| Author | Message | ||
| Michael E Grant (Michae1) (152.163.100.73)
Rating: |
I currently own a 60' PD4104 which I love dearly. That love doesn't come w/o sacrifices of course. eg. no power steering, not enough power, etc. My wife has her eye on a 1984 Bluebird Wanderlodge. She thinks the upgrade would be Oh so wonderful. Any feedback from people knowlegable about "Birds"? I appreciate your input. | ||
| John Finn (Flagman) (152.163.100.73)
Rating: N/A |
Michael, While I cant speak in reference to comparing a 'Bird to your 4104, I can only give you my experience from being a fairly new 'Bird owner myself, having brought mine , a '82 35 foot FCRB model, home from Texas last January and spending $$ and time to remodel it. What you will find in a 'Bird is a very well built and solid coach with a great support group at; http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Wanderlodge/ or; www.wanderlodge.org It is very similar to this forum here, with a lot of very knowledgeable members that will help you out with any question that you might have. There is also still a good factory support mechanism even for the older models. When I stopped at the factory in Ft. Valley, Georgia on my way back from Texas and spent three free days camping at The Nest on the factory grounds, I spent about an hour each day setting with and asking the Tech. Rep. Benny, numerous questions about my 'Bird, that was originally built for Budweiser and after showing him photos of the unit he informed me that he had helped build mine back in December of 1981, so it was a small world indeed. I have nothing but praise for his ongoing support as well as the members of the Wanderlodge forum. There are also other members of that forum besides myself that frequent this forum too, after all I can use all of the help that I can get. You can visit my web site to see the progress of my remodel job, by clicking on the link in my signature below. I will be adding more photos in the next week or two, as there has been a lot more accomplished since my last web site update. John Finn '82 35FCRB BLUEBIRD WANDERLODGE TO VISIT THE "FINN'S INN EXPRESS" REMODELING ADVENTURE GO TO; http://www.pbase.com/image/24977457 HOPKINS, SOUTH CAROLINA | ||
| TWO DOGS (63.185.80.189) Rating: N/A |
opinion board....so.....If you get a bluebird,you will still have no power,and have an uglyer bus..can't see the advantage... | ||
| Stan (68.150.152.113) Rating: N/A |
At that time I was considering buying a new Bluebird and spent time with the factory sales people. The condern I would have for the FC model is the noise level when driving. It may be equipped with an intercom for driver to co-driver conversation. The other problem with the FC is difficulty with engine maintenance and having to do it from inside the coach. | ||
| jimmci9 (209.240.205.68) Rating: N/A |
the wanderlodges are great coaches... the wanderlodges ive seen have detroit 2 stroke engines and allison automatic transmisions... lots of nice factory options....the older forward engine models used a cat 3208 and allison auto also...i seriously considered a mid-60's model that had a huge ford gas engine/allison before i bought my mci9....bluebird makes a great chassis | ||
| BrianMCI96A3 (67.76.66.218) Rating: N/A |
A walk-through of a Wanderlodge back in the early eighties is what got me interested in converting coaches in the first place. Having said that, during the only road trip I took in a front engined coach, the noise was deafening, and the spring leaf suspension felt brutal. Brian | ||
| FAST FRED (4.245.230.42) Rating: N/A |
I had a Wanderlodge with a FC engine that was very nice. The Ford 391 (GAS) was as quiet as any motorhome with a front engine. 3000rpm =60mph at about 7mpg. The noise problem exists only with diesel FC coaches , as the engine noise echos off thr road (no matter how fine the interior noise controll) and to drive a diesel with front windowas open is Much Unfun. The interior was nice teak overlay and the coach looked fine , but the dinette was foam over plywood (butt busting ) and the front salon had simple ply seats/ couch , again looked great! but stank at actual sitting. Lots of goodies were under the seats so reloacement with real sitting comfort was too much work for my tastes. Also it had no bays , but did excell at towing a 7000lb 2 axle trailer full of goodies. At 30 ft with fast acting power steering it was the best Urban Coach I have ever driven, guess the Skoolie heritage of touring the housing in the burbs made it so delightfully handy. We would even talk it tag saleing. Worked for me, for almost a decade, FAST FRED | ||
