into the front bulkhead is a recessed TV cavity with a 42” flatscreen TV. A Starlink is on the roof providing on the go connection.

The trim is beautiful barn wood throughout. All the windows have blackout blinds for maximum privacy, including the windshields and glass entry door. People are consistently impressed at the difference from outside to inside of this bus. We still love the outside!

Heat is supplemented by a Webasto diesel heater. This provides consistent heat to the front and back of the bus. We spent several weeks well below freezing and one week below zero during our Montana winter times. Using the diesel heater in combination with the wood stove, the bus stayed cozy.

Moving toward the middle of the bus, you step up into a galley style kitchen with opposing desk space for dining or working. The kitchen features a deep sink with modern fixtures, professionally installed cabinetry, gas range/oven, and plenty of power for countertop appliances.

Below the kitchen counter you’ll find a vented, on demand hot water heater designed for RVs. This provides 120-degree water and runs off 2 BBQ sized propane tanks mounted at the rear of the bus.

A sediment filter, 3-stage water filtration system, and UV filter are all installed under the sink. A 12-volt pump provides off grid water pressure. Next to the sinks sits an Alexa Pure water filtration system. The system is designed to filter water from almost any source into safe drinking water.

Or shut the 12-pump off, change some valves and hook directly up to an available pressurized water source.

Opposite the kitchen, you’ll find a two-way (propane or 120v electrical) Dometic refrigerator/freezer with additional storage above and below.

Next is a large countertop/desk space that works equally well for either. The desk is designed with remote work in mind. A keyboard tray is installed below the desk, and a monitor is mounted on the wall. Two large storage drawers, a cable port in the desktop and multiple power outlets below. Also under the top is a cable basket and a rack for a power conditioner/uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to protect your hard drives, computers, and other sensitive electronics from the inherent variability of off-grid power.

Under the kitchen floor sit two 65-gallon water tanks, one for fresh water and one for grey water. To drain it, there is a standard gate valve for RV dump stations. The tanks are accessed through a hatch inset into the kitchen floor. In addition, the entire kitchen floor can be removed if access is needed to the mechanical area.

Additional under floor storage is accessible from several other floor hatches, including a few hidden access points for stowing valuables or less often used items.

Passing through the hall to the back of the bus, you’ll find the wet bath on your left. Including a shower, composting toilet with an exterior vent, sink and multi-speed Maxx air overhead fan. The floor is tile and the walls are Therma glass. This wet bath was professionally built and is another place this bus really shines. The shower is tall enough for a 6’ tall person to comfortably stand under the water.

Beyond the bathroom is the bedroom, here the floor steps back down. A queen bed with storage underneath, plenty of shelving space and 24 inches of hanging closet area. In the corner of the bedroom there is plumbing and a vent penetration prepared for a combination washer dryer as well. We also used the wall vent for an additional A/C unit at times.

In the kitchen, you’ll find a modern 13,500 BTU A/C unit to keep the bus cool on those hot summer days. It has a soft start kit installed to help ease the draw on the electrical system.

Two German-made Lunos e2 Heat recovery ventilation units (one in the front bulkhead, one in the bedroom) work in tandem to push and pull cabin air in and out both ends of the bus. This filters and exchanges damp or stale air for freshness and moisture reduction, only losing any minimal heat in the winter, or cold in the summer. These were essential to providing clean, dry air to prevent the moisture build up that is inherent to bus life. While also preserving as much of the efficiency gained with the insulation and double paned windows as possible.

The bathroom features a Maxx Air vent fan with pass-through access to the kitchen to provide additional venting for showering and cooking. A range hood vent fan is also installed.

The bus is prepared for off grid or on-grid experiences. Professionally installed solar equipment throughout. 1200 watts of solar panels are mounted on the roof, charging two Simpliphi 24v 150Ah LFP smart batteries that offer a combined 300Ah of power. The solar charge controller, inverter, breaker panels, junction box, and batteries are all concealed under the slat bed/couch up front. The couch opens up with hinged access to the equipment underneath. There is space for two additional batteries as well, so doubling your battery capacity is completely possible. No sun? No problem. The solar setup is wired to receive power input for charging your batteries from a generator. Heavy duty wiring is conveniently routed through the floor to the rear of the bus, so noise and exhaust are as far away as possible. There is a 3000-watt gas powered generator that lives in a storage compartment near the back wheels, on the outside of the bus. This ensures power for the hot days when the A/C is running or to keep the lights on during a long period of cloud cover. There is a 10-gallon gas container that rides in one of the under-belly boxes and provides enough gas to keep the generator running for a week or more.

