I rode one of those way back when. They have always been big, beautiful buses and is an American icon. Love seeing one that will get taken care of and even though not made into a "bus" again it will still live on. Do what you gotta do and carry on :)
Wow....driving a Scenicruiser on a dirt road in the woods of Tennessee.....never thought I'd see that one day, lol. Truly, this is the most unique bus shop in the world.
Please please please ....don't park it.This was an Icon bus of the 50's,60's',70's and even the 80's! It is a huge part of American culture....as much as diner's Burger joints, drive in movies, and is woven into the history of America of the mid to late 20th century. You restore it and you will have a timeless classic that is in demand......far beyond your wildest dreams......this bus was an icon of America .......rebuild it and put seats in it and anywhere you go , you will fill it up with people wanting to ride it.....
I was thinking the same all that hard work just for it to be used as a children's play house for personal gain which the subs of you tube are funding?... It should be re instated back for day trips for people to ride & enjoy.
I remember the high school chartered a Greyhound in 1969 to take the Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville,Fl) football team to Brunswick, Ga. to play a game. On the trip back the driver was racing down US 17 to beat a southbound train before a crossing north of Yulee, Fl. [ this was before I-95 was completed].
I'm so glad that you are saving this peice of Americana, it couldn't be in better hands. You know, with all of these RV parks going up everywhere, I think it would be cool, to buy a chunk of property with a small lake on it, and put several buses around it, turned into tiny homes, and you could call the place "The Bus Depot " kind of a bed and breakfast type deal, as you wouldn't want permanent renters, they don't take care of anything, but a weekend get away place might work out pretty good. You could even have a few spots with hookups for traveling buses to park for extended periods of time.
Scott that will be a super bus when you get it done. You'll have to drive it around a little because those senic cruisers are the best looking busses on the road my opinion only. It painted up and all fixed up on the outside like a greyhound is a nice compliment to their history.
Beautiful Bus,we don't have anything like that in the UK. I really enjoy watching a proper mechanic at work. You have inspired me to work on my own Ford Iveco 7.5 ton.I successfully refurbished the 3 tank airbrake system.You just gave me the confidence to have a go.Saved a packet on that,so cheers as we Brits say 👍
7:26 The sound of the Detroit firing right on up - almost brought tears to my eyes...wow...nothing wrong with that motor!! When I was a kid - the local GM 'old-style' buses had really smoky 'Detroits' of unknown model...and they had MANUAL transmissions...with, really long shifters. But, I remember the smell of them and the sound of them - pulling a way...many times, with quite a bit of smoke from the low-mount exhaust pipes...The SceniCruiser engine sounds terrific, as a counterpoint to my old local bus memories!
A interesting plan for the SceniCruiser. Might I suggest you figure out its home (parking place) and then pour a concrete pad that is 2-3 feet wider on all sides to help prevent the ground moisture from taking its toll as quickly or as easily along with installing some fans to blow under the bus a couple of hours a day when it is not wet/raining outside
There just has to be so many people who have wonderful memories about these old Scenic Cruisers. Why not make a member wall inside the bus and for anyone donating three, four, or five hundred dollars, they would get a small ID tag displayed on the wall with their name, date, and amount donated. The wall would be pretty cool to see for anyone staying in it or visiting over time. Only caveat would be the money donated would have to be used in making the bus better. Maybe the money could go toward a carport. Just thinking out loud. Thanks for saving her Scott.
The Scenicruiser has such great styling, interior interest and nostalgia I think it will be a rest-mod candidate forever. There are so many items that such windows and just about everything that need modern updating. It is a major project and maybe some modern updates for these components will never be able to be produced, but the future with computer 3D printing and an expanding resto-mod community may provide solutions. The visual impression of a scenicruier draws the interest of people that knows nothing about them.
A bus company here ( Waco, TXU) used to have a scenic cruiser. When following it you could see the bus actually twist when changing gears. I want to say it was a 52 model.
Consider installing an air purifier while everything is open and available. Especially if it will be a guest house. Air purifier will help deal with any allergies, smell complaints, and will help reduce mold / mildew in the bus. Could pipe it to draw fresh air and / or recirculate indoor air.
My dad had one of these when I was a kid and ran trips to Vegas back and forth from Los Angeles. He got rid of it around 2008 the bus was in use in the 80's. It still started up an ran when he sold it.
