| Author | Message | ||
| Jeff Cheek (Jeffsmagicbus)
Registered Member Username: Jeffsmagicbus Post Number: 22 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 205.188.117.73 Rating: |
Hello! Due to the Homeowners ASSociation, I decided to sell my beloved motor coach on eBay last April. Of course I regretted it ever since, as I knew I would. Since then my living situtation has changed & the road is calling me once again. I decided to go to eBay & start looking for another coach so I can escape the rat race... He drove off into the sunset in a cloud of dust & diesel. He & Screaming Jimmy lived happily ever after. Well as I pulled up my favorite place on eBay, buses, about the 7th bus down, was my Crusader! I traded my $20K+ Limousine for her & she's now in my driveway! My wait for the HOA to contact me again was short, about 2 weeks. I told them it's not a Bus, it's a $175K Motor Coach(In '75), & that I'm willing to let a judge decide how fair their selective enforcement rules are & that if they didn't quit harassing me that I would most probably be retaining an attorney. I did tell them I'm moving so I guess they laid down for awhile. The new rules, which I'm most probably Grandfathered In, state: Vehicles That Are Habitually Parked & That Are 9,000 Pounds Or More Or Having More Than 2 Axles Are Not Allowed. Nice Huh? I'm now back at the conversion full force. I'm now removing the floor ducting & getting ready to put in a new floor. I have reached the point of being overwhelmed & beer doesn't help that much any more. I guess everybody hits a plateau so to say but if I ever need some inspiration, I just come here where I can find other people as insane as I am. I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it... I also got my 4 bays full of spares that I sold with the bus originally! The guy I traded it to before had hurt his knees & had to go in a different direction than he had planned. He only drove it home & back here! It has 48,000 ACTUAL miles on a complete drive train rebuild! The body most probably has a million miles on it if not more but it is good to go another million now & I have enough spares to completely rebuild Screaming Jimmy & go another million miles! Sorry For The eBook but I just had to tell somebody who cares! I'll quit rambling on now & let you go. Best Wishes To You & Your Families. Take Care, Jeff  | ||
| Ron Walker (Prevost82)
Registered Member Username: Prevost82 Post Number: 359 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 208.181.210.47 Rating: N/A |
Once a BusNut always a BusNut Good luck with your new adventure Ron | ||
| David Dulmage (Daved)
Registered Member Username: Daved Post Number: 187 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 142.46.199.30 Rating: N/A |
I hope all goes well with you. I'm so glad I live out in the country where, so far, no body bothers me about what is in my driveway. It's probably only a matter of time until someone moves out here from the city and objects to the view. DaveD | ||
| John and Barb Tesser (Bigrigger)
Registered Member Username: Bigrigger Post Number: 46 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 24.197.246.104 Rating: N/A |
I also live out in the woods. Our bus is the best lookin' thing in this neighborhood. I am somewhat hampered by winter in my "neck of the woods", but managed to get some things done anyway. Just wanted to say welcome back to your project! | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 178 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.148.149 Rating: N/A |
gee How lucky to find your own coach again. Ilive in an area that you don't tell on me and I will do likewise.LOL gomer Ps thanks for stopping in again | ||
| Paul Lawry (Dreamscape)
Registered Member Username: Dreamscape Post Number: 199 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 209.218.200.163 Rating: N/A |
Great Jeff. That is one story that I have never heard before. It's amazing how it all worked out, it was meant to be for sure. We live in a very small town, 467 population, we can do just about anything without any reprisal from anyone. I like it that way! Good Luck and Happy Trails. (Message edited by Dreamscape on January 10, 2008) | ||
| Laryn Christley (Barn_owl)
Registered Member Username: Barn_owl Post Number: 102 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 153.2.246.32 Rating: N/A |
I live out in the woods because I don’t want to be bothered when I work on my bus, or when I want to relieve myself. Move to the sticks, you won’t regret it. | ||
| Austin Scott Davis (Zimtok)
Registered Member Username: Zimtok Post Number: 210 Registered: 9-2006 Posted From: 216.37.73.226 Rating: N/A |
I bet it's great to have the old "friend" back home... I talked to my neighbors and asked for their honest opinion. Most had said that they didn't care that I have the bus in my driveway. The two closets neighbors said that the would rather it not be there but at least I keep it on the side of my house and not in front like a few truck drivers do with their rigs... I guess that I'm lucky that there are a few others that have worse looking (Lots of junk) yards then me. I did notice a new sign at the entrance of my development that states the load limit of the streets at 25K. But since I've never weighed my bus I'll just play ignorant. (Message edited by zimtok on January 10, 2008) | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 239 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 208.6.60.4 Rating: N/A |
