Our Introduction,New to Prevosts, New to Pog, OLD Rvers

[christyhicks]

Well, we actually took the plunge and bought a 1991 Prevost Beaver Conversion, a week before Christmas, but due to our plans to surprise some friends in Quartzsite, we kept our purchase on the "hush-hush". They were expecting us to show up in our GMC 4107 conversion, ha ha. We've been on the road ever since, so I haven't taken the time until now to say HELLO:D.

We're still among the working poor in Mustang, OK, our home base, doing hvac/plumbing work when we have to, traveling when we can sneak away. The trip to Quartzsite was a lucky break for us, and we're, sniff sniff, on our way home again. It was a little scary to buy a coach and immediately drive it on a 3000 mile trip, but we've been very pleased with the rig and have had a great time.

This coach is #12, of the 34 Jim mentioned on a previous post as having been converted by Beaver Coach during the 1990-1992 time period. It's the LeMirage XL, 40', 102", with the 8v92 turbo, with 174,000 miles on it.
It has the light oak interior, all the bells and whistles you'd expect, with the extra treat of having four Astral roof sightseer windows, which really give the coach a wide-open look.

We're not exactly NEW to buses, as we have been driving a 4107 which was converted by Sundance Coach back in the 80's, and had just really gotten going on a MCI-9 that we were converting ourselves. Although we will miss out on the challenges and satisfaction of doing a custom conversion for ourselves, we just couldn't justify the time and cost involved compared with the price we paid for this bus. My personal woodshop can be put to plenty of use finishing up the woodwork on our home, and Larry's numerous metal working and mechanical skills never lack for projects. Shoot, even if our work trucks didn't needs his attention, the numerous tractors, backhoes,trackhoe, dozer, grader, bobcat. . .(oh goodness, need I go on?) all are in line for some sprucing up, and I'm sure he'll find some other piece of equipment he's just GOT to have. (He has every welder ever invented, I SWEAR! Each one was purchased with the insistance "this weldor does EVERYTHING i'll ever need to do, it'll be the LAST welder I'll EVER have to buy. . uh huh, sure, siiiigh:rolleyes:.

Anyway, I digress. . . hello to everyone and be prepared for some serious "brain-picking" as we learn the ins and outs of this new-to-us bus. Christy Hicks

[Will Garner]

Larry and Christy,

Here is a warm welcome to POG for both of you. Christy, don't let Larry get together with Jello Jeep. He likes tools and buying new tools way to much. The rest of the POG crowd is mostly OK. Hope you enjoy the experience and are able to get away for a POG Rally soon. I think the next big one is going to be in Texas so it could be relatively close to you.

Hope to meet up somewhere on down the road. I know you will find that $25.00 annual dues to be the best money you ever spent on a bus! This group is very supportive in times of technical need and just a plain Hoot to be around. Lot's of fun.

[christyhicks]

Thanks for the welcome Will. I'm not sure WHO would be a bad influence on who. .. but it's a good heads up to try to keep the two of them apart, ha ha. . . . especially since we tow a Jeep too yet!:D

I'm sure I'll be joining several forums and gleaning as much info as possible as we learn this new bus. I did pick through here this morning and got a couple of ideas for dealing with too low of turbo boost and loss of power climbing hills. Larry changed the air filter before we left, which did increase it some, but next the step will be changing the fuel filters. This coach is supposed to weigh in at about 42,000 lbs, which is SUBSTANTIALLY higher than the 27,000 lb 4107, but he still thinks he should have more power on the hills, moving from the 8v71 to the turbo'd 8v92. Nothing hits home like the reminders to start with the simple things before jumping to conclusions! We do have just a few little smudges indicating exhaust leak, but it sure can't hurt to change those filters!

I'm sure we'll be checking into the Prevost rallies, in addition to the couple of rallies we already attend. We just left Quartzsite, and we've done Jack's rally in Arcadia, FL, along with the TBR in Texas and we also hold a small rally in Carthage, MO every year, each of which is different, yet fun.

