Looking for a cheap conversion...

txdennis · February 14, 2011, 02:41:53 PM

The GMCs seem to be more reasonable. Can anyone tell me anything about them in general? How about PD4106-1369 or PD4106-1090? The owner of 1369 says it has been converted to automatic & has an Allison in it. Thanks

JohnEd · February 14, 2011, 04:05:53 PM

Welcome! I am sure many here will respond. Till then, look into the GMC site over on Yahoo Groups. Many of them are here also but you might as well cast as wide a net as possible.

Again, Welcome,

John

RnMAdventures · February 14, 2011, 04:34:51 PM

Howdy Dennis,

I am here is Tehas as well... and I am looking for a GM conversion. Looks like I got some competition

I had a 4104 years ago and it is similar to the 4106 except it has the 671 vs the 8v71 in the 4106. I drove a 4106 that had a Alison tranny and it drove like a dream. I was really impressed with the power and drivability of the bus. There are a lot folks that know a lot more than me about them on this BB, but I thought I would throw my 2cents in.

Good luck,
Mike

JohnEd · February 14, 2011, 05:37:34 PM

Mike,

The pers info listing says Dennis lives in "Washington". My neighborhood!

John

luvrbus · February 14, 2011, 05:49:55 PM

What if he lives in Washington on the Brazos JohnEd lol

RnMAdventures · February 14, 2011, 06:10:49 PM

lol... I took it from his name, I assumed everyone that put "tx" in their name was in Texas

.

Wew... I was worried he would scoop of the deal of the year before I got to it. There are some fantastic deals out there right now.

Barn Owl · February 14, 2011, 08:02:11 PM

A GM is a very well engineered bus and in many ways was ahead of it's time. That is one of the reasons you still see so many survivors running around out there. It is one of the easier buses to work on, and parts are inexpensive and easy to come by thanks to the transits that share so many of the same parts. I would consider them an entry level coach because it is one of the least expensive buses to purchase. Being almost all aluminum, rust issues are isolated to only a few places and are not difficult to remedy. If you go with a 4106 you will find they handle well, and because of the low height and 35' length, you can go places others cannot. The 8v71 makes it a peppy bus, and if you find one with a 6v92ta it will be a hot rod. Throw Jake brakes on it and again be impressed how well they work on such a light weight machine. Because of the places I go I have to have one with the v730 tranny conversion, but there seems to plenty here who manage quite well with the four speed. This should help get you started. Have you tried searching the archives? There is a lot of information out there that can help you as you look for buses.

RJ · February 14, 2011, 09:24:43 PM

Quote from: txdennis on February 14, 2011, 02:41:53 PM
The GMCs seem to be more reasonable. Can anyone tell me anything about them in general? How about PD4106-1369 or PD4106-1090? The owner of 1369 says it has been converted to automatic & has an Allison in it. Thanks

Dennis -

PD4106-1369 was delivered new as fleet number 1082 to Central Greyhound Lines, headquartered in Kansas City, MO at the time. It was part of a 75-bus order, all going to this division between April and July of 1962. My guesstimate, based on the other orders GM was producing at the time, is that this bus came off the line near the end of April or the first part of May. Back then, Greyhound took exceptionally good care of their equipment (sadly, not so today), so for the first 10-11 years of it's life, it was well taken care of.

PD4106-1090 was delivered new in March of 1962 as fleet number J-219 to Jefferson Transportation Company, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

FWIW & HTH. . .

eddiepotts · February 15, 2011, 05:39:34 AM

Did you happen to see this one? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1962-Vintage-GMC-4106-Conversion-Bus-RV-Camper-T160164-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a6317f2d1QQitemZ250770617041QQptZBuses

Barn Owl · February 15, 2011, 06:03:04 AM

They are asking to much for that one. No Jakes, manual tranny, just for starters.

thejumpsuitman · February 15, 2011, 11:19:30 AM

My suggestion is to remain as open as possible to any make and be ready to pounce when the deal comes up. In this market, giveaway deals pop up all the time. You might be surprised what you can get. Could get more than you expect, we did.

Marc

bebackbus · February 15, 2011, 11:39:44 AM

look on craigslist yuma AZ my bus

Cary and Don · February 15, 2011, 01:05:55 PM

I think you have to be real careful as to the difference between "cheap" and "well priced" It seems from all the posts from new buyers that purchased "cheap" they got a whole lot of expensive problems for their money. Then the bus ends up scrapped and they are out a lot of money.

To buy a "cheap" conversion and redo them now just isn't cost effective and takes a whole lot of work. If you don't REALLY like big projects that take months or years this is not for you. Spend the extra money up front and save the costs later and all the time you could have been out using the completed coach. If you aren't a mechanic or willing to learn to be one, make sure you bought a mechanically sound bus. Repair shops are very expensive.

We have a GM4107 and it has been a really good bus. We were lucky and got it from an honest seller. We spent an equal amount redoing the conversion. Even in this market it appears that a good conversion of this age will probably run about $25K. I am sure there are some for less, but I would be real afraid of the conversion in the under $10k price. A good engine and transmission is worth more than that.

Don and Cary
GMC4107
Neoplan AN340

boxcarOkie · February 15, 2011, 01:31:16 PM

Don and Cary
GMC4107
Neoplan AN340 ... A good reply and equally good advice.

Two ways to buy oats. Before they been thru the horse or after, it pays to be careful. Cheap isn't always the best way I am sure you agree.

BCO

RnMAdventures · February 15, 2011, 04:53:23 PM

Dennis,

I should have given you a more thorough answer. Back in 2002 I went throught this for the first time and I learned a lot. Everyone here has given some good advice. I do want to clarify a couple of things. Shelling out a lot of money does not mean you are getting a better conversion. Above and beyond all that, you have to know what you are looking at. I didn't really know the difference back then. I purchased a 58 PD4104 from the Pastor of my church at the time. He is a good man, God bless him, but he gave me some poor advice... or he just didn't know better (which is what I like to think). I paid $18k back then for it. Genset was bad, brakes were bad, a few electrical problems. I really loved the bus... ignorance is bliss. I later sold it for less than half than that. At the same time my brother and his wife saw an old MCI-5 on the side of the road and looked into it. It was an old busnut that had done a high quality conversion on it, the engine, brakes, and genset where in great shape. He got it from a widow for $11k... later sold it for $14k... and that person got a great deal.

My old conversion:

I could have got this one for $5000 in 2006 (lots and lots of work):

I could have got this one for 12k I think:

This one for around 10k.

and finally this one for $25k... it needed to be retubed, but the conversion was very nice.

Shop around a look at what a good conversion is... and go into it informed. You will notice tell-tale signs... how is the wiring ran? How do the fuel lines look? Look for frsh grease on the greasing points. Is it leaning after it has sat for a while. There are a lot of buses out there and some folks are very proud of thier bus. When you get serious about a bus, pay a diesel mechanic to check out the mechanical systems for you... that don't matter if you pay 100k for the bus... get a mechanic to look at it if you are not familiar with diesel engines or thier systems. Money well spent.

If their are some local busnuts... check thier buses. There is a local busnut in my area that I plan to buy his coach if he will sell it to me. He converted the bus right, used it for years, and maintained it correctly. Dennis, that is the kind of bus you should look for. You should be able to find one from 10k-15k.... 20k. Be patient...

Hope that helps.