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1947 Flxible Clipper restoration


Guest bingo66

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Guest bingo66

A little big for my first ever restoration project and it's been a little difficult as I live in the UK and the bus is 5,200 miles away in California.

Wandering the internet last year, I came across a 1947 Flxible Clipper for sale that was going to the crusher if a buyer couldn't be found. As there were no takers, I just couldn't see such a fine piece of American history get turned into Cola cans so I did an extremely foolish thing and bought the bus unseen and with no contacts at all in the USA, I didn't have anyone to go and check on it for me.

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Guest bingo66

The bus hasn't run for over 30 years so almost every moving part has either been rebuilt or replaced. Thankfully, the high mountain desert climate has been kind to the bus and after a bare metal sand blast, the only through rust was baseball size on one of the rear panels and that was it!!!

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Guest bingo66

I don't know how the guys at the body shop have the patience to sand and prime a vehicle this big!! They were on this for over two weeks as I wanted as smooth a finish to the final paint work as possible. Having to contend with raised rivets didn't help them either.

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Guest bingo66

They did find some rust on the inside though so a strip out of just the furniture has turned into a complete rip out of everything including the walls and ceiling. All metal inside has been treated and primed just as the outside has.

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Guest bingo66

Although I want the interior to have a retro look, all of the materials used and construction methods are as modern as possible. As I live in the UK, insulation is very important!!

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Guest bingo66

There have been many challenges for the restoration shop with this build. The floor in the bathroom has been lowered involving lowering one of the fuel tanks and altering the chassis rails. Also lots of things on the previous RV conversion were not done correctly and needed attention.

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Guest bingo66

I'm going for a 50's diner look on the inside but trying to be as understated as possible. The hand made cabinets are Maple and the main bedroom is in the rear. The two sofa's at the front of the bus turn into single beds. I'm glad I asked for the Flxible logo to be stitched into the seat backs as it look pretty good.

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Guest bingo66

As work progresses on the inside. I needed to get the paint started on the outside as the paint shop had work backing up.

I chose GM factory colours for the outside - Classic White, Nassau Blue and a dark blue pinstripe to match the original paint design.

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Guest bingo66

I have a blog if anyone wants to find out more:

http://47clipper.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/28th-march-2013.html

Also, there are more pictures of the build in a flickr account:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/95137559@N04/sets/72157635089781485/

And I'll just point a few things out if you get confused by the blog - My first name is Kerry but I am a male. I still live in the UK and the bus is still in the USA and I haven't actually seen it in the flesh yet.

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Wow! That takes a lot of courage, but it goes to show that there are trustworthy people around despite all the stories of people getting taken. I am definitely interested by this. One question: Do you have some sort of plan for the layout or are they sort of guiding you?

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Guest bingo66
You tha MAN, Kerry!!:P

Seriously, I think you are a little " tetched in the head", but am glad you are. What an undertaking! Please keep us informed. And we want pictures of it as it is DRIVEN home.

Luck

Ben

Hi Ben, thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

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Guest bingo66
Wow! That takes a lot of courage, but it goes to show that there are trustworthy people around despite all the stories of people getting taken. I am definitely interested by this. One question: Do you have some sort of plan for the layout or are they sort of guiding you?

Hi Pat. Don't think I'll sound any more crazy than I already do so here goes - I've never seen any of these buses in the flesh and don't know of one anywhere in the UK apart from a Sightseer and that's much smaller and in a private collection anyway. So, I've marked the floor area out on our lawn at the rear of the house and regularly take the dining room furniture out there (when my wifes gone shopping) to see how things will fit in. I've been given cardboard boxes off fridge freezers and TV's and cut those down also to see if a particular cupboard idea will work.

Also. I'm not great at computers but can do some basic designs on Google Sketchup. The restoration shop are great at telling me if an idea will work or not. Without their help I would have failed before this project got off the ground.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest bingo66

I'll keep you guys posted. Just going through the boring stuff at the moment of getting the wiring sorted and the appliances working. I'll post pictures as they come through.;)

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  • 1 year later...
Guest bingo66

I've had some huge problems with this project over the last 12 months and at several times, thought I'd lost the lot. Eventually a couple from California who are complete strangers to me, read my blog and decided to help rescue my bus from the original restorer and at their own expense (they wouldn't take a cent), moved the bus to a new restoration shop. I've dealt with some very dishonest and dispicaple individuals over the last twelve months and I've now seen the very best in human compassion and kindness !!! Unfortunately, the California couple who took it on themselves to help a complete stranger, do not want to be identified otherwise I'd be shouting their names from the roof tops.

 

The new restoration shop have found many problems with the work carried out so far and things that have already been paid for but not done. I'll update as I go and hope to have fresh images soon.

 

I knew that trying to manage a large restoration from 5,200 miles away was going to be a challenge but I didn't think it was going to be this hard!!

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OUCH!!! Sorry to hear about your troubles. May the scoundrels who ripped you off receive multiple and frequent visits from the local constabulary to the point where they become guests of the government in the Crowbar Hotel. And hats off to the fine folks who are helping you now. We're looking forward to seeing how this major project turns out. I just love something oddball and different. Good luck.

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I've enjoyed your posts.  As a college student in the late '50s/early '60s I often rode in Flxible Clippers between Harrisburg PA and New York and developed quite an interest in them.  The whine of the big Buick OHV 8-cylinder still rings in my ears.  I assume you know there is a worthwhile book on them, published a few years back; not much on the technical details but some good photos and commentary.  I can get you the publisher/author if you're interested and no one else comes forward with the information.

 

Best of luck on your long distance project!

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Back in the 1960s I helped Dad convert a '47 Flxible into a motor home. Loved the sound of that Buick straight 8. Took a bit of practice to shift the thing smoothly due to the shift rods running the entire 30 feet or so from front to back. I believe it had Westinghouse air brakes. I once rode a Flxible bus from York, PA to Pittsburg.

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  • 4 weeks later...

A friend had a 1941 converted flixible with the Buick 320 and Bendix Wesinghouse air brakes. I re-did the brakes and some minor other stuff and we drove it from Seattle to the Portland swap meet a few times and all over the northwest. Lots of parties in it.

Was a great ride!

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  • 7 months later...
Guest bingo66

Haven't been on here for quite some time so I thought i'd update the restoration of my 1947 Flxible Clipper. It's been a complete nughtmare and almost ruined us financially but things are really looking up. Rod, the guy whose kindly taken on the project is working at a pace I can afford (very slow!!) and things are finally coming together. The windows are restored and back in the bus. The piping is in for the plumbing and the kitchen is being worked on at the moment. A full update is on the blog: http://47clipper.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/28th-march-2013.html

 

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Edited by bingo66 (see edit history)
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