This Eagle conversion was originally built by David Sargent of Traditional Coachworks, and was completed in 2002. 

After he died, the family sold it to a Canadian woman who used it as a winter home at an RV park in Mesa. In late 2019, she put it on a consignment lot in Apache Junction where it sat for nearly a year before I found it.

Since the bus hadn't been driven for most of the previous 10 years, it needed extensive work. Both bus and house batteries were dead. Once they charged enough to test systems, the problems became clear: it smoked heavily, leaked oil, and had tires nine years past their expiration date. The auxiliary air compressor didn't work, and the slide seal leaked when the engine air kicked in. An in-frame overhaul and eight new tires were needed before it could be driven anywhere.

The HWH hydraulic leveling and slide system worked, but replacing the slide seal would require removing the entire slide—expensive and labor-intensive. The interior was still in good condition, so after negotiating the price down to nearly half the original asking, the rebuild began.

Me and Dan Lenz

I found a local mobile mechanic to service mechanical and hydraulic systems, replace brake shoes, and do the in-frame engine overhaul. Dan Lenz, a former Eagle Bus Company employee, traveled to Phoenix and spent a day teaching me how the buses were built, what typically needs servicing, and how to drive one. Then he drove the smoking bus ten miles to the service yard while I followed with hazard lights flashing.

Beyond the mechanical work, I installed a new auxiliary air compressor, updated the electrical system, added front and rear airbags to supplement the aging torsion suspension, ran network and AV cabling, and brought all systems back online. After getting the bus road-worthy and driving it from Arizona to Texas, an HWH dealer replaced the slide seal and we replaced the washer/dryer. On a trip to Montana, we ended up needing a complete out-of-frame engine rebuild at a Detroit Diesel dealer in Billings.

A few years later, I met a former Bombardier employee and pilot who had designed and manufactured his own line of light aircraft. He shared his knowledge of aluminum, rivets, and aircraft painting, helping me replace broken rivets, compound and polish the polyurethane paint, and refinish the mirrors.

It's been a big project with a lot of unknown unknowns, requiring work by many people. But it's been a great learning experience.

See Photos for more details about the bus, and My Story for the motivation behind the website.