hotpuppy72

[hotpuppy72]

Weight a second

So, I might be wrong on the weight issue. Another spaceliner owner pointed out to me that his bus had a GVWR of 40K. I asked him to send me a picture of the vehicle data plate.

In the meanwhile, I started digging, emailed NeOPLAN, and checked everything I have.

I hit paydirt early on with the discovery of a German Bus Spec PDF that listed the max weight at 17,500 KG which is 38,000 lbs.…

[hotpuppy72]

Update

I took the bus to weigh it today and realized I have a weight problem. I was really expecting more weight to have come out, but it didn’t. My GVRW is 34,500 which is set by Federal Law for 2 axle vehicles. My weight today was 28,500. I did some calculations to account for the diesel fuel, generator, AC’s, and washer/dryer and concluded that the curb weight of the bus is 26,000 pounds. By the time…

[hotpuppy72]

Interesting vIN data

I found a decode for Neoplan VINs

https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Neoplan_USA_Vehicle_Identification_Number_Explanation

[hotpuppy72]

Summary Update

It’s been a busy week. I decided to engage in an exercise to price out a windshield this week. MAN Truck has a North American presence that is mainly focused on their marine engines. I emailed them and proceeded to argue about my VIN and if they built my coach. It basically ended with them asking me for the part number before they could tell me if it’s available and how much. SMH.

Meanwhi…

[hotpuppy72]

Other Devils

So I’ve been debating if I should sell my coach and buy a different one. No discussion of this would be complete without mentioning the other devils.

GM PD4106 – the GM buses are simply fabulous to drive. If you can find one with a 6V71 they are reliable and relatively fuel efficient at around 10 MPG. 35 foot length makes them easy to live with and maneuver. The downside is that GM has been…

[hotpuppy72]

The Devil You Know

The Devil You Know

When you own a bus, you own a devil. One of the things you struggle with is the devil you know vs the devil you don’t. Every bus is a devil. Sometimes it’s a mechanical devil, other times it’s an intimidating devil, and other times it’s an unobtanium devil. There is no perfect bus. Just devils.

3 years ago I was looking for a flat-nosed Skoolie. With a DT466 and a good, heavy duty…

[hotpuppy72]

NO POUND LEFT BEHIND

NO POUND LEFT BEHIND

Last Fall I took the bus out for work. I’m an Independent Insurance Adjuster and sometimes when I go to work a storm there are no hotels to stay in. So I brought my motorcoach to stay in. That worked out well and saved me a bundle on hotels. I stayed in a nice RV/Mobile Home park in Mobile, Alabama called Pala Verde.It was quiet, reasonably priced, and conveniently located. I was there for 2…

[hotpuppy72]

Fan Bearing Miracles

So I needed to take the RV on a work deployment to Mobile, Alabama.  The coach made it fine.  About the time I got to Alabama I noticed a strange noise coming from the back.  By the time I got back there I wasn’t sure what it was.

I got to the hotel I was headed to for a meeting.  We’ll call it the Hustle Inn.  It’s seen way better days.  They were nice enough to let me park in back.  The biggest…

[hotpuppy72]

The wheels on the bus go round and round

The wheels on the bus go round and round

It’s been a while since I’ve posted… sorry about that.  But I’m doing stuff with the coach again so I’m gonna start posting.  It’s been a hectic year of change, so the coach took a back seat.  I had an unplanned career change when the non-profit I worked for decided it no longer needed IT management…. good luck with that.

I was going to start another t-shirt company, but that didn’t work out as…

[hotpuppy72]

Pegasus Photos

Someone reached out to me recently who had worked for Pegasus.  He shared some of the history and some neat color photos.  Pegasus was started in Beaumont Texas and then relocated to Porter, Texas (NorthEast of Houston).

A group photo.  Thought to be the most Pegasus units in one spot.  I did get a strong suggestion that I do indeed have unit number one.  I would guess it is the furthest unit in…

[hotpuppy72]

July Update

Hi folks, just a quick update that all is well.  I’ve been focused on my house and letting summer come and go.  I’m planning on going camping in September so I’ll be working on some minor things here in the next few weeks.  I’ll post more when I start working on it again.

[hotpuppy72]

WiFi solution

There are a bunch of articles on the web for how to do WiFi while camping.  I’ve come up with my own solution that works great and costs around $100.  Fair warning it does require some technical know-how to set it up.

Ubiquiti makes some great WiFi gear that you can get on Amazon.

I use their AirGateway Pro to create a local 2.4 WiFi access point for my the devices in my coach and around it.…

[hotpuppy72]

Ball Joints installed on luggage doors

Ball Joints installed on luggage doors

I finally got the D19 ball joints installed.  There were 10 of them and with a helper I was able to dismount and remount the doors.  This restores functionality to all 6 luggage bay doors.

I still need to convert the ball joints on the tie-rods for each luggage bay door, but at least this part is done.

I also reconnected my mid-ship marker lights which are integrated into the doors.

[hotpuppy72]

Door and Lighting progress

Door and Lighting progress

I’ve been working on the coach here and there making great progress.  I have installed track lights in the parlor/dining and bath areas.  The track light fixtures have arrived and are installed.

I stopped in the bedroom because the wiring is really funky.  It originally had Phillips Capri lighting which is commercial/industrial.  It’s capable of 240v but it was mostly being used to provide…

[hotpuppy72]

I might have Pegasus #1

I might have Pegasus #1

I knew my coach was old when I bought it…. and unique.  I am beginning to think I own Pegasus #1.  Here’s why:

Body is 1984

equipped with custom logo’d gauges in load center.  They have the Pegasus logo printed on them from the factory in the same ink and finish.  They are date stamped on the back Jan 1985.

Custom Logo’d VDO running gauges as well.  This is typically done by the factory.  It’s…

[hotpuppy72]

Saturday update

It’s been an interesting week.  I figured out what was wrong when I plugged into shore power.  The transfer switch was connecting the genset to shore power.  With the genset not running it was throwing a breaker.  I guess it was trying to start the genset through the generator head.  Bad juju.  In theory the transfer switch isn’t bad, it’s just sorely miswired.

I talked to Mike with…

[hotpuppy72]

Pandora's transfer switch aka electrical flucker custery

Pandora’s transfer switch aka electrical flucker custery

Ah yes, flucker clustery….a  level beyond cluster fuckery!  So here are some pictures of Pandora’s transfer switch.

First the lovely electrical bay.  Chafe violations, explosion hazard, unsecured batteries, improperly secured wires, no battery disconnect, no fusible links, poor use of storage.  So much opportunity!

In the gray box (upper right) is a cluster fuck of a DIY 3 way transfer switch…