Tomorrow morning I head out for the hinter lands of Union City, TN. The home of BK, Dallas, Cat and my MC8. With a whole lot of help from Dallas, we are going to put a hitch on the bus, a tow bar on the jeep and generally look over the bus so I can head back home after Thanksgiving.
This will be an adventure for me, I have never driven any thing over 28 foot. But as long as it has wheels I do believe I can drive it . :)
My route will start in Northern Virginia and take me down I-81 to I-40 and across Tennessee. If time permits I would love to meet some fellow bus nuts. As it is now I will be spending the night in Roanoke on the return trip.
Let the adventure begin.........
Frank
Frank,
So glad to get to drive her home! I know you will feel great behind the wheel of your coach. Take it easy and be safe.
Make sure before you leave that everything is there. Count your lug nuts and make sure the motor is in there. Remember they bought that parts truck. You never know what BK and his crew have done. ;D
Paul
Frank, you'll need to stop at busnut places on the way to get your bus and play a little game called find the missing parts. ;D
Good luck on your adventure.
Just remember frank, don't run the defroster, you don't want that catfish thats in the vent to get too warm. Might be kind of ripe now.
Frank,
When do you expect to be coming through Roanoke? If I'm gonna be around, I'll buy the coffee and look over your treasure on wheels! There are a couple of bus nuts around here!
Dennis
CONGRATULATIONS FRANK!!!!!
Phyllis & I wish you the best.
Have fun at BK's but watch your back........
Cat is a very nice lady.
The jury is still out on Dallas... ;D ;D ;D
I don't know BK personally but he associates with Dallas..... ;D ;D ;D ;D
Also, there appears to be a lot of MCI parts floating around.... ;D ;D ;D ;D
Have fun!!
TOM
Frank
Good luck on your new bus. We are at a RV park about 10 miles north of Knoxville. Will be here till Dec.2.If you need anything let me know.
Frank, we are looking forward to seeing you again. There are some problems though. If you are here talking to D, who's gonna be in the chat room? Also, I'm sure gonna miss my bus. LOL Be careful on your way here and don't forget to bring a jacket. It's a wee bit chilly here right now. Cat
Where in Roanoke are you going to overnight? What day/time will you be here? Like Dennis said, lets try to get together and do lunch or something. Good luck on the trip.
Laryn
Frank -
There is a difference between 28 feet and 40 feet, and it's all in the wheelbase!
Biggest thing: Remember that everything is behind you! You're sitting almost four feet in front of the steering axle, not on top of or behind it. Makes a big difference.
Also, as you go around a corner, you're controlling where the REAR DRIVE AXLE is going, not the front end. That's the pivot point you've got to contend with. If you don't, believe me, curbs, gutters, fire hydrants, stop signs and signal lights will jump off the corners and BITE YOU - most of the time in the rear baggage bin!! You must watch your mirrors as you make the turns.
When coming to a RH corner, set your coach up 18 - 36" and parallel to the curb. This will keep four-wheelers from sneaking up alongside you. DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, swing the front of the coach to the LEFT before you start your RH turn. This can, and does, create accidents - the car on your left swerves to avoid what he thinks is you changing lanes into him, so he tries to get out of the way - straight into oncoming traffic. Not good. . .
Instead, proceed straight into the intersection until the front axle clears the curb line of the street you're turning onto, then start your turn, watching both the RH mirror and out the windshield for traffic and rear axle placement. If no traffic, you're on your way. If there's traffic, and you cannot complete the turn without crunching a four-wheeler - STOP! Just sit and wait for THEM to get out of your way.
If all this doesn't make sense, then have BK or his dad take you out for a little training. I'd be careful about letting Dallas do it, tho. He's only used to 35-foot rigs - your forty footer would spook him! ;D :D ;D :D
Enjoy your journey and your new toy!!
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
Hey, Russ! What about Me, poor little Cat, the only recent driver that poor little bus has known? I'm the one that drove it into the pond to see if it would float, I'm the one that drives it across the tall grass in the field. I am also the one that pets it every day and lets it know it isn't an orphan. Why can't I be his teacher? LOL ;D ::) ;D
Frank,
Good luck, look her over good now, I am enclosing a photo. I have no idea what it means, Hummmmmmm..
