Scenicruisin'..?

[amazinblue82]

But that's the parts bus, though.

yeah, i was just trying to humoursly deflect from the substantial project challenges with these two PD4501's that you and commando1 -- and even the seller -- alluded to.

in addition to whats plain to see, even to people who don't much about this vehicles, as to their condition. I can't really tell if TWO buses can even make one good-running one in this deal.

thanks for the input as always.

 

[300rag]

... I can't really tell if TWO buses can even make one good-running one in this deal.

thanks for the input as always.

 

[commando1]

You do know that anything Disney is all fake, right?

 

[cantflip]

Stay tuned .... . Any thoughts from anyone appreciated as always.

Aside, ain't the scenery great? I got folks looking for me, but heck I'd go just catch the view.

Alas the beautiful location is part of the problem here ..hard to inspect them/$$$ to move them to get inspected/$$$$$ to transport them 2000 miles to MI.

1955 GMC Scenicruisers for Sale

View attachment 122445 View attachment 122446 View attachment 122447 View attachment 122448 View attachment 122449 View attachment 122450 View attachment 122451 View attachment 122452 View attachment 122453 View attachment 122454

Hell I like 'em... I could watch you work on those for years...

 

[cantflip]

Opps

 

[cantflip]

I was just thumbing through the earlier posts, I think you found this pair back on post 121... You've found better starting points since then too. These 2 will most likely go to scrap if you don't save them... but it's a fool's errand.

Scenicruisin'..?

 

[amazinblue82]

Well at least three wise men have spoken -- big thread contributors. commando1, 300rag, and cantflip. I am getting a "think hard" vibe about these buses

some of you may know the feeling .. something you like, fallen on hard times, and you wanna save it/them.

thismay be just too big, too far away, too far gone, too whatever etc. ... just too many "too's".

If seller lets my guys visit, I'll still get a report and keep track of these coaches if i can.

thanks

 

[MrMoparCHP]

I was heading south on the 101 in western Washington through a town of Neilton and saw a Scenicruiser. I didn't stop, it was raining and I didn't see any signs on it. It appears to have been there since 2008. Streetview doesn't show it but isn't current.

Alan

 

[amazinblue82]

I was heading south on the 101 in western Washington through a town of Neilton and saw a Scenicruiser. I didn't stop, it was raining and I didn't see any signs on it. It appears to have been there since 2008. Streetview doesn't show it but isn't current.
View attachment 122915


Alan

Thanks. What a stroke of luck to find one. Anywhere.

Estimate is there are 100-200 left in the world (90% of them here in USA) of the 1,000 built so chances are low anybody will see one, running or not.

i'll stick in pin in my PD4501 map for this one.

thanks again.

 

[300rag]

It's not what you are looking for, but here's a modern RV conversion to look over.

Here's the tour of the finished double decker

 

[amazinblue82]

1956 Greyhound Scenicruiser | eBay

I was NOT sucessful. Too much fixation on the duo of buses. I lost focus.

My "bus whisperer" had structural and safety concerns. I did not .. but I listened cuz I dunno what to look for on my own yet. Honest description, lots of pics, good seller I thought though so no issues there..

Sold for $8,900 which is within my budget for acquisition (<$15K) but not for transport (<$5K, best transport quote was $8,500 for the 2000 miles from AZ to MI)

SELLER DESCRIPTION (abbreviated)

Up for bids is my 1956 Greyhound Scencruiser. This bus was converted by my father who also built the three Echidna sports cars in the 50's. Google it to get an idea of his abilities.

He purchased the bus from Dickenson Lines Inc, Anoka Minnesota in 1977. He spent the next two years converting it. He elected to drop the upper floor to the depth of the center aisle instead of lifting the entire upper roof like some have done. He had looked at some done this way and did not like the overall look of the raised roof. This was at 80,068 miles after the conversion was completed.

The bus now has just over 97,000 miles on it. I purchased it from him in 1999 and full-timed with it until 2005. It has been parked since in Globe AZ and used for storage. This week I cleaned it out, checked fluid levels, fired it up, had six tires put on and took a 20 mile test drive. It runs and drives like the day I parked it.

Please understand that after sitting for 12 years anything could and might go wrong with it. It is being sold “As Is” for obvious reasons. I am not going to guarantee roadworthiness and I am not going to test everything in the bus before selling. Please do not ask me if I think it would make a 1000 mile trip.