I guess I'd better get researching ways to polish our stainless, as we have just a little of that bluish discoloring if you look closely, and after finding out that the MINIMUM price for professional polishing by a coach place was $4,200,:p, I think I might just learn how to do it myself, ha ha. Thanks again, Christy

[Coloradobus]

WELCOME CHRISTY.
Glad you and Larry have joined this group!! By the way, I have added yet another puzzle to our Coach #34. The 2nd owner called me yesterday after I left a message several weeks ago.
They owned our coach for 12 years, selling in 2007. Do the math from Bob Barnard, the first owner who I talked to in January, the time line all fits.
Now, there is about 2 years for the third owner, but I don't think we will ever find out who that was.
Bus 29 was listed for sale at the Mannheim Car Auction in Fontana Ca yesterday. Kenin Erion called earlier in the week to tell me about it.
Ty Kelly at Beaver Coach Sales was able to get their website and glean the VIN number. I talked to a guy at the auction who was kind enough to pull a drawer to see the "BEE" number which was B-29. I told them to give the owner my contact info to add to our sheet.
Anyway, WELCOME from Coloradobus-Jim and Chris

[dale farley]

Welcome Christy and Larry. You should be able to get all your questions answered on this forum. You will get answers even though they might not be the right ones. We do have many members with the 8V92, so you will have plenty of help with any maintenance you wish to do.

[christyhicks]

Great to hear from you again Jim. That's awesome that you were able to get more info on your rig. With only a two year span missing, you've got almost a complete history! Let's keep our fingers crossed that the owners of #29 find you or us! At least we know it is STILL on the road, eh? If that's correct, that means we've got 12-14 coaches we know are still in use.

We have been on the road for a few weeks, so I haven't had a chance to really put together all the info I've been receiving on the various buses. I'm hoping you'll see me an updated list of what you have, then I can look over all of my notes and see if I have anything to add or not. Probably not, but worth a try.

Thanks for the big welcome and maybe one of these days we'll connect somewhere. Christy

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Welcome to the asylum. As Dale said ask all the questions you want and we will always have an answer.

On certain rare occasions we will even have the correct answer. You will know when that happens because we charge money for those.

[christyhicks]

Thanks for the welcome Dale.

I see you hail from one of our favorite places to visit, Pensacola. We never fail to visit Joe Pattis seafood market if we come through, and have eaten at several good places when visiting! Hmmmm, do I sense a pattern here. . . yes, I'm afraid that often, we judge towns by the quality of their restaurants/food offerings, haha. That, and what they offer for antique stores, flea markets, and music venues. . . touristy type things (yep, we're the quintessential tourists, camera in hand, ready to see something new!;))

Anyway, thanks again, Christy

[GDeen]

Welcome Christy. I read the bus conversion mag forums from time to time and remember seeing your announcement about the purchase of your Beaver. Hope you are enjoying your new ride - the pics looked very nice. The skylight is very cool - you might post some pics up on here.

[christyhicks]

Welcome to the asylum.

Hmmmm, I'm thinking maybe I WILL fit in after all!:D


On certain rare occasions we will even have the correct answer. You will know when that happens because we charge money for those.

Hahaha, well, as long as I have a way to know the difference, I guess I'll be safe, ;):D

Yeah, it seems that I am CONSTANTLY overwhelmed by the breadth of knowledge on these forums and I'm still searching for the teeny, tiny forum of people that know less than I do. .. haven't found it yet, but I keep my eyes open! :eek: Thanks for the welcome, Christy Hicks

[christyhicks]

Welcome Christy. I read the bus conversion mag forums from time to time and remember seeing your announcement about the purchase of your Beaver. Hope you are enjoying your new ride - the pics looked very nice. The skylight is very cool - you might post some pics up on here.

Crap, Gordon, you weren't supposed to blow my cover! ha ha. I figured I'd slither in here unannounced and just use my "alter-ego" when posting over there;):D.

Yes, I have posted about our (mis)adventures on occasion, and so naturally I let everyone know that instead of converting BigBus, our MCI-9, we bought this Beaver and will be selling the other buses.