Have a safe trip, don't take one thing for granted, check everything possible every time you stop to rest, stay to the right and do double nickels all the way.
Gary
You'll have to make sure BK has all the fuel bills ready too, it's Franks bus, he should take care of the fuel bills that BK ran up while using the bus for those charters, and don't forget the towing bill and repair bills for the little problem when the engine blew, or the attorney fee's from the passengers that filed all those nasty lawsuits, it was unfortunate that the courts felt the bus owner was liable for those. lol
Cody, you forgot the invoices for those wreckers after the little pond jumping incident. And what about when that little old lady was crossing in front of it at the stoplight? who woulda thought that light could change so fast?
DF
Quote from: bubbaqgal on November 17, 2007, 04:39:40 AM
Hey, Russ! What about Me, poor little Cat, the only recent driver that poor little bus has known? I'm the one that drove it into the pond to see if it would float, I'm the one that drives it across the tall grass in the field. I am also the one that pets it every day and lets it know it isn't an orphan. Why can't I be his teacher? LOL ;D ::) ;D
Because, my dear, Frank would be too distracted by your delightful presence to concentrate on what he's doing - after all, you yourself know how slobbery guys get when there's a pretty lady around, don'tcha? ;D :o ;D :o ;D
Tongue firmly in cheek. . .
;)
;D Aww. ya made me blush. LOL Flattery will get you almost anywhere. Luckily there aren't any pretty gals around here or nothing would ever get done. HEHE
OH Crap Dallas! Boy have we done it now! I'm sure Gary, Uncle Ned, Don, Jerry, Ron, Darrin, Mike, Jay and everybody else remembers the joke off the 4 sale sign we put on the bus when we parked it down at the road for the rally. Well guess what? Ya we forgot to take the sign off it and some guy found our website, uh huh if yer with me this far Dallas you probably can figure out the rest of it by now (buy it now)! Yup that's right this guy has used the buy it now button I had you put on our website for accepting credit cards and has bought Franks bus! As a matter of fact he's probably gonna be there any minute now to pick it up! I was gonna tell ya about it sooner, but ya know after driving those 850 miles yesterday, the football team leading from the first quarter 13-3 and then losing 24-13 in the last 5 mins of the game, and Jeannine & I leaving at the crack of dawn this AM! (second night in a row I got about 3-4 hrs sleep b4 driving all day!) I just plumb forgot! Until I read this post! Well all I can say is when he get's there check his ID and put a piece of paper over his credit card and use a pencil to make an imprint of it! By the way he forgot to add the 8% fee for using the credit card so please collect that in cash!
Thanks ;D BK ;D
PS You and Cat have no idea how much easier my life is with you guys there to handle things like this when I'm one the road! And I REALLY do appreciate all the 2 of you do! Oh and by the way maybe someone should call Frank and tell him about this little issue b4 he comes all that way! Oh yeah the guy said he doesn't care about a title (he's cutting it up for scrap), but he would like a bill of sale to drive it home on! If ya don't mind writing one up for Frank (after all he is the actual registered owner!)
Too late Bryce. Frank is on his way and has no cell phone and his mother has no phone so he won't know until he gets here. I think Dallas and I need to go somewhere, anywhere, anywhere at all before he shows up. Mike will be here tomorrow, we can let him break the news for us.
PS: Since when is 8:15 the crack of dawn? LOL
Quote from: bubbaqgal
PS: Since when is 8:15 the crack of dawn? LOL
Think about it CAT! Me ~ 8:15 AM Especially with whatever time it was when I got in! (around 3-4 I think!)
And I hear ya on the anywhere! LOL! ;D BK ;D
ya shoulda just stayed up. LOL
I would invite Frank to stop by here. Buuuuttt I don't think he would be up for the case of white knuckles to get to my place... Those two hairy downhill switchbacks look even scarier now with the vegetation gone.....
Remember I am off I-40 at Hwy 56N ( Loves Truck Stop Exit 280 )..
Then about 9 miles...
Dave.....
No Problem, Dave....
