1946 Flxible RV: And It Runs!
I’ve always been fascinated by old buses, I’m not sure if it’s their streamlined looks, their size and grandjour, or the stories my father use to tell me of his childhood experiences riding them across the border into Mexico from El Paso, Texas. But whatever it is, I’ve always found them to be captivating. A while back our buddy Sid called us to come look at an old Scenicruiser parked at a Lowes and I was just blown away by it’s looks. But like that bus and many old buses, this Flxible has been converted into an RV. While it destroys the originality, at least it keeps them around and on the road. If you find these old buses to be as captivating as I do, you can find this one here on craigslist in Kansas City, Missouri with a $24k asking price. Thanks to Robert R for this tip!
I’ve seen a few Flxibles over the years, but I’ve never really given the name much thought. I’ve ridden on articulating buses, so I guess I’ve just always assumed the company got it’s start building flexible buses. But if you look through the company’s history, you’ll notice the lack of an articulating bus. What you will find though are motorcycle sidecars with a flexible mounting system that allows the sidecar to lean into corners with the bike. As cars became more affordable, the brand had to shift production towards other vehicles, like hearses and buses. It seems like quite the leap to make, but based on the looks of this bus, they succeed at it! I love the looks of this bus and I think it would make for an amazing RV! Of course it is going to take a lot of work to get it comfortable enough to stay in, but that’s just part of the adventure. Oh and did I mention that it has a new toilet!
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Comments
Looks like the one from the movie “We’re the Millers”.
I was thinking the same thing. Wonder if it is- and if so why- the Seller didnt mention it?
Masz całkowitą rację. Można się zakochać w tym pojeździe. Nigdy go nie widziałem ale … miłość jest ślepa. Ja jestem w nim zakochany. Obecnie produkowane autobusy nie mają tego co mają te stare.
Looks like a pretty cool bus, but too big for my driveway.
looks like the one in Robin Williams movie RV ,where his kids named his rv the rollin turd
what a great movie !
The Flixable in the movie belonged to another family ( the Millers ? ) sorry wrote this before I saw the craigs list posting !
YES! RV!! That’s the movie I was thinking about! Thanks GUGGIE!
Paint scheme is even similar to the bus in the movie “RV”… actually, it looks identical. The movie was shot in 2006… did someone remove the roof rack and leave it outside?
The bus used for the movie originally belonged to the Elizabeth City-
Northeastern High School Band! Actually, they purchased two of the
four busses we had, doing a conversion inside and out on one for the interior shots, with the other one changed only on the outside for backup and distant scenes. The original color scheme was black enamel with gold leaf! We were a sharp looking babe when we pulled into town! Unfortunately, there is only one bus left which is still in the
original condition. For nostalgia, it is still used in local parades and
put on display for events which bring large crowds.
Straight eight Buick power, pusher style.
Love the style!
Met a guy with one who replaced the original engine with a modern bus diesel/transmission/axel/wheels and it is truly operational on the Interstates.
needs tires which will cost how much?. buses are interesting but you need deep pockets to keep them on the road. this would be more interesting if it was a stock bus not an RV. interesting find.
there is a 1983 MCI bus that was converted ,when new, to a RV for sale on ebay for $ 48750. ebay # 151699210275. would still have to budget for the per mile cost of driving.
I’d love one of these, with modern running gear as a motorhome. They made it to Australia too.
I remember catching one from the Gold Coast to Brisbane in the late 1960s
My dad and I converted a 1939 model to a motorhome in 1972. Dad’s Flixible Clipper still had the original Buick engine. Most of these were originally Trailways busses. On flat ground the bus would haul itself and an 18 foot ski boat 70 MPH, however it was sluggish on hills. The common engine conversion for the time was a GMC industrial V6, although I have seen Perkins diesels though. The IH diesel that this unit has is a good choice. Rust is a problem for these busses, as they are all steel, and after a hard life on road salt, often the under carriage can look like a Swiss cheese. The basic Art Deco design lasted from the late 30’s to the late 50’s. Early busses had two headlamps, and by the early 40’s were built with quad headlamps. Clippers have a low center of gravity, and they drive nicely. Most of the running gear is GMC.
Charles is right, these were very good buses and traveled many safe miles hauling intracity passengers all over the USA, Mexico, Canada, and shipped abroad to several countries. But rust eventually caused big problems, even with the later “Flexliner’s”. But these were probably some of the first buses to be converted by family’s looking for relatively cheap touring vehicles. Family Motor Coach Assoc. was first started by these types of persons, and you’ll still find the image of a “Flexible” in their logo. I see rust in the entry, so there’s most likely much more in the undersides. My wife and I had membership in CCO (converted coach owners) and FMCA (71499) until we sold our GMC 4104 which we owned for over 15 years.. We were good friends with many Flexible owners over the years with those organizations and all had rust problems of one sort or another. I have to say though, that in our experience, cost of operation was not a major problem. These vehicles were engineered to be what they are: A vehicle capable of transporting passengers safely over millions of miles in all kinds of weather. But under the reduced requirements of the RV life, made up mostly of sitting at a camping site, they perform very well and safely. My Detroit 671N got me 8 to 10 MPG with very little trouble along the way. But if there were any problems there were always friends with willing hands and experience to help. This particular Flex needs much upgrading and structure repair and is way overpriced. When reality sets in for the sellers they’ll realize the fair price for this one will most likely be in the less than 10K range. By the way, we always installed “used” tires of 50% tread and no more than 6 years of age on the rear and “new” on the front, and never a recap. Tires last a long, long, time in this environment if covered while resting in the sun.
This particular bus started its life as a custom coach, straight from the factory. Custom ordered for a professional baseball team. (He still holds his original log book…)
In 2011, I had the honor of converting him to a v8 diesel, with a 4 speed Allison tranny.
Mr Happy (this nice old rig) was one of my favorite works of talent.
Mark
The family in the movie that drove the Flxible was The Gornikeys.
That was a good movie.
God bless America