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The Bus - Another Pedouin AdventureOne needs an incredible creative vision to see something in this hunk of rust. We have the vision. We'll soon find out if we can make the vision a reality.  Big Blue in the weeds.  A closer inspection. Pictures in general  We're turning this 1960 Chevrolet Viking into our new home.  Let's hope we won't be standing alongside the roadside with the hood open!  Come on in!  The entry way.  From front to back.  From back to front.  Welcome to the kitchen.  The place for a triple bunk for the girls.  Our bed/couch on the right side of the path way. A table with two bench seats on the left side of the path way, behind the driver's seat.  It even has an old fashioned handle; to the delight of Jasmine who rememders well the busses in Denali National Park.  The door to the sign slot still works. The engine The 235-engine is going to be replaced by a 292-engine. We're not sure about the engine that is currently in the bus. Bill will have to redo it all to make it run. All his calling around has had an incredible solution to our engine problems. A rebuild 292-engine is sitting in Wake Forest, North Carolina at CHS Machine Shop. George Bickel, the owner, has agreed to donate a completely rebuilt short block. It doesn't have a head, but Bill's found one in Buckhorn, Kentucky. The bell-housing (the part between the transmission and the engine) for the 235-engine is different then the 292-engine. No problem; this piece he found in Fort Pierce, Florida at Classic Car Coating owned by Wally and Betty-Ann Brollman. Here also are several small parts for the bus; mirrors, lights, etc. With the help of a shipping company that travels regularly from North Carolina to California, we think we can at least get it that far. Then we'll have to find a way to ship it up the coast to a town in northern Washington. Here the entire crate will go on a boat, heading for Alaska. The last part will go by truck. It's a giant puzzle, but the pieces seem to be falling in place. It'll take several months for all the pieces to get here, but that actually works great. We need that time to finish the book, before shifting our focus to the bus. In the driver's seat The driver's seat. The only seat in the bus for now.  The switch panel.  Dials.  Spedometer. We think the odometer is correct; give or take a hundred thousand or two. Under the bus Under the back of the bus. We put new rubber on four of the wheels.  From the front, driver's side, to the back. Bad spots A big rust spot near the front doors. The big square was once cut out to facilitate a heating system or so.  Oops, a hole in the floor near the gas pedal.  We're lacking about 80% of the windows. At least they are not curved. That will make it a bit easier to find replacements.  We'll need to add another back bumper.  The other side of the non-existing bumper.  The metal contraption we're going to take off.
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