I am looking at a 1973 GMC with a VIN of P8M4905A310. Is there a way to find out any pevious history on this coach by this VIN. I am new to this world and trying to get up to speed. Thanks for any help.
Regards,
Mike
Try www.angelfire.com (http://www.angelfire.com) they should have it under GM coaches
Tried going to this site but had no luck.
Mike -
P8M4905A-310 was delivered new in March of 1973 as fleet number O-508 to Oklahoma Transportation Company, HQ'd in Oklahoma City, OK. More than likely, it remained in their fleet for at least 10-15, maybe 20 years before being sold off to a secondary carrier or private owner.
I have no other ownership information, you'll have to sleuth backwards from the previous owner.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
Thank you for that info, the bus still has 508 on the door. The previous owner has passed and the family does not seem to know much about it.
Mike
Curious as to where you found that info.
Quote from: 67flh on May 05, 2016, 09:13:16 AM
Curious as to where you found that info.
From a binder I keep next to my desk, which I've had for probably 20 years or more.
It's a copy of a list of every GMC Parlor Car delivered from the early PG-2501s right up until the very last 4905s. The list was compiled originally by members of the Motor Bus Society, IIRC.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
Mike,
Yours is a brother/sister bus to mine @MK&O. Mine is #333, so it was probably in the same group they purchased that year. I can still make out that it was #731 on the entrance door.
Steve Toomey
Thanks again RJ. Steve where did you find yours when you took ownership and do you know any more of its history? This on is now located in Central New York.
Mike
Mike,
I don't have much information on it other than what RJ had. I can see where the tape numbers were on the door. I did contract the former owner of MK&O and get some interesting memorabilia, but not specific to my bus. I am the 4th owner, and only the 2nd private owner of mine.
Steve
I will keep you posted on the outcome of this endeavor. Anything special I should be looking for on this coach as far as condition?
Quote from: 67flh on May 05, 2016, 09:57:52 AM
Anything special I should be looking for on this coach as far as condition?
Mike -Rust is an issue around the front upper deck windows, the "D" windows below and around the rear window frame. If the bus has been capped, these spots may or may not have been addressed.
The majority of the coach is aluminum, so it's not prone to rust, but there can be come corrosion issues. Look for silver powder around rivets, bubbling in the billboard area and other high-stress spots. Remember, the coach is built like an airplane, thus the exterior skin is also the frame which means it also carries all the stress. Steve can probably address this better than I, since he's a Rust Belt inhabitant he's a lot more familiar with corrosion issues.
Steve - Your coach was delivered to MK&O in April of '73, the one Mike's talking about a month earlier to OTC. VINs in between went to five different companies in NJ, NS, NY, and CA.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
RJ thanks again,educate me to what "capped" actually entails
Mike,
I bought mine in Minnesota 14-1/2 yrs ago, where it had been since MK&O was bought by another bus company. Mine had a tiny bit of rust around the driver's window and the "little D" window on the passenger side, and some of the steel at the seams was rusted pretty good under the paint. All the metal around the windows is steel, and the worst corrosion is at the seams, especially where aluminum and steel meet. I removed all of the drip edge where I covered windows, and that is where the most corrosion was. I used a lot of Rust Bullet at seams before I painted my 50/50 paint job.
Although I am now in the "rust belt", it doesn't rust too much sitting in the driveway! ;D
RJ, I forgot mine is M-731, so I guess the M might mean it was based in Missouri? So considering the delivery date, I am only 10 yrs older than my bus!
Steve
Quote from: 67flh on May 05, 2016, 06:07:48 PM
Educate me to what "capped" actually entails.
Mike -Type in "PD4905" into Google Images, and in the 2nd row you'll see a black/silver coach that's been "capped."
Oh, and FYI, I forgot to include the trivial fact that OTC was an operating subsidiary of MK&O, where Steve's bus originated.
Steve -It's a little more complex than that. I know you've done a ton of research on your coach and it's history (which is very cool, btw), so this is just a little industry trivia: Greyhound started the letter/number combination for their pool equipment - those cars that ran the thru schedules without a change of buses between origin and destination (SF > Miami, for example.) In order to keep track of which division the coach actually belonged to, they started assigning a letter before the number. Thus E-3047 was an Eastern Greyhound car, while P-1444 would be one assigned to Pacific Greyhound (later Western GL). Companies that inter-lined their schedules with Blue Pooch often adopted a similar scheme for their fleet numbers.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
RJ,
What is the reason for capping and are they pre manufactured for specific models?
Mike -
Mostly for looks.
Often done because of unavailability of replacement parts - usually rear window and upper deck window glass, in the case of a Buffalo (4905).
R&M Fiberglass was the big supplier during the heyday, but they have since discontinued all of their bus fiberglass parts and, from what I understand, have also destroyed the molds.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
RJ,
Once again thanks for the insight.
pabusnut Steve to you as well.
Mike