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Old 07-22-2016, 07:31 PM   #1
Almost There
 
BuSmith's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 77
A Tale of Two Busses.

Howdy everyone, I've been skulking about here off and on for a year or two now and figure it's about time I start participating.

TL;DR: There are two busses. An experienced one and a new one.

In 1982 my Dad bought several busses and started the project of converting one for my grandmother's imminent move to Alaska. That never happened. It was a 1972 thirty-four foot International that eventually got a four fifty-five Buick engine. He eventually "finished" that conversion (sans paint job) and busses have been in the blood ever since.

When I was born my folks care took a ranch an hour from nowhere out on the Illinois River in here southern Oregon. We lived that bus (#14). We soon moved to where the family lives now and The Bus took on it's more part time role as guest house/bug-out buggy/vacation home. I grew up spending a lot of time in it. I remember laying on the bed in the back playing legos while we headed out to anywhere, Dad driving, Mom on the couch, The dog laying in steps by the door. Later, after I switched from homeschooling to high school I moved into it and spent several years here on the family property.

The Bus has been parked in it's "winter spot" for about 12 winters now everybody has gotten a little too comfortable with it as a fixture out back.

About a year ago my beautiful, now wife and I decided the rolling home thing was gonna be for us and started preparing to move into The Bus with plans to do a lot of fixing up, freshening up, and a few little remodels. Fixing up, like new tires. Only problem with those plans is that when you realize the cheapest way to buy a new-ish set of tires is at auction, attached to a new-ish bus, it's easy to want to start planning new-ish projects.

To make a long story marginally shorter, we've (after some 6 months of hunting) picked ourselves up a new bus to start fresh with. The plan is to build our dream home into #1 and simultaneously see if we can't get 'ol #14 fixed up to the point where it's less easy to sit back and watch time have its way with it.

Number One is a 1991 Thomas –forty foot long and six foot, four inches on the interior. It's a rear engine with an 8.3 Cat and five speed Allision transmission. This bus was the team bus and apparently the team didn't do so well because there weren't many away games played. Seats, engine, windows, are all like new.

So overall we're pretty excited; excited enough that all the seats were out within fourty-eight ours so that planning could begin in ernest. Rebecca and I have eight days off for our upcoming anniversary and she's decided that we should forgo any vacation or relaxation in favor of tearing into that bus like crazy people. That's happening on the upcoming 22nd of August so we have a lot of planning to get done; I expect we'll all be chatting a lot on here.

That's our unique situation, we've got a lot of opinions and insight into living in and working on a completed bus while we need a lot of insight into building a new one.

You folks already have my thanks for all the knowledge I've previously gleaned from this place and some extra for anyone who read their way though this pie eating contest.

PICTURES!

-Jacob

P.S. If anyone here is a crossover from the Log Home Builders Association Forum I'm the infamous Loghousenut Jr.

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Old 07-23-2016, 10:11 AM   #2
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 237
Year: 2002
Chassis: international
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 71
Welcome. Sounds like you have your hands full. Can't wait to see how it unfolds. Good luck and keep us posted.
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Old 07-23-2016, 01:14 PM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 12
Welcome !!
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Old 07-23-2016, 01:30 PM   #4
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Garden State (rural NJ)
Posts: 378
Hi and

Both buses are nice. #14 is finsihed the same way my parents' basement was. =) That #1 Thomas is sweet! A Clean C-series 8.3L and overdrive Allison. Underbelly storage. Very nice.

Have fun on your journey. We're here if you need anything. We'll leave the light on for ya!

Good luck!
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