A white elaphant returns!

[Busted Knuckle]

Hmmm,

Remember this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2010-1983-MCI-Renaissance-Blank-Canvas-/160551948378?pt=Buses&hash=item2561a4505a

  BK 

[jimsflx]

was the price 10,000 the last time? jim

[Nellie Wilson]

Howdy BK!

As usual, chiming in on something I know nothing about (maybe just because you're the PO?). 

Anyway, the seller seems genuine (states where the bus is located, who worked on it, etc.) Looks a huge job, but for someone with $$ and know-how (either of which eliminates moi), it might be a great project...   

Just askin'...

Nellie

[desi arnaz]

put a few frikken windows in it........  imho  it is a p.o.s

[chart1]

I wonder if it comes with a straight jacket. I would need one after about an hour in there.

[Barn Owl]

Seller says:

ANOTHER OPTION TURN IT INTO A BILL BOARD WOULD EASILY GENERATE A THOUSAND A MONTH FOR ADVERTISING.

Why do these sellers get rid of such money makers? Just think of the millions of dollars of lost revenue every time the seller gets rid of their party bus or in this case a billboard! This bus could be parked where ever and not burn any liquid gold and be even that much more of a money maker!    Coo coo...... Coo coo  

[Busted Knuckle]

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=7414.0

 BK  

[happycamperbrat]

The thing that raises concern with me is the guy said that the guy who fiberglassed it and did all that work to it decided to give it all up because his son was in a wheelchair... Now I understand that maybe the kid didnt want to motorcross anymore, but still to not finish it would be silly at that rate. And for a guy who could do all the work to this bus and not be able to equip it with simple hand controls for a disabled person doesnt make sence.... Otherwise, me not knowing anything about MC9s structure, would look at it and think it a partially finished conversion needing windows cut in fiberglass, a floor, insulation, furniture, etc..

[Nellie Wilson]

After reading those posts on BKs link, I take it all back.  

What a shame though, to spend all that money & time to destroy a perfectly good bus. Makes me sad, actually. Hope the guy can at least salvage the running gear and some misc. parts...

Nellie

[Singing Land Cruiser]

BK Rules

[Charley Davidson]

Boats take more of a beating than these things ever will, the guy (my understanding) was a boat builder & I'm sure he knows a thing or two about glass work & flexing. He may have glassed all of the ribbing into the glass with allowances for movement. Without actually knowing what he did/didn't do there is an awful lot of surmising here.

I remember when I was buying my bus everybody said "run" "Run don't walk run"  I have a great bus that never gave me a real inkling of a problem in 6 years. Too many bench mechanics. If I were in the market and had the cash I'd take a look at it. 

[bottomacher]

I've seen a bunch of 45' or longer boat hulls with less framing incorporated into the fiberglass hull; I can't see anything in the pictures that would indicate that this bus is weaker than the stock bus. I have also seen folks spend a lot more for a shell and get a lot less. As for  adding windows, there is no requirement that metal be welded in; wood or aluminum extrusions can be glassed into the skin panels and provide incredible strength and rigidity. The thickness and composition (mat, roving, type of resin, etc.) of the roof and side skin may well exceed the manufacturer's original structure. My major concern with that bus would be the weight of all that fiberglass, not the strength. I think that someone with a bit of creativity and expertise could make this bus well worth the effort.

[Len Silva]

A boat is a completely different animal than a bus.  I think that if you turned that bus upside down and put it in the water, it would be plenty strong enough.

The question is how well the roof structure will support the lower chassis of the bus.  In the original design, it is a significant part of the structure.  If it was designed by someone who knew and understood that requirement, it might just be OK, though I doubt it.  In the original bus, the engine cradle is supported by the roof structure.  Without the proper engineering, it might well go down the road OK for a while (they are significantly overbuilt), but what happens when you hit a dip in the road at seventy, or hang a 10,000 pound trailer on the back?

[Singing Land Cruiser]

Has anyone gone over to check out this bus or is this all from the pic's?

[artvonne]

  Arm chair mechanics, lol. Hey without those the world would topple off its axis and spin off into the Sun.

  I think throwing out the possible engineering faults that could cost someone a small fortune is better than walking around looking at everything through rose colored glasses. Its always best to err on theside of caution, I think we all agree to that. When someone stops working on something right in the middle, you get a red flag. When someone completely restructures an engineered structure, you get another red flag. When they re-skin the entire structure, especially a known high stress area that uses the skin for structural integrity, you get another red flag. The original builder walked away after blowing a fortune. The buyer is walking away after spending another small fortune. Three potential buyers have walked from a sale. Do they all possibly know something we dont?

  Maybe they drove it down the road and it sounds like an amplified drum. Maybe it creaks like a leaky old boat. Maybe its showing stress cracks that arent being seen until your walking through it. But really, I think anyone looking to start from scratch, wants to start with something reasonably good looking. Most our wives, neighbors and friends would think we lost if it we drove that turd home and told em we paid anything more than nothing for it.