Eagles International Forum

Jim,

I hate to see you give the old girl up. I think you and I are the only two Metro buses that are out there running. I got poked at constantly at the Branson rally last October for running with the DOT bumpers. But I don't care. I don't have bumper envy. Bryon Pigg had a back blade in his shop for sale but no corners. I have always liked being able to climb on my bumper to wash my windshield.
I am still using the ECU you gave me for the Voith Tranny. I have 2 other spares, but neither will release the retarder action without shifting to neutral and back into gear, otherwise they work fine. I use the Voith retarder extensively when driving through the mountains. That tranny has worked flawlessly for me for 21 years.

Hope you sell fast. Good luck.

David

Thanks David.

Yes the Houston Metro Buses were a bit unique, but had great bones and seemed to be in good condition.

I used to catch flack because I put the corners on upside down, but I love it that way.

For those waiting on interior photos, I still have it on the to-do list, but have been herding a bunch of cats for the past few days and it will be hectic for another day or two. Don't give up on me

Jim

Well, we finally caught up with the activities that kept us from cleaning the bus up a bit and taking interior pictures and now it is minus 15 degrees and snowing a bit

Maybe another day or two.

We continue to have mixed emotions about selling the bus and would be fine with keeping and enjoying the bus, albeit at a lesser number of days.

I want to be careful how I say this, but my goal is to sell the bus to a person who will take it to the next level or enjoy it as is. I will avoid selling it to anyone that I think might get in over their head. If that sounds like interviewing for a job, it kind of is.

If I can find someone who fits the right profile, I would be willing to work with them on the price. Otherwise, we will seeing you on the road in our Eagle when the weather treats us nicer.

Jim

Well, we gave up on herding the cats and eked out a few minutes between snow storms to tidy up the bus a bit and take a few pictures.

Before I show the pictures I need to state the obvious -- I suck at woodwork. I love to weld and fabricate and have all the good equipment, but wood - not so much.

So, here are a few pictures:
Jim

Well, with mixed emotions, we watched the bus pull out of the driveway on Sunday (5/2/2021) for the last time.

The new owners seem to be a good match for the challenge of making the bus "their own". Very friendly folks that have wanted an Eagle for a long time.

They arrived home, in the South Bend area, Monday evening with only a minor glitch (leaking tire valve stem).
Jim

Wow Jim, you sold very fast! But very commendable for you to sell the your bus while it still drives. Unfortunately too many busnuts let their buses sit for 15 years before trying to sell


Did you let the new owners know about the forum?

Yes, it sold fairly quickly considering some of the "unique" features . Would have sold sooner, but we were on the road for a few weeks while I had a couple of teaching assignments at Boeing.

I feel very fortunate that the new buyer seems to be up to the task of dealing with all the systems and probably take it to the next level. It is also great that he is such an Eagle bus fan.

He is aware of the website and forum. Indeed, that is how he found the bus, since I did not list it anywhere else. I think his daughter will need to help him a bit with the computer end of things. I am sure he will frequent the forum after his head quits spinning getting acquainted his new toy .

Jim

Wow Jim,

You sold the old girl quickly. I'm enjoying mine so much right now that I would just hate to part with it. We are in the coach most of the year, and when it is in the barn I try to do any preventative maintenance needed to stay ahead of any malfunction. That plan has worked well for 21 years now. I'm averaging about 6000 miles per year and the old 6v92 only uses about a gallon of oil between oil changes, and as you know the Voith tranny has been rock solid for me. I'm going to reindex the bogies one spline to add 500lbs to them because they slide in a panic brake operation. Not looking forward to doing that job again. I did that about 15 years ago. Ugh. I still have the puller I made that is similar to yours.

Don't quit posting

David

Hi David. I was fortunate that a good buyer found the ad. He seemed to have good mechanical and electrical skills and I am sure that his skills will be tested

We sure enjoyed the Eagle for many years and it was a great experience. That said, the bus sat more than it should and I found it harder to do the maintenance that it deserved.

Yes, I will stick around as long as folks can put up with me.

Jim