Hey Austin, Next time you stop at a truckstop for fuel, just jump on the scales & you'll know for sure. But I think you are fine (since you have arguably the best bus ever built) a 4104. Our '04 fully converted with full diesel, gas, water & propane weighs 24,500 lbs! If you get a weight slip while she's light, you can show it to anybody who asks & they'll have to crawl back under their porch. Keep the good music & videos comin'. Jim-Bob | ||
| Rob Norgren (Robsedona)
Registered Member Username: Robsedona Post Number: 32 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 75.211.139.138 Rating: N/A |
Its great to be alive and in a coach AHHHHHHHHHHHH | ||
| Jeff Cheek (Jeffsmagicbus)
Registered Member Username: Jeffsmagicbus Post Number: 23 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 205.188.117.73 Rating: N/A |
Thanks For All The Kind Words! Yes It IS Great To Have Her Back! I Will Move Before I Sell Her Again As It Was Obviously Meant To Be. If You Truly Love Something You Must Set It Free & If It Comes Back... The Title Says It's An RV That Weighs, Uh, 11,000 Pounds...It Was On There When I Got Her! It's Not My Fault Somebody Can't Cipher! Here's A Link To Some Before Photos If Anybody Wants To Check Them Out! http://drycreekcustoms.com/dry_creek_custom_0000b8.htm Here's A Photo Of My First Trade, A 1989 Jaguar V-12 Convertible I Spent 200 Hours Restoring. The Second Time I Traded A One-Off Caddy Limo For It, To The Guy I Had Traded It On eBay To! I'll Be Adding Some More Photos As I Go. Take Care, Jeff    | ||
| Jeff Cheek (Jeffsmagicbus)
Registered Member Username: Jeffsmagicbus Post Number: 24 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 205.188.117.73 Rating: N/A |
I Managed To Publish The Previous Post Twice...Duh! (Message edited by jeffsmagicbus on January 10, 2008) (Message edited by jeffsmagicbus on January 10, 2008) | ||
| Simon Ayriss (Design_dog)
Registered Member Username: Design_dog Post Number: 86 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 69.227.189.77 Rating: N/A |
Nice bus. Body, etc. looks pretty good on her. The front dash and panel, certain details etc are in good shape. I think out of the three, limo, jag, or bus, I'd take the bus. For now I am fortunate enough to live in the city and STILL live on a house lot large enough to park and work on the bus Plus added storage. (could actually park 3-4) Pretty rare for L.A.! But that's part of the reason for the bus in the first place. -- I want to eventually move out of the city. I'm done. I agree with Barn Owl. Move to the sticks, you won’t regret it. Parking it is one thing. Working on it is another. If you ever get to work on it, one thing I recently discovered is just how unforgiving a Air Chisel is. Man - If you wedge that thing in the right place like a window frame -- it is louder than no tomorrow! Your neighbors will love you! Conversions are A LOT of work. I've already ruined my first Air Chisel. heh. heh. I just bought a new one yesterday from Harbor Freight. (Came with 8 chisel heads) I guess, though, it's all part of the madness and process of building your own coach. The cold and rain has slowed me down a bit. Plus, the other great factor though is time and money. Takes A LOT of both for a conversion. All at once. So anyway, so far my neighbors are great and have been forgiving and I plug away at her. Hate to say it but no matter how ugly things get I still like going back there and looking at her. Hope you enjoy your new bus back and have a great time with it! Looks like it's ready to hit the highway. (just put a little air on one of the tires. :-) (Message edited by design_dog on January 11, 2008) | ||
| Cameron Jones (Crazy71)
Registered Member Username: Crazy71 Post Number: 74 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 72.49.253.33 Rating: N/A |
Ahhh, the HOA and neighbor problems. This is what makes me get in my " I hate everybody" mode. Step one: If you live in a HOA: MOVE!!! I cannot, will not, never, never, ever be caught owning property controled by one. The zoning laws in most cites are bad enough. We have no freedoms left in the US. The busy bodies and goody-two-shoes have complained and whined and the city councils and township governments have placed more and more restrictions on the books. You have to head to the hills to be mostly left alone. And that's no guarrantee. But it sure helps. It is pretty sad when you can't decide WHAT you park on your own property. And the reasoning behind it is not a health, safety, or general welfare issue... It is so others don't have to look at it when they look out their windows. Their visual desires trump the fact that you pay for and maintain the property. Very sad. And the worse part is many people will fight you to the end supporting these restrictions and "standards". They want everyone to fit the mold. NO dissidents. | ||
| Cameron Jones (Crazy71)
Registered Member Username: Crazy71 Post Number: 75 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 72.49.253.33 Rating: N/A |
BTW Jeff...the key word would be habitually. For the parking. They can surely make their own definition of habitually parked. But I would get their definition in writing and then make the bus just barely not meet it. You could drive the bus to work once a week. Of take the kids to get ice cream on the weekend. I doubt any ruling or definition could require DAILY driving to not be habitually parked. Once or twice a week should do it. I play hardball with them all the time. Actually is isn't hardball, it is mickey mouse crap. But the point is, we only have to follow the bare minimum of what is written; nothing more. And we do have the opportunity to exploit all loopholes. My question to the board would be: "Do you want me to drive it 3 times a week and park in smack dab in the middle of the driveway in front of the house, or do you want me to store it as out of view as possible beside or behind the house and not drive it for the season?" Your pick. | ||
