We bought a 1976 MinnieWinnie, for $500.00.& it was ALL orange!!! Carpets,Table Walls,etc. EVERYTHING!!! HAD to gut it out, now remodeling it(When it stops getting so Cold & Rainy). but are making progress when we can, since all the surgeries I've had, Now have a Prosthetic foot/leg on my right, had skin cancer in my foot. But teaching myself to walk with it, & doing a GREAT job at that!!!! So when we can finishing the walls, then floor, then MY part of where I want things!!!! LOVES/HUGS TO ALL!!!
❤️it, I watched the video when you first picked it up, it was great. All of the 1984 clips, we remembered everyone. My wife used to work for a school district, driving a newer Bluebird snub nose school bus, it would hold 83 kids. 👍👍👍👍on keeping your daydreams
What a walk down memory lane! I’m 60 years old and remember every single one of those clips. Wow! It’s cool, nostalgic, horrifying and embarrassing all at the same time. Lol! The Bird looks great and I’m so glad you’re all enjoying it. Hi Charlie!🐾❤️🐾
A Wanderlodge is not an RV, its a lifestyle. When you own one you become part of a huge family. You need to attend the WOG Rally in Pine Mountain, Ga in the fall.
Everything you said about owning an older RV is true. We recently sold our much loved 1993 Airstream because the maintenance was becoming a big factor in our camping experience. We decided we wanted to spend our time camping, and not worrying about all the projects that needed to be done on the Airstream. We sold it to someone who wanted a “project”,,and we purchased a new rig that fits our camping style perfectly. So it felt like a Win / Win.
1984, the best year ever. That was the year I met my partner. 37 years later, 3 grown children, 1 grandchild and 3 more on the way. So many memories through the throwback montage. Thank you.
In 1984…55 MPH was the law EVERYWHERE. 40 MPH wasn’t that bad. But now, with some speed limits over 80 MPH….your in the way! Hahahaha love the rig. Thanks for the tour.
As Class of '83...thank you so much for that historic montages and I'm especially grateful for that split second of Don Johnson!! ❤ We experienced the love/hate with our '84 Airstream, but pros definitely outweighed the cons!! Always love your show!!
OMG I recorded that Big Red commercial at 21:09 in 1983 at Universal Recording Studio in Chicago! Boy did that took me back. Group 4 studio singers in the heyday of jingles..
Very good tour and video. I decided about two years ago that I wanted an old bus. Fell in love with the GM4106 model. I found a 1962 4106 that had been converted in Southern California and flew out, bought it and drove it across country back to Arkansas. It was not in good shape mechanically but by the grace of God I made it with no issues. Myself and my buddy spent most of 2020 going through all the mechanical and repairing everything. Keep in mind that I have a fine fifth wheel and my wife couldn’t understand why I ever wanted an old bus, but it did teach me a lot about the old ones. The thing that stands out it that they were made to be repaired and will last forever. It went to a new home and owner in Florida last year and my wife is happy now. I kind of miss it but truer words were never spoken, “you better make sure your rig is ready”.
Really enjoyed your video! We (married for 41 years) have gone from tent camping to a Lance Cab over, to a Jayco 28 ft fifth wheel with no slides then to a 37 ft Raptor with 3 slides a small garage and extra bedroom n the back. Now we have a 40 ft 2010 Tuscany class A with 4 slides! Loved the Raptor but my husband got tired of the hooking up. We feel the class A is so much easier especially when you get to your destination. You’re right about trying different styles of RVs. We have 800 watts of solar panel on our class A. We love the fact that our refrigerator can be 12 volt or propane if we’re boondocking! Love your Blue Bird! Definitely a conversation starter! Every RV has its pros and cons. Fun and informative video! Safe travels! Hope to meet you on the road!👍😊
Your vlog is so well produced, and you are such an engaging and relatable couple. This came up on my algorithm today and I’m so happy and impressed. I don’t think I will ever buy an RV, but for pure stress free entertainment you’ve done a great job. I especially love the nostalgia. Extremely informative too.
As an avid classic wood boat enthusiast, I totally agree about starting early to make sure everything is going to work. The public boat ramp is not the place you want to find out that the Gray Marine flathead engine won't start. Also agree with making friends and high fives on the highway towing a classic woody. When everything is singing, vintage ANYTHING is the cat's butt!