| Gary McFarland (Gearheadgary) (68.250.2.76)
Rating: N/A |
OK, my turn--my conversion is with a 30' bluebird pusher. Two dogs--WHAT are you TALKING about? Maybe you've only ridden in a 392 gas unit or something, in which case you'dbe 100% correct. However, they range from that to 531gas, to many 3208s all the way to 8V92s which are dammned powerful. even the lowly 3208 can be pumped way up. one of our members has one running over 400HP and will break triple digits. (Scary Fast). Since 77 they've all had ridewell air suspensions, as does my 83. all the wanderlodge pushers have Detroit power, and are much quieter than forward control versions for obvious reasons. Most of what you need to know, john already mentioned. Join the bluebird forum, sit down and go through the message archive. I guarantee that if you spend the time you will get the answer to every question you can think of and you will have answers to questions you never thought of. I don't have a wanderlodge, I am converting a 30' transit/pusher, so I can't coment on "house" items, but Bluebirds are the toughest coach on the road. one of the members recently rolled his coach in order to keep from plowing through some autos and they walked out of the accident, another coach would have killed them for sure. Not only did they survive the accident, but the coach is easily repairable. BTW: It is my understanding that until a few years ago that only Bluebird and Wayne were DOT "rollover certified" unfortunetely the demand for smooth sides and no rivets eliminated this feature and 17 kids lost thir lives because of it a while later. I have personally seen a 42-footer repaired after a rollover and you couldn't tell. Bluebirds have FRAMES, making the whole conversation about how to build a hitch moot (They come wtih hitches). There are a couple of Wanderlodgers that have their old MCI's and eagles for sale if that tells you anything... They are not as slick and sexy as an MCI or Eagle, nor do they have the giant baggage bays either. it sort of the right tool for the right job question. I prefer the industrial look of a bird, but that's personal preference. In any case, to each his own... Gary 83SP20 conversion | ||
| Johnny (4.174.109.146) Rating: N/A |
At work, we have a 1998 FC TranShuttle shorty (about 30') wheelchair bus. Powertrain is a 175HP (putt...putt) Cummins ISB, 4-speed Allison, 3.54 axle ratio. It has leaf springs in front (GAWR 10,700) with airbags in back (GAWR 15,000), air brakes, power steering, and 265/70R19.5 tires; GVWR is 25,000. Things I like: Well-controlled ride; the ONLY thing I've ever driven from ahead of the steer axle that I can say this about. Absolutely ZERO side-to-side sway. Brakes will put you through the windshield. Engine/trans/axle gear are the closest I've ever seen to perfectly matched: every upshift will put the engine right into the powerband. In the back, rides very smooth, empty or loaded. Built like a tank--ours was rebuilt after the entire right side burned. Good visibility. Fast-idle switch. Air-operated doors are nice & seal well, though they tend to slam when they close. Heat will blow you out of the bus with FOUR heaters. Things I don't like: Underpowered. Needs another 50-75HP. With the ISB, easy enough to do at any Cummins service center.  Having another gear isn't really NEEDED, but certainly wouldn't hurt, especially if you didn't have the engine uprated. Wheel simulators look stupid, keep the brakes too hot, & make checking lug nuts & rear tire pressure a royal pain. Electronic gauge cluster (single gauge that switches between oil, volts, temp, & fuel) slightly counter-intuitive, VERY troublesome, & expensive to replace. Stupid "bar-graph" air gauge. Trans cooler MUCH too small. Tailpipe hangs kind of low. Opening the door locks the brakes & limits the throttle to slow idle. No dash A/C. Poor side window seal. Engine noise really isn't a problem. If anything, I'd say the cooling fan was the most intrusive. Normal conversation at 60MPH (windows closed) is no problem. |
