Our 1989 Flat-nosed Blue Bird

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LeMond

Well-known member
Joined
May 21, 2009
Posts
75
Location
Bartow, FL
As of last week we became the proud owners of our bus. While I have been a big fan of the school bus conversions for a long time (I'm a mom, safety won me over), my husband recently became a convert as well. She was previously used as a School bus, and a Band bus (the pictures are of her musical past). We will be starting the motor-home renovations as soon as we get her back from the mechanics. She has a Cummings 5.9L with an auto 4 speed Allison.  Right now she is being fitted for brake shoes, front brake seals, tranny coolant line, radiator hose, and we are trying to figure out where all that white smoke is coming from. We have looked into the smoke issue on the web and need feedback from those in the know. So far the list is: fuel-air mix, fuel filter, fuel inj. pump, pre-heater not working properly, and the timing. Just to clarify the issue, she smokes like a chimney when she is first started for aprox. 5-10 minutes, runs a little rough for a few minutes, then she smooths out and the smoke becomes a small amount (hardly noticeable).We also believe the seals have dried out because of the oil leakage. She has been parked for a while due to the Band acquiring their new bus, so ........ DH drove her from FT. Worth, TX  to Lakeland, FL without any problems (except for the mosquito fogger effect on morning start-ups). Also, the previous owner said she was 32 ft, but measured bumper to bumper she is 33.11 ft. Where in the vin will I be able to get the correct length. The plate in the bus said capacity of 72. Thanks in advance for all your help....Chester and Chell (CnC)
 

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Very cool.  I have always liked the way these have turned out and have seen some that were really done right!  What are you guys planning for the inside?  I would love to see some more photos.

Are you guys keeping the same paint scheme or going with a new paint job?
 
Thanks Topdownman  :)  The mechanic checked the injectors and they all seem to be good so.....I really don't want to think about the cost of a new (or rebuilt) fuel (lift) pump. The cost of the parts won't be excessive, it's all the labor costs of "finding the problem" that are eating up the budget. Hopefully  the fuel/air mix and a new filter will clear up the problem.

Barefoot311--- The plan is to put in a rear bedroom, full bath, 13yr. olds sleeping/privacy quarters, kitchen and salon. We have to change a lot of what the band did in order to make it full-time ready. Right now there is not a kitchen of any sort, and the bathroom is a port-a-potty. This worked well in her previous life as a band bus, but, mama needs a kitchen and a working bathroom. We know we need to work on the outside skin, and DH wants to increase the understorage areas, so eventually a paint job will be in order. I am thinking a Pearl Baby Blue above the diamond cut steel. The exterior will have to wait...we have so much to do on the inside and right now the budget is going up in smoke  LOL
Mosquito fogger for rent anyone???  ;)
 
Wow capacity 72?  Where will you add all the beds?  If it measures 33 +, that iis the length, FL tags are based on GVW, so what number are you trying to get to?

Conversion can be fun or scary.  The budget number? Double it, then add more as needed.

 
A normal bus would have two rows of 20 seats depending on length,, skool busses for kids count a third seat per row, so 72 divided by 3 = 24 seats.>>>Dan
 
PancakeBill we realized that the budget was an imaginary thing when we were working on our 84 Pace Arrow, but we can dream .......  the weight on the title states 15,800 so is that good or bad for this size bus? I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the GRVW was 32,000. That will leave plenty of room for the weight of tanks, fridge, etc... after the Pace Arrow we are pretty sure of what we want in the bus, and are making sure everything will have a purpose 10 years from now (13 yr olds space will be storage, freezer, w/d) so that the bus will still suit our needs in the future.  Bill I have a question for you, Did you at one time own a Norton Commando? I was with my dad in 67 or 68 when he bought his  ;D  My brother now has the bike and rides it often.....
 
Yes, I did, but I never had the chance to ride it.  Bought it to restore, got most of the way thru and went fulltime, had no place to keep it, so sold the project.

Cool bikes, but finding a good guy to work on it is a challenge. 


In fact, because of doing the Yellowstone workcamping thing, I sold my rider bike too, a Vstar classic 1100. 

The only caution I would give on this bus is the ength with no slides, it will be a little tight.  Space utilization will be topmost consideration. 
 
