Full Timing At Last

Dreadnought · May 13, 2017, 01:21:56 AM

After one of the worst years of my life since mum died (2016)- political situation at work , hypertension/health scares and others I've finally sold my house and land for full asking price and am full timing at last!

I'm at a cross roads in life, doing consultancy work. Its lucrative, for sure, but dull compared to my amazing job last year and before. Now all I have to do is move all my vehicles into storage and start to update my bus.

I don't have a proper 'toad' yet- but am tugging my vintage BMW for now.

I'm in Elkhart right now so no shortage of RV renovation expertise

Have spent a lot of effort getting the bus mechanically up to scratch- rebuilt water pump, refurbished radiators, new thermostats, new tyres etc now I want to turn my attension to the inside and freshening up the outside. Hope 2017 is a better year than last for me!

Zephod · May 13, 2017, 05:08:06 AM

Mine passed last year too. I've been working on my bus since 2014 and am almost there.

In terms of work, I had a horrendous job in retail as a head Cashier (way below my intelligence) then when the store closed/went bust/whatever, I took a job with dhl where a manager took a personal dislike to me and we all know how that ends. After 6 months of nothing, I got a part time job minding kids. Horrible work and I had to move in with somebody else as the wage was a joke. Hell, I even had to claim food stamps (now that's a joke, working and on food stamps). During this time I used my downtime to convert my bus since I had a lot of downtime. Then i got a job driving schoolbusses. No food stamps now - I just didn't feel it was something I wanted to do again.

As soon as my bus is summer livable, I want to get the Hell out of South Carolina since there's no work at all to be had here.

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windtrader · May 13, 2017, 08:31:21 AM

Glad to hear life and bus moving down the road. BTW - love the bimmer. Mine was a 1980 euro but blue. Babied until its untimely demise in a total. Thinking of toading a 85 E30.

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Dave5Cs · May 13, 2017, 03:10:43 PM

Don the BMW you drove to my place?

windtrader · May 13, 2017, 03:48:59 PM

Yes. Haven't figured out if it will work. If not I have a landcruiser that works. Scott and heater pull one

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PP · May 13, 2017, 06:26:22 PM

Congratulations! Hope this is a good year for you and everyone else that is foolhardy enough to live fulltime in a bus haha

Astro · May 13, 2017, 07:12:37 PM

My wife and I just spent 5 months in our 5B and we were very comfortable. We even found time to work on it in our travels although we had to preplan our work sessions to be in comparable places. The key is to get the interior working to your comfort and a well running machine certainly adds to that comfort. I wish you well in your journey. Godspeed.

Scott & Heather · May 13, 2017, 08:12:09 PM

congrats!!! Life just gets more fun from here on! Home for us is Saint Joseph Michigan so maybe we will cross path with you

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Dreadnought · May 14, 2017, 07:03:57 AM

Mine passed in 2008 but what I meant was that last year with all the occurrences was the worst year for me since mum died.

The job I'm doing now- as a consultant and engineering adviser gives me financial freedom again but there's no stability and it's terrible compared to the very fulfilling things I've done in my past.

It sounds like you're going through tough times.

Quote from: Zephod on May 13, 2017, 05:08:06 AM
Mine passed last year too. I've been working on my bus since 2014 and am almost there.

In terms of work, I had a horrendous job in retail as a head Cashier (way below my intelligence) then when the store closed/went bust/whatever, I took a job with dhl where a manager took a personal dislike to me and we all know how that ends. After 6 months of nothing, I got a part time job minding kids. Horrible work and I had to move in with somebody else as the wage was a joke. Hell, I even had to claim food stamps (now that's a joke, working and on food stamps). During this time I used my downtime to convert my bus since I had a lot of downtime. Then i got a job driving schoolbusses. No food stamps now - I just didn't feel it was something I wanted to do again.

As soon as my bus is summer livable, I want to get the Hell out of South Carolina since there's no work at all to be had here.

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Dreadnought · May 14, 2017, 07:08:25 AM

Thanks for all the kind words.

My E24s been an amazing car but the value is now going up do I can no longer use it in anger.

Scott and Heather- I get to michigan a lot and have many friends there. When I finally settle in the job / position I'm shooting for it will likely be in either Michigan or California.