As long as it is not rotted out it is fixable. You truly deserve to own one, and now that you got one, we expect nothing but the best results for it whenever you get to restore it. Best of luck to you.
Love that bus. As a Kid my mom and I traveled often from Muncie to Indianapolis by Greyhound bus. I was always excited when finding g our bus was a scenic cruiser. I always wanted to sit in the front t row to see out the front window. I always wanted to be able to watch the driver on our trips too.
Scott, I like your plans for the Old Girl. Watching your video’s reminds me of my dad. He worked for Greyhound for 40 years, and I use to hear his stories about working on all those buses.🚌
man i used to work on the Los Angeles based Red Bull scenic cruiser. i hated working on that thing but seeing what some hacks did to your poor bus makes me look back on how beautiful the interior of the red bull bus was. good luck and i hope this turns into a beautiful cruiser some day.
This would make a great "Grand Touring Coach". What I mean by that is a really nice coach setup with no bedroom or kitchen accommodations. Use it for carrying a large group for a special event. Like 30 of your friends want to go see a baseball game. Take the Touring Coach there. It will need a bar and seats/booths/couches with lots of little tables.
REALLY like (and appreciate) the kind of care you Guyz are showing towards getting this old Gal ship shape again Just a wonderful attitude and commitment She’s going to be worth it each and every step of the way, rest assured👊‼️🔥🥂
It’s simply amazing that there are almost all the spare parts for these buses, you won’t find practically anything in the post-Soviet space, either the price will be inadequate for the more or less decent condition of the part, or the condition will be complete scrap metal and, again, at an inadequate price, but new spare parts , alas, they don’t produce
I love this channel! I can't imagine how much time you must spend trying to source parts for a bus like this. I'd love to own something like this restored as a nice RV and in mechanically sound condition. What a jewel that would be!
Cant wait to see the transformation. An air B&B is a great idea. Glad you saved her. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. Its going to be great.👍👏🤗
Another thing which has rubber hinges- a Kelvinator commercial chest freezer. I know someone who used to have one in his shop; it was from the 1950s and it had the custom order stainless steel outer cabinet.
I used to ride one of these on weekends from McClaren School for boys in Woodburn Or. to my home town Eugene Or on home visit wknds. Kings of the hwy. majestic road warriors, and smooth as silk. like riding on a cloud. looked forward to the ride as much as the home visits, actually was the best part. that would have been 68-71 What a long road it's been. I must say, I look about as good a shape as that bus. except, I too need my hinges replaced. or at least occasionally lubricated.
There is one of these on Rt 9 in Maine near Calis and the Canadian Border. The last time I saw it there was a tarp over the raised skylight. Not sure if it is for sale though easy to find out
Look forward to see progress on this Scenicruiser bro. Had something similar here in NZ back in the day called a Landliner that also carried parcel freight. Safe travels. Ken.
Suggestions Scott: Create a Playlist just for scenic cruiser video content. Build a list of parts unique to the scenic cruiser that viewers can comb over and donate for its restoration. Thanks for your videos!
There used to be one of thoe buses sitting in the Dayton Ohio srea on a busy road in a driveway for over 20 yeats then it suddenly disappeared, It lookrd to have been converted to a motor home.
How many of those I loaded baggage and freight on , Scenic cruiser’s were the one coming to la from Dallas on occasion you would open up the bays and find a 8V71 freshly overhauled inside
I was just hoping he would get it all mechanically fixed up and then dedide "NAA, too much other work for the next two years". I even bought a lottery ticket "just in case"... That would be my home for the foreseeable future. Hopefully could still fit the motorcycles in the bay. Ya know, I would BUILD a bike to fit... Ever see an Evo with fold down handlebars?
I used to restore automobiles and many times these old machines are money pits! Hopefully this will not be the case. It is always a good thing when old treasures like this can be saved.
