32 Passenger International Bus
For the most part, the interior of the bus was actually in very nice condition. The rear section had recently been redone, and it showed — that part of the bus was solid and well finished.
That gave us a great foundation to work from.
The exterior, on the other hand, definitely needed attention. That is where most of the work came in.
In the photos you see here, the bus is fully finished — we went ahead and refinished the entire exterior, bringing it back to life the way it should be.
The International platform itself is an amazing bus. Even though this was an older model, they truly do not build them like they used to.
With the right work and attention, this bus turned into exactly what it was meant to be — a strong, reliable vehicle ready to serve for years to come.
Bringing It Back to Life
After nearly 20 plus years, the paint had taken its toll from the sun. There was clear fading and wear throughout the exterior, which is expected over time.
So we went ahead and refinished the entire bus using a base coat clear coat system by DuPont. This brought the vehicle completely back to life.
The vehicle is now fully painted, sealed, and shines like brand new.
For an older bus, this one is in absolutely fantastic condition — beyond what you would normally expect.
These Detroit Diesel 466 engines run forever. They are far more reliable than most of the newer engines out today that rely on DEF systems.
It is another example of how, when something is built right to begin with, and maintained properly, it can continue to perform for years beyond expectations.
When No One Else Would Touch It
The A/C system on this bus was definitely a bear to deal with. I actually took it to a local shop with over 25 years of experience, and they turned me down. They said it was too complicated.
That is when I got down to business.
There was almost no literature available. The only thing I could find was that the system was built in Stuttgart, Germany — and all the parts were obsolete.
The good news was the condenser unit and fans were in great shape. I was able to cross-reference the fans to units made by Spal, which helped tremendously.
The evaporator system needed work, but the blower motors were intact and replaceable if needed, again using similar Spal components.
The biggest challenge came down to the expansion valves — pressurized tube style, extremely precise, and not available anywhere.
I sourced two units from a different application, cut the tubing, and had to solder connections smaller than 3/16 of an inch. That is not easy work — precision is everything.
Over the years, welding helped me become a strong solderer, and that is what made this possible.
Once everything was set, I pulled vacuum, charged the system properly, and brought it back to life.
Curbside was charged at 7 pounds 3 ounces, and the opposite side at 6 pounds 8 ounces — and just like that, the system was fully operational again.