We are THRILLED with this bus. . . drives like a dream, is SO beautiful and OMG, I just LOVE those roof windows. Sure, there are times when we close the shades to keep the sun out, but it was amazing that over and over, when people stepped up into the coach, their first comments were something like, "Boy, this coach is really wide open" or "man, it looks so big in here!" Now, this, mind you, was considering that we had Elvis and Morty, our "new to us" elk and moose head mounts, inside with us. (We bought Morty & Elvis at Quartzsite and they were too big even to go inside the Jeep or the one of the bays, so pretty much from the time we landed in Quartzsite, we've been sharing our living quarters with heads bigger than ours!)

Anyway, yes I will get a picture or two posted eventually, just figured I'd find my way around here a little and figure out all the rules and such BEFORE I start breaking them, ha ha. Christy

[Ray Davis]

Please post a link to the pictures of your bus. I looked pretty hard a couple of years ago at a 92 Beaver with skylights. I can't believe that there were many of those?

Ray

ps: Welcome! It's great to have you here.

[hobobimmer]

Welcome! It's great to have you here.

Eric, Debbie, and Jay Faires from beautiful East Tennessee welcome you, also.

Just so you can know that you don't have to wait until October 2010 for POG Rally in Kerrville, TX, there is a mini rally in mid-February (2/18 - 2/23 or so) at Port St. Lucie, FL Outdoor Resorts. Will be a few buses there.

There is also a West Coast Mini Rally in Vegas in mid-February. You have probably seen posts on this topic. You should feel welcome to join any or all of these rallies, or create your own.

Then 3/18 - 3/21 (I think) is Mobile, AL to eat lots of oysters. That's within striking distance of Oklahoma, I think. If you don't like oysters, come anyway and learn to eat and love them.

If you want to create your own rally, post here that you're going to be at "_______ Campground" in City/State on a certain date, and invite other POG members to join you. Frequently folks will show up.

It's very fun group. We are glad you have joined.

Eric, Debbie, and Jay Faires
Huntsville, TN

[Coloradobus]

Hey Ray, Besides Chrisiy and Larry's coach, there is one other Beaver Bus Christy and I have identified that has the Astral ceiling widnows, and that Bus #10. It's first owner was Ernest and Tanya Borgnine. Currently a couple from Washington State own it as 2nd owners.

[Ray Davis]

THAT was the one I looked seriously at. I was a little confused awhile back when someone posted a link to video of Ernie driving his coach, and I didn't see the skylight windows.

The one I looked at was owned by Ernie, and was being sold by Paul Davis in Texas. I got pretty close on that one. (first bus)

Ray

[Coloradobus]

Okay,

Ray!!!:D that must mean there is a 3rd Astral windowed Beaver bus out there that we don't know about. The owners of Bus 10 didin't buy from Mr Olivers.
After hearing about Bus 29 that Kevin E and Ken Z have seen at separate times recently, Chris and I were wondering just this morning how many of the conversions are left out of 34. Even old Beaver Execs don't know. We now have 4 in POG!!
Christy and Larry
GMCbuffalo-Greg and Huong
Jack and Thelma
Me and Chris
Whooppeee!

[rahangman]

Welcome Christy & All ! When you head for Carthage, MO let us know, we are only about 100 miles away, and if not somewhere other than Home (Arkansas) we could make a quick run up to meet you. :)

[jack14r]

Welcome Cindy,I use Busch Polishes to polish the stainless on my bus,I use a variable speed Dewalt polisher and their airway pads with the green or ultra green compound,they also have the adaptors for the airways.They also have a good liquid stainless polish (wax) that I use a couple times a year.Their web site is buschshineproducts.com.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Welcome Chrusty, follow the link to your metal care needs.

It is best to call and discuss your needs and expectations with them direct. This is a high tec product, not a gimick.

Oh yea, fill in your signature and avatar before Will gets on your case.

http://www.metalwax.com/

:)

[christyhicks]

Please post a link to the pictures of your bus. I looked pretty hard a couple of years ago at a 92 Beaver with skylights. I can't believe that there were many of those?