If you’re parked near RV shore power, no problem! Just flip the master switch to On-Grid mode and you’ll be pulling power from the 30A RV plug mounted to the driver’s side of the bus. A heavy duty 100ft extension cord included in the sale.

Additionally, hard wired in is a NOCO Genius battery charger so that the vehicle batteries charge off of the 120v system (either off grid or shore power) when the bus is parked. That way, you’re never stranded when you’re ready to pick up and move.

120v power outlets abound in this place, many with USB ports (bedside, on the couch, and at the desk… unfortunately there aren’t any in the bathroom but there is dedicated power so bring your charging block if you’re a marathon sit & scroller). The lights for the main spaces are on 2-way switches for convenient access from multiple spots, with dimmers allowing for both mood lighting and the option for reduced power consumption. Not that you really need it, because all the lighting fixtures are low-profile, low draw LEDs with a cozy and warm color temperature that’s easy on the eyes.

The exterior is obviously still raw, but the roof has been heavily sealed around all penetrations using Henry’s Tropicool so that the vehicle is watertight. We really enjoyed the “Mad Max style” on the outside and were often asked by passers-by if they could get a picture with the bus! We couldn’t decide on a better finish to cover up its rustic look. If a future buyer was set on a particular color or finish, we could definitely talk about completing it as part of the sale.

Although the 30-amp plug was sufficient in most on grid conditions, it would be beneficial to upgrade to a 50-amp plug. Especially if you planned on parking in hot areas and needed more air conditioners or other high draw electrical appliances such as a microwave.

The city water connection works just fine during the warm months. However, when it dipped well below freezing it was difficult to connect or disconnect the hose. I would suggest building a connection that could be made inside the bus where conditions were always warm. Under the kitchen floor would be an excellent place. We used a heated hose during the winter months and faired just fine.

The captain’s chair is the nicest seat in the house. Designed for a Class A RV, it’s plush with power controls for adjustment. It’s a bit large for the space so it is a cozy fit, but boy is it a nice ride.

This bus is loud. The driver space sits right above a 466 cubic inch diesel engine that absolutely loves running at full steam. Do not plan on carrying on conversations with your buddies. On our long drives we would all put on our noise cancelling headphones and enjoy our music. There is a total of 4 seat belts installed.

This bus drives nice and straight down the road. It will cruise at about 60 mph most times if it is flat, straight and not windy…Any conditions outside of this don’t be surprised when you’re going much slower.

The dashboard has been updated with Auto Meter mechanical gauges for Turbo boost pressure, engine water, transmission fluid and exhaust gas temperatures. The factory mechanical oil pressure gauge is still in use on the dash.

We drove this bus though 7 states and all over Montana. Somewhere just under 10,000 miles. It is slow, but steady! We always pulled a 6500-pound vehicle behind us and averaged 6.5 mpg and about 60 mph. The major mountain passes were often in the 20’s so don’t get into a hurry!

We had some minor issues along the road during our time, but they were nothing someone with some basic mechanical knowledge and YouTube determination couldn’t overcome. The engine is a mechanical P-pump DT466 diesel without a computer on it. If you can manage the solar equipment, you can deal with this drive train!

The issues we experienced while underway.

1. A windshield wiper came disconnected when it was raining cats and dogs in the middle of Salt Lake City traffic. Easy fix once we were off the interstate!

2. The silicon elbow connected to the pressure side of the turbo would slip off at times. I cleaned/de-greased it good and re-installed it and haven’t had the issue since.

3. During long climbs I was very careful to keep an eye on the engine temperature. On our trip to Arizona, I installed a new OEM viscous fan clutch and adjusted it several times until it seems to keep the maximum coolant temperatures below 220 F. Just be mindful when you're climbing a long hill that it doesn’t hurt to pull over and let it cool off. This bus loves the clutch fan and reminds you every time it is running with a noise resembling a tornado.

Overall, we had a wonderful time travelling and living in this bus. It will always hold a fond place in our memories! The time has come to move on, and we hope to pass it on to someone who will continue to love it as much as we did.