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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:24 pm Post subject: Hello everybody, I'm new here. |
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Hi , I thought I'd introduce myself.
I got a computer about 8 years ago and I thought that I'd look up some trivia and see what I could find on the GM fishbowl bus since I knew that in time many things would be forgotten but I was surprised to find a few sites dedicated to these things and my other favorites which are the GM Buffalo and Scenicruiser buses.
I prefer the fishbowl over the Scenicruiser because I love the huge windshield. I love the Buffalo for the sides and rear since it looks like the fishbowl. I have found a lot of trivial info and discovered some on my own which may or may not be obvious to some.
I have always loved buses but I did not get to ride many since I lived in the country. I regret that most of all.
Boonies to many of you.
I never got the chance to drive one and have no desire to drive the new buses although I am considering it.
Anyway I recall the first time I saw the Fishbowl and I knew it was great and new and I got to ride a Scenicruiser but was too small to appreciate the idea behind the second level. Mom had me sit on the lower level next to the lavatory so I didn't even get to see much.
I never rode a Buffalo but I do remember the drivers struggling to shift the tranny because they would make a loud noise.
I am a licensed truck driver with the passenger bus endorsement but I quit driving for personal reasons. I have a clean record.
Yes and I am a big GM fan even though GM has lost it's way.
Camaros first , second and third generations, Corvettes from around the late 60's to early 70's, Many of the huge cars like Cadillacs , Buicks and Oldsmobiles, Cutlass, late 60's to early 80's, Novas late 60's to 1972 and I do love the 4 doors, Monte Carlos in the same years The Vista Cruiser wagons in the same era and most of all 1967 to 1972 Chevy GMC pickup trucks , Suburbans and Blazers. Medium duty trucks
Medium duty buses withe the GM chassis although I prefer a certain bus body over all.
I love the GMC Astro 95 and Chevy Titan 90 and their short nose version of a conventional truck.
I thought that I'd also share that I am no mechanic as a professional but do work on anything that runs even though I worked at a shop for a short time.
I have a hobby and it's model cars and trucks collecting but I also modify my stuff and I have 16 Fishbowl buses that I am working on to make them the way I want them to be
I am here because there seems to be a few places to go where there are like minded people.
So I hope to learn some stuff here and to share what I have.
Thanks you |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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I also want to add that for a long time I used to visit this site a lot and look at the gallery and I have turned every page where Fishbowls are concerned and I come back now and then to see ones I may have missed.
Maybe I could contribute some time |
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JimmiB
Age: 81 Joined: 19 Apr 2011 Posts: 516 Location: Lebanon, PA
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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Welcome to the site TheDriver. I drove several Fishbowls and always liked the way they handled. As for the "Buffalo" buses, they were a SOB to shift. You really had to time your shifting by listening to the engine and trying to hear when the rpms sounded about right. If you had 40+ screaming kids on a field trip you couldn't even hear the engine. |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 1:38 am Post subject: |
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I just got to know how fast you drove a fishbowl |
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JimmiB
Age: 81 Joined: 19 Apr 2011 Posts: 516 Location: Lebanon, PA
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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The ones I drove were governed at 55, so unlike the movie "Speed", I never jumped over a missing section of highway. |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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I drove trucks for years and I know that there was no way that bus could have done the jump and I know that piece of highway since I got to drive it after that
I also drove a truck with the 318 Detroit Diesel engine governed at 1900 rpms but I was geared high enough to go 70 mph. The engine lasted a long time. |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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JimmiB wrote: | The ones I drove were governed at 55, so unlike the movie "Speed", I never jumped over a missing section of highway. |
I heard a guy complain that those buses didn't handle well at high speeds. Is that true? |
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JimmiB
Age: 81 Joined: 19 Apr 2011 Posts: 516 Location: Lebanon, PA
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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The ones I drove were all transit models, so I seldom even got up to 55 mph. |
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TheDriver
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 233 Location: America
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2016 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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The reason I asked is because I want one to convert to an RV if I ever get rich. I would keep as much of the bus as possible. The Ventilation system, the windows, even if I have to slightly tint them for the lavatory and showers, like Greyhound did, the stanchions and hand rails and the modesty panel and the back seats. |
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