I was shocked at the abysmal quality of RVs in their construction and assembly when I was the Chief Engineer for a high-end RV manufacturer. We could borrow the RV whenever we wanted, and I took it on a few vacations. I also worked at a heavy-duty truck manufacturer, which interested me in the ruggedness of a bus conversion. In terms of construction, rigidity, and build quality, with its unibody construction, a bus conversion is no comparison to manufactured motorhomes.

I'm an engineer who has worked for several OEM car manufacturers and truck places and was involved in 2-stroke diesel engine designs. I have done work for Aston Martin, along with Indian motorcycles and Acura/Honda Racing, which is why there’s a custom silhouette of an Aston Martin Vantage on the side of my coach. When I worked for Jaguar Cars in the UK, we all marveled at the renowned noise of the U.S. 2-stroke 8V Detroit engines! I’m an engine nerd, and that’s how I got into 2-stroke Detroit’s. 

I never knew back then that I’d be living in the United States one day and would help develop conceptual 2-stroke diesel engines.  That story is a little longer regarding how I got into bus conversions over more conventional RVs. 

I bought my MC-5 in Nebraska in December of 2012. My understanding is that my bus was once a church bus in Ohio. However, it was originally owned by Western Greyhound Lines in San Francisco and was one of the first MC-5 buses built at the Pembina plant in North Dakota. When it was a church bus, I believe it was named “Heavenly Reign”.

When I first bought my bus, it had a functional but work-a-day character. I had a dream of enhancing it significantly with an eye towards full-timing. My vision was like a mini-sized but vintage luxury motorcoach, like a Prevost without the complexity and all the craftsmanship.

The powertrain is an 8V71 with C60 injectors and a Spicer 8245, 4-speed transmission. This setup makes about 280 BHP and gets 8 to 10 MPG average on the highway, which I measured and averaged over two trips across the USA. For me, 35 feet is the ideal length for a bus conversion, as it's easier to maneuver into many public lands for boondocking and the like but still big enough for full-timing. 

I've had Amish craftsmen build a big desk unit and a kitchen counter, and I used quartz on the piano black-colored units as countertops. I mainly fly solo and do a lot of work while on the road. I don’t need extra sleeping space or bunks, but I need a good solid work desk.

I have a Waterstone 1600 kitchen faucet and a Dometic C120 2-burner induction cooktop. I replaced the older A/C units with Dometic Blizzard NXT 15,000 BTU units to survive in the desert heat if needed.

I had special overhead custom aluminum cabinets made because I wanted to avoid most RVs' usual interior wood look. A fabricator who used to work for me undertook this work.

I've also installed twin electric Carefree Altitude awnings and leather custom-made seats, including a sofa and recliner. The carpeting came from my old house; I thought the edgy look would complement my plans. The driver’s seat has a built-in massage function. There is also a Boss Elite full audio system with Bluetooth installed.

The interior ceiling is trimmed in suede/Alcantara. The window blinds and seats are a deep red/burgundy to add warmth to the gloss blacks and alum metal finishes. They are not electric, keeping with minimizing electronics for long-term durability, but raise and lower without tangling strings.

The blinds were custom-made by Levolor. They slide up and down (from the top down) but don’t use ropes or slats to avoid rattling and tangling. The deep red or burgundy color matches the leather suite and adds a colored accent to the interior's otherwise blacks, aluminum, and greys.

For the exterior, I have a custom exterior paint job with my own custom livery. The colors used are 'Delphin metallic,' an 80s BMW color. I grew up around London, morphing to metallic anthracite—a Jaguar color—the color of my Jaguar XJR, a vehicle I was involved in engineering, with red borders or 'Cinnabar Red,' another 80s BMW color. 

I had a Jaguar-style leaper motif painted on the side, where the Greyhound normally goes on a Greyhound charter bus, along with a silhouette of an Aston Martin Vantage—a car I was deeply involved in engineering.

For the Future

I will get the mirrors on the rear walls as originally intended (A supplier broke them, so currently, we have suede on the rear walls, like the ceiling, as an interim).  I also hope to develop a more powerful 2-stroke V8 solution engine that can dissipate the heat and be durable and efficient. It may take some time as my current 8V71 only has about 80-90K miles on it. The combustion burn on the old Detroit 2-strokes is inefficient compared to the 2-strokes I've helped design.  Maybe one day, I'll tackle that.