| Hobie (Hobie)
Registered Member Username: Hobie Post Number: 3 Registered: 8-2007 Posted From: 76.176.191.171 Rating: N/A |
What does the CC & R's say about parking an RV? Are the rules the same if the RV is a boat?? Suppose that boat is only used during a specific fishing season or when the weather is warm, is it now habitually parked? I'll bet your bus will be drivable with its wheels on during most of the conversion. Now you can turn it around and show it is not a dead horse on blocks! Another thing is to get your HOA budget and determine how much funds are allocated to legal. That will give you a clue how much legal help they can afford. However, if you do go the legal route keep in mind if you loose you will have to pay for their legal expenses. My suggestion is to 'play' along with them. Show photos of other 'violations' of the cc&r's that are not being addressed. Run with the selective enforcement angle. Maybe you have room to build a large building for it. Now you can negotiate a variance if the cc&r's preclude such a large structure. Lot's of options. Have Fun! | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 211 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 4.240.144.249 Rating: N/A |
Problem is that when a neighbor is upset, the neighbors are upset. Called gossip I guess. HOAs have been a real pain for us for many years in quite a number of situations (different HOAs), including an RV lot in the mountains of southern New Mexico. (Cloudcroft). Purchased it right, good neighbors, good setting, private, unobtrusive, and all the adjectives. Had a number of fine years.....until a new guy came along and moved himself in as the "Police Commissioner", self proclaimed, of the POA ( Property Owners Assn)....and can you believe it, he was parked in a 20' travel trailer.....Sheesh! It began with "marked"..trees that, in his opinion, should be cut down due to "disease". Then, the pine needles hadn't been cleaned up for some time..... One thing led to another and we finally just bit the bullet. They didn't like our coach, didn't like each other, didn't like folks dogs, didn't like...well, other folks!!! Long story short: Sold the property for a record price in the sub division and moved on to other things. We live in the county, stay at Flying J, Walmart or wherever we are welcome, have a clean, very presentable and good looking coach. Doubt we'd be turned away from most any "campground". Even visited some of the upscale places in AZ. No problem. Just lessons one must learn over a lifetime, I 'spose. FWIW and enjoy your "second chance",Jeff!! RCB '64 Crown Supercoach (HWC) | ||
| Laryn Christley (Barn_owl)
Registered Member Username: Barn_owl Post Number: 103 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 70.110.13.133 Rating: |
One can never have too much space between oneself and a neighbor. I cannot stand the fact that so many people are OK with telling (forcing) others what to do. It is even worse when the do-gooders decide for me, without my consent, how to spend my money (never ending higher taxes). I am not against the government taking enough to uphold the Constitution and protect our freedoms, but it needs to stop at that. Those who choose to live in those busy-body neighborhoods are still free to get out, and I recommend it. Anyway, I couldn’t help but think about this thread tonight and appreciate what I and others like me have. I made a trip to Home Depot to get some paint for my wife’s never ending laundry room project. After parking, I decided to water the bark on a nearby tree. What a beautiful night! Clear, crisp and I could see every star in the sky. No light pollution up here. Another bonus that you can enjoy: Doing all of the target practice you want to from your back porch. Here lately my brothers and father will come over and we have been trying to perfect our triple-tap. Sure dumps a lot of brass though, ….Ouch!…, that gets expensive. I get a chuckle out of one of my neighbors over the hill from me. Whenever they think I am out and about they will tap their horn to let me know they are stirring. I suspect they believe I shoot in their direction. I guess the way the sound bounces off the hills it might make them unsure as to what’s going on. They are good people, but they just don’t know what a gun safety fanatic I am. Most people wouldn’t want me as a neighbor and I wouldn’t blame them, but that’s the beauty of living out here. No matter who you are you can be yourself. I have no idea why I want to ramble tonight, might be from sniffing too much paint and chemicals. Nevertheless; for some reason, I feel giddy, and have enjoyed listening to my own BS. Just ignore me and I will be better tomorrow, and by then I should have enough sense to delete this. Meanwhile; good-night everyone! | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 248 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 208.6.60.4 Rating: N/A |
Laryn, where you are sounds like where we moved to 1.5 years ago. Little place called Jefferson in NW NC. My next door neighbor is the heavy shooter. He likes to blow things up, too. Lots of folks shoot & hunt around here but the dreaded "GATED COMMUNITIES" are starting to creep into the county. Only a matter of time before the "Fun Police" start trying to mess with normal people. | ||