I would recommend hauling it on a lowboy, but that choice is up to the purchaser. an it does in person. Included are parts and service manuals for the bus and engine and manuals for all equipment along with all research paperwork that my father had accumulated. Also included are some extra parts that he gave me when I bought the bus. Extra airbags for the suspension, various relays and other parts.

1956 4501 GMC Senicruiser Greyhound

• Engine: V-8 GMC 8V-71 diesel.
• Transmission: Manual shift 4 speed.
• Electrical: 12 volt system with negative ground.
• Fuel tank: 185 gallons.
• MPG 6-8.
• Air brakes and air suspension.
• Tires: 11.0 X 22.5 radial.
• Two under-floor compartments totaling 200 cubic feet. 50” long. 90” wide. 38” high. Two smaller compartments totaling 4 cubic feet each.
• Water: Fresh 200 gallon stainless steel tank with demand pump and two stage filtering.
• Holding tanks: 200 gallon black water in back compartment and a 50 gallon gray water for kitchen sink.
• Paloma instant water heater.
• Rack for two 40 lbs propane tanks in engine compartment. One tank missing.
• 6.0 KW Onan diesel generator.
• 30 amp power converter charger.
• 30,000 BTU Suburban furnace.
• 6 cubic foot Dometic refrigerator. AC, Propane, 12volt.
• Two burner cooktop.
• Microwave/convection oven.
• Standard size double stainless sink.
• Electric dumbwaiter behind sink.
• Monitoring system for water levels and battery condition.
• Dinette seats 4 and converts into bed. Storage under all seats.
• Forward facing seat for two.
• Central vacuum.
• Queen bed.
• Three roof AC units with 5,400 BTU electric strips in each.

 

[cantflip]

1956 Greyhound Scenicruiser | eBay

I was NOT sucessful. Too much fixation on the duo of buses. I lost focus.

My "bus whisperer" had structural and safety concerns. I did not .. but I listened cuz I dunno what to look for on my own yet. Honest description, lots of pics, good seller I thought though so no issues there..

Sold for $8,900 which is within my budget for acquisition (<$15K) but not for transport (<$5K, best transport quote was $8,500 for the 2000 miles from AZ to MI)

Might have been a nice starting point... IDK what the structural concerns were, but probably for the best that you listened to the "whisperer".

This one sounds like it could have gotten a safety inspection and drive home... a much better alternative to shipping IMO. You could even afford to hire an experienced driver for the trip with that kind of shipping quote.

The curious items that jumped out at me are... WTF, why would putting the propane in the hot engine bay seem like a good idea?

I am also wondering why installing the front rooftop A/C unit backwards, and then killing it's airflow with that goofy shield seemed like a good idea? I can barely tolerate the sideways ones too.

Finally, when gauging the seller's tastes... He could definitely do better, but at least happy hour won't be well drinks only... life is too short for cheap booze.

 

[amazinblue82]

cantflip, thanks again for comprehensive, thoughtful take.

on the safety things, my guy thought one rear end collision and my PD4501 would achieve escape velocity and go into orbit, while incinerating me and my posse in the process.

I exaggerate .. but he didnt think highly of that feature. my guy had other things on his list that are NOT depicted in the auction photos. also, since the bus needed to be extensively remodeled, the lowering of the floor and other stuff that was done, he thought was gonna create a nightmare scenario.

his thought was IF you just gotta have more headroom (like me, if you're over six feet tall, you gotta stoop down on the upper deck in the original design) on the upper deck, you DO raise the roof.

His analogy was imagine if you wanted a higher ceiling in your house, you could build UP, or DOWN by chopping out the floor and replacing that. Naw, its NOT quite the same in a bus .. but that was the "logic" of his point for a layman like me. He'd seen two buses done like that, and there were structural failures in the lowered floor jobs -- because they are HARD to do right.

So, raising the roof is better but more expensive since the "skin" is also structural component of the design (we know a raised roof job was done, and done well word is, on the RED bus - which was ALSO lengthened, vs the original look of the Red Bull bus.. but to me it changes the profile of the bus that I always liked).

I have NO intention of altering the original design .. i will take a bit of head-bumping on the ceiling if I have to.

$8500 shipping MAY have been because I didnt take the time to crash some guys into each other for a better price. I have ZERO experience with shipping a bus for real, BUT i have yet to see a quote for UNDER $3.50 a loaded mile PLUS tolls for such a job. My advisor said though that IF that bus broke down enroute, i could be looking at $10+ large and STILL, depending on where it happened, be NOWHERE near home with it.

