July 2019 ConversionsBCM The Yankee Clipper - A 2001 Thomas Built Bus Doug & Cindy white Passenger vs. Private Car Driving By JC Alacoque Pulling A Series 60 Out of A Donor Bus by Mason Chipperfield Greyhound Buses Through the Years Part II By larry plancho 2 BCM BUS CONVERSION July 2019 PUBLISHER’S NOTE make it easier getting in and out Oregon Bus Tuning of some parking lots with a bit of a Oregon is a beautiful state. I trav- dip at the entrance or a rise to get eled up the west coast from Ana- into the parking lot. heim, CA as I stated last month and GARY HATT took my time driving up the red roads to get here Joe is also replacing my aging air rather than I-5 where all you do is bypass cities and compressor on my Series 60 with a larger one. I am have a hard time seeing anything along the way. upgrading from a 500 CFM to a 750 CFM compres- sor as a bus needs all of the air it can get for braking I had the opportunity to travel with no set timelines on long downhill grades and it will air up faster in the and no specific goals in mind except to see the coun- mornings. A lot of maintenance I do on my bus make try and visit friends along the way. This is the first it better then when it came off the factory floor 50 time in a long time where I did not have to be some- years ago. where at a specific time for a specific event. What a great way to travel! We are also fixing a couple of leaks in the engine. I had a coolant hose leak between the oil cooler and My mechanic Joe Maser helped my adjust my tor- the water pump. I could smell coolant when climbing salistic suspension on my 1967 08 Eagle to get my grades driving up to Oregon. We replaced both hoses bus a couple of inches higher as I sometimes tend and reassembled it and all is well now. to scrape the front and back when driving thru dips. I was always concerned about holes in truck parking We had a slight oil leak at the cam bearing cap in the lots. We will be taking her to the scales next week to rear of the engine. Joe removed the valve cover and weigh each wheel and do some fine tuning. He has rocker arms and installed a new seal and that solved access to a pit in Springfield, Oregon and there is that problem. No more oil leaks. nothing like a pit when working under a bus. From Eugene I will head east to New Hampshire to Some of the suspension was rusted so tight that we visit friends and siblings. As I said before, if you live could not free up the nuts to adjust the torsilastics along the northern route and want your bus featured so he had to get out the smoke wrench to heat them in BCM, then let me know and I may just stop along up cherry red to break them loose. He then backed and write a story about your bus. them off a little at a time while using an air hammer SYOTR to pound on each side of the nut on the threaded rod Opinions and techniques expressed to work the threads in to make another turn. It took herein are those of the authors and do not a lot of heat and hydraulic jacks and blocking but we necessarily represent those endorsed by finally got it freed up and got her raised up. That will the Publisher. Bus Conversion Magazine and the authors respectively accept no re- sponsibility or liability for any errors, omis- sions, alterations, or for any consequenc- MAGAZINE es ensuing upon the use of, or reliance CONTACTS upon any information contained herein. Tasks performed in maintaining, altering Published By Contributing Authors and using vehicles may require special- Bus Conversion Magazine Doug & Cindy White ized skills and involve inherent risks to 9852 Katella Ave., Suite 361 JC Alacoque the person doing the work or to the safe Anaheim, CA 92804 Mason Chipperfield operation of the vehicle. It is the reader’s responsibility to assess their own skills to (657) 221-0432 Larry Plachno determine if they can perform any such task and to seek professionally trained as- Publisher Online Discussion Forum sistance if needed. Gary Hatt www.BusConversions.com/bbs/ [email protected] Phil Lyons [email protected] Website Editorial www.busconversionmagazine.com Jorge Escobar Moderators Senior Editor and Art Director Phil Lyons Follow us on Instagram [email protected] Nick Badame Instagram.com/BCMagUSA Jack Conrad Accounting/Subscriptions K.J. “Frank“ Franklin Like us on I Noemi Johnston Paul Lawry Facebook.com/BCMagUSA [email protected] Please send us your stories