An Account of my misadventures picking up my new (to me) BlueBird

[oldmansax]

Some of your may remember I was thinking about buying a BlueBird Wanderlodge to restore. I think Christy said it wouldn't make me a traitor but I would be a subversive.

Well I bought the Bird & wrote up an account of going down to Florida to get it on the BlueBird forum. I thought some may find it of interest so I am posting it here. FYI, it's a 1982 PT40

WARNING: It's a long post:

I am going to try to recount my misadventure to buy the Bird before I blank out the memories!   

Before I start, let me say that the previous owner, John, has been & is the nicest and most hospitable guy I have ever had the pleasure of meeting; and he is generous to a fault.

I had planned to go to Florida a month earlier but John's wife passed away & he had all the things that go with that tragedy to deal with. Then my schedule got in the way. I finally left on Monday the 16th, with three stops in mind: I was supposed to look at equipment for my business in N. Smyrna Beach, FL., go over to Pensacola to check out the Bird, & look at another piece of equipment around Montgomery on the way back home. I thought I could be in N. Smyrna Beach Tuesday afternoon late, Pensacola Wednesday, Montgomery Friday, and back home Sunday. Unfortunately, I did not hear the opening theme for Gilligan's Island playing and the soft singing in the background, "A three hour tour, A three hour tour".......



Sunday night, my wife decided she would go with me as far as Richmond, Va., where my daughter would pick her up to visit with the grand kids while I was gone.

Monday morning we got away from home about 8 AM headed around D.C to Richmond. I should mention I drove a company truck, an extended cab Chevy with a utility body & a lift gate full of my tools because I was going to look at machinery for the business...... and a bus! That meant cramming all the clothes I needed (which wasn't much) and all my wife's clothes, cosmetics, gifts for the grand kids, etc. etc. etc. in the cab. It was an interesting trip!

Half way around the D.C. beltway traffic slowed to a stop. I found out somebody had run over somebody on I-95 & everything was blocked up. I finally got off on U.S. 1 and got around the problem but we didn't make it to Richmond until almost nightfall. After I dropped off the wife, I called my contact in Smyrna Beach to let them know I probably wouldn't be there Tuesday afternoon. To my (& his) surprise, a guy had showed up that afternoon with cash & bought the piece I was going to look at! Scratch Smyrna!   

Since there was now no need to hit east Florida, I picked up I-85 & headed south. I got a room at a Hampton Inn somewhere in Georgia about midnight.

6 AM Tuesday found me headed to Montgomery. The 70 MPH speed limit was nice & I rolled into my destination in the early afternoon. That turned out to be a bust as well because what was there was not even close to what we were looking for; so, after a 10 minute lecture to the owner about misrepresenting what he was selling, I headed for Pensacola.   

I made it to P'cola before it was dark & called John, the owner, to see if I could just take a peek at the BB before it got dark. I was thinking, the way things had been going, the Bird would be a bust too & I could get some rest & be on my way back early Wednesday. John said "Fine, come on down!"

John's place is very nice. He has a super shop and hook ups for 3 motor homes. The BB was setting outside the shop, plugged in. He gave me a quick tour before dark, started the engine, which sounded good & tried a few other things. Some worked, most didn't.

(Cue, "the water started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed.......")

Still, I was interested. I decided to get a good meal & some rest & look at it again on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday, I gave it a good going over. Lots of interior things didn't work, mostly lights & accessories. I found erratic voltages at all the junction boxes. The generator would run fine at no load, but shut off after about 15 minutes loaded. The coach (engine) alternator was not charging at all.

Being the ever optimistic fellow that I am, I decided to give it the old college try. I figured, "What the heck, it's better than some vehicles I have had to drag home in pieces on a trailer. This will actually MOVE under it's own power!"

We made the deal and I prevailed on John to let me camp out in the Bird while I got it ready for the trip home. I thought a days work would get the critical systems operational & I would be on my way.

(Cue "The ship set ground on the shores of this uncharted desert isle"....)

Thursday morning I spent fooling with the generator. John thought the safeties were shutting the engine down. After finally bypassing all the safeties, I discovered the generator would not make any power (AC) after about 15 minutes. I told John He was going to have to get somebody here with the information needed to test the genny. We got an appointment setup for Friday morning. Meanwhile, I spent the day setting up my pickup to be towed back. That should have been a piece of cake, as it is already setup to tow. We tow it all the time to jobs. BUT, the BB electrical connection was not compatible with my light setup, even though it was a standard 7 way RV plug. No ground on the Bird & socket wired wrong. Also, the connections were all corroded. Nothing several hours & $100 wouldn't fix....   