My dad was lucky in knowing someone good in bike repair. Harold from Flint Indian Sales was one of my dad's best friends. Dad used to race his Norton,.....lots of trophy's.  Back to the bus...well it was the injection pump. That is an expensive little thing, however after doing some research on the web, the mechanics' price is cheaper than anything I found. After I get her home the demo will begin...
 
I can't "see" that file, bus.docx. When I open it with MS Word, version 2003, I see garbage.


Congrats on your purchase of a Blue Bird.

Liz Pearce
 
Jackliz said:
I can't "see" that file, bus.docx. When I open it with MS Word, version 2003, I see garbage.
Liz, Excel 03 can't recognize Excel 07 but I went ahead and converted it to a pdf for OP so it is more user friendly for others to view ;) .
 

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  • Bus.pdf
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Jackliz said:
I can't "see" that file, bus.docx. When I open it with MS Word, version 2003, I see garbage.
For future reference, you can add the "Compatibily Pack" from Microsoft which will allow you to open Office 2007 files with an earlier version of Office such as 2003.
 
I,m sorry Liz, I'm still not sure how to upload pics so they show up like thumbnails. Thanks Dar for changing the format, hopefully I will get the hang of it  :)  Molaker, will this work with all earlier versions? (thinking DH's old, but won't get rid of computer)
 
Or get Libre Office which can open all the Office formats.
 
LeMond said:
I,m sorry Liz, I'm still not sure how to upload pics so they show up like thumbnails. Thanks Dar for changing the format, hopefully I will get the hang of it  :)  Molaker, will this work with all earlier versions? (thinking DH's old, but won't get rid of computer)
I have used it with Office 2000, but I'm not sure about earlier versions.
 
LeMond said:
As of last week we became the proud owners of our bus. While I have been a big fan of the school bus conversions for a long time (I'm a mom, safety won me over), my husband recently became a convert as well. She was previously used as a School bus, and a Band bus (the pictures are of her musical past). We will be starting the motor-home renovations as soon as we get her back from the mechanics. She has a Cummings 5.9L with an auto 4 speed Allison.  Right now she is being fitted for brake shoes, front brake seals, tranny coolant line, radiator hose, and we are trying to figure out where all that white smoke is coming from. We have looked into the smoke issue on the web and need feedback from those in the know. So far the list is: fuel-air mix, fuel filter, fuel inj. pump, pre-heater not working properly, and the timing. Just to clarify the issue, she smokes like a chimney when she is first started for aprox. 5-10 minutes, runs a little rough for a few minutes, then she smooths out and the smoke becomes a small amount (hardly noticeable).We also believe the seals have dried out because of the oil leakage. She has been parked for a while due to the Band acquiring their new bus, so ........ DH drove her from FT. Worth, TX  to Lakeland, FL without any problems (except for the mosquito fogger effect on morning start-ups). Also, the previous owner said she was 32 ft, but measured bumper to bumper she is 33.11 ft. Where in the vin will I be able to get the correct length. The plate in the bus said capacity of 72. Thanks in advance for all your help....Chester and Chell (CnC)

There is no pre-heater on most Cummins 5.9's...only the Dodge pickups used them, I recall.  I drove three shuttle buses with 12-valve 5.9's and my F-350 has a 5.9, none have heaters.  They will smoke and sputter when cold, it's normal.  Don't idle it, drive it gently until it has warmed up.

GVWr is PROBABLY somewhere around 25,000-28,000lbs.  There are two info tags you need to find.  One is usually above the driver's seat: that one has the VIN, build date & location, tire & rim size, vehicle and axle weight ratings, and recommended tire pressures.  The other is above the windshield, usually on the passenger side, and has, IIRC, engine type & serial number, transmission serian number, and rear axle serial number and gear ratio.
 
Dar said:
Liz, Excel 03 can't recognize Excel 07 but I went ahead and converted it to a pdf for OP so it is more user friendly for others to view ;) .

Thank you. Your bus is quite attractive. Nice color.

Regards,
Liz
 
No we have decided not to raise the roof. I do not like the idea of compromising the strength of the side ribs, and my DH agrees. We are not tall people, so the roof height really isn't an issue for us. Besides, I like the idea of being able to wash the ceiling without standing on a ladder  ;D
 

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