| Author | Message | ||
| Amy E. Riley (Familycoach)
Registered Member Username: Familycoach Post Number: 1 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 130.76.96.17 Rating: N/A |
Hi everyone, I wanted to make sure that I could post. We just bought a 1978 GM 4905 that had previously been converted. It took us several months and looking at a lot of buses but we took the plunge on September 22 and bought her. The previous owner had slowly been working on her replacing or updating all of the equipment down in the bays. Lucky for us he hadn't had a chance to work on the inside allowing us to do it the way we like. We are looking forward to the fun and frustrations of our first bus, and getting her on the road with our two daughters. We can't wait for our first rally. If you have any advice on the best place to start let me know.  | ||
| Larry & Lynne Dixon (Larry_d)
Registered Member Username: Larry_d Post Number: 115 Registered: 7-2005 Posted From: 71.117.203.30 Rating: N/A |
Hi congratulations on the find. We looked for over 2 years to find what we wanted. In this we thot about converting ourselves and buying already converted. Three year ago we found a 1975 4905 already converted which suited our needs very well, paint in need but everything else has served us quite well with little changes but lots of updating and normal repair. Hope you enjoy your 4905 we really love ours. Planing on fulltime use in the near future. 4905 larry | ||
| john daniels (Big_john)
Registered Member Username: Big_john Post Number: 8 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 75.109.201.14 Rating: N/A |
Start with a lot of visits to other buses. Take pictures. Find a good bus Mechanic . Plan for the type of use your family needs. I dry camp for a week, so I have lots of water and black water capacity.Eastex roadrunner(also a John) has a beautiful 4905 in Palestine Tx and would be proud to show it off. | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 657 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 76.1.180.218 Rating: N/A |
Try to attend a few bus rallies. This will give you a chance to see other buses, meet other busnuts, and learn more about buses and conversions than you thought was possible. Jack | ||
| John and Barb Tesser (Bigrigger)
Registered Member Username: Bigrigger Post Number: 6 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 24.197.246.104 Rating: N/A |
Congratulations! My wife and I are in the same boat...er ... bus. We just purchased our first one and are in the design and layout stages. I already have had so much good info shared with us. Now all I have to do is figure out where to begin! | ||
| Paul Lawry (Dreamscape)
Registered Member Username: Dreamscape Post Number: 144 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 64.40.222.139 Rating: N/A |
Hi Amy, Welcome to the madness! You will enjoy the journey I'm sure. It will take you place you never thought of going. I also reccommend going to some bus rally's. They are great and you get to meet a lot of very nice people, (Bus Nuts). I remember when I first bought ours, it was a great feeling, one that I will cherish. Happy Trails, Paul Dreamscape | ||
| Florida Cliff (Floridacracker)
Registered Member Username: Floridacracker Post Number: 345 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 67.8.199.203 Rating: N/A |
Hi Amy, Welcome to OUR great hobby and the FUN that goes with it. We also travel with our two kids and they just love it. Most of the time they want to sleep on board the night before we leave. I also have a 4905 and like many on here, look forward to helping you any way we can. Cliff | ||
| JR Lynch (Njt5047)
Registered Member Username: Njt5047 Post Number: 176 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 69.132.233.230 Rating: N/A |
Welcome to the "BusNutHouse"! Regarding advice on where to get started..why not attend to the mechanicals..brakes, air leaks, service, etc, and use the bus as it is to get a feel for what you may want. The "ideal" layout will change as time progresses. Give it a little time and you'll easily figure out where to start on the interior..or leave it as is. Don't know where you are located, but if in central US, Oct 11/12/13 Christy is hosting a rally in SW MO, and if on the East coast, Kyle is hosting a bus'n rally at Palmetto Cove Campground in NW South Carolina. The location is close to the NC/SC state line... Cleveland,SC. Date is the same for both rallys. Good luck with your project! Going to bus rallys is a great place to begin! You'll get lots of ideas. Best, JR | ||
| Bill 340 (Bill_340)
Registered Member Username: Bill_340 Post Number: 46 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.203.193.110 Rating: |
Well I will break my vow of silence here, and tell you, what I have always said about the Arcadia rally, BUT it goes for all bus rallys, only arcadia at present is one of the largest, " IF YOU WERE A RICH MAN- YOU COULD NOT BUY THE WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE YOU COULD GET FOR FREE AT A BUS RALLY" Have fun and listen carefully to all, most really have been there. Bill | ||
| John Jewett (Jayjay)
Registered Member Username: Jayjay Post Number: 375 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 68.89.75.0 Rating: N/A |
Hi Amy, I've fulltimed in my 4905 for seven years and it is a great platform to do so. One trick for doing the interior, is to procure large pieces of cardboard cut to the footprint size of the furniture you plan to install. It certainly makes layout easy. G'Luck and Cheers...JJ | ||
| Amy E. Riley (Familycoach)
Registered Member Username: Familycoach Post Number: 4 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 130.76.96.14 Rating: N/A |
Thanks everyone for the great advice. We got a great deal on the bus, and all of the mechanical is in great shape. I have been talking to my husband and I think I have him talked into going to the Rally is MO since it is only about 3 hours away from us here in Oklahoma. We look forward to meeting lots of great busnuts. | ||
| Paul Lawry (Dreamscape)
Registered Member Username: Dreamscape Post Number: 146 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 64.40.222.139 Rating: N/A |
You guys will have a great time. Christy and Larry came to TBR 2007 a couple of weeks back. It was the first time we had met them. Say hello to them for us. You will get lots of great ideas, and around the best folk to provide them Happy Trails, Paul Dreamscape | ||
| David Evans (Dmd)
Registered Member Username: Dmd Post Number: 199 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 72.89.178.23 Rating: N/A |
You have to go to that rally and any one you can! In person, visual coach inspection is the best. People love to show their buses. | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1303 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 67.181.189.94 Rating: N/A |
Amy - Welcome aboard the madness!! Lots of good friends and info here, as well as a few characters who pop in from time to time. BTW, what's the VIN on your "new" 4905?  | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 527 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 66.217.102.140 Rating: N/A |
Amy - Re: "The previous owner had slowly been working .... replacing or updating all of the equipment down in the bays." The first thing you'd want to do, is make sure the previous owner reconnected the black tank plumbing and fittings... I have found through experience, that unlike Salmon, those damned things don't swim back upstream! Welcome to the world of bus owners, and life of fun amid poverty. (John-MC9 - "Character" *POP*) | ||
| Amy E. Riley (Familycoach)
Registered Member Username: Familycoach Post Number: 7 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 69.154.142.39 Rating: N/A |
RJ, The vin # for our bus is P8M4905A2019. I know that before the previous owner started working on her that she was down in Florida, but I am not sure where. John, Thanks for the advice. We are talking about moving the black tank, but we haven't decided yet. At least we go in and made sure that everything was tight. We have spent most of this weekend tearing down ceiling panels and insulating. If we are lucky we will have the trailer hitch installed in the morning with the rest of the day to work on it. If all goes well we will be going to the Jersey Roundup to see some other rigs and get some ideas. | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1304 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 67.181.189.94 Rating: N/A |
Amy - FYI, your coach, P8M4905A-2019 was delivered new as fleet number 7902 in November of 1978 to Cities Transit, based in Lakeland, FL, according to my GMC Delivery Roster. Also, if you'd like to have a copy of the Final Vehicle Record for your coach, see the new thread I'm posting right after sending this message. FWIW & HTH. . . |