Thanks for the welcome, Ray, and actually, if you looked at a 1992, I would think it would have had to have been one of the last one's converted. Ours is a 1991, and it's # 12. The Astral windows were just one of the many options offered by Beaver at the time, and it looks like our owner #1 must have been liking all of those options, because he bought MOST of them, ha ha. . . . (good for me though!:D) I'll try to get some pictures posted. . is there a specific place or should I just add them to this thread do you think?


Eric, Debbie, and Jay Faires from beautiful East Tennessee welcome you, also.

Thanks for the welcome! I doubt we'll be able to go to any of the early rallies, as if we make it home by Sunday, we'll have been gone just under a month, and are overdue at taking the helm back at work. We own an hvac/plumbing company, and our WONDERFUL officer girl has stepped up to the plate for us and was "acting head honcho" for way too long! Although, I will admit, air cards, Messenger, cell phones, online faxing, etc., all make it pretty easy to work while on the road. I could pretty much stay online with her 24/7, and I spent at least one day a week plus whatever other time I could cobble together, working on paperwork, doing my payroll, billing, etc. OTOH, it's NOT the same as being there and now we've got to get back to the grindstone and whip stuff back into shape back home. We WILL keep track of rallies as they come up, but we've also got to fit some trips in for Canton, TX (the big flea market) and a few rallies we're committed to. Thanks for the heads up on what's coming up!


posted a link to video of Ernie driving his coach

Actually, I think that video was of the coach Ernie purchased AFTER the Beaver conversion. There were some differences and I think the video was of a 1993 or 1994 or something like that. The Beavers quit production of the Prevost conversions in 1992. . . with Jim's being TECHNICALLY the last, even though it was actually rushed and finished ahead of #33.


When you head for Carthage, MO let us know

I sure will! The rally is held every year, the 2nd weekend of October, which co-incides with the Apple Butter Festival in nearby Mount Vernon. We've held the rally at The Big Red Barn RV Park, which is a nice, clean campground, pull-throughs, easy access for big rigs, and best of all, they have an activity barn they've let us use which features a full kitchen and plenty of room for potluck dinners, and a nice fire ring which has served as a gathering point for all attendees. Since we hold the rally in October, it seems that the fire is a natural place to gather. . usually early evening, we've got a large circle around the fire, and as the night closes in, the circle gets smaller as people head back to the rigs, but also, people get closer and closer for more heat, ha ha. I call it a "simbiotic relationship" between the general group, the die hards, and the fire, :D. The rally is open to all makes and models, and we've had wanna-be's drive in and stay in hotels even. With the Texas Bus Roundup the weekend before, and then the Eagle Rally midweek in Branson, MO, we may get some extra Eagle drop-ins this year too. We laugh and say this is a no-schedule, no-seminar, no-special activity rally, (probably because we're essentially lazy!), just a group of people who love buses hanging out together. We'd love you to join us Roger, and anyone else that loves buses is welcome too! I'm sure I'll post about it in the proper section.


I use Busch Polishes to polish

follow the link to your metal care needs.

Thanks for the tips Jack and Jim, as I definitely will be doing some research on this. The final question is which one of us will sucker the other into actually doing the work, ha ha. I figure if I do the research, Larry shoudl have to polish;), but he's thinking if he picks out the equipment and polish FOR ME, that's good enough!


fill in your signature and avatar
Oh, geeze, I TOLD you guys I was trying to stay undercover and start out with a clean slate, so I deliberately didn't want to list our buses, as then the truth of the extent of our disease would show. Oh well, I guess I knew it wouldn't last!

