Adventure Awaits!

dentedvw · 03-07-2010, 05:48 AM

So, armed with a fistful of cash, my best negotiating face, and a lot of fluids, we bumbled down to Kankakee Illinois to pick over some mid length and shorty Thomas front engine buses the other day. I just knew we would find our bus there.
It wasn't simple, there were many to choose from. So, we had a lot of help from one of their mechanics, Miguyver, they called him because his real name is Miguel. He proved it over and over, making one bus run after another, tips on things, what to look for, how to fix one thing or another, sourcing a few small parts. Over and over he came through.
In the end, we found our bus at the end of the line, after a bunch of test drives. Some of these buses are pretty nice, some are less so. Some are actually quite zippy, for some reason. We ended up with one that isn't the fastest, but it was the best all around. Sixty passenger, thirty one feet, big door in the back with hydraulic lift. We are hoping it will come in handy for the dirt bikes, though it seemed a bit weak. We shall see. If it doesn't work out, we have ramps too.
Air ride, air drivers seat (needs some work though) but hydraulic brakes, as I understand. No big deal, I am glad to have onboard air available. Now I can put another tank on, and plumb some lines for filling tires, running blender...

Four hour drive home was flawless. Some occasional complaining from the power steering, but it rides quite nice. Airbags doing their thing!
The paint appears to be new, like real new. It's going to be a bit of a shame to cover it up this summer, but the yellow has to go!
Can't figure how the flashers work, I think they may have been disabled. No worries, as they will be removed anyway. Headlights are rotten, holy moly, I could barely see when it got dark. Misaligned, and weak anyway. i will be investigating modifying the nose to accept some different lights, with HID. Once I went HID on my bike, it's hard to go back.

The tilt/telescope lever is missing from the steering column, I will investigate that at some point. Looks like it could be replaced though, just missing the lever and the pin. For now, it's fine.
Drivers seat is wrecked! Who sat in this thing?

Luckily I had a replacement already, I drug it out last night and dropped it inside. I will get to it today, depending on what it needs. Still haven't picked up a welder, though I know what I want now.
Heater is as good as can be expected. Which is pretty sorry, frankly. Switch works, most of the time, someone smashed the heaters in the back, so they probably don't work that good. Too much trouble to straighten a milion fins, so if I keep them, I will probably replace them.
Needs a stereo and some speakers in the worst way! I used a mini ipod boombox on the way home, which works, but not ideal.
Wiring, boy is there going to be some wiring to do. Lots, and lots of it. To start, there is no power plugs up front, or anywhere of course. I have a few though.
The bus is loaded with wheelchair tie downs, which is awesome, way more than we will need for bikes. They aren't E track though, so I don't know if it will work out very well. I got a lot of assorted straps with the bus, so maybe it will do for now. Maybe I will hang up a hammock first.

Also badly needs more sound deadening on the engine shroud/front area. It would go a long way. Need to figure out the best way to do that. There is already a blanket thing underneath, but I think it's pretty insufficient. Either needs replaced, or just need more.
I really wanted to stop by some RV salvage places, but we spent so much time getting the bus, that we ran out of time to stop out. I have lots of money people, please stay open! Nope, didn't work. Going to have to wait til next week, at least. Might go on Friday morning, and stay over if I don't get everything in one day. We sold our DentedVW, which was a bit sad, but it allowed us to make this purchase, and all the parts we will likely need for our conversion. Well, most of them anyway.

Pictures when I get dressed, and go back outside.

A few words about Midwest Transit. These guys were great. I was able to pay my sales tax there, they take care of titling, and I got a thirty day plate.
Did I mention the bus was only $2000.00?
Yeah, for real. If anyone needs a smallish bus, I would hurry over there, because that's a pretty great deal. Even though some of them need a bit of work.

dentedvw · 03-07-2010, 05:50 AM

The electrical plug on the front of the bus, is it only the block heater? I am figuring it is, but wanted to ask. I haven't gone out to look yet, still dark and cold.

Oh yes, and AAA was awful. Terrible. Lieing sacks of glop. I called on friday, to ask how late they are open (Bye insurance in Grand Ledge, MI is who I had been using) and they were only open another twenty minutes. I wasn't getting the VIN from Midwest until Saturday, so I asked if I can call and get insurance then. They said "yes, definitely. Just call the 800 number and they will take care of you". Of course, that was a load of crap, anytime they open their mouths lies come out.

When I called the 800 number, they said "no, because you went through an independent agent, we can't add any vehicles to your policy, you have to use them, and only during regular business hours".

