gsriley1's Model 10 (Then there were two!)
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:45 pm
I was on the verge of spending what ever it took to make the ol' Model 1 roadworthy when I was told about another bus only five miles from my house.
John Vickers sent me an e-mail suggesting I should meet Phil Brooks a fellow Magnoliaite and long time bus nut. Phil was enthusiastic about showing me the bus and said he really needed to sell her. I should also mention that Phil built furniture as his lifelong trade.
The bus was not built to be "bling" but to meet the needs of Phil and his wife and incorporate the lessons he learned on his previous GM PD4106 (I think.)
Our new Bus was sold new to Houston Metro in August 1985 (Thanks Dreamscape) and is an original Houston bus. Phil acquired her around 2000 and spent two years raising the roof and attending to every detail.
The bus is an 8V92T with a Voith electronic transmission, power steering, and retarder.
She has a heat pump in the basement with custom vents through the roof. As Phil knows firsthand about the SE Texas heat and humidity he utilized state of the art insulation. The roof of the bus is painted in insulated paint (I'm sure some of you bus nuts can tell me exactly what this is.) The interior roof was lined with spray on ceramic insulation, followed by a layer of expanding foam. All of the exterior walls and every crack and crevice also is foam insulated.
She has 10KW Yanmar "pure sine wave" generator power by a liquid cooled 4 cyl Kubota diesel. She also has a battery bank and pure sine wave invertor. There are ample 110 volt outlets throughout the all electric coach. The shore power cord is 50 amps.
The fresh water tank is 100 gallons and features a reverse osmosis water filtration system. The 100 gallon baffled black water tanks were custom built by Phil and allow for draining gray water or black water at owners discretion.
She is wired for cable tv, and telephone with a wind out roof top antenna. The refrigerator is an apartment size unit but there is plenty of room for even the largest side by side. All of the cabinetry is custom built by Phil and was designed to last several lifetimes. She isn't bling but my wife can't believe all of the custom features incorporated into the cabinets (photos to follow.)
The bathroom has a full size walk-in shower, and full size vanity, and two medicine chests. Again, not bling but uber-functional and well built.
The stateroom has a built in bureau and closet with custom tv alcove. There are phone jacks on both sides of the queen size bed.
I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the point. We joked about the Model 01 being the bus of our dreams, but in reality it was inexpensive, nearby, and I was a ichin' to get up to my elbows in "bus grease!"
We don't plan on making lots of radical changes, just improving on a well engineered, and well built coach. Oh yeah, Mama says In Motion Satellite is a must....after all we are 5KidzKrazy.
Photos coming tomorrow.
Greg & Ronnie
John Vickers sent me an e-mail suggesting I should meet Phil Brooks a fellow Magnoliaite and long time bus nut. Phil was enthusiastic about showing me the bus and said he really needed to sell her. I should also mention that Phil built furniture as his lifelong trade.
The bus was not built to be "bling" but to meet the needs of Phil and his wife and incorporate the lessons he learned on his previous GM PD4106 (I think.)
Our new Bus was sold new to Houston Metro in August 1985 (Thanks Dreamscape) and is an original Houston bus. Phil acquired her around 2000 and spent two years raising the roof and attending to every detail.
The bus is an 8V92T with a Voith electronic transmission, power steering, and retarder.
She has a heat pump in the basement with custom vents through the roof. As Phil knows firsthand about the SE Texas heat and humidity he utilized state of the art insulation. The roof of the bus is painted in insulated paint (I'm sure some of you bus nuts can tell me exactly what this is.) The interior roof was lined with spray on ceramic insulation, followed by a layer of expanding foam. All of the exterior walls and every crack and crevice also is foam insulated.
She has 10KW Yanmar "pure sine wave" generator power by a liquid cooled 4 cyl Kubota diesel. She also has a battery bank and pure sine wave invertor. There are ample 110 volt outlets throughout the all electric coach. The shore power cord is 50 amps.
The fresh water tank is 100 gallons and features a reverse osmosis water filtration system. The 100 gallon baffled black water tanks were custom built by Phil and allow for draining gray water or black water at owners discretion.
She is wired for cable tv, and telephone with a wind out roof top antenna. The refrigerator is an apartment size unit but there is plenty of room for even the largest side by side. All of the cabinetry is custom built by Phil and was designed to last several lifetimes. She isn't bling but my wife can't believe all of the custom features incorporated into the cabinets (photos to follow.)
The bathroom has a full size walk-in shower, and full size vanity, and two medicine chests. Again, not bling but uber-functional and well built.
The stateroom has a built in bureau and closet with custom tv alcove. There are phone jacks on both sides of the queen size bed.
I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the point. We joked about the Model 01 being the bus of our dreams, but in reality it was inexpensive, nearby, and I was a ichin' to get up to my elbows in "bus grease!"
We don't plan on making lots of radical changes, just improving on a well engineered, and well built coach. Oh yeah, Mama says In Motion Satellite is a must....after all we are 5KidzKrazy.
Photos coming tomorrow.
Greg & Ronnie