You all pointed out that you were thinking about cutting down the back from your table so you would have more room to get in the bathroom. What about getting a "piano hinge" for the backing frame. Then you can tuck it away when needed for extra room but still have the full area while Marc is editing videos?
We love the amount of sofa space you have in The Bird! It is amazing! And the twin beds really open up the back of the RV for family use w Hen you need two areas for entertainment! I need to organize my house like you have done. Excellent suggestions. We watched KUD for five hours las night…enjoying reruns. It’s amazing to look back and see how much the children have grown in such a few years! They have matured before our eyes! What advantages they have experienced! You have made friends in so many places! We look forward to each week!
Never in a million years would I thought we would hear the voice of the Greatest play by play man in sport’s history Bill King on my favorite RU-vid channel. He was the voice of the Oakland /LA Raiders , Oakland A’s and Warriors. Thanks for that flash from the past.
To keep things on the coffee bar from sliding around, get a roll of the rubberized shelf liner. Cut pieces just smaller than those baskets or coffee makers and put underneath. No more sliding around.
This is perhaps one of the best videos that you have done. If you have a late model pickup truck that is suitable in size to tow your travel trailer, then that is about as reliable as RVing gets. A large motor home has its advantages while on the road but its not more reliable than a good pickup truck. A vintage RV will have issues from time to time and a vintage motor home can have issues that are much more expensive if you can even find some one to work on it. I don't know how you afford all the different rigs that you have had or do have but it gives you a perspective on the advantages of each type of RV that few other RU-vid RV channels can offer and your candor about what you like about each is great. You should do more about what makes each type of RV good and bad because few can offer honest opinions on it. Keep up the good work.
In the early 90s my neighbor had that same “no puffin please” decal on their front door. Must have been a fairly popular campaign for a while. Definitely nostalgic.
Sounds like the DC compressor fridge is a game changer! I am so tired of the inconsistent temperature in the fridge in the truck camper I bought in 2020, I’m ready to yank it out and replace it with a compressor style fridge
Love that bus! Don’t renovate it! Unless something breaks or wears out don’t change it. It’s in great shape! I think Trish should get into commercials! She’s so great at these walk throughs!
This is awesome!! I graduated hs is 83 and these clips are perfect! Made me realize how lucky I was to grow up during the 80s! Such a better world back then! Thank you!!
Glad yall love the rv. Character and personality... :) I personally prefer the new and modern, but do admire those that are willing to spend all the effort to restore old vehicles.
I use vinegar on my brushes and sponges after every use. I keep it in a spray bottle mixed with water 50/50. Never any stink and kills bacteria without the possibility of bleaching my clothes😬
we have a 1998 Holiday Rambler Endeavor class A Motor home, we have lived in it full time with our dogs and cat and recently ventured in it on Route 66, in Oklahoma, Kansas, and a little Missouri, visited Branson MO, and (Mayberry) Mount Airy NC
Thanks for the vid - Dump that bench for the wedge issue - and do chairs on that side. New floor covers the deed on the bench. Put the bench in the cabin.
i have a 1984 vouge 2 33' motorhome. so vintage but so many well thought out design with some cool features like a built in blender! deff ahead of their time
LOW POWER ISSUE - We own an 88 Bluebird. To address your lack of power issue and with the engine off remove the engine cover inside the rig then check your throttle linkage by depressing the throttle pedal completely then make sure the throttle lever on the injection pump is going to full throttle (all the way against the stop). To obtain this you may need to make a linkage adjustment. Let us know if you have questions.
Awesome video of an awesome rig. I have a Vixen 21 and while it gets great MPG and is fun to drive, I do believe I will maybe add to the fleet and was looking at this and the GMC RV. Thanks for the memories and sharing the bus with us.
My husband is a retired truck driver and we bought a class a with tow vehicle. Unfortunately the brake buddy kept signaling that our tow car broke away and it didn't really. It never worked correvtly and my husband got so frustrated at the alarms going off scaring us, we sold everything. Back to truck and trailer that we added battle borne and solar, the Best of all 10 RVs we've had. Hit to budget but worth it.
We love our 1969 20 ft. Terry Travel Trailer. It's just the two of us so the size is ok. Because of it's age It is, most of the time, fixable by our-self. Once in a while We do have to send a picture to the RV park that We want to stay and 99% of the time they welcome us. We are out and about every month camping somewhere and enjoying all Your videos. Thank You for great flashback of the 1984 commercials that bring such fond memories of my younger years.