So, goodbye AAA, you screw up every time I need something, even the simplest things. I really have to wonder if you would be there when I really need you. No, actually I don't, I know you will let me down in a huge, huge way. I have my home, and all cars insured with AAA, but not for long, you imbeciles.
GMAC was more than happy to insure the bus, they knew exactly what to do, and were really friendly. And they wanted my business enough to be open for business on Saturdays. This is huge with me. HUGE. Being an ordinary person, I work during the week. I can't always take time from work to do things like this. Sometimes I can, but I can't count on it. That's why I value being open for business on Saturdays. In fact, GMAC said they are open on Sundays as well, and would gladly start a new policy, make changes, the whole banana, on Sundays.

Thank you, GMAC. You saved my bacon.

I guess I could have avoided this by insuring every bus I was considering buying on Friday, but seriously, that would have been ridiculous, and would have tied up a lot of my funds.

So, big thanks to GMAC. Again.

Seeria · 03-07-2010, 08:08 AM

Sounds great! I'm not having much luck finding one up mid-Wisc so might have to make a trip down to Midwest's lot. Get us some pictures would you?!

SeanF · 03-07-2010, 12:31 PM

Congratulations!

jkindt · 03-07-2010, 12:46 PM

Congratulations. That is a nice size bus, not so long that it is difficult to go places, yet long enough to give room for the bikes as well as comfortable living space. How many people are you planning on sleeping in this unit? What type of riding do you do? Enduro, X-country, Moto-X??? My sisters kids all race Moto-X and I have an old Kawasaki 250 that I play in the mountains with. My bus is too short to have dedicated space for the bike, but I may use one of those hitch mounted bike carrier ramp thingys, after all it is just one bike!

busdriver_phil · 03-07-2010, 04:12 PM

Congratulations! I drive an 02 Thomas EF every day, and my biggest complaint is engine noise. I'd suggest building a custom console to go over the doghouse (engine cover). Give it lots of insulation, and make it small enough to climb over and easily removable for checking fluids. 60 passenger? That thing must turn on a dime! My daily driver seats 84, and can outmaneuver most conventionals.

dentedvw · 03-07-2010, 05:09 PM

Yes, it does turn around practically in it's own shadow, it's pretty amazing.

So, here are a few pictures. I didn't take any of the lot, but you can get an idea by looking at it on google maps. Though, the inventory has changed of course. There was acres, and acres of buses, new and used. Pretty incredible.

And one of the first things I did, since we aren't painting it right away...

Then I removed the flashing lights. Now, I have to find something to cover the holes. Any ideas? I was thinking of going to the scrap yard and getting some aluminum, but I can't cut big pieces straight enough. Even if there was a line, it would never be straight, or evenly curved.
I removed the seats, the stop sign, the bar from the front, lots and lots of seatbelts, lots of vinyl lettering, and a bit of stuff from the floor. We are leaving the floor for now, as we have a trip coming up in a few weeks. Going to just cover with some cheap carpet for now.
If the paint looks good to you, that's because it was just painted.

If only I could have had them paint it some other color. Ah well, we will get to it this summer. Maybe sooner, it's getting on my nerves already, and it's only day two.
I was working on the drivers seat, but it's power, and I am having problems with mounting, because I don't have the right amount of materials. A large plate would be perfect, maybe I can pick one up this week.

browncrown · 03-07-2010, 06:34 PM

Great Looking Bus!!! Congratulations on you new wheels!

dentedvw · 03-07-2010, 07:15 PM

Tried out the rails on the walls. Working good!

Jarlaxle · 03-08-2010, 07:27 PM

Nice bus! How many miles are on it, and which transmission does it have?

dentedvw · 03-09-2010, 06:20 AM

You can never be certain about the miles, you know? But the odo shows about 163K on it.
I haven't checked to be certain, but I would guess it's the AT545.

I bought a load of carpet last night, and the first of the paint. The yellow is really getting on my nerves. I have to find a way to cover the blasted holes left by the lights, and fast, as it is going to rain tomorrow.

If I have to, I will just cover them temporarily with some duct tape, but I need to find a better solution. I can't cut a circle well enough to make one worth putting up, let alone eight.

I mounted a new drivers seat, bought a jump seat from a Dodge Ram, it's also a center console.

Bought a bunch of interior lights from Chevy Tahoes/Suburbans too.

Perhaps some pictures later, gotta get ready for work.

Diesel Dan · 03-09-2010, 10:06 AM

I wonder if you could find some pre-cut circles of sheet metal in that section of Home Depot where they sell sheet metal ducts and other stuff for HVAC applications? Or maybe paint can lids, or some other random metal item that happens to be the right size?

Jarlaxle · 03-09-2010, 10:30 AM

Or an excuse to hit Harbor Freight for a hole saw...

dentedvw · 03-09-2010, 06:28 PM

Mud, like, Bondo? Huh. I hadn't even though of it. Won't it crack though?
I figured to have them made in circles so I could just glue them in place, or rivet and glue them. I was going to place them over the outside.

Another thing I have never done is bodywork, other than welding sheet metal. Got pretty good at that with the old Jeep.

