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Scenicruiser Lunch Stop Update!

Road into Henefer UT

Update: Wayne and Dave made it safely home last night! Thanks for everyone who supported them on this crazy journey. It will be interesting to see what eventually become of that old Scenicruiser.

Since sharing the story of the Bus Trip of a Lifetime, we have heard periodically from Wayne and Dave about the status of their trip. We have also heard from a few of our readers who have connected with the Scenicruiser and the crazy guys behind this endeavor. Kenneth N had the chance to meet up with the guys and sent us an update. Here is what he had to say about the experience! Got to meet up with Wayne and Dave and here are some photos from their Henefer, Utah lunch stop before switching to I80 for Cheyenne, first shot is of the lonely road leading to the stop.  

Trio at Grumps

I took these when we rendezvoused at Grumps Gas & Grocery store in the town of Hennifer Utah at noon yesterday.  Wayne (owner), Dave (loyal friend and hotfoot driver) and bus took up the whole front of Grumps – only place for miles to get something to eat!  I couldn’t even buy them some go-juice as the last two truckers drained the store’s tanks. Grumps owner, Kevin Joiner, is a very hospitable guy (retired cop), valiantly trying to get a real diner going here in spite of crazy licensing requirements for a food business, so we were only able to get warmed-up pizza (very good!), pop, and chips.  

Kevin (Grumps owner) with Waylin at wheel

Between sporadic customers, Kevin, Wayne, Dave & I shot the breeze & filled Kevin in on this epic road trip. Then Kevin’s grandson Waylin joined us (1 whole year old!) and wanted in the bus then had to be pried out of it after a few minutes of dancing on the driver’s seat.

Dave regretting superman scenicruiser hat with pink bill

Finally Wayne pulled a fast one on Dave, cajoling him into putting on the SuperCruiser (superman?) hat with PINK bill for a photo-op – Dave was not happy!  In spite of the backwards 10 speed transmission, Dave said he had it down pat now and shifted clutchless with a bit of careful throttle control, as the clutch system was a bit dodgy.  Did I say dodgy?  Yeah, when he opened the left hand front floor access panel, there was a Harbor Freight bottle jack propping up the whole clutch valve!

Macgyver valve

Turns out that’s what was in place when Wayne bought the rig!  No wonder he slick-shifted!  Wayne overheard that and asked Dave how much metal he’d have to drain out of the tranny when they got home.  Although the airbrakes were working fine, Wayne put wood blocks between the suspension air spring mounts and chassis to keep the body from settling and squashing the ancient rubber bags too much when the compressor was off.  

Wayne and Dave and bus

The engine was running great when they left – even started at first turn of key, which surprised Dave, as he said the massive batteries were 10 years old and hadn’t even had any water added.  As they headed off toward Cheyenne the exhaust was actually clean – surprisingly so for that old motor.  Wayne said it was running so well he had difficulty keeping up with Dave in his pickup – “must’ve been all those extra gears” he said.  I think they’ll make it all the way just fine! 

It sounds like the guys are doing great and hopefully they are able to keep the old gal going so well! We want to thank Kennith and Kevin for showing the guys some old Barn Finds Hospitality! If you are on Wayne and Dave’s route home, be sure to meet up with them and take a tour of the bus. They are great guys and you won’t regret the time spent chatting with them!

Comments

  1. L.M.K.

    So glad to see this update…. It’s not a hobby but an adventure !

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  2. MDchanic

    Thanks for the update!

    It’s great to know that we’re all still capable of doing stupid, pointless things even after we’ve “grown up.”

    I look forward to hearing more about this bus’s repair and rehabilitation, if not restoration, and what kinds of things they come up with to use it for (I’d hate to have a beautiful item like this and just let it sit).

    By the way, what’s the gas mileage on one of these babies? I’m betting about 4-6mpg, but, who knows, I may be surprised.

    Best of luck on the rest of the trip!

    Like 0
  3. jean Lecointe

    That story is the greatest I ever heard about.
    What a team they are!
    I do wish them the best of luck.
    That sort of trip would have been impossible in France due to bureaucratic stupid reglementations.

    Like 0
  4. Chris H.

    Great story guys, glad to see it has a happy ending! Coincidentally, a 1954 Scenicruiser showed up at Cars & Coffee this weekend, and it was a hit! Super cool stuff!

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  5. Tom McNally

    Chris

    Where is cars & Coffee held? I am curious about who ownes the Scenic you referred. I kept track of suviving Scenics by serial number, owner info & location. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

    Tom

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  6. ConservativesDefeated

    Great Story!

    That HarborFreight (read Chinese) bottle jack could have been the undoing of the whole venture!

    Talk about luck!

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  7. scott

    It takes all kinds…

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    • PeterPorsche

      What a thrill to see this project move along, both visually and mechanically. We want to see more of the story in the days and weeks that follow!!

      Like 0
  8. Derek

    love these PD 4501’s…always wanted one..saw one at the Bonneville Salt Flats yrs ago keep us all updated

    Like 0
    • Derek

      I like the comment still doing stupid things even at this age as we get older..so true…again keep posting. Saw this beauty back in Bonneville many yrs ago

      Like 0
      • Derek

        Back side

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  9. tom mcnally

    Derek

    I bet the Salt Lake flats cruiser belonged to a freind. Jeff Wiley of Iowa. He still has two Scenics. He used to race bikes at the flats several years ago. He bought his first one because of the huge baggage bins. He could haul bikes in those bins.

    Like 0
  10. Mr. TKD

    Does anyone know what’s become of this bus? An update would be great!

    Like 0
    • Trevor

      Mr. TKD, the bus was sold to a guy in Ozark, Missouri who is slowly working on it. My dad(Dave in this story,who also has a Scenicruiser) hears from him occasionally.

      Like 0
      • Mr. TKD

        Thanks for the update.

        Like 0

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