Howdy All --- don't really expect to find a lot of other owners of these beasties here, but you never know. Still not certain whether it is a 4402 or a 4502 since both seem to have been purchased by Wayne Body Works, so I'm open to input there. The front end, chassis & running gear are all Chevrolet and match the 160" trucks. The rebuild will not go for show status, but rather a long range, mini- RV arrangement that is a least in keeping with the original Art Deco design. Gotta' love the way this series looks. Have a long, long way to go but not in a great rush. How about it...any other buses here?

Tango,
I cant't find a reference to those numbers in the 1946 listing. A 160 inch School Bus Chassis for 1946 should be a series OW and these letters will be on the I.D. tag on your firewall or right side of the cowl.
My Brother has a 1940 C.O.E. school bus with a Superior body and a 1956 Superior bodied conventional Chevy bus.

Mike

Thanks Mike --- It is indeed an OW. The Chevy truck books are where I found the 2 different truck chassis numerical designations. Someone told me a while back that Wayne bought a variety of Chevy products then outfitted them to whatever a given customers specs were.

And I'd love to see some pix of your brother's rigs. Especially the COE. They were a pretty menacing site to behold, not to mention just plain cool!

Tango,
Those 4 digit model designations were first used for the 1949 Model year, according to my info.
I will contact my Brother and see if he can post some photos. He is living and working in Japan these days.
We have 4 other '41-'46 COE trucks in the family, including a '46 bought used by our Dad in 1950.
I also have a '41 conventional cab, which was a fire truck in it's first life. It has less than 10,000 miles on the chassis.

Mike

Hey Mike --- Sounds like you guys have a great start on a COE Museum! I have always been in love with them and, in fact, that is what I was looking for when I came across the Shorty Bus. Had hoped to either find a COE with a box behind it or a good front-end that I could build an RV arrangement onto.
Hope you can post a few pix...would love to see them all!

BTW...finally cleaned multiple layers of paint & crud off the ID plate and found nothing but two numbers..."3OW04"...and "15253". Just got to them yesterday evening and haven't had a chance to check them out yet. The Wayne Serial Number (49563) was on an aluminum logo plate I am cleaning & polishing, but there doesn't seem to be a source for any of their records anywhere.

The four-digit numbers I have came out of the "1946 Chevy Truck" book I have dated 5-1-46. Here is what it indicates...

"4402" is the "Truck" designation for a 160 in. wheelbase "1-1/2 Ton Chassis, Flat Face Cowl". It was apparently a popular platform for coach builders to add onto.

The "4502" is shown in the same book under "School Bus Dimensions" as a 160" wheelbase "1-1/2 Ton School Bus Chassis, Flat Face Cowl". Appears identical to the 4402 but with an extended rear frame.

The overall length of the 4402 was 234-3/16", while the 4502 (School Bus Chassis) is shown as 284-15/16". My frame doesn't match either and appears to have been bobbed off before the body went on.

And BTW, this same book shows all the major dimensions for three different COE's, but all are 2 Tons...no ton & a halfs shown (?).

Getting good info on vehicles old enough to qualify for Medicare seems to be half the challenge from what I have experienced so far. Ah well...Onward!