Adopt A Flx!

A 21-pass Clipper in Auburn, Mass
27 Mar 06. This just in:
" Today, I went up to Massachusetts and verified that the 27 foot, 5-window Clipper is still there. It hasn't moved and unfortunately it has been stored outside for the past 25 years. It is a little rough. It is sitting on a concrete pad, and amazingly enough, the tires are still aired up (although it doesn't look that way from a distance). Most of the glass is in tact, but the driver's side windshield is foggy and the passenger's side has two bullet holes (probably .22 caliber). The undercarriage appears to be in good shape. The "new" owner, 25 years ] ago, was going to install a new engine, but ran into a serious lack of rount toits. (Just never got around to it - a little joke from Ed.) The engine is sitting in the cradle, but has never been mounted."
"The coach was a Clark Custom Conversion, done in Auburn, Mass. by Bill Clark for Sid and Clara Hammond. I spent some time in this coach, with the Hammonds, in my pre-teen years. It's currently being used as a storage shed. It is Model # 21 01 47, Ser. # 8257."

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This is a short Clipper which undeniably has seen better days. However, note that:

There appear to be no signs of rust-through on the exterior (these were built of good metal!)
Interior shots show no signs of leakage and subsequent rot - still usable!
Finder reports undercarriage looks good
Body is straight - appears only to require blasting and refinishing, and front glass to be restored to excellent outward appearance.
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What It Needs

Re-Power
new Wheels and Tires
Brake Work
Front Glass
Exterior Re-finish
But then, they almost always do! This one just needs them a bit more than some others on the market! Note that the interior appears still to be usable - could be redone as time permits, but the basic shell work would make this a useable RV once again.
The Price Is Right
Check back later for more information, but at this writing, it appears that the present owner is willing to part with this bus for little to no payment. More as it happens....
- Pete Snidal, FOI 415, Mar 27, '06
April 3, '06: This Just In:
More from Jim Stone, reporter of record for this bus:
" I took another ride up to Massachusetts today and snapped some more pictures. The spring shackles and the entire undercarriage appear to be in pretty good shape. I could not crawl under the bus because of the junk that is stored under it, but I was able to reach in far enough to get some pictures. The underbelly has the appearance of having been oil undercoated at one time.
The engine is sitting in the cradle in the back of the bus. I can't tell if it is actually mounted or not, but it appears to be. It is just the block with no belts, carburetor, or external connections. I'm not an engine person so I don't know what brand or size it is. I may be able to find out from the man who actually owns it. He lives in Vermont now but he's accessible and not too far from Massachusetts. My own personal opinion is that the engine doesn't look like it's worth salvaging. The shifter next to the driver's seat is set up for a 3-speed automatic transmission.
All of the glass on the driver's side is in tact. The windshield and the farthest rearward side window on the passenger's side have bullet holes in them. I didn't think to get the tire size while I was there, but the tires all look pretty good for being over 25 years old. I didn't see any indication of dry rot. The tires appear to still have air in them, but they have flattened and settled down. I believe they could be aired up with no problem to make the coach easier to move.
As I said before, the woman that is offering the coach does not want to be involved in answering phone calls and setting up appointments to see it because she works a lot of hours and has health issues.