After finally getting the bus up and running, it seems that there is a small problem cooling it down. For one thing, the radiator fan isn't coming on. Because the bus is so old, it's difficult to determine if there is just some old oil burning off the engine block or if the engine is overheating slightly.
A friend of mine suggested that the problem might be as simple as a faulty thermostat. It took me a little bit of work (and my trusty Haynes manual), but I was able to get the coolant manifold opened up, clean everything out, and replace the thermostat.
I also went ahead and bought an analog temperature gauge for the radiator so I can see just how hot the coolant is running once it's fired up. Once I get that piece in place, I'll fire it back up and see if everything starts working normally. Otherwise it's back to the proverbial drawing board.
 The open engine block after removing the manifold. You can see a little bit of the neon-green coolant still sitting atop it.
 The old temperature gauge on the left versus the new one on the right.
 Installing the new thermostat and a new gasket. Installing the gasket was actually one of the tougher parts because I had to carefully clean and dry the block without getting all of the dirt into the open engine block (before the thermostat was set into place).
 The coolant manifold back in place and tightly locked down over the gasket.
 Finally, the whole system back in place.
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