"Fun Bus" Built Out Of Chevy Tahoe

"Fun Bus" Built Out Of Chevy Tahoe AG WORLD 27-4-24 If you've ever considered turning your farm into a tourist destination as a part-time source of income, you'll be interested in this 12-passenger "shuttle bus' built by Dale McPeake, Scotts Hill, Tenn., out of a 1997 Chevy Tahoe. The 20-ft. long vehicle seats 12, five down each side on 8-ft. long wooden benches. He uses it to haul people around his farm. It has 2-ft. high rails made from 2 by 4's that extend along the sides and back. A swing-out door on back, along with fold-out steps, provides access. The Tahoe's two original front bucket seats are still in place, with a TV-VCR set between them. A blue vinyl canopy covers the entire passenger seating area. The vehicle is powered by the Tahoe's original Vortec 350 cu. in. gas engine. "People really enjoy riding in it and can't believe how comfortable it is," says McPeake, who uses the rig to give joy rides to family and friends and for guests at weddings and other local events. "It's built with quality workmanship and is definitely one of a kind. When the vehicle is full of people it looks something like a scene out of the Beverly Hillbillies. We run all over the country with it." The Tahoe had been rear-ended in an accident and had a bent frame. He first removed the Tahoe's sheet metal, including the front bumper and grill, and then cut the vehicle in half behind the driver's seat. He cut a 1990 Chevy 1/2-ton pickup in half to lengthen the frame by 10 in. Angle iron was used to build a frame that supports a plywood body. The bed was made out of 3-in. channel iron cross members, and 2 by 8's were used to make the floor. The vertical supports for the canopy are made out of 1 1/2-in. dia. exhaust pipe. The canopy is strapped to a frame made out of the same pipe. The bus's hood is made of plywood and has a hood scoop on top of it made out of cedar 2 by 4's with LED lights located inside the scoop. There are about $1,000 worth of LED lights strung along both sides of the vehicle and across the back. Between the headlights there's a Chevrolet emblem outlined in red that lights up with blue neon lights at night. A curved Lexan windshield extends from the hood up to the canopy. "When people first see it they ask 101 questions about it," says McPeake. "The LED and neon lights make quite a display at night. Because the windshield is curved outward, the wind shoots right around the bench seats as I drive. It runs very smooth on the highway. This summer I plan to drive our family in it to the Smoky Mountains." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale McPeake, Box 185, Scotts Hill, Tenn. 38374 (ph 731 549-9712).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.