Our Blue Bus(es!)

zieak · 01-09-2023, 11:46 AM

Okay, I joined this forum in May of 2021 and gobbled up information just before purchasing our 2015 Thomas. Then for the 12 days we spent doing a fast conversion before hitting the road form NY to WA I continued to devour information thanks to many others' posts. It's been a while, and we're about to buy a second bus, so want to finally contribute and connect with the community. Especially since the bus we're buying now hasn't been on the road in at least 7 years.

Here's what we ended up out on the road with in June of 2021.

We put in:

600 watts of solar, Renogy inverter and charge controller. Lead acid.
A Thetford cassette toilet and shower basin from a pop-up camper
On-demand propane hot water
8 feet of butcher block countertop
Double bed, hammock for our (then) 2 year old, and couch for our 15 year old

zieak · 01-09-2023, 12:23 PM

Skipping WAY ahead, a few days ago we purchased this 1965 Flxible New Look bus.

dbsoundman · 01-09-2023, 01:06 PM

GREAT SCOTT, you really jumped in the time machine to get that second bus. Totally different animal, I love it!

cadillackid · 01-09-2023, 03:38 PM

LOVE that flex!!! thats a cool classic to convert into a cruiser!!! does it still have its detroit or has it been swapped?

cadillackid · 01-09-2023, 03:40 PM

how do you like your cassette toilet? ive been considering one for my DEV bus? does it have a vent to the outside to handle expansion and contraction due to heat and cool?

zieak · 01-10-2023, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

LOVE that flex!!! thats a cool classic to convert into a cruiser!!! does it still have its detroit or has it been swapped?

It does. Seller bought it 7 years ago and has never tried starting it -- so it's been sitting a long time. Thinking we might need to have it towed to our property about 250 miles away to then have the time and space to work on it. Trouble is, the land we have is pretty steep in most places -- not too many spots that we have to work on this. But it was just $1,500, so we really felt like we had to snap it up.

cadillackid · 01-10-2023, 09:44 AM

if its sat that long you definitely dont want to fire it until you pul the valve covers and make sure the racks are 100% free.. in fact id be inclined to pull the injectors and work them.. and of course make sure the emergency stop works.. most GMC and flex new looks have an electrically controlled emergency stop on them that the driver coulds activate if the racks stuck and the engine took off.. so you can make sure that system functions..

thats how I have always revived old detroits.. ive been involved in a few and we have never had one run away on us..

rossvtaylor · 01-10-2023, 10:57 AM

Definitely follow Christopher's advice about making sure the racks are free! The valve cover bolt heads generally take a 12-point 3/8-inch socket, btw.

My "forever bus" with a Detroit 2-stroke sat in a salvage yard for 9+ years before I started it up and drove it home...after making sure no injectors were stuck. I'll bet yours wants to run again, too.

cadillackid · 01-10-2023, 11:36 AM

In 2020 we revived a Detroit that sat for 37 years.. these engines want to run!!!

dbsoundman · 01-10-2023, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

how do you like your cassette toilet? ive been considering one for my DEV bus? does it have a vent to the outside to handle expansion and contraction due to heat and cool?

I can add my $.02 on the cassette toilet. I have probably the same Thetford toilet, it has its own fresh water reservoir and a battery operated flush. There's no outside vent, but it doesn't get stinky if you keep it closed when you're not using it and make sure you use the right amount of blue goo in the black tank. Oh and make sure you keep it cleaned out, don't leave it sitting with waste in it. Generally it has a smell that's not savory but not gut-wrenching when you open the lid and open the waste valve, then you just flush, close the valve, and close the lid, and it's not a big deal.

dbsoundman · 01-10-2023, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rossvtaylor

Definitely follow Christopher's advice about making sure the racks are free! The valve cover bolt heads generally take a 12-point 3/8-inch socket, btw.

My "forever bus" with a Detroit 2-stroke sat in a salvage yard for 9+ years before I started it up and drove it home...after making sure no injectors were stuck. I'll bet yours wants to run again, too.

In another life I would love your forever bus as my own too! Stevie right? Such a cool machine. Old Detroits are so awesome and so seemingly indestructible, but then again I also like the 8+ MPG I get with my modern Cat C7...Detroits get what, 5 going downhill with a tailwind?

cadillackid · 01-10-2023, 01:06 PM

alot has to do with your use of the busses.. for me they are all about fun so I really could care less about $$.. if gas gets to pricey I park em and drive my 50 MPG hybrid (about as boring as it gets)...

but if the bus is your only transportation and you live in it.. then I get it wanting MPG over FPG (Fun Per Gallon)...

one of these years ill get to tending my detroit (fishbowl).. I enjoy driving my old gasser in the nice months (5-7 MPG)...

nothing like driving a 2 stroke detroit.. they really do sound like the yare going to blow up.. its fun to rev one up to its usually 2200-2300 RPM governor in public and watch people think you are blowing up your engine.. being 2 stroke it sounds like a 7.3 running at 5000 RPM runaway

zieak · 01-11-2023, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

if its sat that long you definitely dont want to fire it until you pul the valve covers and make sure the racks are 100% free.. in fact id be inclined to pull the injectors and work them.. and of course make sure the emergency stop works.. most GMC and flex new looks have an electrically controlled emergency stop on them that the driver coulds activate if the racks stuck and the engine took off.. so you can make sure that system functions..

thats how I have always revived old detroits.. ive been involved in a few and we have never had one run away on us..

