wills new (newest) project

[willyn]

Hi Vin vanners Everywhere

we have a New project under way
sort of er!! er !! caravan related

dc3td and ATOG sniffed it out when they said it might be bigger
We bought a 1952 FLXIBLE bus to tour the US next year
we found it in Georgia

It was 1 of 7 built as a camper or RV as they are now known in 1952 as a special order for a private couple it has the full history

If anyone is familiar with RV Vacation with Robin Williams it was the red and white bus the neighbours drove (the munros)

We want to bring it back and restore it to new condition
as there were only 131 that were built in Australia BY Reg Ansett for Ansett airways the price for one of these amazing buses is around $100.000 to $150.00 for an Aussie version
in the states they are priced a bit better

we were lucky to find ours for $20.000 aus in Georgia but with import and restoration
who knows?
at least owning it for twelve months in the states waivers the gst
that will pay for some of the fuel for the trip

Thanks for little mercys fuel is less than half our price in the states
65 next year you have to make these things happen
oh well retirement looks like 70 now

so we will have some fun doing a 2 month tour next year then come home and have some fun with the Airstream or the Bus
I gave Lord Fred to my best mate for christmas last year I dont think the Flxble will be following suit

we are excited about the challenge I think a diesel will be replacing the petrol motor real quick or maybe gas could be a low cost option
here is my bus
and here is the RV vacation Bus


well its a sort of a Caravan
just a bit longer
with a motor
one thing about living in this great country we call Australia is we are free to do what we choose without fear or favour
Im happy to say I love my wife and my life
and this group
oh yeah !!!!! :-*and vintage caravans

Will and Lyn
and buses too

[atouchofglass]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Thought that bus was the pick of the crop in the Oh so - ho hum movie.

All the best with the renovation and holiday.

Cheers
Atog

[Geoff & Jude]

hi will and lyn

here's one that goes to kiama every christmas.

the guy owns a guest house/property near cootamundra and uses it as a tour bus during the year to pick passengers up from sydney and carries them up to his guest house.

at christmas he pulls a few seats out and puts bunks in their place and uses it as his camper.

it's got a cummings diesel in it and he says it gets better economy than our blue ford and it cruises effortlessly at 100k's all day.









it's a real nice example of the model.

geoff

[willyn]

Hi Geoff and jude

yep thats what im talkin bout!!!!!

they are an awseome sight on the road
and that bus is on you tube it is a perfect example and you can see why they are worth what they are in Australia
I think UNIQUE is the word
I worked in Melbourne as a kid for Reg Ansetts best friends Joe Walton
who owned Walton of london ( I started work in a shoe shop )
and if your thinking it (no Im not gay )
we went to regs property on the peninsula and he had the first Flxible he bought into Australia in 1947 that was in 1963 to a little kid looking at that was the most impressive thing I had ever seen
and it has stuck in my mind since then and that bus you put up looks just like his
he and flxble built the 131 as a partnership to use as Airport transfer buses
thanks for those fantastic photos
Geoff and Jude

Hoping all is well with your health and best wishes for the future


regards
Will

[DC3Td]

Hi Willyn. Well you certainly know how to impress. Reckon you`ve outdone yourself this time though.Passing thought had a Flxi in mind but figured with your Nu-Blu Chevy,why`d you want a coach?But all makes sense now. Custom trailer/Chevy hooked up behind? Used to work on these babies decades ago for RMCampbell,Bankstown.Gorgeous brocade covered seats.Think the wall panelling was in same material.Some were anyways that we worked on.Good headroom/space.Huge Megauritz (spelling?) donk. A very different type of coach/bus to drive although i only drove them up/down the companys driveway but was aboard most times when mech took out for final road test. You`re not going to strip paint off & polish?? haha.Well all the best.cheers gordon

[JBJ]

Hi Gordon,

Those air cooled diesels were known as Magirus-Deutz as I remember from trucks of the early 50's, but I believe the engine was really the Deutz & the Magirus was the truck builder.( I'm probably wrong again)They had a rocket ship outline in their grille I think.