RJ · May 14, 2017, 09:36:42 AM

Dread & Don -

My son bought his first car a few weeks before he turned 16 with money he earned delivering newspapers. A 12-year old E30. By the time he graduated from high school two years later, he had bought/sold three E30s, and was driving a silver E30 M3.

Fast forward to today and he's still driving BMWs. His current collection includes a rare Hennarot E30 M3 (with an E36 M3 motor), a rare, stock, black on black E28 M5 (which is for sale and one of only 50 with black interior, all others were tan), and an E39 M5 (Antracite, I think.)

He's also partners with three friends who own an E30 that's been setup for racing, and is one of BMWCCOA's certified driving instructors. He and another buddy are just finishing up stuffing an M5 motor into a very rare E30 station wagon.

And he owns a Mini Cooper S Club Wagon, too!

Eric's as wrapped up in BMWs as I was with Corvairs, back in the day. . .

FWIW. . .

dtcerrato · May 14, 2017, 10:42:07 AM

Keep on keeping on our fellow bus nuts, thanks for sharing, reading through the trials & tribulations. Imo the only thing better than bus ownership is full timing in one. Wishing you uneventful (only the negative ones) travels with the wind on your back and the ever unfolding plot visual ed through the windshield. Safe travels, have a blast...

Dreadnought · May 16, 2017, 10:35:06 AM

Quote from: RJ on May 14, 2017, 09:36:42 AM
Dread & Don -

My son bought his first car a few weeks before he turned 16 with money he earned delivering newspapers. A 12-year old E30. By the time he graduated from high school two years later, he had bought/sold three E30s, and was driving a silver E30 M3.

Fast forward to today and he's still driving BMWs. His current collection includes a rare Hennarot E30 M3 (with an E36 M3 motor), a rare, stock, black on black E28 M5 (which is for sale and one of only 50 with black interior, all others were tan), and an E39 M5 (Antracite, I think.)

He's also partners with three friends who own an E30 that's been setup for racing, and is one of BMWCCOA's certified driving instructors. He and another buddy are just finishing up stuffing an M5 motor into a very rare E30 station wagon.

And he owns a Mini Cooper S Club Wagon, too!

Eric's as wrapped up in BMWs as I was with Corvairs, back in the day. . .

FWIW. . .

Old school BMWs were very special cars.

I was obsessed with them growing up- even at 13 years old.

I knew I wanted a 6 series.

I loved the shark nosed styling, the straight six engine and the fact they were rear wheel drive when everything else was going to front drive for cost reasons.

I ended up getting an E21 BMW 323i because I couldn't afford the insurance (insurance is or was done on engine size in the UK).

Such a driver focused car, with the driver centric dashboard and finely tuned straight six engine and neutral to 'oversteery' handling. Back then they weren't hard to work on either.

My 323i is STILL getting rebuilt in the Netherlands so when I found this M6 I had to snap it up.
I hope my old 323i will come over the pond to join its bigger brother some day soon.

Since then I've been involved in the engine designs of some fine machinery, including Aston Martin and Jaguar and indeed own both, but my first love will always be old school BMWs.

windtrader · May 16, 2017, 06:51:48 PM

Yep. It was a very sad day the Euro 6 I imported was totaled after all the years being pampered and modded. I did grab the BBS wheels off them, stored them in the garage for years, then just cleared them out of the garage, and what do you know, I end up with an E30 that would have looked fine with them after after a 4 to 5 bolt swap. Oh well, will have plenty of opportunities to pamper a new bus. LOL

Dreadnought · May 16, 2017, 08:06:37 PM

Quote from: windtrader on May 16, 2017, 06:51:48 PM
Yep. It was a very sad day the Euro 6 I imported was totaled after all the years being pampered and modded. I did grab the BBS wheels off them, stored them in the garage for years, then just cleared them out of the garage, and what do you know, I end up with an E30 that would have looked fine with them after after a 4 to 5 bolt swap. Oh well, will have plenty of opportunities to pamper a new bus. LOL

As an aside to buses but remaining on the vintage BMW topic- the M635CSi came with infuriating Metric wheels and tyres. There are virtunally no tyres left for that metric size and the set that are still available- Michelins- cost as much as tyres for our buses!

Did you know that a company in NC sells BBS barrels and parts to convert those metric wheels to 16 r 17 inch imperials?

I don't think the regular 635 CSi used the silly metric wheels.

Good luck with your bus purchase. I wish I'd done as much upstream research work as you seem to be doing