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The Lost Flxible Rescue Society |
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Rescue A Flx Today! |
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Help Prevent Crying Shame!
Although there are a number of people working at, or maintaining their
Flxible busses in good condition, the "living" ones represent only a
very small proportion of the number of these beautiful old pieces of
Americana which were actually produced.
Like Real Estate, they're not making them anymore! But, unlike Real
Estate, they don't take well to being abandoned in the back 40
somewhere. Although they were built very well, and in many cases can
literally be brought back from the dead, it behooves any lover of
classy old machinery to do what s/he can to save what is left of this
priceless piece of American Industrial History.
Do you know of a Flxible Bus, converted or not, lying homeless in
a barn, garage, or back 40 somewhere, that needs a home and some TLC
before it rots into the ground? - Or possibly even a No. 1 condition
, ready-to-go Flx that needs a new home? Or any Flx in between?
If you do, and you feel as we of FOI do, that to let one of these
magnificent old busses go is a real shame, perhaps you've come to the
right place!
The Lost Flxible Rescue Society Needs You!
The FRS is a constantly-changing group of Flxible bus fans, members of
FOI or not, who have a little extra time to spare to facilitate the
location and adoption of Flxible busses and parts. Although centered
around the more famous Clipper series, the later, larger "Vista-Cruiser"
styled VL100 series are also under consideration, and possibly even
later models such as the Suburban and Transit. There is no hard and fast
members list for the LFRS; anyone who participates is automatically a
member. Communication between members can be by mail, (e or snail,)
through the FOI Newsletter, by telephone, or through the internet
email-based
flxowners yahoo group. There are no dues, no membership list, no
organization of any kind, and it is expected that members will come and
go as the need arises.
The single aim of this loose, unofficial, and ever-changing sub-group of Flxible bus fans - is to help
owners and caretakers of one of these wonderful old rigs get in touch with
would-be restorers - or even "flippers!" - people who just want to get
them more movable, properly assessed, and pass them on to someone with
the ambition, time, energy, and necessary skills to get them back
completely up to scratch - ie, into a new home with a new family to
carry around for another 10, 15, or 20 years.
What Goes Wrong?
You may be asking yourself how one of these rigs can come to be
homeless. This is usually due to a major failure of one or more of the
components that made it a complete seated bus or motorhome - most often
the engine, brakes, or transmission. In many cases, it gets parked with
the owner at the time planning to fix it, or have it fixed, "soon" - but
one thing leads to another, the bus sits and sits, until finally, there
it is, rusting away in a field somewhere, waiting for some serious TLC.
In many cases, the present owner still hasn't really made up his mind
that it's time to look for a new home for his poor old Flx. And even if
he has, how can he find a new owner?
E-Bay?
Sometimes, it gets put up on EBay. Better than nothing, but it takes a
special kind of risk-taker to bid on an unknown quantity as large and
difficult to move as a 20,000 Pound bus - and there's only 7 to 10 days
in which to make the deal, so unless a prospective bidder really has his
act together, and is close to where the bus is, it's hardly a deal made
in heaven! It's sheer madness to try to
make any kind of realistic bid on something like this, having no idea
whether it runs or not, can be made to move down the road on its own
steam, or will it require flatbed transport at $5.00 per mile or more.
Will it require major rust repair underneath? These busses are made as a
"unibody" - there is no frame, and if the suspension and engine mounts
require removal and re-fabrication, the job of putting it back on the
road becomes a major one indeed.
The first thing that's required, both by the present owner/vendor, and
any prospective buyers, is some kind of realistic assessment of just
what's going to be involved - first just in getting it to its new home,
and secondly, in getting it into a condition appropriate to the plans of
the new owner. That this can be done within the restrictions of an eBay
deal, unless the bus is a complete, ready-to-go, "turn-key" operation,
is just not realistic. We have created this website in an attempt to
help out both parties - would-be sellers and adopters.
Local Help
Obviously, a knowledgeable third-party assessment of an orphaned Flx
would be the very best first step. Second would be a listing of the bus,
with the most complete possible description of its present condition, in
terms of moveability and of work required to restore it to working and
useful service. Bringing these things about is the aim of the Flxible
Rescue Society, and it is hoped that, as time progresses, a network of
volunteers will develop across the country willing to go to where old
Flx's are reported for sale or disposal, to assess the condition of
these vehicles within the terms described above, and to report to the
web team, who will then post their availability on the
Adopt-A-Flx web site.
How Can You Participate?
If such a bus exists in your area, your participation can take many forms:
- 1. Simple Reporting - simply reporting, by emailing the web team,
the existence of a Flxible bus sitting in field,
barn, or shop, which appears in need of adoption/restoration/TLC. Your
contribution would be much more valuable if you could do step 2 as well:
- 2. Investigation - finding and contacting the owner, enquiring
whether they'd like to pass it onto an enthusiastic new home, making
them aware of the existence of the resources available here to make this
a reality. - And of course passing on your findings to the web team
(link above.)
- 3. Assessment - Once an old Flx is located, and the owner has
indicated an interest in finding it a new home, someone would best get
"out and under," investigating and assessing the condition of the
undercarriage in terms of rust, the power plant, the glass, etc. -
filling out the assessment
form to assist the web team in putting together a reasonable
description of the unit to would-be adopters This assessment need not
be done by the original reporter, and it is hoped that we will be able
to develop a network of volunteers willing to help out with finds in
their immediate areas.
- 4. Help With Moving - If you have some time and expertise to
share, either before or after sale of the unit, there may be some way
you can assist (to the limit of your expertise, of course - and in many
cases, any little bit of help is better than none) in getting the engine
running (if possible) and the bus driveable. Because of the high cost
of flatbedding, this is a very important step in expanding the possible
area and therefore number of prospective purchasers. And don't forget -
there's no reason not to expect compensation for the work you put in at
this point, from vendor or purchaser. Once again, this is the sort of
thing that it is hoped will be handled by a network of local volunteers.
- 5. Consultation - if you've been through the process of restoring
and/or converting a highway coach - or any old vehicle, you can
likely be of great help to any new owner or would-be seller trying to
get it moving. This can best be done on the yahoogroup - where
questions are asked and answered on a daily basis - or you may even
choose to make yourself available for consultation by phone or mail.
What's In It For You?
Dreams....... |
Satisfaction - the warm, happy feeling of having helped to save another
Flx from destruction by wrecker, rust, deterioration, and neglect. Any
contributions - in any of the above ways - will be sincerely appreciated
by everyone concerned.
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Can Become Accomplishments! |
What's In It For Us?
The same thing.
Please Help If You Can!
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