| Laryn Christley (Barn_owl)
Registered Member Username: Barn_owl Post Number: 107 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 70.110.13.133 Rating: N/A |
Yep. Like the city slickers that want to move to the country and then complain about the smell. They will put the farmer out of business and then develop the farm. Then they are back where they started and the whole cycle starts all over. I feel like I have squatter’s rights, but there might come a day when I get outnumbered. We'll see. | ||
| Jeff Cheek (Jeffsmagicbus)
Registered Member Username: Jeffsmagicbus Post Number: 25 Registered: 12-2006 Posted From: 205.188.117.73 Rating: N/A |
Hello! The above photo of Rachelanne was taken when I first saw her last year! It's been driven about 3,000 miles since then & yes I aired up the tires! I know where you are all coming from when you say move! This is not my property as I would never haved signed the Nazi papers in the first place! About seven years ago, I moved in with my aging parents to help them out. They are now 70 & they both have many health issues. They are most probably going to have to move to an assisted living facility in the near future. That is why I went searching for another coach in the first place. I had decided to sell her before to keep from causing a stink for my parents. If it were my place, I'd have parked her sideways in the front yard with Eat Me written on it or something of that nature but I was trying to be nice. I've had numerous weird, strange or one of a kind vehicles so everybody already knows I'm weird! I had a school bus at first & that got them stirred up like a bunch of hornets so I got rid of it quick. They didn't say anything about my 32' Sportscoach Pathfinder but it wasn't the same thing as a bus! I'm not into driving around in a big igloo cooler even though it was nice & the 454 really hummed! I then got a '54 PD-4104 but wasn't into the crash box tranny as much as I thought I'd be! I swore I'd never buy another bus unless it had an automatic! I like to refer to my Crusader as a Motor Coach as calling it a bus is like calling the Pacific Princess a Boat! The only thing the HOA rules said about RV's where as follows: Recreational Vehicles Must Remain Behind The Front Line Of The House. There is no parking on the grass allowed at anytime & I have a 50' spot on my concrete driveway where she fits perfectly. I'll admit that I could have parked it a little more forward but it is at least 2" behind the front line. An optical illusion makes my coach appear to stick out past the front line of the house about 10 feet. It is the way our house sits & the curve of the road. I sent them photos of the coach behind the frontline. They sent codes out the next day but I had it registered (that day) as an RV, after pulling all the seats out the night before! The codes guy said he liked it & that it was cool & that some people didn't have anything better to do than complain. He said he had to check my tags & title to make sure I wasn't using it commercially & after doing so he said have fun with it & that they didn't have a problem with it. This is when the HOA had a vote & added an ammendment to the rules that stated something like: Vehicles that are 9,000 lbs or more or have more than two axles are prohibited from being habitually parked at any residence. I was at the HOA meeting too. Out of 125 people voting, only 5 were with me & 2 of those were my parents! These people voted themselves out of ever having a motor coach, that is, IF anybody living here could afford to go buy one. I started with a $100.00 Camaro & worked on over a dozen vehicles & sold them over the past 6-7 years to get to this point. If I had only stood up to them before, I wouldn't be 6+ months behind on the conversion. I don't have any money to put into for awhile anyway but I do have a new washer/dryer combo as a start! I told the HOA that I wasn't sure if the Judge would agree with their selective enforcement rules but that if they didn't quit harrassing me that I was going to retain an attorney & find out! Was it the part when I told them I'd be going around the neighborhood taking photos of all these violations that I listed for them? Or maybe it was the part about the Coachman Catalina up the street that hasn't been washed or driven in 7+ years? In my book, these things are listed under chapter 2, Non Of My Business but since they want to play, let's go at it! I did tell them I was going to move as soon as I can find a place but they don't know I'm poor & that the MC-8 IS my place! All my cash is tied up in the coach! I'd have to sell it to get a house...What a crappy deal but I am looking for some land to maybe park it on while I'm building my Log Cabin or restoring a barn to live in or something. I can see the automatic barn door opener uppers now! Just drive it into the living room & park! As long as that Catalina is sitting up the street, I seriously doubt I'll be moving Rachelanne any time soon! The Catalina weighs about 12,500-14,500 lbs. or so. The Catalina & Rachelanne are Grandfathered in just as the two outside storage buildings up the street were many years ago when they practiced their selective enforcement rules against them. There was only one storage building at the time but his neighbor got wind of the new ammendment & raced out & got his shed that night! Sorry for another eBook but you know how it is & where I'm coming from! Thanks for all the kind words! Best Wishes To All & Bye For Now! Jeff |