He'll have his Jeep Wrangler behind him, maybe, if I remember to put those pesky lock washers on the bolts.
If not, well, It's 4WD, it should be able to go anywhere, right?
DF
Quote from: Dallas on November 17, 2007, 04:19:49 PM
No Problem, Dave....
He'll have his Jeep Wrangler behind him, maybe, if I remember to put those pesky lock washers on the bolts.
If not, well, It's 4WD, it should be able to go anywhere, right?
DF
Yep... Just kidding, Anyone is welcome that is passing through. Just let me know...
Dallas, Your Tagline is GOOD....
"A Job Worth Doing is Worth Screwing Up"
"What this country needs is kids who think tearing a lawnmower engine apart is more fun than playing video games"
I resemble that remark...( Dave ).... My problem is that I have not outgrown it....
Number 5 Dis-assemble ...Need Tools.....Hmmmm... Need Bigger Tools.... Hmmm.. :o
How Exciteing.. Good trip to you and Who ever is going with you.. Dont listen to these people, they ate NOT your friends.. ;D
Happy Sailing...
(mummble..mummble..)
OH, sorry, i thought you just bought a Boat... Never Mind.. ???
Hey, I live 5 miles north of Cookeville, Tennessee (about half way between Nashville and Knoxville on I-40). If you need anything let me know. I have a lot of parking room if you need to stop over for the night.
Danny
Well, here we go.
I finally made it to BK'S today. The trip here was pretty uneventful. The Jeep started spitting oil so ever hundred miles I had to stop and check it and throw some in occasionally. I spent the night at my mom's (she lives 2 hours south of BK's place) and headed out bright and early today.
I was amazed, they managed to get most of the parts back on and the mildew should be cleared up in a month or so. The major disappointment was they didn't get it painted pink afterall. I think Cody will be upset the most.
Among all the tail telling and lie swapping and Dallas having to earn a living we did manage to get started on some of the things we need to get done in order for me to get the bus back to Virginia.
We have the rear bumper off and will start he hitch install tomorrow if we don't find too much rust. (shhhhh don't tell the eagle guys, I will never hear the end of it) Dallas said it would not be proper to remove the seats with air tools. He said a real bus nut only used hand tools for this job. So I was handed a wrench , a mallet and a screw driver and told to get cracking!
I have never seen such a group of people so happy to see a fellow bus nut work. They were all smiling and some just down right giggling as I headed into the bus. I believe they started laughing even harder when they heard me rename the seats a couple of times during the process.
I must be a true bus owner now because I have the scraped knuckles and aching back and knees that seem so common. Well it is dark here and they have rolled up the sidewalks. Actually there are no sidewalks, but Dallas did turn off the lights.
So far it has been a grand adventure.....more notes tomorrow.
Frank
Hey Frank,You just had to metion rusty Eagle's huh.....Not funny.......At least our coach is sitting by the house rust and all....Hee....Hee....Hee....
Just Git 'er done and drive that baby home.......Be safe, and make sure you check everything out before you leave....You never know what is missing...... ;
Now you've got BUSTED KNUCKLES......Sore back......And a new vocabulary.... ;)
Paul
Once again we entered the fray. We worked on two projects today. We started the install for the tow bar on my jeep and more demolition on the bus. We have Finlay cut out all the Pieces we no longer need (well according to Dallas anyway) and started measuring the pieces we want to put back in.
I got to play with the cut off wheel today, made lots of smoke and pretty sparks, just like in the movies. We got quite a bit accomplished. In theory we will finish up tomorrow, I guess that remains to be seen. :)
On a very positive note, I got to drive the bus today WOO HOO !!! We had to go to town for supplies so Dallas said it was a good a time as any to get that first driving lesson. I was very impressed. He only yelled three times, though he did seem to pray a lot. Cat put her knuckle imprints in the passenger rail and has said she will never ride in the front seat again.
It couldn't have been too bad though, I did manage to talk them out of taking a taxi home after we ate dinner. All in all a good first trip. The plan for tomorrow is to finish the hitch and tow bar and for me to head to my mom's for Thanksgiving. After that it is 800 miles to home.
The adventure continues......