For your project busses, stainless steel screws would be an excellent choice for replacing steel screws threaded into aluminum. Steel and aluminum adjoined will cause galvanic corrosion so aircraft quality screws for use in aluminum are a good choice as they are cadnium plated, not zinc plating. Zinc plating is sacrificial. To prevent aluminum form corroding, use zinc chromate primer. It is and has been used on aircraft aluminum for years and I have seen original primer on WWII warbirds. Spraying zinc chromate must be done in a well ventilated area. Aircraft Spruce has it available in aerosol cans, pints, quarts and if you are wealthy, gallons in yellow or green. I would not use it for general purposes on customers vehicles because of the price. A 16 oz. aerosol can is now about $35.00 and is back ordered. Aircraft Spruce lists it as a soecialty primer and it can be top coated. I would not use it everywhere on a bus but it does work.
If you are going to make it a guest house/Play house why not pour a concrete pad and build a roof over the bus to help keep the sun off it plus the rain. Mabe something like a car port except a lot bigger that is open on all sides except the A frame roof so when it does rain/snow you do not have to worry about water leaking into the coach.
Cruisers did not have air lift on the tag axle. Also, unlike Prevosts and MCIs, which have two tag axle wheels, both rear axles on Scenicruisers have four wheels.
@@BusGreaseMonkey Number 1 was used by company executives and later put into revenue service as 1001. As you are aware it still exists. GX-2, although not numbered, was the one off prototype . It was used in revenue service by Great Lakes Greyhound Lines from 1952-1957.
Im' sure you have seen the classic trailer motels that are very popular. How about a classic bus "motel" somewhere near a major freeway? Could be a good income and a place for good bus units that aren't practical to get back on the road.
I can believe about the ripped-out linkages for the original manual tranny...would this have been that odd three-speed with a two-speed clutch, or a 4 speed Spicer, I wonder? I was reading that REALLY early buses had TWO four-cyllinder motors connected with a fluid clutch! Nah...impossible.
I understand your thinking but I am a bit surprised that if your plan is to park it permanently as a guest house that you’d want to do the transmission swap.
They converted a number of them to “Combo Cars” in the 1960’s. They made a custom passenger side freight door on the upper level and walled off a section for freight behind the passenger seats.
I rode one of those way back when. They have always been big, beautiful buses and is an American icon. Love seeing one that will get taken care of and even though not made into a "bus" again it will still live on. Do what you gotta do and carry on :)
Wow....driving a Scenicruiser on a dirt road in the woods of Tennessee.....never thought I'd see that one day, lol. Truly, this is the most unique bus shop in the world.
I started thinking "ran when parked" when i saw the SC heading out into the woods :-) Thanks for the video Scott.
Please please please ....don't park it.This was an Icon bus of the 50's,60's',70's and even the 80's! It is a huge part of American culture....as much as diner's Burger joints, drive in movies, and is woven into the history of America of the mid to late 20th century. You restore it and you will have a timeless classic that is in demand......far beyond your wildest dreams......this bus was an icon of America .......rebuild it and put seats in it and anywhere you go , you will fill it up with people wanting to ride it.....
I was thinking the same all that hard work just for it to be used as a children's play house for personal gain which the subs of you tube are funding?... It should be re instated back for day trips for people to ride & enjoy.
I just don't understand why people would degrade such a beautiful vintage cruiser.
A great plan. The old gal deserves your professional care after so much abuse. Do you have all her past history? Bill
I remember the high school chartered a Greyhound in 1969 to take the Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville,Fl) football team to Brunswick, Ga. to play a game. On the trip back the driver was racing down US 17 to beat a southbound train before a crossing north of Yulee, Fl. [ this was before I-95 was completed].
I'm so glad that you are saving this peice of Americana, it couldn't be in better hands.
You know, with all of these RV parks going up everywhere, I think it would be cool, to buy a chunk of property with a small lake on it, and put several buses around it, turned into tiny homes, and you could call the place "The Bus Depot " kind of a bed and breakfast type deal, as you wouldn't want permanent renters, they don't take care of anything, but a weekend get away place might work out pretty good. You could even have a few spots with hookups for traveling buses to park for extended periods of time.
Love those old scenicruisers
I'm impressed to see how swift it runs and drives. Proof that a vehicle without a drivetrain is simply a hunk of metal.
I love that old bus. Dangit, when Jonathan was sliding that first door on I caught myself holding my breath and thinking, “Easy, easy”.
