1985 MCI 102A3 Hello

[AngelsFastpitch]

Hello,

We just joined the site and are super excited.  We purchased a 1985 MCI 102A3 Bus about a month ago from California with about 400K miles.  Motor recently rebuilt.  We are from Texas so it was a big test to see if we could make it from Cali all the way back home.  Surprisingly (and a good surprise at that) we made it without any major issues.  Just wanted to say hello, we will be looking through the forum for advice on what we need to do to help.

We are a travel sports team so we bought the bus for our athletes and we want to make sure we do everything the right way!  Anyways excited!

[dukegrad98]

Where in Texas?  I'm east of Dallas.

If this is for a sports team, are you going to keep the bus configured as a seated coach, or are you going to convert it?  Nearly everyone here guts their buses and turns them into RV type setups. 

Cheers, John

[Seangie]

Congrats on the bus purchase.  Welcome to the board.  Youll get a lot of feedback here and lots of help.  Its a great place to start asking questions about your bus.

-Sean

Fulltiming somewhere in the USA
1984 Eagle 10S
www.herdofturtles.org

[AngelsFastpitch]

Where in Texas?  I'm east of Dallas.

If this is for a sports team, are you going to keep the bus configured as a seated coach, or are you going to convert it?  Nearly everyone here guts their buses and turns them into RV type setups. 

Cheers, John

We are in North DFW up in McKinney Texas.  We plan on keeping it the way it is with some slight modifications.  We'd like to add 6 - 8 bunks in the back.  Have half the bus be a coach with the other half being bunks for travel.

We need to replace the AC Unit and are going to take it up to the MCI shop here in Dallas, unless you know of someone who is a good mechanic who works on these things.  AC was blowing cold in California, but here in Texas...it needs to be colder.  We were debating on whether to put 2 roof mount units instead of replacing the AC (rebuild), but decided to just replace the original AC so we don't have to buy huge generators...thoughts?

[lostagain]

Keep the OTR AC. 2 roof ACs would not be enough. Budget $1000 to $1500 a year to maintain the AC system. There seems to always be small leaks that cannot be found


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[gumpy]

Well, you haven't given much info on the team organization and all, but from what little you have said, I gather that this is a commercial vehicle, and as such,
you will need to treat it that way. I suggest you contact your local DOT office for rules and regs that you need to follow including DOT inspections, CDL licensing
requirements of the driver, liability insurance requirements, etc.

Taking it to a qualified shop such as MCI for your work sounds like a good place to start. I suggest having them do a full inspection to give you some idea
of how much work needs to be done now, and how much you can expect on an annual basis.

Welcome.

[Mike in GA]

Welcome to our world!
     I have an '85 MC 96a3 and you've made a good choice. Has a more modern look than the MC8 and 9, and you will certainly appreciate the extra 6 inches of width.
I want to reinforce what Craig (Gumpy) suggested - have the service facility go all through the coach to let you know what appears worn or unsafe. I tried to drive mine after initial purchase without a thorough evaluation and had one minor breakdown after another - faulty oil pressure switche, frozen parking brakes (decrepit air dryer), slow fuel leak that resulted in loss of prime overnight, broken slack adjuster, etc.
     So I took it to a top notch bus garage (US Coach) and they made it right. Not only was I safer, but I had greater peace of mind. It was a real learning experience. Having worked on cars, etc I thought I had some mechanical ability with buses - not necessarily so.
     Best of luck, and glean everythong you can from this valuable BB.
Mike in GA

[AngelsFastpitch]

Welcome to our world!
     I have an '85 MC 96a3 and you've made a good choice. Has a more modern look than the MC8 and 9, and you will certainly appreciate the extra 6 inches of width.
I want to reinforce what Craig (Gumpy) suggested - have the service facility go all through the coach to let you know what appears worn or unsafe. I tried to drive mine after initial purchase without a thorough evaluation and had one minor breakdown after another - faulty oil pressure switche, frozen parking brakes (decrepit air dryer), slow fuel leak that resulted in loss of prime overnight, broken slack adjuster, etc.
     So I took it to a top notch bus garage (US Coach) and they made it right. Not only was I safer, but I had greater peace of mind. It was a real learning experience. Having worked on cars, etc I thought I had some mechanical ability with buses - not necessarily so.
     Best of luck, and glean everythong you can from this valuable BB.
Mike in GA

Thanks for the advice...we are scheduled to take it to the MCI shop here in Dallas and I will have them do a walk through.  We already got it registered and tagged...so we are good to go...just need to get it cooler inside as texas heat can be brutal

[luvrbus]

Did you buy the bus from Mike K ?

[AngelsFastpitch]

No we got it out in Sacramento California and drove it to DFW from a tour bus company.  Had it's routine maintenance with the tour bus company.

[dukegrad98]

just need to get it cooler inside as texas heat can be brutal

Especially considering that it's not even warm here yet.  If you're uncomfortable in the bus now, you've definitely got work to do before the real summer heat hits and it's 40 degrees hotter than today!!  Congrats again and good luck.

Cheers, John

[luvrbus]

You guys and girls a fast pitch softball team?

[Zeroclearance]

What are you paying for liability insurance/insurance for a "Team" bus..

[shelled]

for mechanical work, you should know Darby Diesel which is just south of Dallas.  They do most of the local work for Fedex, etc.

edward

[AngelsFastpitch]

You guys and girls a fast pitch softball team?

Yes...