cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
17169
From the "It seemed like a good idea at the time" files
My friend Steve inheirited this bus / motor coach when his dad died. It was originally a Continental Trailways cross-country coach, made for hauling passengers / competing with Greyhound. Dr H took out the 4-sp transmission, put in a 10-spd, 300 gallon fuel tanks, complete custom interior, deck on the roof, satellite dish, etc. (seemed like a good idea at the time). All this brought the bus up to 39,000 lbs / 18,000 kg.
Steve needed to put the bus somewhere for a few weeks and I had a long driveway, so we slipped the bus into my drive. It did seem like a smart thing to do, until the slab cracked in about 4 places.
We put up the railings and entertained on the rooftop. Also it was safer to trim my palm trees from the bus, than from a ladder.
Then we decided to take our wives on a 3-day luxury coach trip up to Los Angeles. The bus was quite reliable mechanically, but it had sat for awhile after Dr Hansen passed away. So the tires were tired.
On the way up, going through Camp Pendleton Marine Base, we blew a tire. We pulled off the highway right by San Onofre Nuclear Power Station, if you know the area. But this was no big deal, we knew there was a spare and we were both mechanics, so we could fix it ourselves (seemed like a good idea, at the time). Our wives of course poured themselves cold drinks and dispensed advice.
We had to scrounge a few pieces of wood to keep the bus from pushing the jack through to China.
After hunting all over the (&
(&(*&^ bus, we found the spare under the driver's seat.
Tire swapped, daylight gone, ourselves filthy, wives tipsy, we headed north again. I see in the photo below I didn't have sense to take off my watch. I think it's my Bell & Ross Space 4 chrono.
We had arranged to stay at my cousin's place in Glendale, but I had forgotten she lives on a busy street, We didn't fancy sleeping next to racing cars all night, so we thought we'd put the bus up in her driveway -- yes, it did seem like a good idea at the time, until Steve cranked too far over and wedged the bus's cargo door against a tree trunk by the sidewalk. So there we were stuck, bus blocking 3 or 4 lanes and our wives plus my cousin Sue, wine glasses in hands, gave us advice.
We got the bus off with minimal damage to the tree and one ruined cargo door. We ended up sleeping on the busy street anyway. (I can't find the bus / tree picture, sorry)
The next day, the charm of being in the coach having been lost forever, we threw in the towel and headed home. This time though we went down to Riverside and took the inland route. Which was a good decision, because when another tire blew we could pull into a K-Mart parking lot and call for help. As there were no cell phones, we hiked over to the store, got a handful of quarters and started calling. We not only needed assistance, we need tires.
We found the Tire Wizard could come save us, with a decent tire on his rim for only about $300 if I recall correctly. He was a bit shifty-looking (wives, comfortable inside with refreshments, called him the Tire Lizard) but he knew what he was doing.
He had compressor, tools and spare in his truck.
An hour later we were on the road again.
Someday if I can find the pictures, I'll tell you about our drive across the desert from Nevada, when the heat caused the coach's "black water" hose to droop, and rub on a tire, and rupture, and release all the contents of the holding tank onto the back wheels. Of course the driver didn't know this, because he was 40 feet ahead of the problem.
I on the other hand, was following in my new Oldsmobile Touring Sedan, just in case something went wrong on the trip back to San Diego (it seemed like a good idea at the time). I think the spray and the smell hit me at the same instant, and I couldn't figure out where all the shit was coming from. I was not happy to learn that it ACTUALLY WAS SHIT and I (my Olds) was covered with it. I had to race up to the front of the coach and with hand gestures get him to stop so we could diagnose the problem.
And we had about 100 miles of blazing hot desert still to go ...
I hope this story brightened someone's day!
Cazalea
PS - not long after the bus went to live at HONEST BOB'S BUS SALES in El Cajon. Notice I am telling this story on March 31 -- it is NOT an April Fool's joke.
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From the "It seemed like a good idea at the time" files
My friend Steve inheirited this bus / motor coach when his dad died. It was originally a Continental Trailways cross-country coach, made for hauling passengers / competing with Greyhound. Dr H took out the 4-sp transmission, put in a 10-spd, 300 gallon fu...
This was a very entertaining story...
...and I love the retro photos...just don't get that kind of film grain anymore : )
Oh my! What a story!
I always wondered if owning a bus was a good idea. They seem to be a good deal considering you get so much more car for the price of a Bentley!
They are so much more expensive to own than a Bentley
In every way - parking, fuel, service, towing, plumbers, electricians, etc. It's much like owning a yacht - you have your "hotel" systems and your "floating & propelling & navigating" systems. Dr H put in $200k converting and running it; Steve sol...
Very true!
Amazing story. What an experience! Good thing you are mechanically inclined! I always wondered if owning a bus was a good idea. Now I know it isn't!
Awesome story, Mike! Dr. No often colors our posts with music
...not sure if he would have had this one in mind. Every time I drive pass San O' it's the song I sing in my head. Just give it 34 seconds!
Mike, your always interesting life tales needed more than ever these days….
What a riot! Even better than your watchmaker tales, which were a hoot, themselves. How did we ever get lucky enough to have you as a mod I'll not soon find out. Unless, that is, you have a similarly unlikely-yet-absolutely-believeable story to unfold for...
I’m can’t stop laughing 😂 my stomach literally hurts now..
Thank you for an other wonderful post. This one is hilarious. You make the best posts, Mike.
I had a particularly bad day today. This story is the perfect remedy.
Thank you for sharing. I laughed at every instance where you said "it seemed like a good idea at the time". Please stay safe and healthy during this unusual time. With best regards from Bangkok, Ruckdee