I known the Deutz air cooled diesels were around for many years
& still may be made???. I worked on one back in the 80's from memory, it was a stationery set up driving a big water pump out western NSW

JBJ

[kaybee]

Hey Will.....here's a trailer for you.....



.... ;D ;D

....and JBJ....'course you're right......

[willyn]

:)Hi gordon and Kaybee
well there is no where left to go after a Flxible Gordon
but If i had to pick a van apart from my Airstream
It would definately be my Kennedy van
it towed beautifully looked great aerodynamic and strong
when the opportunity arises to pick a flxible up at the right price I think I would kick myself down the track a bit
once I have restored it If It is not right
I can always sell it
My last bus was a 1971 leyland panther coach we had it for two years did a couple of trips and then sold it I never lost anything on it we towed a little 4 wheel drive 53 jeep behind it
but flxibles are fairly sought after in the bus world
retirement is looming and I think that would be a great way to travel Australia with a trailer and the chevy ute

but then again that Flxible caravan is awsome Col I remember when you posted it several years ago and thought how good it was I dont think it has ever been seen again

regards

Will

[DC3Td]

Hi Willyn. Well yours looks too good/big to turn into a trailer (as per Cols pic) & the Chevy would only suffer if towing. So spoil yourselfs & drive in comfort & style.
JBJ: Yep, that`s the correct name. We also fitted one to a custom coach we built.Nicknamed the F111 as it sat for 18 months before someone bought it after the original deal fell through.Some guy out of Dubbo bought it.He used to overtake the semis that overtook the cars! cheers gordon

[rvowner]

Mar 28, 2010 1:45:51 GMT 10 willyn said:

Hi Vin vanners Everywhere

we have a New project under way
sort of er!! er !! caravan related

dc3td and ATOG sniffed it out when they said it might be bigger
We bought a 1952 FLXIBLE bus to tour the US next year
we found it in Georgia

It was 1 of 7 built as a camper or RV as they are now known in 1952 as a special order for a private couple it has the full history

If anyone is familiar with RV Vacation with Robin Williams it was the red and white bus the neighbours drove (the munros)

We want to bring it back and restore it to new condition
as there were only 131 that were built in Australia BY Reg Ansett for Ansett airways the price for one of these amazing buses is around $100.000 to $150.00 for an Aussie version
in the states they are priced a bit better

we were lucky to find ours for $20.000 aus in Georgia but with import and restoration
who knows?
at least owning it for twelve months in the states waivers the gst
that will pay for some of the fuel for the trip

Thanks for little mercys fuel is less than half our price in the states
65 next year you have to make these things happen
oh well retirement looks like 70 now

so we will have some fun doing a 2 month tour next year then come home and have some fun with the Airstream or the Bus
I gave Lord Fred to my best mate for christmas last year I dont think the Flxble will be following suit

we are excited about the challenge I think a diesel will be replacing the petrol motor real quick or maybe gas could be a low cost option
here is my bus
and here is the RV vacation Bus


well its a sort of a Caravan
just a bit longer
with a motor
one thing about living in this great country we call Australia is we are free to do what we choose without fear or favour
Im happy to say I love my wife and my life
and this group
oh yeah !!!!! :-*and vintage caravans

Will and Lyn
and buses too

[rvowner]

Hey Will, love to read such a happy post. Australia is a dream for all the RVers and people who love camping. We also love Australia because it does not have too many restrictions on traveling. Moreover, the beautiful locations make the camping more mesmerizing.

Happy camping Will and Lyn and the buses too

[Roehm3108]

You need to keep an eye one the dates of posts rvowner, willnlyn created that post 11 years ago and haven't been on this site since 2013, so their rovin days might have stopped. Then again, they could be enjoying life well away from such things as internet services!!

[rvowner]

Hi folks, how are you? I want to ask for your suggestion. I have a Volkswagen mini bus and I want to install solar panels to divide the load between electric power and solar power while I am travelling. Kindly tell me any resourceful mechanics in the area of New Jersey.
www.rvroofmagic.com/

[shesgotthelook]

Hi RV Owner, this is an Australian based page so you might get better advice on a US vintage travel home page. Cheers, SGTL