When I bought my Class A, I could have gotten great deals with fifth wheel units but my main concern is safety. As a SF, not having to exit my vehicle until I'm sure of surroundings or for a restroom break or quick lunch was my main consideration. I had motorized RV's before so the driving and doing checking, hooking up, breaking camp wasn't anything new, my ex couldn't drive for more than 15 minutes at any time due to physical limitations. In the 90's we converted 2 buses for personal use, 1st was 35' with straight natural aspirated 6 cyl. Detroit and manual transmission, talk about a slug up the hills but averaged 11 mpg and 13 on flat highways at 65 mph. The 40' had a 8V92 Silver Detroit with 4 spd Allison automatic, pumped up the injectors and turbo. We cut the roof off and raised 8" to flatten the interior ceiling, was under 13'. It was 36,000 lbs and screamed up the hills. Had 2 full bays accessible that we could put our quads in the belly and still have 1 full bay available for anything else.
Hi there we’re fans of you guys and your channel . We went to the Elkhart rv museum and seen/ toured your 84 bluebird , we loved it , looks and smells of good vintage materials . Nice .
Love our 77 FC31 RB Wanderlodge . Surprising how well the layout works, and just how well built it is. Now if I could just find a company that could do a EV conversion. Great video, nicely done.
Back in the day the 3208 was considered a throwaway engine because they were cheaper to purchase new than repair I had one in a dump truck but it was turbocharged and ran sweet plenty of power I guess it's good to be lucky . Nice video and it's a cool rig
Back in the 80's i owned a truck with a 3208 in it. Never had maintenance trouble with it but no matter where we had to go we needed to add time if there were hills, On roads I used all the time in other trucks, I had never even noticed and grades. In the 3208 40mph.
Love reminiscing. Class of 84. Met my future husband and best friend. 38 years strong. Love all the commercials, brings back memories of some really great times. Thank you for the tour, she is in such good shape for her age. I am glad you are having such a good time on Route 66 and taking us along for the ride. We bought a 2022 Accolade XL in August and have gone on a few trips. I love driving it. We have some big things planned for ourselves this year. Rolling Stones gather no moss. Love your videos every week.
Oh also in case you did not already know. On the Bluebird OEM tag riveted to the bus. You should see a Body number, A BSN (Body Service Number) and a Chassis Number. Those were used for the original microfiche that BB used for production records and parts replacement. The Chassis Service number will show a parts person what model, make axle, the brakes, the drums, the hardware, the slack adjusters, basically all of the parts used to put the chassis together. the body number (yours should start with an F or W F for fort Valley or W for Wanderlodge they used both sometimes. Ususally F as that denoted the factory the bus was built in. Like if you have a Body number that started with a B it was made in Brandford Onatario Canada. if it had an M it was the Mt Pleasant Iowa factory (both are gone today) there were also a few L body numbers which was Laventure? Georgia. They also had a factory in Central America for awhile as well. The body number will show the options that were chosen from the catalog by the original owner. Blue Bird Dealers still have access to factory info on microfiche that was converted to digital files. You may also be able to find you original build sheet on the Bluebird Website which will show date of completion and some other fun factory stuff about you bus that won't be in the blue box. :-)
I've been looking at coaches from the '50s, '60s, and 70's for a few years, so '84 seems "new" to me. I'm glad I found your channel because I have been looking ideally for an '84 Wanderlodge and you gave me more things to consider. I'm hoping to full-time as a nurse in about a year and have bounced around a bit between towable and class A.
Just bought a 07 Roadtrek and it is amazing the number of people who will come up and talk to you and one guy left a post it note wanting to buy it. I love the bird and your attitude. Safe travels.
I love my 1983 Wanderlodge I was surprised to see the difference in ours Birds. The turbo conversion is very easy. The turbo runs just about 2k plus the install. Then turn up your pump and your good to go "the easiest pump to turn up or down ever" . I am just now changing out my turbo due to improper usage I am very excited to see how it preforms with full power. I too have the fc 3208.
Thanks for a great video…Trish I’ve been hearing you about start small start now, but finally it made sense. I was thinking you were always talking about full time but the tent comment made do a face palm 🤦♂️ I’ve been following your advice even before discovering your channel. My friends were all taking their campers out and I was always hearing great stories but i wasn’t at a point of getting a camper so i joined them with a tent and had a blast. Now after 6 years and 2 campers we just got word that our 3rd rig just rolled off the line yesterday at GD. So from a tent you couldn’t stand up in to a 42’ 5th wheel, its been an amazing journey our next jump is full time in 2023. Keep up the great content, you definitely inspire people.