I intend to super-polish the stainless portions of the exterior. I'd also like to do something interesting with the headlights. They’re currently 12-volt units wired like an MC-9, and I'm thinking about using adapted Halogen ellipsoids from an '80s BMW and the high beams from a Jaguar XJR. I hope to get a solar/inverter battery solution that allows me to boondock in the desert for extended periods. Likely I will get 2400 watts plus of solar and two 3000-watt inverters. In addition, I may get a center console built near the instrument binnacle and dashboard and perhaps some overhead units up front.

Bus Specifications 

General

• Year: 1964
• Manufacturer: MCI
• Model: MC-5
• Vehicle Weight: 26,000 lbs.
• Fuel Tank Capacity: 144 Gallons
• Miles Per Gallon: Between 8-10
• Engine: 8V71 with 7E65 Injectors
• Transmission: Spicer 8245 4-speed
• Overall Length: 35 ft.
• Overall Width: 96 Inches
• Overall Height: 10 ft. (10 stock but about 12 ft with the Dometic Blizzard NXT A/C units.)
• Raised Roof: None
• Solar Power: None
• Electrical System: 110V Breaker System
• Shore Power Amps: 50
• Inverter: WFCO WF68100A Deck Mount (1200 Watts)           

External Equipment

• Fresh Water Tank Capacity: 100 gallons
• Black Water Tank Capacity: 50 gallons
• Grey Water Tank Capacity: 50 gallons
• Is Black and Grey Water in one tank? No
• Tank Material: Plastic
• Water Heater Type: Electric - 2200 watt (Standard Household Type)
• Plumbing Materials Used: Combination of plastic RV-style pipes and some household-style copper pipes.
• Propane: None

Internal Equipment

• Stove: Dometic (C-120 Two-burner Induction cooktop)
• Oven: Compact Cuisinart Electric Oven
• Microwave: Toshiba Microwave Oven with Humidity Sensor 1.9 Cu Ft. 1100 Watts
• Convection Oven: Instant Pot 6-quart multi-function pressure cooker and air fryer
• Refrigerator: Bevoi/Avanti 7.4 cu ft- Platinum finish‎ RA7316PST, 1 cu. ft. freezer
• Air Conditioning: Two Dometic roof-top Blizzard NXT 15,000 BTU
• Heating: Webasto heater and three ceramic Lasko oscillating electrical tower heaters
• Ceiling Fans: There is one small ceiling fan in the bedroom.
• Generator: Onan 7500-watt Quiet Diesel Generator
• TV: 32-inch smart TV in the bedroom and a foldable swiveling 22-inch ceiling TV in the main cabin
• VCR, DVR, Blu-Ray: None
• Internet: Was on Nomad Internet, will likely be moving to Starlink in the future, currently using Verizon cell phone as a hotspot.
• Bed(s) - How Many and What Size: Two twins in the bedroom. Sofa turns into a bed that sleeps two.

Interior

• Wall Material: Vinyl Panel Covering
• Ceiling Material: Alcantara/Suede
• Flooring Material: Vinyl Tiles
• Type of Insulation: Stock MCI Foam (Minimal)
• Cabinets: Aluminum custom upper, desk, and kitchen block custom made by Country Craftsman Woodworking LLC.
• Countertop Material: Granite
• Window Coverings: Levolor sliding blinds, on reels, no ropes, no slats.
• Lighting Type: LED rope lights, switchable dome lights (from an Alfa See Ya), swivel-able units from an MCI highway J4500 luxury coach, custom-made LED ceiling infinity mirrors. 

Miscellaneous

• How long have you owned your bus? 11 years
• Did you do the conversion yourself? Partially
• How long did it take? 5 years
• How much did you spend on your bus and your conversion to complete it? About $70K for the conversion, and the original purchase price was about $10K.
• Notable Features: Two Carefree Altitude electrical awnings, custom paint job with external artwork, with a ‘Jaguar leaper’ and a silhouette of an Aston Martin Vantage. Pilots style Rosen Aircraft sun visor. DeLeon sofa and seating in ultra leather with custom leather trimming. Custom design and built ceiling ‘infinity mirrors’ with variable ‘mood lighting’.  Voyager 3-view camera system
• What would you do differently next time, or do you have any afterthoughts?  It was strongly recommended not to use high-end porcelain floor tiles due to the potential to crack. However, this was advised from the perspective of the usual less torsionally rigid sticks and staples RVs. I think a unibody vehicle like mine would probably be okay to go for high-end porcelain or ceramic tiles in retrospect.
• How many buses did you look at before buying this one? Two

To watch a bus tour of this 1964 Greyhound bus conversion from a few years ago when it was 95% done, click HERE. To see how this bus appears now, click HERE.