Newbie finally bought a bus!

[Paladin]

Hi everyone,
Just thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Dave, I live in Salt Lake City and while I've been lurking here and there for several years I've been mostly quiet just trying to gather info and trying to decide if I really was ready to make the leap.  I did finally become a bus owner recently and thought I'd come out of the closet so to speak.

I'm not sure really of what forum decorum is so I won't go into a long description and many pictures until I find out if that's kosher. I'm not sure exactly what people want to see or hear but my bus (still not used to saying that) is a '75 MC8 that I just bought from an owner who lost interest. That and his wife didn't like it I guess.  It's got a regular 8v71 and Allison trans. We have many plans of course for this 'thing' and I'm sure I'll need lot's of help so I hope you guys will bear with me.
I do have a question though, I seem to see more MC8's that had a manual trans than auto. Why is that? Was the auto trans just coming available then?

[plyonsMC9]

Dax,

Welcome to the group.  We are very glad you are here!!    your bus looks beautiful & I know you will enjoy many years of good, safe fun with her.

I don't have an answer for your manual trans question, but I'm sure it will be answered soon.

Kind Regards, Phil

[Chaz]

Kudo's brother!!!!!!!!!!  Way to go!!!

  Chaz

[Songman]

Looks like a great start has already been made on the bus. The caps and the outside stuff intimidate me more than anything and that has already been done for you. As far as I know, we all love seeing as many pictures as possible so bring em on!

And welcome to that actual posting part of the forum! 

[Paladin]

Thanks guys.


Yep, I got really lucky I think. When I sat down and thought of what I'd like, having a roof already raised and new caps etc were high on the list. I'm recovering from a rotator cuff tear plus I have no space to do a roof raise. The guy I bought it from did a 9" roof raise and then put on the R&M kit and new windshields. The seats are all out and the lav and air are also gone. Just a gutted interior now.
The rear bumper is off because he was going to put on a tow hitch but never got around to it. There is also a new R&M dash in the bus ready to be mounted. The guy also did a tuneup with new injectors, re-cored one radiator and the other was flushed. He gave me spare parts, manuals including a parts manual and a maintenance manual. He also is giving me a torque multiplier wrench and some other junk.

She starts right up, if she blows at all I'd call it a light gray which clears up within about a minute. She airs up to 100-110psi in about 3-4 minutes but the left wiper knob is leaking some of it out. Steering seems ok but I have little reference, it is the old power assist (is that what it's called?). I don't hunt driving down the road though. Tires are bad but I'll replace them after I get the other work done. The brakes work very well but I do want to look at the brakes and bearings before I go very far. I guess I should also look at the tie rods etc. Anything else?

-Dave

[grantgoold]

Congrats! I look forward to your updates. Hope you have some really fantastic ideas for the windows. Sure would hate to travel through Utah and miss all the beautiful sites. Good luck!

Grant
Citrus Heights,

Parents in Elk Ridge Utah!

[Jerry32]

Thats a great looking bus and all the great work already done. Now comes the fun part of planning and building. congrats to you and glad to have another busnut. Jerry

[niles500]

Dax - apparently you've not been just lurking - but reading a lot - welcome and good luck

[Paladin]

Thanks again everyone!


Yes, I've been doing quite a bit of reading and such for quite some time. I also bought a bunch of books (Galey etc...) Not knowing much about diesels etc I had and still have much to learn. Not knowing anything about buses was whole 'nother thing too. I've never even driven an rv or been in one aside from shows and never been on a bus except the school bus in jr high and the local transit buses in my life until now so I had and still have much in that area too. I do like driving this one though.

I should thank Mark O for his help and input. I've also been quite an avid reader of Gumpy's web pages as he's done his work.
I've searched out about everyone's web pages and everything I could devour to try to make sure I was up to the task. I hope I am!
Even Ebay has been helpful in finding information and seeing other coaches.

Tons of work still to do.

Should I feel happy or scared? We run the range from being very happy and excited to being just about terrified looking at the thing and what we are getting into! 
We're very excited at not just using the bus but also the building part, that's half the fun!

[Lee Bradley]

Congratulations. Good idea brings it home under the cover of darkness but the neighbours will still find out you have it. 

[maria-n-skip]

  Great find and welcome.

   Hard to tell from the picture but it looks like a lot more has been done.
  New nose w/ updated lights, reskinned bay door I'm sure the list goes on.

   Can't wait to see more pics.

   Enjoy

Skip (A meer 8 hours away)

[dwbruner]

Dave,

Great looking bus!   It looks like a lot of your "heavy lifting" is already complete.

My advice would be to first make sure your mechanical foundation is reliable & safe.....engine, trans, brakes, tires, air, etc.  Secondly, don't ever let it set for too long...get it out on the road and have fun with it so you don't become overwhelmed or burned out.

Never hesitate to ask questions here on the MAK board.  There will be someone who can answer your question.

Good luck,
Darrin

[Dreamscape]

Greetings Dave,

Welcome to our mad mad world!

I am sure the waiting for the right bus will be worth it. Good luck with you conversion! You have a good one to start with. Go to lots of bus rallies to see how you want your layout, it will really help. Nothing like seeing the real thing up close and personal. Take lots of pictures and ask lots of questions from the owners. That's what my wife and did this last weekend at TBR 2007.

Happy Trails,

Paul

Dreamscape

[Tom Y]

Dave, I think the real drivers wanted sticks. Not sure when the 740 came out but I would guess it was before your 8.  Nice looking start.  Tom Y

[Christyhicks]

hmmmm, you sure you didn't steal our "BigBus" and just paint a few doors silver to trick us?  ha ha.  Great looking bus!

Sure you should be scared, and excited, and eager!   

I agree 100% with Paul that one of the best things you can do is go to bus rallies.  At the rallies, especially the smaller ones, you can really take your time to see stuff close up, ask questions, really look things over to see how other people did things.  Pictures help a lot, but sometimes, there's just nothing like seeing it in the flesh!  um. . .skin?    um, well, you get my point!

Also, keep a very open mind and listen to all the arguments back and forth over various posts, you'll learn a lot and you may change your mind about what you plan, over and over and over again.  We feel very lucky that we were able to use a bus conversion while planning and converting BigBus, as I know we've already changed our minds about a few things.  It's a lot easier to change things BEFORE you get too far, that's for sure!

I actually went to the trouble of making cardboard "mockups" of the bed, walls, shower, etc, so I could test some clearance questions I had, and I also took a lot of measurements from our motorhome and TempBus when it came to hallways, doorways, cabinet depth, etc.  so that I could see what the minimum dimensions could be for various components.  It also helps you visualize how it's going to look too. . . .closed in? open? somewhere in between? 

Welcome to the insanity!  Christy Hicks