Christy & Larry Hicks
1991 Beaver Prevost Le Mirage XL conversion
1986 MCI-9, DL3 kit, in process of converion (conversion canceled as of Dec 17, 2009)
1978 MCI-8, stripped and ready to convert before MCI-9 purchased as "a deal we just couldn't pass up"
2000 Jamboree 22 1/2' Class C (for those 100 mile garage sales and mini-trips . . did I tell you I HATE hotels and sleeping in other people's beds?)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 1996 Jeep Cherokee toads
:o ahem

[Will Garner]

Christy and Larry,

Since Jim stirred the pot, what he was referring to was an AVATAR - a picture of your bus, you and Larry, or anything you so choose. Go to the menu bar, click on User CP then on Edit Avatar. You can then select your choice of what you want to show up beneath your User Name.

I've got to change mine as it is getting old - just like me! I'm not sure what I'll find but it will be newer than the one there now - or maybe not.

I'm off to start looking.

[christyhicks]

what he was referring to was an AVATAR

Yes, I realize that I don't have a picture of us w/our bus on there yet, but you see, two days after we purchased it, we were hit with the biggest blizzard in Oklahoma in over 85 years, following by record breaking cold temps. We couldn't put the bus inside the shop, because although our other bus fit inside, this one was 4" taller than the door, so we then had to wait for the door supplier to get out there and add another panel to the door, which, of course, they couldn't do for a week! Then, we had to pull out our other bus, which WONDERFULLY, decided to develop a leak at the fuel pump, so then we had to wait until we could get a pump that Monday. . .well, you can sort of see how my life goes, haha!

Finally, we were able to pull TempBus out, back this one in and then shoehorn TempBus back in in her original "bus slot", in the dark, in freezing cold weather, not knowing for sure of both were even goign to fit, ha ha. We had originally stored our MCI-9 in the spot we used for the Beaver, but the Beaver has the Webasto and Generator tail pipes that stick out about a foot out the rear, and the big mirrors that stick forward a foot, and all the measuring in the world wasn't going to tell us if Larry could weave TempBus throught that 10' wide door and still kick the rear end far enough over to clear the mirrors on this one without smacking a door, frame, wall, or post lift. It was a hoot.

It wouldn't been so bad, I think, if it had been daylight and if some new friends in their Beaver Conversion weren't there patiently watching to see if we could get the deed done, so that they could pull in and park for a quick visit as they were on there way through town. I was just SURE we'd scratch SOMETHING in front of our new friends and show them just how INEPT we really were!

What's kind of funny is, the next morning, when our employees showed up for work, several commented that "I guess the bus didn't fit inside the garage after all. . ", because the other Beaver looked so similar to ours everyone just assumed it was ours!

Anyway, now that I've gone way off the topic, um, yeah, we didn't get pictures of us with our bus yet, as it was just too darn cold to be out there with a grin on my face! Grimace maybe!:D

Christy Hicks
1991 Beaver Prevost LeMirage XL

[Will Garner]

Christy,

Sounds like you had a Jimmy C moment there with the storm and the barn door. Jimmy C built a nice new bus barn for his coach and then posted a photo from inside the barn looking out the door at a snow covered coach. Jokingly I posted to Jimmy C the idea in building a barn was to put the Bus inside not the owner. I just hope he did not have to wait for the spring thaw before getting to put the bus in the barn.

BTW, my initial Avatar was of Carole, Sully (our grandson) and me in the Lotus tent at the 2007 US Open, Oakmont PA. So as the title says, any photo or cartoon will do. It does not have to be of you, Larry and the Beaver.

[christyhicks]

Ok, well, how about I use my favorite picture of me and my beautiful (and only) grandbaby, Karley, 5 1/2, who just LOVES her "Ma". let's see if this works!

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

That's nice the Christy Chicks ;)!

:)JIM

[christyhicks]

That's nice the Christy Chicks ;)!

:)JIM

HAHAH, well, that IS funny! Actually, because a female hvac/plumbing contractor is still a bit of an anomaly, it was even more so back in the 80's when I first connected to the internet (yeah! REALLY early stages).

I often signed my paperwork as C. Hicks, so it was natural that my first e-mail address (which I use to this day) was "c hicks" or "chicks". I didn't realize that time and spam would pass and grow exponentially, and I've often wondered how many times I get "spam-filtered" from people's e-mail because me e-mail address is chicks@ionet.net, ha ha.