Call me nuts

[buddydawg]

I am finally joining the busnut crowd.  I am buying a 1972 GM Fishbowl Suburban this week.  I went and gave it a good inspection and test drive today.  It fits the budget and I think I can make something of it.  It cranked right up and cruised on down the highway.  I should be briniging it home sometime next week.

[Jerry Liebler]

Buddy,
    Welcome to our world & congratulations on your new toy.  If any of us busnuts called you nuts, we'd have to admit the same of ourselves! 
Regards
Jerry 4107 1120

[cody]

Lets see, we pour money into a metal lined hole in the driveway, we drive a small car with a feather foot to squeeze the last mile per gallon out of it so that we can save up enough money to pour a small oil well of diesel fuel into a tank that will empty itself almost as fast as we fill it, we bang our heads on the mirrors as we walk by, smash our hands trying to pry that bolt loose that was last seen in the late fifties.  We drain our savings accounts so that we can fix up something that will never be worth a fraction of what we have into it, nuts? not us lol, I love it. lol

[Kwajdiver]

and then, we don't like the color, and have to learn to paint, so we can change it.
All the while, chasing air leaks, locked up brakes, dead A/C units, leaking exhaust,etc, etc, etc.  Haven't EVEN told you guys what I did to get the love seat out.

This is soooooo crazy,  Welcome to the NUT HOUSE.....

Bill

[buddydawg]

Here is a pic.  I found it on ebay. 

As far as my background I haven't taken on a project like this before.  I have been looking into it for about two years now and settled on this bus. While it may not be the "best bus" for a conversion it seems to fit my needs and I just like the way it looks. 
I am employed as a Woodcrafter by the Dept. of Defense and I cabinet maker and trim carpenter on the side.  I am also proficient in Paint and body work. I have those areas covered. I can wade my way through the electrical work.  My biggest weakness right now is learning how the bus systems operate which will improve over time and tons of post on the board.

[Dreamscape]

Good for YOU!

Glad you found the right bus for your needs. Now the fun begins! Get manuals, read all you can, ask lots of questions, make lots of friends with the same coach as yours and most of all HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE.

Happy Trails,

Paul

Dreamscape

[buddydawg]

For those that are interested the model number is T6H 5308A and the serial # is 0024

[Dallas]

Buddydawg,

That's a transit coach.
T= Transit
S= Suburban
P= Parlor

T6H5308A0024 was delivered to New York Bus Tours, Bronx, New York as #1313 in April of 1972.

Good luck, and have fun!

Oh, and just because no one else said it, I will.   You're NUTS!   

Ya gotta be to start this hobby, addiction, obsession, life altering path!

Dallas

[Runcutter]

Buddydawg, welcome to the group.  I've been here for almost a year, and it's been quite an education.   

The photo is interesting, obviously New York Bus Service paint scheme.  Looks like it may be a hybrid between transit and suburban.  Exterior has suburban characteristics (no rear door), but doesn't have the luggage bays I remember in suburbans (at least the SDM 4501 I used to drive).  I wonder if it has forward facing highback seats (suburban characteristic), probable if it was used for a tour subsidiary.  In the interior, the most telling feature between transit and suburban was the raised floor. 

If you're interested in preserving some of the history of your coach, there's a fellow who's been listing hat badges, and other NYBS materials on ebay over the last couple of months.

Arthur

[buddydawg]

The seats have been removed but it did have the raied floor and forward facing streets.  For whatever reason all of the NYBS Suburbans that I have seen do not have the bays.  There is space there but no bay door access. 

[Charles Seaton]

This is definitely a transit.  NYBS ordered their buses with suburban interiors, but they were transits.  One of the easiest ways to tell the difference is the fact that suburbans nearly always have luggage bays.  There are also some underbody differences---two stabilizer bars instead of one, etc.  And yes, the forward-facing seats necessitates the use of raised platforms.

[buddydawg]

Thanks for the info. 

[brojcol]

ok,

you're nuts!

[Hi yo silver]

Buddydawg,
You came to the right place!  Stainless fever is a terrible thing to battle alone.  (Seems like there outhta be a twelve step program or something for us...)
Dennis

[superpickle]

Glad to have Another Fishbowler here 
I have T6H4521 271. also from NYTS. I'd put her on my Avitar, but I cant figure it out..
Heres my link : go to Photoblog. (click) Genral, undr the pic..

http://www.matthewfarmery.net/gonermobile/documents/23.html

And Ditto on the NUTZ 

Buddydawg,

That's a transit coach.
T= Transit
S= Suburban
P= Parlor

T6H5308A0024 was delivered to New York Bus Tours, Bronx, New York as #1313 in April of 1972.

Good luck, and have fun!

Oh, and just because no one else said it, I will.   You're NUTS!   

Ya gotta be to start this hobby, addiction, obsession, life altering path!

Dallas