of your bus conversions (long or short) and please document them with digital photos. We would love to consider your articles for the magazine. Please send them to [email protected]. www.BusConversionMagazine.com July 2019 BUS CONVERSION BCM 3 Note: You may click or tap on any of the article titles or advertisers on this page to go directly to that article or ad. Index of Advertisers Ardemco 36 The Yankee Clipper - A 2001 Passenger vs. Private Car Driving Autex 27 Thomas Built Bus Mason Chipperfield By Doug & Cindy White Balance Masters 28 B&B Coachworks 23 Byler Rivet 42 Clearsource 11 Custom Instrument Panels 20 Custom Instrument Panels Lights 34 Double Decker Buses 35 Pulling A Series 60 Out Greyhound Buses Through Engine Heat Protection 39 of A Donor Bus the Years Part II By Mason Chipperfield By Larry Plachno Engine Power Source 25 Flame Genie 4 In This Issue Hose and Cable Grip 13 Leisure Coachworks 45 Publisher´s Note 2 Lloyd DeGerald Services 33 Midwest Transit Equipment 37 The Yankee Clipper - A 2001 Thomas Built Bus 4 By Doug & Cindy White Mobile RV Glass 15 Passenger vs. Private Car Driving National General Insurance 30 By JC Alacoque 20 Nature’s Head 21 Pulling A Series 60 Out of A Donor Bus By Mason Chipperfield 31 O-SO-Pure 5 Greyhound Buses Through the Years Part II 36 Pacific RV Parts 43 By Larry Plachno Passport America 22 Cartoon 24 Pro Auto Works 24 Recovery Room 6 Service Directory 46 Roadmaster 19 Gary’s Tip 46 RV Part Center 60 Sewer Sock 40 Classifieds 47 SmartPlug 7 Subscription Form 53 Straight Line Steering, Inc. 31 Sulastic Rubber Springs 44 Busin’ Bits By Dave Galey 54 Superior Driveline 41 Bus Events 57 Sure Marine Service 38 Tailgater Tire Table 14 Press Release - SmartPlug makes RV Air Con- ditioning Safer 62 Transit Sales 10 Unforgettable Fire 12 Bus Chat - Steer Axle Oil Seal Project 64 Wrico International 17 When you contact our Advertisers, tell them you saw their ad in Bus Conversion Magazine. www.BusConversionMagazine.com 4 BCM BUS CONVERSION July 2019 The Yankee Clipper - A 2001 Thomas Built Bus BY DOUG & CINDY WHITE oug and I first met when we both were in the Army Daround June of 1987 at Ft. Lee, VA during our Advanced Individual Training. Little did we know that a few years later and a serious car accident would bring us together again; this guy from rural Missouri and a city girl from Wisconsin. That was 30 years ago this September and it feels like yesterday. Our love, friendship and partnership feels just as fresh, strong and new as it did then, if not even stronger because we bought a bus. Doug is the ‘builder’, always having to build some- thing. His mind is always working, creating something that in the end, comes out amazing. He is the one who will always have grease and dirt on his hands because he is always working on something. Although he is very serious when it comes to working, he is the silly one. Kids just love him because he makes them laugh. I on the other hand am the independent one, the designer, the creator, Ms. Corporate America. But when you put us together, we create things like noth- ing we ever could think of. Inside View www.BusConversionMagazine.com July 2019 BUS CONVERSION BCM 5 Over the past years together we have built garages, So with the first week we hopped into the truck and ironworks (Doug’s a welder/fabricator), sheds, com- drove off to purchase a nice sized French door, a pleted a house remodel and finally in 2011 our house 2-way refrigerator/freezer, several already painted in Missouri. By July 2014 Doug traded for a 1969 and assembled kitchen cabinets, an LP water heat- Holiday Rambler Traveler Camper. We love camping er, and a roof AC unit. Our goal was to use as many off the grid or otherwise known as ‘boondocking’. So reusable items as possible, allowing us to spend more we set up our bus to be off grid. money other new items we needed. Now that we had these items and layout plan #1, we were ready to start It was in great shape. In three months we gutted and building. rebuilt the inside. Then in February 2015 Doug con- vinced me to purchase a 1973 Gibson Houseboat; that too we gutted and remodeled inside. We loved the idea of being able to anchor along the shoreline of a local lake and be away off the grid, experience the freedom, and truly ‘experience’ life if just of a few days away from the rat race society we were so accus- tomed to.