Recent lurker now member. Hello!

[Deathstar]

Hello there all. I am Brad and I have become infatuated with buses and what a converted bus can do for my family. My wife, 9 yr old daughter and I are interested in full timing.

We are leaving for Washington on Friday to hopefully pick up a fully converted 74 Gillig with a CAT 1160 and pretty sure an Allison mt643 auto. We wanted to convert our own but I am being medically retired from the military and we have a zoo of animals. We will be selling our house and my car and moving our simplified life to a friends RV driveway and home in Hemet CA so we can adapt the Gillig as we see fit for our family. This will be home base so I can figure out what to do with myself for school/future career as well as traveling and finding out forever home.

I think that's enough about me for now haha.

Brad

 

[nat_ster]

Welcome.

Glad you found one already converted.

Looking forward to pics of your new bus.

Nat

 

[Deathstar]

I will certainly share pics when I can call it mine! So excited!

 

[bansil]

Welcome and what MOS? If it's not 11Bangbang or the mostist awesomist 19k series then spell it out, and thanks for doing good and be proud of it....cheeeers

 

[Deathstar]

Well I'm AF so I don't think my code translates but I'm a 2W171. Fighter Aircraft weapons loader, system and suspension equipment troubleshooting and installation/removal. Been a bit since I did that though due to medical crap. Definitely loaded some serious weight down range though. The Gillig we are planning to pick up is metallic celery green (according to the owner) and I almost wanna paint a warthog mouth and eye on it to match my favorite airframe I've worked; the A-10 Warthog.

 

[Deathstar]

It's funny bansil, we have about 1600 miles home from picking up the Gillig and I am really enjoying your Patton quote! Thanks and cheers!

 

[bansil]

A10's are awesome...stay safe and take pictures! and then a cool story would be an awesome way to start a build thread

 

[Deathstar]

Been too busy to post my story yet but figured I would post a couple pics.

 

[dond]

She's a beauty!

 

[Deathstar]

Thanks! We love her. Still working on a name. Updating and adding to existing solar system and changing interior a bit to accommodate our pets and family a bit better.

 

[proconsul100]

thats a beautiful bus

 

[EastCoastCB]

I've never been able to name mechanical things. IDK I just ever can bring myself to.

 

[Deathstar]

I'm definitely someone that has for certain things I guess. Some stuff just seems to have character and its own essence I guess. The old Gilligs and Crowns and the sort really capture that in my eyes. I can only imagine the build process and the people involved. Then again my newer cars seem to hold my interest in the same way even though they are mass produced hunks of metal and plastic. Kinda hard to really describe it ha. Not that it needs describing. People who name their stuff get it. People who don't just don't care to? Ugh. Rant...

 

[nat_ster]

Great looking old gem.

I name everything. ****, some stuff and a few people I know have more than one name.

Nat

 

[Deathstar]

Thanks everyone. We certainly got lucky. I also feel like we cheated the conversion process but with a family, a time crunch and physical limitations, it was the right choice. At lease now we can change what we need as we go.

As far as names, I have a few and I'm sure the wife does too haha. Gotta narrow it down haha

 

[bansil]

bling,bling she's pretty

 

[cowlitzcoach]

It would appear as if you have found a really nice conversion that will do for you for a long time.

Gilligs have a real penchant for rusting along the drip rails. Don't let it get started or you will have a real bad problem very quickly. It gets particularly bad at the ends but above the driver's window, service door, and at the back where it curves down.

Is your bus one of the few that left the factory with aluminum body panels? Gillig offered aluminum to compete with Crown. Not many were ordered that way because with alumunum panels they became more expensive than Crowns.

The 1160 was the first in the series that became the 3208. Some would argue that it was a better engine than the 3208. It has some problems the biggest being that it is a Cat. The pump is one of those dealer only service items.

The other real problem with Gillig rear engine buses is they never had enough radiator to cool properly. I have never figured out how a bus designed and built in CA wouldn't have enough radiator for a bus in service in WA. You would think it would be over cooled since so much of CA is desert. Make sure there are no voids around the radiator. You want 100% of the air the fan is pulling is pulling through the core of the radiator and not from around the sides.

Do not over tighten the fan drive belt. You only need that belt to be tight enough to turn the fan without slipping. Too tight and you run the distinct risk of trashing the fan bearing. Those are not cheap or easy to find--BTDT!

Compared to new buses Gillig and Crown buses were overbraked. You will find the front brakes are wider than morst new buses rear brakes. The rear brakes are HUGE! Most were 11" wide. Some were as wide as 13" in the rear with 7" in the front. Used judiciously and you proablly will never have to do a brake job.

Good luck and happy trails!

 

[Deathstar]

Thanks again! Great info cowlitz thanks. I may have read some of that info in a post of yours prior to buying and knew to try and look when buying. Didn't know Gillig offered aluminum panels so I need to look closer. Cooling system stayed at 190 on tough passes even in Cali but I shut her down as it hinted above and found my radiator cap had come off. A fun story. Needless to say the cap was in the compartment and with a fluid top off and rest she climbed the rest to get a new tight cap at the top. Ha. Anyway, another note, is there a cowlitz river or something of the sort I went over in the Oregon area?

 

[Tango-SKO]

Sweeeet! --- Looks like you are way ahead of most of us already. Best of luck with the build out and thanks for your service. Always good to see another Vet here.

 

[cowlitzcoach]

The Cowlitz River is in WA state.

If you traveled down I-5 in WA state you would have crossed the Cowlitz River at Cowlitz Landing. That is about mile post #58.

Every Gillig RE I have ever driven or repaired always puked out coolant out of the overflow. It was if the top tank wasn't big enough.

Our church has a 1979 Gillig RE on which I finally had a coolant recovery tank installed. It has paid for itself in coolant I haven't had to add many times over.