The hunt continues.. thanks again.

 

[cantflip]

cantflip, thanks again for comprehensive, thoughtful take.

on the safety things, my guy thought one rear end collision and my PD4501 would achieve escape velocity and go into orbit, while incinerating me and my posse in the process.

View attachment 128024

I exaggerate .. but he didnt think highly of that feature. my guy had other things on his list that are NOT depicted in the auction photos. also, since the bus needed to be extensively remodeled, the lowering of the floor and other stuff that was done, he thought was gonna create a nightmare scenario.

his thought was IF you just gotta have more headroom (like me, if you're over six feet tall, you gotta stoop down on the upper deck in the original design) on the upper deck, you DO raise the roof.

His analogy was imagine if you wanted a higher ceiling in your house, you could build UP, or DOWN by chopping out the floor and replacing that. Naw, its NOT quite the same in a bus .. but that was the "logic" of his point for a layman like me. He'd seen two buses done like that, and there were structural failures in the lowered floor jobs -- because they are HARD to do right.

So, raising the roof is better but more expensive since the "skin" is also structural component of the design (we know a raised roof job was done, and done well word is, on the RED bus - which was ALSO lengthened, vs the original look of the Red Bull bus.. but to me it changes the profile of the bus that I always liked).

I have NO intention of altering the original design .. i will take a bit of head-bumping on the ceiling if I have to.

View attachment 128022
View attachment 128023

$8500 shipping MAY have been because I didnt take the time to crash some guys into each other for a better price. I have ZERO experience with shipping a bus for real, BUT i have yet to see a quote for UNDER $3.50 a loaded mile PLUS tolls for such a job. My advisor said though that IF that bus broke down enroute, i could be looking at $10+ large and STILL, depending on where it happened, be NOWHERE near home with it.

The hunt continues.. thanks again.

No problem... The stuff I saw could be easily changed. The lowered floor (I missed that), helps me understand. I'm with you, don't mess up the lines on a classic. If you want a high roof I'll make you a sweetheart deal on a schoolie.

 

[polara71]

If you can tolerate the long windedness of Jeffs posts many are very insightful and well thought out

 

[amazinblue82]

If you can tolerate the long windedness of Jeffs posts many are very insightful and well thought out

yeah i can easily "tolerate" it, he uses periods, and commas, and "ever-thang"

seriously i listen/pay atention to ANYBODY who's is smarter than me about something. i soak that stuff in like a sponge, and then i'm smarter after that so I can help the next "dummy" like I was that comes along

And in this possibly "Quixotic" PD-4501 chase i'm on, it may save me some time, money and heartache

 

[commando1]

If you can tolerate the long windedness of Jeffs posts many are very insightful and well thought out

He has good grammar so that's why I trust everything he writes.

 

[cantflip]

yeah i can easily "tolerate" it, he uses periods, and commas, and "ever-thang"

seriously i listen/pay atention to ANYBODY who's is smarter than me about something. i soak that stuff in like a sponge, and then i'm smarter after that so I can help the next "dummy" like I was that comes along

And in this possibly "Quixotic" PD-4501 chase i'm on, it may save me some time, money and heartache

He has good grammar so that's why I trust everything he writes.

Thanks guys... who would have though grammar and punctuation (thankful for spell check) would be my ONE redeeming quality?

 

[polara71]

yeah i can easily "tolerate" it, he uses periods, and commas, and "ever-thang"

seriously i listen/pay atention to ANYBODY who's is smarter than me about something. i soak that stuff in like a sponge, and then i'm smarter after that so I can help the next "dummy" like I was that comes along

And in this possibly "Quixotic" PD-4501 chase i'm on, it may save me some time, money and heartache

I shoot myself in the foot then with the lack of apostrophes. ...

 

[amazinblue82]

shoot man, i drop apostrophes all the time. "cant, dont, wont, its ..even aint (bad grammar)." my excuse .. just lazy i guess.

tangent alert before we go back to buses:

AND its a RH "little finger" press on the keyboard i seem to have trouble with since 8th grade typing class: "Hands on Homerow, Eyes on copy, Begin!" -- still rings in my ears from Mrs. Davis' class

the typewriter, a staple of my formative years, was NEVER used by my kids. My oldest is 31 -- firmly in the computer era her whole life.

I still have my old "Brother" (not this one, but one similar) in storage. Christmas present in 1975. Got me through college