Byron, I'd like to convo you, but can't get to your profile.
I am leaving DC tomorrow morning. May be able to alter my trajectory, but only if there's actual crew. I'm not able to turn around.. way, way way too expensive, so if i head to richmond to pick you up, assuming i delay for a day or two to be able to do it, you'll either need to hang for the ride or find your way back.
been posting for a week about the vehicles, contacted plenty of folks, and now i'm down with my plan. If you're looking at hopping on & doing the ride, that's great. I can change my departure by a day or two, but can't do any turn-arounds.
if you need to get back to richmond, it will be up to you to do so, entirely.
even richmond is a hell of a detour, and i'm not sure i'm down with it, not having had a chance to communicate very much before arranging the launch.
as i've said to matt the past couple of postings, i'm willing to let the bus be used for some STP stuff, but there will be a lot of details to be discussed.
it has to be used respectfully, and has to make it (if possible) back to me, when the deeds are done.
the bus is fairly nice.
i have to check her out, and make sure she's ok (see below)..
even if she *is* (which i suspect will be the case), she'll need a little bit of work & to be checked out... as below, she's been driven a little over 300 miles.. maybe as many 400, with no severe powertrain issues, other than belts jumping a couple of pullys..
this was a major pain in the ass, but appears to have been addressed.
i was, in fact, going to drive her to washington state with my friends, but the fucking alcoholic at the farm totally, totally fucked those plans.. if we had had more time, we would have continued, but that's another story.. we had one day to get her to her new home, & as below, we were *fucked*.
if she *is* going to be used, she needs at least two gearheads, or 1 gearhead & someone mechanically competent enough to help..
in any case, the offer is there.
if a full crew materializes suddenly, i'll use her.
otherwise i'm making the offer to matt, & if he takes me up on it & is down with you helping him, then i'll give you the address & make the arrangements for whatever visiting needs to be done.
that's it for the moment...
separately, though, some bus details follow..
that's it..
peace,
john
=========================
ok.. here's the gig with the bus..
the minor bad & then the shitty bad & then the hopefully good..
The bus has 180,000 on the odometer, and has been driven a bit more than 300 miles since i got her.
She *used* to run pretty fucking good..
issues are as follows:
1) there is an electrical problem with the rear lights, which can be easily bypassed via hard-wiring. I suspect the cause was a general short caused by a faulty junction switch for the removed wheelchair lift, and damaged some internal wiring. Ignition and other wiring is fine.
2) pulleys had been vibrating heavily to the point of continually slipping off. They are now properly aligned, and the power steering unit fully tightened, so all looks good, but she hasn't been driven very far since that fix, but seems ok. The AC unit has been rotated to a different mounting position, and therefore uses a different size alternator/AC belt than stock.
3) although the the bus is a veg-oil conversion, which was professionally done, the fuel in the tank was a veg-diesel mix, and has congealed.
I was told it was straight diesel, so i dinna worry about it.
the cleanout will be a bitch. If nothing else, the nice, 40 gallon steel tank is intact, as is all the other veg oil equipment, so even if the veg system needs to be rebuilt, everything is there.
stuff is servo driven, but i prefer manual valves, in any case.
here's the shitty bad..
mr. alcoholic redneck who became the bf of the owner of the farm after i parked it, decided it was such a *nice* bus that it deserved to be his..
since he decided this, he also decided he could take whatever was on the bus that he wanted..
fortunately i had locked the shit out of her, so this only included stealing about 40 gallons of diesel fuel (costing me a shitty fucking tow charge, because i wasn't aware he had drained the first time, & got about 2 miles down the fucking road, looking at the fuel gauge, & decided to turn around, *hoping* it was just stuck, or there was a problem with the sender unit..
he drained it so fucking far t could not even go 2 fucking miles.. this was just a short test run, which went fine, but she crapped out..
this guy is supposedly a trucker and diesel mechanic.. he did do some sucessfull work on a tractor, so for a minute i trusted his mechanical knowledge, although he had fucked me personally..
suffice it to say that i accepted his help, & although i have been warned many times against using starter fluid in a diesel engine, he assured me that "just a little bit won't hurt it", and will get the vacuum going through the fuel lines, after we had re-primed them..
i wasn't fully aware of just how fucking much this asshole was a pathological liar, & i don't know how much starting fluid he used, but when i turned the key, the fucking thing sounded like it wanted to explode..
it did, however, start, but i was then like "we AREN'T doing that AGAIN, ok?"
despite the insane 4 seconds of noise, she still ran smoothly, and my several starts & short drives after that were fine..
i super *double* locked the shit out of her when i left the farm, with about 10 gallons of diesel in the main tank.
**THE TANK WAS FUCKING LOCKED**
I returned about 3 months later with a buddy to start her up & get her the fuck off the farm and start a drive to Washington state.
Hopped in, all looked good, turned the key & VROOM!!! .. just like that, first turn.. a nice, smooth, beautifull idle..
she ran for about 40 seconds, & then crapped out.
i'm like WTF???
shithead that i am, i did not let the fuel gauge come up *before* starting it, but since she turned so fast, was watching, hoping to see my 1/4 tank or so show up..
ha ha..
empty..
i get out of the bus, go down to the fuel tank & there is a wet spot of diesel fuel right where you would put a can to siphon it off.
despite being locked, this motherfucker went UNDERNEATH the tank, and AROUND the lock & shoved his tube in there, and did this TWO FUCKING DAYS OR LESS before we got there, because the spot was still damp..
the asshole *KNEW* we were coming, and drained my fucking fuel AGAIN...
not to mention what he had stolen from my fucking VAN, too...
anyways, i left this asshole with my buddy, whom i had warned about him, fervently & repeatedly, but the fucking sonofabitch somehow or other got andy to let him "help" him, & when i cam back 20 minutes later, there were a couple of engine wires disconnected & a can of fucking starter fluid..
needless to say, the bus had not started, and at this point i told the drunkfuck to just stay the fuck away...
i turned the engine over & she rattled like hell for just a moment, after which i was like "NO MORE FUCKING STARTING FLUID!!"
andy, my buddy, is a good guy..
he took the asshole to the store, at which the asshole asked to borrow $10 (his common method of scamming), and then by coincidence ran into the OTHER asshole redneck alcoholic who was his best "friend".
after coming back to the farm, having listened to them, andy was like "this place is a den of thieves. we have to go".
mind you, andy used to ***live here, too***, when the farm was working fairly well..
long story, involving a pregnancy, but he left to be with his woman..
the farm fucking *changed*...
anyways, the redneck recently crashed the farm truck, broke his collarbone & some ribs, as well as fucked up his face, and the owner-lady has finally, finally, finally kicked him out.
he was in the hospital, is now gone & may even be fucking dead.
don't know, don't care.
sooo... the bus is now ready to be re-evaluated.
i am on my way down there to do so.
i *think* she'll be fine.
i won't drive her on my own, though.. not now.. just not enough $$ for fuel, because she's going to washington, cali or oregon, if i take her..
& that's the main story for the moment.
