So, this is not a truck, but you might like the modding anyway.



It's called a "Chicken Bus" and is one form of public transportation in Guatemala (where we've been for the last two weeks, touring Mayan pyramids and villages).

It used to be a school bus in the US that was sold at auction and then "prettied up" by the new owner. Notice the grill, bumper, headlight housings, extra lights, air horns, roof rack, wheels and especially the paint job complete with mud flap girls! What you can't see is that they replace the automatic transmission with a manual one and replace the engine with one from Caterpillar so that it can climb the steep mountain grades better. There's seating for 45 people, but our trip leader said they regularly load them with about 100 passengers. They drive like maniacs, but rarely have accidents.

We rode one from Antigua to Santa Maria de Jesus for a 3000 foot climb up the side of an extinct volcano.

Kinda gives new meaning to "Built Ford tough".

- Jack

 

It's to bland.Needs more BLING!

 

i went to the exact same place in guatemala about 2 years ago and we rode with about 100 people on an old thomas school bus. that was the scariest bus ride of my life. i didnt think we would make it up the hills, and those blind turns were nerve wrecking. i wish we had been on a bus like that

 

Cool! Going up over the pass from Guatemala City to Antigua our tour vehicle was halted in a line of other vehicles because of road work (they were doing some blasting and clearing the road of rubble). We sat there about 15-20 minutes and 3 chicken buses simply pulled over into the left hand lane (two-lane highway) and went on through without even slowing down. The funniest part of it was that about 3 vehicles ahead of us was a police truck and he just sat in line like the rest of us, ignoring the chicken buses.

- Jack

 

At the risk of boring everybody, here's a picture of others at the bus station where we got on ours. The owners get quite creative!



- Jack

 

not to knock ford, but you said if had a new engine and transmission. so its not really ford....? and is the bus originally a ford, or is it just a front clip of ford.?

 

I know. Once you change nearly EVERYTHING, what have you got left? Many of the buses I saw at the terminal had the Ford oval in the nose so I suspect they were originally Fords. Some without the oval may have been Fords too, but when you replace the grill, who knows? I sort of saw it as a Ford chassis that was still going strong in it's second life.

I also have to admit that I was told, by our trip leader, that the engine was a Caterpillar. I didn't verify it. I CAN state though that the transmission was manual with a super low gear.

If you look closely at the line of buses, you'll see that some have the "dying swan" hood ornaments. I doubt they were Packards though.

- Jack

 

I love the hood scoop!

 

Really i just want to know who the HOTTIE to the left is? I'd hit that......NOT!

 

haha tight. ive always wanted to get one of those mini busses and like pimp it out but not blingy like that, im talking about nice paint job, flatscreen tv, etc

 

They sure skimped on the rims.

 

The guy driving the yellow twinky must get teased regularly for being stock

 

and notice all of them have front chin spoilers

 

wheres the spinners?