looking to start VW tour bus business

yellowdubmarine

Hey guy- Planning to start a vw tour bus business and need some advice. First off looking to use a bay window passenger bus. If I might have as many as 7 adults onboard what should I be looking for in regards to engine size and braking capacity ( i have 2 straight, rust free buses I'm considering but probably putting a new engine in). Also wondering about insurance,especially liability insurance. If anyone has any thoughts, fire away!

Glenn

When new they could handle a full load with the stock engine and brakes.

Upgrades, might be advisable but not mandatory.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
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KTPhil

Insurance cost/availability may be a shocker, once the insurer sees the vehicle!

For starters, you'll want 1776cc minimum, front power discs, properly-rated tires, inertial 3-point belts for all passengers, rear view camera mirror, a Blaze Cut system plus multiple fire extinguishers in the passenger compartment. Probably a higher-current alternator for electronic gizmos for you and your passengers. I'd add a step that mounts to the jack points like many campers had.

SGKent

since it is a business, maybe you might share what type terrain you see driving in and what kind of initial cash investment you will be putting into the business.

As to power etc., the braking will be fine fully loaded unless you are going down extremely steep hills all the time. As to power, I had a 1971 with a stock 1600 once upon a time. Several times we had 6 to 7 people in it. You will do a lot a gearing down on even the slightest grades. There is a reason that in the 1970's an 80's etc all the churches and civic groups used big American vans for people transportation. Look at what Airport shuttles are using around town. Same thing. Buses were made in a time when people didn't mind not having AC and going slow.

As to insurance, best to ask your agent. He/she is licensed to offer quotes and recommendations in NC or that area. I was a licensed agent in CA for years, and would not even suggest the answer to that question because it will be complex. All you need is some meth crazed contractor driving a coal truck to rear end you fully loaded, saying it was your fault because you were a slow hazard on the road. I can't begin to imagine how many attorneys it would take to straighten that one out. I have seen first hand how those trucks drive in TN, KY, W VA , and NC.
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metahacker

If you are asking about making a significant upfront investment in order to provide the lowest maintenance, highest reliability and maximum performance/ enjoyment... this would be my personal approach, below.
Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea... but after daily driving Buses, this is how I feel..... try and change my mind, if you want :)

Transmission:
AT: 010 with Lubegard ATF (preferable)
MT: 091 (or 002, depending on chassis/engine) with Amsoil + Lubegard MT supplement
Lobro CVs, Tiguan boots, NEO HPCC#1 calcium grease
Final drive R&P ratio swap so that the RPMs are where they should be for the choice of engine. Stock final drive if air cooled (no "freeway flyers", please, "Pyramid" gearing would be OK with shorter 4th and slightly taller FD).

Engine: Subaru EZ30D JDM swap or USDM Subaru EJ25 (both retaining stock ECU)

or if you want to keep it VW, Type 4 with hydraulic lifters and freshened up Jetronic bits and wideband tuned AFM + 123 BT distributor
or, the total opposite end of the spectrum a simple Type 1 like a 1600, 1776 or (my recommendation, if you go this route) the "no machine 1800" 74 x 88 thick wall (e.g. https://www.aircooled.net/1800cc-vw-engine-no-machine-combo/ )... running something simple like a PICT carb, or Kadrons... and a SVDA... since you're going to be doing valve adjustments regularly. I'd personally want EFI (the DubShop, LowBugget, VWSpeedShop UK or a Holley Carter AFB hack) and/or the 123 Bluetooth distributor and a German Porsche 6cyl red 1.5ohm coil. At least then you're only doing valve adjustments and the engine will keep itself in perfect tune.

Fellows UK radiator + heater core/blower for Suabru
Otherwise, Propex or modern euro petrol heater for air cooled VW engines (no heater boxes, please.. your engine and customers will thank you, particularly a 2.0L T4) .. and no Chinese diesel heater for professional business use IMO

Oil system plumbed for updated Frantz oil filter https://www.toiletpaperoilfilter.com, running Redline 20W50 motorcycle Ester based synthetic and a spin-on Amsoil EA series filter like EA42

Denso Iridium spark plugs and Magnecor wires (where applicable)

Goodridge Stainless brake lines
WagensWest Wilwood front caliper kit, Polymatrix-Q (ceramic) pads
GoWesty Vanagon rear disc kit (requires minor modification - although a Bus version is supposed to be out R.S.N.), substitute Brembo ceramic pads
Stock front rotors (Brembo or Zimmerman) and rear GW rotors, all cryo treated and CNC slotted by FrozenRotors.com
Castrol SRF or LMA brake fluid

New Ball joints from Rare Parts Taiwan (or Lemforders that you grease yourself and spin with a drill)
New tie rods/ drag link
New center pin
Bilstein or Fox shocks
EMPI sway bars, front & rear
Koni 76-1099 steering damper, set to softest
Wolfsburg West "green" rear torsion bars
Rear spring plates indexed with the slightest upwards rake
Steering box flushed, refilled with 50/50 SuperLube grease & gear oil and adjusted (ideally a Late bay box, swapping T2a->T2b on this part isn't that painful - one bolt hole stays)

You may also want to consider a dual-zone A/C system (e.g. rear evaporator) from Gilmore, specifically requesting the Sanden 7-piston over the standard 5 piston, and dual condensers. For Subaru, I would use a Denso 10-piston like stock on Subarus.
You may also consider the CruiseNComfort 12V A/C syste (which will necessitate an aftermarket alternator of significant output - easy with a Subaru... for example, the DC Power Inc. 270A)

Unless you go with the T1 engine approach...
neither the Subarus nor hydraulic/Jetronic/123 Type IV ACVW engine would require anything much in terms of maintenance....
simply change the roll of toilet paper every ~3K miles and top off the oil...and change the Amsoil Ea full flow every ~25K

Theoretically, you should be able to drive ~100K miles without doing anything other than the oil filter changes and chassis lubrication.

That said, a stock Bus was built to do exactly what you want. Even a Bus with a 1500, points and non-boosted 4 wheel drum brakes is technically supposed to do what you're asking. Whether it's going to be the most practical to operate from a business owner perspective, or whether your passengers will appreciate the nuances of specific challenges such as interior climate control and hill climbs.... I'd think only the former would be a real issue.

If you're OK with lots of tinkering, and the passion of hands-on work on your air-cooled Volkswagens is part of why you want to do this, you should just run them 100% stock with the best quality parts you can get.