Another 5 or 10 years and 🚌 Bus Mountain ⛰️ will be up there with Dollywood as Tennessee tourist destinations 😊
That's "bus grease mountain" to you, sir! :)
looks great scott i love it
😂 Some how planed or not, I just knew you were going to become the new owner of the scenic cruiser. Congratulations
The plan for the SC sounds great! Looking forward to watching it come back to life.
I was in a drum corps in the 70’s and we had three of these. Looking forward to your project.
Im almost 65 and I remember riding on the super scenicruiser when I was a kid going from Chicago to Tennessee and Chicago to Indiana, LOVED it.
Scott that will be a super bus when you get it done. You'll have to drive it around a little because those senic cruisers are the best looking busses on the road my opinion only. It painted up and all fixed up on the outside like a greyhound is a nice compliment to their history.
Beautiful Bus,we don't have anything like that in the UK.
I really enjoy watching a proper mechanic at work.
You have inspired me to work on my own Ford Iveco 7.5 ton.I successfully refurbished the 3 tank airbrake system.You just gave me the confidence to have a go.Saved a packet on that,so cheers as we Brits say 👍
7:26 The sound of the Detroit firing right on up - almost brought tears to my eyes...wow...nothing wrong with that motor!! When I was a kid - the local GM 'old-style' buses had really smoky 'Detroits' of unknown model...and they had MANUAL transmissions...with, really long shifters. But, I remember the smell of them and the sound of them - pulling a way...many times, with quite a bit of smoke from the low-mount exhaust pipes...The SceniCruiser engine sounds terrific, as a counterpoint to my old local bus memories!
A interesting plan for the SceniCruiser. Might I suggest you figure out its home (parking place) and then pour a concrete pad that is 2-3 feet wider on all sides to help prevent the ground moisture from taking its toll as quickly or as easily along with installing some fans to blow under the bus a couple of hours a day when it is not wet/raining outside
There just has to be so many people who have wonderful memories about these old Scenic Cruisers. Why not make a member wall inside the bus and for anyone donating three, four, or five hundred dollars, they would get a small ID tag displayed on the wall with their name, date, and amount donated. The wall would be pretty cool to see for anyone staying in it or visiting over time. Only caveat would be the money donated would have to be used in making the bus better. Maybe the money could go toward a carport. Just thinking out loud. Thanks for saving her Scott.
The Scenicruiser has such great styling, interior interest and nostalgia I think it will be a rest-mod candidate forever. There are so many items that such windows and just about everything that need modern updating. It is a major project and maybe some modern updates for these components will never be able to be produced, but the future with computer 3D printing and an expanding resto-mod community may provide solutions. The visual impression of a scenicruier draws the interest of people that knows nothing about them.
A bus company here ( Waco, TXU) used to have a scenic cruiser. When following it you could see the bus actually twist when changing gears. I want to say it was a 52 model.
Close! They were built from 1953 - 1956.
Consider installing an air purifier while everything is open and available. Especially if it will be a guest house. Air purifier will help deal with any allergies, smell complaints, and will help reduce mold / mildew in the bus. Could pipe it to draw fresh air and / or recirculate indoor air.
My dad had one of these when I was a kid and ran trips to Vegas back and forth from Los Angeles. He got rid of it around 2008 the bus was in use in the 80's. It still started up an ran when he sold it.
So cool. Got a chance to ride in a few of the back in the late 70's.
As long as it is not rotted out it is fixable. You truly deserve to own one, and now that you got one, we expect nothing but the best results for it whenever you get to restore it.
Best of luck to you.
Love that bus. As a
Kid my mom and I traveled often from Muncie to Indianapolis by Greyhound bus. I was always excited when finding g our bus was a scenic cruiser. I always wanted to sit in the front t row to see out the front window. I always wanted to be able to watch the driver on our trips too.
Scott, I like your plans for the Old Girl. Watching your video’s reminds me of my dad. He worked for Greyhound for 40 years, and I use to hear his stories about working on all those buses.🚌
It would be nice to have a roof over it.Great Job Scott!!!!!! And Family
man i used to work on the Los Angeles based Red Bull scenic cruiser. i hated working on that thing but seeing what some hacks did to your poor bus makes me look back on how beautiful the interior of the red bull bus was. good luck and i hope this turns into a beautiful cruiser some day.
