MAXIMALIST MINIBUS, a/k/a MAX, is a 1991 Ford E-350 cutaway with a 7.3 liter IDI diesel engine. This means he basically had a van front and an open back when he came out of the Ford factory, and he could have become any of a number of different types of vehicles. Lucky for us, Max was sent off to the Lewis Bus Company, who turned him into a four window short bus. They called his model the Reddibus.  There are very few of them out there, probably because of the age. I did see something about a recall once but I haven't been able to find it again; I'm pretty sure, however, it was a model that came out several years AFTER Max.

The 7.3 liter IDI engine, though it's branded by Ford, is actually made by International. IDI stands for Indirect Ignition, which means the engine uses a pre-combustion chamber, as opposed to injecting fuel right into the piston.

Max sports a rebuilt E40D transmission; the original crapped out in 2018 in Iowa.

EARLY LIFE

Max was born/built in 1991 and started his career as a loyal employee of the Lancaster School District in Lancaster, California.  Little is known about the intervening years but in 2018, having "aged out" of viability as a school transporter (I would have thought he'd have been too old many years before that - sorry, Max!), he went up for auction and was purchased, along with a newer GMC bus, by a small daycare center.

The daycare center only needed one bus, and had picked him up to turn a profit because his price tag was so low.  So they put Max on Facebook Marketplace, which is where I found him.  At the time, he had what appears to be 112K miles, according to maintenance records. That's what I have to go on because Max has only a five place odometer, which means that theoretically he could have had 512K miles! I doubt that, of course.

Because he was a Southern California bus, Max didn't come with a block heater. One has been added to equip him for the chilly Massachusetts winters. Everyone who checks out his undercarriage marvels at how little rust max has.

Back when he was hauling kids to school, Max could never have imagined what was to come, that he'd be adorned in aqua and hot pink and every other color that exists, essentially. Lucky for him and for us, Max has pretty flashy taste.

Max gets between 11 and 13 miles per gallon (of diesel). MPH and wind are the two big factors in that difference.

Max has been through many trials and tribulations in his time with us, the most significant being having his tanks filled completely with gasoline, and having that run through his thirsty diesel system for thirty miles. Max is a trooper, though, and weathers each storm with his characteristic grace.