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Old Bus Photos > 1963 General Motors Coach GM PD-4106 Bus - RV Conversion

1963 General Motors Coach GM PD-4106 Bus - RV Conversion

October 4, 1997

Pat and Lorraine Ryan of Williston, Vermont (USA)

The following photo(s) are © copyrighted by Pat and Lorraine Ryan and are shown here with his kind permission.

This is a picture of my 1963 GM 4106. All 4106's start out created equally. It's what happens after the "bus nut" starts converting them that makes them unique. The '06 has an 8V71 Detroit Engine, 4spd manual Spicer transmission. Non-syncro, gear grinding, double clutching, clutch chattering fun that forces one to often ask the question, "What the hell is wrong with me!" Seems like no matter how professional you think you're getting at driving them there comes the time when your timing is off a little and you're back to square one, making a fool of yourself. This usually happens as you pull away from a busy bus rally where all your friends are watching you leave. To make things even a little more interesting my coach is manual steering as well. I really, really love driving this thing! My wife Lorraine likes to tell me that it takes a real man to drive that coach. Of coarse, this is her excuse for never having to drive.

About 5 years ago I was ready to get into the RV thing and looked at the usual plastic RV's and even had a deposit on a used one that I thought was great. Keep in mind that we never had an RV before this time. I called a friend and asked him what he thought of that unit. I didn't buy it but turned my attention to the world of buses. After realizing that I didn't have the skills to do a first class conversion I decided to buy one ready to go. I bought as many bus magazines and did my research as to bus types and models. Cost was a significant factor in my case so this narrowed the field quite a bit. I decided I wanted a GM. The 4104 was a mid 50's early 60's bus and could be bought, on average, for about $25,000(US) at the time. Trouble was most of the conversions tended to be on the older side, though there were some great ones for more money to be had if you looked hard enough. There are still some of the nicest 4104 conversions you could ask for on the road today. I moved up to the next vintage in my search, the 4106. I think by the end of '64 GM had pretty much finished making the '06. My search took me to a gentleman named Amber Dawson of Wisconsin who had just finished having his new coach an MCI 9 converted. We made a deal over the phone, subject to inspection, for the grand price of $45,000. I flew off to pick up the coach with a knowledgeable friend. To my amazement I was happy to pay the full price. Lorraine had not seen the bus, only a picture. She had entrusted me with the decision. The interior is done in a wood tone formica that easily passes for wood unless a closer inspection is made. It's very well done and I liked the idea that it would wear well. We have driven from Vermont to California in our coach. We have a lot at an RV resort on Hilton Head that we like to use for the winter headquarters. We travel to Florida for a month or two in the dead of the winter. In the summer we belong to several chapters of the FMCA and attend about two rallies a month on average. The old 4106 has served us well. I've made some improvements and always keep the maintenance up to date. I expect many more years of service from our home on wheels so I guess I'd have to say that our bus life has been all we had hoped it would be.

Happy Busing, Pat & Lorraine Ryan

Bus photos submitted by: Classic Bus

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