I can't help myself bringing it home was a disaster but it always ends well right? I thought it would be funny to see what some of us went through!
Upon Arrival to get Endeavor we found the bus nestled in bay of a VERY large pole building..only to find it had been sitting in a field a few years with all the windows doors and roof vents open :) We also learned it was missing the Fiberglass Door for the upper rear cap. Upon the wives inspection she found about 2 inches of sand on the floor,the seats,the dash....wait EVERYWHERE! However when the moment of truth arrived airline in hand the 6v92 rumbled to life! after much debate about these wonderful "new" things I found wrong we settled in the bus and began our journey....almost. At the end of the sellers road the bus completely refused to move. One Very angry phone call with many harsh words exchanged and the seller arrives to assist. We found the Electronic controls for the trans had been "Altered" by his 8 year old son playing "Bus Driver" ...and back on the road we go! No sooner had we gotten comfortable driving it the first monsoon in Colorado's history came through just in time for me to find the air motor for the drivers wiper had failed. Couldn't get much worse right? We pulled over figured we'll just sleep for the night......until 4 fully loaded semi's full of manure parked in the rest area beside us! Our Nap was cut a bit short however the rest of our lovely 500 mile journey was successful!
Sure. Read here:
http://ourodyssey.us/bus-history.html (http://ourodyssey.us/bus-history.html)
-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com (http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com)
Thanks Sean! Guess nobody else likes to share!
I got the seller of my bus to deliver it
Ii was parked in front of the house for maybe a week before I got up the courage to take it out
I drove it to the nearest fuel stop and filled it up and then back home
Learned to drive a little bit at a time.
Finally got up to interstate driving and came upon a semi truck going about 45 or 50 mph.
I had NEVER passed anyone --- I was always the slow vehicle.
I had to pass -- got the butterflys in my stomach flying in formation and went for it.
So not everyone gets to drive the baby home.
Melbo
My trip started with a call for help.
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=13242.0 (http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=13242.0)
We bought the bus based on pictures on the internet then flew to Kelowna to pick it up after having transferred payment in full. A friend in Kelowna picked us up and lent us his truck so we could drive out to the orchard where the PO lived. The bus was everything we expected (but what did we really know at that time?). He said "Oh, I've got all these manuals for it. But I paid $140 for them so I'll have to charge you for them if you want them." I thought "you cheap effing bastard I should tell you where to put the bloody manuals" but instead said "sure" and got out my chequebook. The next day Bryan and I drove back out to pick up the bus. Since he owned an Allied Vanlines franchise until he sold it to his son and retired but still goes back to drive trucks for entertainment I thought we had agreed that he would drive the bus and I would follow. At the critical moment when we were ready to leave he said "I'll just go ahead, you follow, if you get in trouble just stop."
So we headed out and I shifted 1, 2, 3, 4 was a little rough and there was no way in hell it would go into 5th. (its a 10 speed RR). So I flipped the splitter and carried on. Come to a stop sign, back down, still having trouble with 4 and 5. Meanwhile I'm bashing the $#!% out of the side of my knee because it simply wouldn't fit between the oak windowsill and the steering wheel. After about 2 miles of this I finally stopped and read the diagram on top of the shifter.
2 5
1 3 4
As my father would say - "it all comes back to me now like the skunk said when the wind changed." We actually had a truck like that in the yard and I had driven it home from Grande Prairie when I bought it but it never occurred to me that I had bought a bus with the same pattern.
So then we get back to Bryan & Dean's which is on Royal Pine Drive in Kelowna - IOW the rich side of town. They had this huge house stuck to the side of a cliff with a long lane that climbs up from the main drive and no way to turn around at the top. So I lined up and backed up to the front of the house. Then I borrowed Bryan's jigsaw and hacked some of the oak away so that I could operate the clutch without destroying my knee.
The next day we set out for home but we spent too much time visiting so we didn't get away very early and only got as far as Golden that night. It was Easter weekend so it was still pretty cold at night and I didn't actually know how to run the ProHeat which made for a pretty cold night. I was so pissed about the manuals that I had vowed never to phone that miserable SOB unless I was absolutely desperate and I have never been that desperate. Other than a cold night and worrying about getting the noisemaker started in the morning we had a very uneventful rest of the trip home.
Bought our bus on an ebay auction just north of Dallas and drove it to Strawberry Az., about 1100 miles if i remember right. No problems,....sorry guys. ;D
Hello all,When I firs went to pick up my 'new'MCI MC-7 itwas a week long blizzard not forcast,lake effects snow. I flew back to Phoenix. A few weeks later I went to pick her up Again.Left the PO house out the drive ,it was tight, down the lane to the interstate.I knew the brakes were dragging by the time I got to the Interstate. The first Exit had a fuel stop / truckstop in I go to fuel up .The rear brake cans are seized, no worries.The Truckstop has a shop.....they dont work on bus / coaches. International dealer1/8th mile away says sure we will. I camped there for three days until they got to me in the shop it went at10:45p.m. The shop closes at midnight. The don't get the coach done and I can't sleep inside their sho.Off to the hotel I go. Next night they are finished $300.00 and away I go. No trouble till Texas one headlight goes out just befor dark.I pull into a truckstop,they only have square lights.They call somebody "uptown" for me .He brings me a new round headlamp I install it no charge he leaves. I air up get readyto leave the light gets REAL BRIGHT blows out. Off I go.No other prolems.Temperature gets a little warm Before Albuquerque,N.M. The shutterstats act weird but ok no worries Phoenix AZ 2700 mile first drive it was wonderful.Coach really runs nice!
Ok, but don't tell anybody.
I went to drive the bus and buy it if I liked it. The PO started the bus, we walked around and I stared at things I've never seen before. I hopped in and we went for a drive. I liked it so I bought it. I drove away a happy guy. I stopped for fuel outside of town. Everything went well and I was very excited. I hopped in to take off and turned the key and nothing happened. A lot of buzzers going off but no start. I tried for about 10 minutes and finely broke the key off in the switch. I am now sitting there just about to totally freak out with with people behind me waiting and waiting when I noticed the starter button next to the ignition switch. I hated for my wife to see that one.
Jerry
Wrote a book on mine.... :P
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=6055.0 (http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=6055.0)
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=6090.0 (http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=6090.0)
They are long if you have the time
Enjoy
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