So, a lot of you have been following my bus shopping adventure, and I need your help. There is a bus in Hemet Ca (near riverside) that I have looked at and am ready to buy pending a thorough pre-buy inspection. Sooo, I really need your guys' help to find either a well known bus mechanic/shop in that area, or a mechanic (preferably bus nut) to go to where the bus is to check it out. I am willing to pay whatever it takes to get this done. If everything checks out I will be diving her home. Thanks guys and gals.
Quote from: jordansinthesky on October 07, 2010, 05:42:55 PM
If everything checks out I will be diving her home.
So its an underwater bus? ;D
(Sorry, couldn't resist....)
Mike
Jordan -
Have you talked to Bob at HB Industries in El Cajon? It's not that far away from Hemet.
I don't have his number handy, but you can Google it.
Oh, and don't worry about the Spicer gearbox being original. Those things are built like tanks - think of all the missed shifts they've survived over the life of the coach back in the days when it was in revenue service!
And before you drive it, read and print this out to help you shift it:
http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/12262/16204.html?1167073154 (http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/12262/16204.html?1167073154)
Remember the red wine as you drive your new toy home!
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
Jordan,
Call me on monday at 8884733626 I am willing to go and take pic's and write a report for you.
Don
I can't think of anyone better than Don! Keep us posted!
Glenn
Thanks guys, I spoke with Bob at Hb industries, and have read about him here often. I could be wrong, but the impression I got from him was that he just wanted to change my mind and sell me one of his buses. I just want to make sure I get a non-biased look at this girl. Don, I have seen the bus but just need a mechanic to inspect engine/transmission/brakes etc. If you could do this it would be greatly appreciated. I'll call you on monday.
Quote from: RJ on October 08, 2010, 09:56:28 AM
Jordan -
Have you talked to Bob at HB Industries in El Cajon? It's not that far away from Hemet.
I don't have his number handy, but you can Google it.
Oh, and don't worry about the Spicer gearbox being original. Those things are built like tanks - think of all the missed shifts they've survived over the life of the coach back in the days when it was in revenue service!
And before you drive it, read and print this out to help you shift it:
http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/12262/16204.html?1167073154 (http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/12262/16204.html?1167073154)
Remember the red wine as you drive your new toy home!
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
Thanks a lot for that article. I have been worrying about the shifting 'thing.' Luckily I work with very tricky turbine airplanes that have 'gates' at different throttle positions and you have to sort of finesse them in a similar way...but with no clutch. We will see how it goes : )
I should be receiving a call from the owner of dreamliner buses in Ca. today. He will be going to the bus to tune it up and give me a pre-buy inspection report. Does anybody know this company? Are they reliable/fair? Thanks!
Tune it up?
What the {profanity deleted} does that mean, and why?
Stop running around like a trapped mouse and let Don have a look for you.
It's only a bus, and there's lots more out there.
May I hold your wallet?
I hope we're all having a collective giggle about this later...
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Thanks for the good humored slap. I guess "tune up" Would be the wrong word. As I mentioned, on the last trip the owner took he got a stuck injector. I imagine that he is going to have that fixed, as well as any other problems the mechanic might find. I will be speaking to Don today. Trust me, I have stopped running around like crazy, and no you don't have to hold my wallet. I understand there are lots of buses out there, and I have tirelessly searched. This bus just feels right, and meets all of my requirements as well as my budget. hopefully everything checks out. Thanks again for the advice.
Quote from: jordansinthesky on October 11, 2010, 08:03:38 AM
He will be going to the bus to tune it up
Thats code for checking the battery and making sure it will start before you get there..... ;D
Don is a well qualified mechanic and highly respected, I've met the guy and he is real, (can't seem to find a safe or solid parking spot but thats real too lol), ask yourself as you have bus salesmen look it over, do they have an agenda or not, is this unbiased or not, you can rest assured that don will be unbiased with no agenda, you may not like what he may say or it may be just what your looking for, but you can be sure it'll be honest and straightforward.
I'm confused myself, Don would seem to be the surest go to guy. The dreamliner guy seems to be a busnut though, and he has been around a few old buses by the look of it. You mention a stuck injector, make sure your guy has the competence to deal with this without making it worse. There may of course be $ reasons behind your choosing Dreamliner. Still think it looks like a nice coach...as long as the rebuild is legit, and comprehensive.
Thanks for the advice guys. I will be speaking with both the guy at dreamliner as well as don today. Seeing that the dreamliner mechanic is already going there, I figured he would be a good person to look it over, but if you guys think that Don is the answer, I won't hesitate to have him do it. I'm not in a huge hurry as I probably won't have time to go pick up the bus until late Oct./early Nov.
Date set to get a full inspection at the dreamliner shop on the 27th. Barring anything crazy, will be driving 'penguin' home. Thanks for everybody's help. :)
Jordan, I had to go back to your previous thread to figure out what bus you had settled on. Looks like it is:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/rvs/1924115192.html (http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/rvs/1924115192.html)
Looks like a very good bus as well as a good price. It seems to have all of the good components.
Keep us posted on your adventure.
Jim
Yep Jim that's the one. I'm as excited as can be. ;D
I will chime in about letting Don do it. He is a real mechanic with a shop and everything for working on these things. I've seen his shop and met him as well. The other people I dont know about.
Thanks camperbrat. I am set up to do it at dreamliners and am not nervous to do so. They are real mechanics as well and specialize in the oldies like ours. Thanks for all the advice guys.
Im looking forward to more pics after you pick it up :D