Frank
I only sat in the front seat 'cause you took the back ones out. The taxi part...well,first off, we never saw a taxi and secondly, you looked so pitiful begging us to ride with you. We couldn't say no when you got on your knees inside the restaurant. Everyone thought you were proposing to both of us.
Well,
We were gonna go have dinner at the local Chop Suey joint and take Franks Jeep.
The plan was to have some dep fried Garfield and maybe a side of Morris soup.
Then it dawned on us that we wouldn't all fit in the Wrangler so I suggested using the bus as it was as good a time as any to have the first driving experience.
Below is a picture of Frank behind the wheel, negotiating the 7 1/2' wide road that we live on.
He says it portrays concentration, but we prefer to think of it as "Complete and Total Abject Terror"!
Dallas is going to spend the day today trying to glue the steering wheel back together where Franks death grip broke it in half.
Is my royalty cheque for that hitch design in the mail yet? If it falls off you can't sue me unless the royalties have been paid.
Ah the best laid plans of mice and men........
Well, things did not go as planned. We made progress yesterday, but didn't get finished. The tow bar is mounted on the jeep and is ready to go. The hitch was mostly mounted with only a little bit left to do. We still have some metal to replace but we have what we need so it is just a fabrication drill.
I left during thunderstorm and headed south. We had a good Thanksgiving Day with friends and family. I hope everyone else had a good holiday also.
It is back up north and hard at it tomorrow. The only additional thing left is to wire in the tow lights. Dallas and Cat have been exceptional. If you ever get the chance make sure you stop by and visit them. If you need some work done, don't hesitate to take it to them.
For those few still reading this thread, more to come.........
Frank
Happy to her you're making progress, Frank. Sounds like all the ribbing is being taken in stride...let the children have their fun...they won't have anyone to pick on 'til Cody shows up. Wish you a safe trip home.
Bob
OK, Frank is on the road at LAST!
He left here, (BK's Union City Bus Terminal and repair shop), about 16:15 Central time (For you guys from Cape May Courthouse, The Big hand is on the 3 and the little hand is on the 4 ::) ).
He is gonna head down to Jackson, Tn. tonight and spend the night at his moms then head out for Virginia tomorrow. At least that was the plan at the time of departure.
I'll post some pictures that Cat and I took.
The first one was taken as Frank was leaving, the smoke is from doing too much idling over the last year or so and the fuel is goodness knows how old.
the hitch and towbar
How does this thing hook up again?
The nasty part of attaching the receiver
Maybe a little over kill on the towbar mounts?
Just a quick update...
At 20:00 Frank called to say that he has made it to his moms and hasn't run over anything yet.
And the fun has begun!
Hmmmphhh - pretty damn flimsy looking attachment to the jeep. Its amazing the ends some people will go to just to avoid a little royalty payment.
>:(
Well as Dallas said I made it to Jackson with no problems. Although when I got fuel it was kinda iffy if I was going to make it out from the pumps without having to unhook the jeep. It was a really tight turn.
The bus just purred. The only problem I had was speed. I tried to run 55 - 60 where allowable. I would look down though and the needle would be on 65 and headed to 70. I did not hit any hills so I have no idea how it will behave when it really has to climb.
Once again plans have changed. I will be spending the day at my moms doing all the little things my dad used to take care of and head out tomorrow. If nothing else, it will make NCBob happy :)
Later Gators..........
PS: Bob (ofthenorth) we would never do that to you :)
Time to change your signature line Frank.
Good idea Frank...How 'bout "WHAT have I done now??"
I just talked with Frank (Slow Rider) in the chat room.
He made it home safely from Tn to Va, arriving around 04:00 ET.
He is now taking a nap and we will await his conscious state to learn more about his trip.
The one thing he did say is that it was kind of cool driving down the road with the heater going full blast. That is until he learned that the rear switch on the drivers panel was the Aux A/C control and was in the "On" position.
;D 8) :o 8) ;D
Make me happy, Frank? What made me happy was the news that both you, the Bus and the Jeep made it back home to VA without and deer assassinations or human carnage. Now you'll have to give us a full report on how long it took for you to stop shivering like a bird in a brier in the Interstate. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Bob