#143
Vin: SAM-5304A-051
Built June 1972
Fourth Generation (1972-1976
96 inches wide/40-feet long
Single door, stick shift
53 reclining seats
This bus was purchased from Community Bus Lines of New Jersey, and this one has a story. I was on a bus fan trip out of New York when we stopped at Community Bus Lines. In the back row I stopped at 143. It had no engine, and I immediately told the owner I had to have it. Now they all thought I was crazy, and maybe so, but I needed a 5304 for my collection. I purchased the bus but, now, how to get it back to California?
So I later purchased a GM Suburban--S8M5303A--from an auction New Jersey Transit was having. The bus was wrecked in the front but was drivable. So, I made a deal to drive it to Community to do the work of swapping the power plant. Scott got to know the mechanical people there and they arranged to do the work. We later drove the bus to California. Thereafter, we had little trouble aside from upgrading to my standards...and usual maintenance.
Fun Fleet Bus #143 was eventually sold to Thomas Rice of New York. Of course, I tuned this bus up so it really ran good. We raced buses driving it back to New York. The bus ran so fast we blew up 4 tires on the trip back to New York. It had transit tires and they don't like 70MPH on the road.
The bus now lives in New York and has been preserved.
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