Thanks for these tips. I've never taken on an engine project like this before and have been learning a lot already. I think we'll probably need to get it to our property first, then the priority may be getting the interior insulated and usable. Since we have the 2015 already set up for trips, we're imagining this one is a lot more stationary, which means it might end up being a few more years... if I'm able to restrain myself. I'm already daydreaming about working on it. We're overseas and won't physically have it for months from now!

cadillackid · 01-11-2023, 06:30 AM

the flex can be a roadtrip cruiser... many people can and do take 2 stroke detroits across the country, however your 2015 will have the much more familiar feel of a modern vehicle for long trips.. each of my busses has a different feel and manners on the roads... my little red one is almost like driving a van..

I wouldnt make a lawn ornament out of the flex.. they really are fun to drive...

zieak · 01-11-2023, 08:53 AM

Oh, I suspect that we'll be approaching this much more like his and hers. Our 2015 though, we didn't do any of the insulating or other things we wanted to for a longer-term project. We just really wanted to get out on the road. Someone (or a few people) in these forums said something along those lines -- do some work , try it out, repeat. Having the Flxible to work on while we live in the Thomas is going to be the reality for a little while. We're only in the US for less than 2 months of the year -- but if we can get one winterized, we'd come back for our winter breaks!

zieak · 01-11-2023, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbsoundman

I can add my $.02 on the cassette toilet. I have probably the same Thetford toilet, it has its own fresh water reservoir and a battery operated flush. There's no outside vent, but it doesn't get stinky if you keep it closed when you're not using it and make sure you use the right amount of blue goo in the black tank. Oh and make sure you keep it cleaned out, don't leave it sitting with waste in it. Generally it has a smell that's not savory but not gut-wrenching when you open the lid and open the waste valve, then you just flush, close the valve, and close the lid, and it's not a big deal.

dbsoundman, I'll concur and add..

We've used the cassette for two stints of about a month and a half. One while on the road, and the other while mostly camped on our property. While on the road, I really liked it. Emptying it isn't much different than a black tank. When you hit the occasional campground (we like to boondock) or when leaving a park that has a dump station, or even the occasional fuel station, it's quick and easy to empty. Like dbsoundman said, a packet of the
rv toilet stuff and it was fine. Last summer, when we were mostly stationary, it was less enjoyable -- because when I wanted to dump it I had to haul it much further.

I shot a 1 minute clip of our bathroom a while back and most of it is abot our toilet if you want to see.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hlS2_kV_nzg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CRhrx_6n8d6/

We paid $200 for the toilet/shower basin combo from someone who parts out old RVs. Then once we did our layout we realized we actually wanted the cassette to slide out of the other side. The base unit can do either, with just a slight modification or two that it is designed for, but the cassette itself is either a right or left side. So we had to buy a new cassette for another $130 or so.

It was a great option for us because we wanted to do our conversion in record time, but really isn't a bad option, in my opinion.

Bus'n it · 01-11-2023, 08:40 PM

Wow, love that flex! I ran my 8v92 cross country and back with several stops in between. Loved the power and passed everything in sight! Fuel economy was 4-4.5 but with the towed Jeep I was around 52k lbs. My foot was always in it and kept cruise at 77-79 for 8-10 hours at a time. They are durable engines. Keep the proper straight weight oil in them and seal up leaks. I burned a gallon of oil in the 5800 miles. Probably had some loss from two torn pan gasket bolt holes too. (Since been fixed)

John 321 · 01-14-2023, 04:00 PM

I owned a 1967 Flxible Flexliner in San Diego for a little over 10 years. I converted it to a shop for Marine Canvas work and had my layout table and sewing machine inside. Loved that bus. I’m 6’5” so the only place i could stand up straight was the center aisle and where the head used to be. When it was time to make her into a motor home I decided it was not going to work because a roof raise was out of the question. I bought a 1996 Thomas ER 34’ that I converted.
The Flxible went to a good home and is being restored and converted by a shorter person than me. Loved that naturally aspirated 6V71 engine. It will outlive me I’m sure!

zieak · 01-15-2023, 12:22 AM

I'm 5'11" in a pair of slippers, so really hoping I can use a little more! The seller sent this photo showing a floor to furring strip height of 5'11" with 2 1/4 inches for unsulation in the ceiling. Not sure if the measurement is from existing floor (outside of the aisle) or to a furring strip. Seems like I might need to shave an inch off of their planned amount of insulation, depending on the layout we end up with.

Yeah, a roof raise for a Flxible like this would be a real alteration of a classic design.

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