Awesome video, I really think you hit the bullseye in regards to newbie RVers like us, and what we need to think about, before jumping into RV life, It would be great to see something on wanderlodge safety, fire escape, fire extinguishers, electrical main shut off, first aid kit, thanks for posting.
I had a GMC motorhome exactly like the one in your video. It was a 1973 the first year they were made. The last year they made that model was1979. A little before 1984. I bought my '73 GMC in 2000 and sold it several years later. We now have a 2003 Newmar Dutch Star DP. Love your Wonderlodge.
Great episode and thanks for the ending where you discuss some of the pros/cons of a classic vehicle. As far as solar & batteries, I think one consideration is that when everything goes belly-up at home, some kind of rig is valuable. My example was last winter, we had 72 hours without power during a winter storm. Having a rig that you can go out to that has power and heat would be amazing - a bit like the lunar lander on Apollo 13, it can get you back to where you need to go, maybe not with the same level of comfort you were hoping for, but I definitely didn't sleep well without my CPAP running for three nights... and having an RV in the driveway that could have kept us warm and powered (and fresh ground coffee for the wife - she ran out - would have been amazing. In our case, we're part-owners of a park model RV in a resort, but we're considering getting a towable that we can use when it's not our turn at the park model, as well as for emergency uses like that. Luckily, Santa brought me a nice solar generator that can be recharged from the car when needed... that's a good first step.
Recently retired spent 20 years at a Cat dealer worked on lots of 3208 worked in the fuel bay built lots of fuel pumps for that engine. I would repower with a 3116 or c7 or maybe even a c9 but keep it Yellow
Great episode! I never considered that the old diesels would be under powered. Everyone says gassers can't take hills, but the Ford V10 in my 35' Class A handles things just fine, way better than my half-ton truck with a towable! I currently have the Stay-In-Play setup on my toad and I've been very happy with it. I've got a BlueOx towbar right now, but if I ever need a new one, I like the light up Roadmaster.
So fun! I drove school bus for 23 years. Thanks for the reminder to just get started. I love my little trailer but am getting ready to sell and go a little bigger and have a slide for longer travel times! Hugs to all, hope to see you sometime.
I hope these companies gave you some sponsorship or products because we watched every one start to finish. Just fixated in the 1980s. Thank You for fabulous editing!
I celebrated my 25th birthday on the day that The Bird rolled off the line. We love our '97 Newmar Dutch Star but I understand the "love/hate" relationship you have with the older rig. We considered trying to keep it original but "original" stunk and was mostly teal. We stripped almost everything out in our renovation and are glad that we did. We look forward to meeting you in Georgia!
We had CAT 3208s in snow brooms when I was in the Air Force. The ran full speed all of the time and used oil like crazy but were mostly bulletproof. Awesome motor.
I love all things vintage! This was a GREAT tour. The retro commercials and tv shows were awesome - love me some Tom Selleck! 😎😉 Mark’s Mom! That’s so cool! Which commercial(s) was she in?
This is the most entertaining bus tour video I've ever watched (and I've watched TONS of videos because I'm into converted motorhomes) I didn't even notice it was 40 min long!! Awesome!
I like the old Wanderlodge and older vehicles in general. I kind of wish my rig was a bit shorter but I have roof airs and on my Prevost that puts me close to 14 feet. Watch those bridge height signs. I think the older Wanderlodges only have a couple of hundred horsepower if I am not wrong. Drive safe and have fun.
We don't RV but are Cruising Boaters. I have to say that there are definite similarities. The real reason for my comment is that I could listen to you guys talk for hours !! It's been very enjoyable watching your family for the past 1-1/2 years or so!
13:59 😄 Your talk about the numerous places to light a cigarette inside the Wanderlodge.... reminds me of the 1986 Cadillac Seville sedan my parents use to have. In the backseat (typically where you put, you know, *the children...* ) there were not only factory ash-trays, but there were also 2 of the push-style cigarette lighters!! *Smoke up kids~!!!* HA!
One of these is at the place where we store ours. I thought it was you for a sec but it didn't have the bluebird monogram. It's almost exactly like yours otherwise!
