Abandoned cars often sit for so long that they need an extensive overhaul to be street-worthy again. Sometimes it's just too expensive to even consider it, so these vehicles are left to rot away. But sometimes things aren't as bad as they look. Appearances can be deceiving and this video is proof that dirt and grime don't always hide severe rust.
The folks over at Country Boy Gas Garage recently found a 1948 Ford F-5 bus abandoned in a forest. A former school and church bus, the truck has been sitting for around 25 years. A quarter-century of exposure to the elements usually spells trouble for a vehicle, but this bus proved to be one of those rare exceptions.
Following a good cleaning, its first since it was left to rot in the woods, the F-5 came back to life, showcasing a surprisingly clean exterior with a solid paint job and very little rust to worry about. But that's mostly because around 50% of its body is made from aluminum.
If you're not familiar with Ford F-5 bus conversions, these were usually built by the Superior Coach Company. Established as the Garford Motor Truck Company in 1909, it built a variety of trucks by 1925, including a fleet for the United States Post Office.
It changed its name to Superior Body Company in 1925 and started building hearse and ambulance bodies. More importantly, it also shifted to school bus body production, becoming a major manufacturer for the U.S. and Canadian markets. In 1940 the company changed its name again, to Superior Coach Company.
School bus bodies were built primarily on Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, Ford, and International Harvester truck chassis of various lengths. On top of the more popular long haulers, Superior also built a few short buses. This particular one, which used to be an 18-person carrier in its glory days, rides on a Ford F-5 chassis.
Based on the first-generation F-Series, the 1948 F-5 is also known as the B-Series, mostly because it was specifically developed to accept bus conversions. It's a 1.5-ton truck related to Ford's medium-duty workhorse, but it also shares some underpinnings with the C-Series, a CEO variant of the first-gen F-Series.
Arguably the most interesting thing about these Superior school buses from the era is that their upper body panels and roofs were made from aluminum, leaving only the rear panels, fenders, and side sills in conventional steel. Superior probably wanted a slightly lighter hauler, but the aluminum body also helped this bus soldier on through 50 years of school/church duty and 25 years of sitting in one piece.
Yes, it no longer has an interior and there's a big hole from a rat's nest poking through one of the side panels on the right, but it's definitely easier to restore than almost every forest find out there. Seeing all that dirt and grime cleaned up to reveal an almost rust-free coach is incredibly satisfying.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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