If you have ever worked in education, then you know about the obscene amounts of money being thrown at schemes to improve test scores. The harder everybody works, the less fun the experience is. Kids need to be excited about coming to school again to bring those scores up, and I think we have found a way. Imagine the excitement kids would have for learning if they were to start their day climbing into this 1956 Chevrolet monster truck school bus being sold on eBay. Being offered out of the University of Richmond in Virginia, my guess is that someone in higher education has been thinking along these lines as well. With a Buy It Now price of $13,900, this is a bargain when compared to other educational initiatives. Do you think this out of the box solution might just work?

Just hear our plan out before you start with all the negative talk. First off, we get David Lee Roth to drive the bus. He is not touring right now, and would probably love the idea. We will make him wear the same uniform that he wore in the “Hot For Teacher” video, and ensure that there is always a kid named Waldo on the route. From there, we will install flame throwing exhaust stacks on the bus so kids don’t have to board in the dark. Once everyone is buckled in, we make a detour to the local drive through for some breakfast biscuits, and then we are on our way to school.

Same plan in the afternoon, except for ice cream replaces biscuits. Maybe a little detour over to the local mud pit for some laughs. If there is no mud pit, some Richard Rawlings donuts in the parking lot would get us through. Arriving at a game in this beast would also bring a new level of intimidation to sports opponents. With a little work, this bus might just be the answer to our prayers. God knows nearly every kid who loves cars and trucks has drawn a version of it at one time or another.

Looking at the interior, we need to step up our game a bit. David Lee Roth is never going to drive if we don’t civilize this bus a little bit. As it stands now, there appears to be no traditional key. A simple power kill switch looks to be doing the job sufficiently for now. One glaring problem is that there is no radio. Roth will want a radio. Another problem is the holes in the floor. One of these holes has a rod or cable hanging out of it. Is this the way you change gears? The steering wheel makes me wonder how tough it would be to make a turn if this bus doesn’t have power steering.

The rest of the interior could use some sprucing up as well. The clever arrangement of the seats definitely allows for more leg room. However, we do need to fit a reasonable amount of kids in this bus. The cabinets would have to go. The body of this bus is described as rust free, which is amazing for its age and the fact that vehicles like this are almost never in covered storage. Maybe we can install the air conditioning system under the floor. Cutting the roof would be too barbaric. We could tint the windows though.

There is nothing, however, wrong under the hood. The power for this beast is a 383 cubic inch V-8. No other information is given about the engine or transmission, but we assume that the builder stayed with Chevy power here. Putting a Ford in a Chevy would anger too many people and likely cause a riot of some sort. All we know about the rest of the moving parts is that the truck rests on two ton rated axles.

With a little work and some marketing, I think we have got a solid plan here to renew interest in going to school. While there may be some logistical problems getting it down residential streets, the truck is perfectly capable of crossing yards. Maybe a few houses as well. One thing is for sure. Your kids won’t be whining about wanting to stay home.

Would your kids dig a school bus like this?