Out of the Blue – 1997 Blue Bird School Bus
With old cars and trucks it is just like with dogs – they find you. So it was with the School Bus by the Blue Bird Truck Company.
It just found us. For a while we had been looking for a vehicle for going to Hot Rod and Bike Shows.
However, we couldn´t find the right candidate. Then out of the blue we got the offer for the 1997 Blue Bird. So we couldn`t resist and took a look at it.
The Blue Bird was used on an U.S. Air Force Base in Germany for bringing pilots to their airplanes. So we felt it was the perfect match. Milage was low, the original Cummins diesel engine sounded just sweet and the paint was the perfect color.
HOWEVER the US Army sold it some years ago. It just has been sitting in a big warehouse and waiting for us, so it seemed. Without road registration no one was interested. The bus still has no German registration yet and that is the tricky part. It is not so easy to register a big ugly American school bus in Europe. There have to be safety checks with brakes, lights and emission tests according to European Emission Standards. Passing all those tests isn`t that simple for a big American diesel engine.
So lets keep fingers crossed we pass all the neccessary tests and inspections for getting the road registry.
Stay tuned for the next steps of getting Pike`s Blue Bird Bus on the road.
Hi, just a bus fan who stumbled across your page. Looking forward to hearing what you have to do to get road legal. I have one question right now. What is the story with the two-color brake and turn lights? Was this a requirement for the AF or for use in Germany regardless?
Hi Jal,
thank you for contacting us. Generally it was not easy to get it road legal in Germany. Biggest problem was the emission control and the needed certificate as well as we had to partially rebuild the brake system to German standard. The two colored brake and turdn lights are required to German road registration. If you have further questions, please do not esitate to ask.
Have a nice day!
Hey do you know how to get to the fuse box?
Hi Jose,
Sorry, but we do not know. Ours was complete.
Have a nice day!
Did you succeed in register this bus in Germany? I just bought a Blue Bird mini bird, als a former us-Airforce bus from base in Spangdahlm. Also with no papers. Just trying to get a license plate here in holland. Would like to hear more from you.
Hi,
we had it worked over at Müllers:
https://www.mwom.com/
He did all the papers.
Regards!