Fatlady , Time to come clean Pic Heavy

[GFresh]

So good, very well done mate

[dmb]

Looks like a great trip, hope to do the same one day.

[Tonz Magonz]

Looks like you are the only one in Tassie running a narrowed front beam....

When are you going to paint it..?
Or is that all original paint..?

Would it be called patina or Fatina..?

Are you a giant..?

[Leroy]

So good! Awesome to see the fat lady on the road! What an amazing way to break her in! Oh, and love the plates too

[dave55]

Who owns the 13 windo rig, I had one
Like it with the rear panel flared over wheels. Colour not the same though

[Kombi Trip]

Haven't been on here much - and boy have I missed something special.
Huge (somewhat belated) congrats mate. Brilliant effort considering EVERYTHING is custom.
Lucky for the bus it found you.
I have been inspired!
Nick

[BUSSBOY]

Well with my last post i had travelled 1800km and have now just turned over 5000km with only 1 event that was a problem, broken clutch cable and the replacement that came with the bus was 300 mm too short, bugger, only 45 minutes from home but Mr RACV towed us home.Easy repair down to local stainless balustrade shop and get a new one made, has travelled a few km and still working.
So we have been to in no particular order, Riddells creek/Sunbury, Williamstown swap, Rosebud, Cape patterson, Geelong,Lourne and last weekend Buchan caves via Mt BawBaw. If you want to go to BawBaw the last 6km is a killer 1st gear all the way well with reduction boxes whining away.
Only drama I had from day one was open road speed, cruising at 85kmh is an issue on todays roads so without major changes like gearbox, redux hubs was to change tyres, so now with 215/80 X 15 on the rear, which has brought my road cruising speed up to 90/95 which is a little safer. Do tend to travel the back roads which are not quite as fast paced.
Where to next, maybe Adelaide at Christmas but we will make that call a bit closer.

[morts]

Epic, just epic....

I love when it is in shot with other splits as it looks like Mum and the kids.

Give us some notice if you are coming to SA - I'm sure we could round up a few buses for a get together.

[BUSSBOY]

Decided I needed a roof rack for the solar panels and annex for the bus so down to the steel shop with my highly detailed drawings, 45 metres of steel, then 2 days cutting welding grinding , job done.


While working under the bus doing an oil change I noticed the muffler was on its last legs, so I go looking for an original muffler, be easier getting a Barn door rear hatch in good nick and cheaper so I started to look at aftermarket exhausts, Vintage speed came up in a lot off comment here and overseas, my problem with the type 3 engine and original muffler was a vintagespeed type 3 going to fit so today at DOVW The boys from veedub supplies had some on display, so a bit off a measure up, shell out some dollars and I have a big box off bits,
get home from DOVW and into i go. In the end bumper off, rear cover and out the old exhaust falls, what an item and very sad, but after 40 years service its done well. In with the new, quick grind off a bumper bracket and trim 10 mm of the bumper edge and all is good, sound good as well.

[Ged]

Nice rear on that old girl...

[BUSSBOY]

While at DOVW I had an older couple come and look at the bus, as I spoke to the husband the wife entered the bus to speak to my wife and burst into tears, as it turns out this was her fathers bus, I had spoken to her several times but had no idea that they were travelling from Warnambool to DOVW to see the bus for the first time in 8 years. After a long chat, she presented me with more pics and stories that go with the bus and an opportunity to visit over the christmas break to talk and hear more of the stories

Marble Bar mid 1980s

Port Headland 1980s

Exmouth 1980s

[spl65t]

thats great, what a moment for you both.
Great old pics too.
When your driving the fatlady around, what do other motorists do ?
Knowing they sticky beak at a normal split, yours must cause accidents, premiums due to rise for you driving this great old girl around
Cheers Linz

[johno]

those pics are gold
must be some cool history with this bus

[BUSSBOY]

Quite often i get asked how much heavier is the bus and until today I didnt know so while out and about I dropped into the local tip and borrowed there waybridge, so this figure doesnt include Water tank 30 litres fuel and the wife.

Now looking at factory figures the factory Ambulance was the heaviest at 1185 kg and full load at 1850 kg, so the 1600 is working to move this bus around.

[BUSSBOY]

Just to keep the post count up a bit of an update. But not as good as in the past.


Not looking to good I think you can spot the issue in the next pic.

Bugger, could have been worse.