Not sure what was more expensive, the spools of wire I used to go through, or the sheetmetal I blew holes in learning how to do it properly. Now, it's been so long I will be relearning again.

Looking forward to that.

Today, I glued my fingers together.

I reached into a bag and pulled out the can of contact adhesive, only to have the lid fall off partly. Whoops! I guess dropping the bag was a bad idea. I was only gluing little pieces of carpet to the wheelwells. The rest of the carpet is just slopped in, more or less, because it will come back up later when I pull the floor. Mmmm... maybe next year, maybe next month. Going to bang around in the bus for a while before we settle fully on everything. No carpet in the back third, due to dirt bikes.

Settled on a plan to mount the console/seat to the engine lid, using a pipe mount swivel seat.

Gotta thank my wife for that plan. I was narrow minded enough that I was just going to bolt it on using a plate. Now it can swivel to face rear, probably put a clevis pin in it to keep it one way or the other though.
Blast, didn't take any pictures.

jkindt · 03-09-2010, 07:01 PM

Fiberglass reinforced Bondo works well. I have used the long-strand version with great success. Then I use the regular Bondo for the final surface coat. Smooths out really well and strong enough to hold up. Just don't put it on any thicker than you have to.

Sojakai · 03-09-2010, 07:37 PM

Quick temporary covers, take one of the light covers, cut a square slightly bigger than the light cover and use the cover to drill holes into the square. Use the gasket and screws from the cover and screw the squares into place on the outside. When you have more time, take the squares and move them to the inside of the bus, rivet in place, and bondo the hole shut like Smitty said.

dentedvw · 03-14-2010, 08:39 AM

The last few days have been somewhat productive. Pictures today, I swear!
Friday, my friend, my daughter and I went to a surplus RV place in Elkhart, and spent most of the afternoon browsing. Didn't get much, but a few good things, and the prices, as I remember them:
Freshwater tank $65
Waste tank $60
water pump $60
water particle filter $5, I think
propane T/automatic changeover valve jobber for dual tanks, $50
four really nice hatch doors, $50 each
four hatch door flip out retainer things $3 each
trailer hitch with hardware $25!
120-12v converter/fusepanel/breaker box $forgot
Seat swivel base $55 (a little spendy, but saves me a lot of fab time)
A regular ol dometic toilet because we don't want to deal with blackwater on a large scale, or have a fixed toilet, it will be in the shower for now $85

Really wanted one of their couches, but I knew my wife would not like the color, so I skipped it for now. If it was about half of what it was priced at, it would have come home with us for sure, but at that price, I wanted to be certain she was going to like it. It was $250, not terrible, but not quite right. I also really wanted an awning, but theirs were new, and still too much for us. I need a better deal. $600 is way too much for us right now.

Saturday we went to Ikea in Canton, Michigan. The idea was to find a couch there, and get some cabinets. We scored huge in the as-is section, and got most of the cabinets we needed, the counter top, the sink, most of the drawers and faces too. After pulling the bus into a single car space (!) and loading up, we parked once again and went back for more. We got a few more cabinets, some silverware, a pot, a faucet, and an orchid. I really wanted to get more LED lights, and perhaps some halogen lights too, but was met with resistance. Next trip, I am told, so, okay.

We had to special order a few items, so we will be back in a few weeks.

Today, I am going to put a few of these things in the bus.

And maybe go buy a welder. And a furnace.

It seems to me that the bus is not wide enough for most pull out couches, is this the impression other people have as well?

dentedvw · 03-14-2010, 05:54 PM

Hi Emma, I went to http://www.rvsurplus.net/, at 1400 W. Bristol Street. It was kind of messy, and they were overwhelmed, but quite nice regardless. There is another place a few blocks away that I didn't get to, and one about twenty minutes from there called Bontragers that I also didn't have time to get to.

Here is a few pictures of today's mess, courtesy of yesterdays trip to Ikea.

A few more cabinets, and the kitchen will be done. The long one on the floor is the pantry, it has to be cut down, you can see my wife working on a template for the top. We are short one base cabinet, and a lot of drawer faces, drawers, and cabinet doors. Looks like at least one more trip to Ikea. Heh!

Still haven't settled on a couch.

dentedvw · 03-14-2010, 05:58 PM

You can see we have decided not to build out the walls extensively. In fact, no modifications at all yet. Kind of like it the way it is, more or less. Going to cover the panels with carpet soon enough.

dentedvw · 03-15-2010, 06:52 AM

Oh, right, I forgot the sink. it was also in the as-is section, and at only $10, it included the strainer assembly too. We always go to the as-is section first, then through the rest of the store, but often back to the vehicle first.

The pull out facet was only $60 (full price), the counter $34, the cabinet with drawers was $69, the sink cabinet was $10, the trash pull out drawer was $3, the tall pantry was about $30. The rest was full price, still a bargain to me.

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