John & I also found out the fields on the engine alternator were not being energized, which is why it wasn't charging. John made the fields hot all the time. Later on Saturday morning, I tracked down a circuit that was only hot when the key was on. I liked that better.

When the tech showed up Friday, he found out the voltage regulator was bad. In addition, he did not have the right information to check all the components in the genny. He said he could order the regulator from the distributor in Upper Siberia Monday. They could have it packed out over night on a Llama & it would be here Tuesday for an additional extortionate fee. We said, why not? It's just money.... 

Did I mention I found out Wednesday night that there was no cold water in the shower? Just hot. So, in between tracking down electrical problems and keeping the heat on the Siberian authorities, I took apart the antique shower valve, SEVERAL TIMES, & repaired it. I got cold water to the shower just in time to find out the electrical part of the water heater DOESN'T WORK. Of course, by now it was Friday night & everything was closed. Saturday morning I went down to the local RV supply & bought a water heater element, drained the tank, & installed that. In the process, I found out the switch that cuts the water heater off DOESN'T WORK EITHER!!!!!      Maybe that's why the element was burnt out....... 

Sunday, I just puttered around a little. I try not to work on Sunday if I can help it. I mostly prayed for help & mercy..........   

Monday, I spent checking out more wiring. I adjusted the brakes, checked all the levels & belts. Air pressure in the tires. Installed a homemade gasket on the generator exhaust because I knew I would need to run it all the way home.

As Tuesday dawned, I was waiting with bated breath for the regulator, due in at 10 AM. It arrived at 2 PM as promised along with instructions in several languages, all of which said absolutely no returns. The instructions also said to check the stator BEFORE installing the new regulator because a bad stator will burn out the regulator. You will remember the tech didn't have the information on how the check the stator........   

Called the tech again & he said he couldn't track down the info today (Tuesday) but would be there bright & early tomorrow & check it out.

Okaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy...........

I may have forgotten to mention that my daughter was getting married Saturday & I was expected to be there. It was to be an informal affair on a cruise ship & I didn't have a part but I was expected to put in an appearance.......

"Houston, we have a problem!"

Wednesday morning, 10 AM, no tech. 11 AM, no tech. Noon, no tech. By 1 PM I was getting a little concerned...   

At 2 PM the tech checked the stator and pronounced it DOA. I told John I had to go, no matter what.

I should have also mentioned that it was 100 degrees in the shade all week at John's and no shade to be found. Additionally, I had a heat stroke several years back & don't tolerate heat as well as I used to. That is why I wanted the generator working, so the A/C would work.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch........

John & I were trying to find some way to get the BB back to my home as I didn't know when I would be able to get back down to Florida. About that time, I noticed he had 2 Generac 7.5 KW commercial style generators in the shop. I asked him about them & he said they had only been run a few hours during a storm. He agreed to give me one just to get rid of me.... (just kidding, but I knew he was THINKING it! )

We got the first one out & it ran fine. I decided to change the oil for the long trip home. After I changed the oil, it wouldn't start. We finally gave up on that one and rolled the other one out. It started & ran fine. Should I change the oil or not? It looked like midnight in the coal mine so I decided to take a chance. John said I was leaving whether it ran or not.... (just kidding, Lighten up!). I changed the oil & it ran fine.

We got the thing in the bed of my pickup and made up a long enough 50 amp extension to plug the shore power cord from the BB to the Generac and fired it up.

EUREKA GRIDLEY! I BELIEVE WE'VE GOT IT!

I made everything secure with wire ties & rope, hooked up the pick up & fired up the Bird.

So, at around 6 PM Wednesday, with the Generac in the pickup bed screaming like a banshee, and massive cables wire tied to the radio antenna and door handle, I left Pensacola headed for Virginia and points north.

To be continued..............

TOM

[FloridaCliff]

Now, Your NO rookie at this and you went to get a Bus before your daughters wedding!

You really like to live in the EDGE........admit it Tom!

OK.......I want to hear moreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......

[buswarrior]

Sounds like a worthy candidate for some Winter Road driving...

When you coming north?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[jackhartjr]

Reminded me of going to get our bus three weeks before our wedding...at least she let me live!
Good luck there Buddy!