This would make a great "Grand Touring Coach". What I mean by that is a really nice coach setup with no bedroom or kitchen accommodations. Use it for carrying a large group for a special event. Like 30 of your friends want to go see a baseball game. Take the Touring Coach there. It will need a bar and seats/booths/couches with lots of little tables.
REALLY like (and appreciate) the kind of care you Guyz are showing towards getting this old Gal ship shape again
Just a wonderful attitude and commitment
She’s going to be worth it each and every step of the way, rest assured👊‼️🔥🥂
I'd be a little leary of having one of those trees fall on one of the units during a windstorm.
It’s simply amazing that there are almost all the spare parts for these buses, you won’t find practically anything in the post-Soviet space, either the price will be inadequate for the more or less decent condition of the part, or the condition will be complete scrap metal and, again, at an inadequate price, but new spare parts , alas, they don’t produce
I love this channel! I can't imagine how much time you must spend trying to source parts for a bus like this. I'd love to own something like this restored as a nice RV and in mechanically sound condition. What a jewel that would be!
Regarding sourcing his parts, I am quite sure that "he has his people"
Wonderful project to gradually restore it into fun use. Also good excuse to look for good used parts and old steel to fabricate what you need.
That's excellent 👏 whatever you do will be an improvement and SC will be well taken care of ☮️
Cant wait to see the transformation. An air B&B is a great idea. Glad you saved her. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas. Its going to be great.👍👏🤗
Another thing which has rubber hinges- a Kelvinator commercial chest freezer. I know someone who used to have one in his shop; it was from the 1950s and it had the custom order stainless steel outer cabinet.
Beautiful bus, ldk, seems like an auto,s the way to go. It,ll be great with a period correct greyhound paint job too.
Great video.
✌️❤️😁
I used to ride one of these on weekends from McClaren School for boys in Woodburn Or. to my home town Eugene Or on home visit wknds. Kings of the hwy. majestic road warriors, and smooth as silk. like riding on a cloud. looked forward to the ride as much as the home visits, actually was the best part. that would have been 68-71 What a long road it's been. I must say, I look about as good a shape as that bus. except, I too need my hinges replaced. or at least occasionally lubricated.
Fantastic music to go with your channel. Love it, Keep em coming !
There is one of these on Rt 9 in Maine near Calis and the Canadian Border. The last time I saw it there was a tarp over the raised skylight. Not sure if it is for sale though easy to find out
Do it and report back? Great "Scenic Cruiser" Holmes-ian adventure. The games afoot!
You are the man to bring it back to life.
One of those took me to boot camp from Portland Ore to San Dieg in 1975
Keeping these old behemoths on the road and doing it right 👍🏻
Look forward to see progress on this Scenicruiser bro. Had something similar here in NZ back in the day called a Landliner that also carried parcel freight. Safe travels. Ken.
Ooo I can't wait to stay in a scenic cruiser air b&b on bus grease mountain 😍!!
Beautiful coach ! one of my favorites. Take care of her.
Suggestions Scott:
Create a Playlist just for scenic cruiser video content.
Build a list of parts unique to the scenic cruiser that viewers can comb over and donate for its restoration.
Thanks for your videos!
Would love to see that piece of Americana on the road as a traveling scenic restaurant for people to enjoy and make some money as well.
The first bus I ever rode on many years ago was a SceniCruiser.
Love the music! Love the old Greyhound!
Great videos and buses !
Since the 47 bus is named Lenny maybe this bus could be named Sqiggy?
Nice, I got to ride in one back in the day.
Another great video, and good luck with this new project :)
Man! What I wouldn’t give to have that Scenic Cruiser. I would have it modified to put my Harley in the basement.
I just wondered where your son's been. Haven't seen in a video in a long time
He moved back to Indy to further his career.
Nice to return paint work and windows to original ,hope it happens onfree days
Very exciting plans for SC bus.
There used to be one of thoe buses sitting in the Dayton Ohio srea on a busy road in a driveway for over 20 yeats then it suddenly disappeared, It lookrd to have been converted to a motor home.
How many of those I loaded baggage and freight on , Scenic cruiser’s were the one coming to la from Dallas on occasion you would open up the bays and find a 8V71 freshly overhauled inside
she's a 'beaut Scott, no, seriously I think I'm in love
"GRAIL", gotta get that license plate!
Central Texas Bus Lines Waco, Texas used retired Scenicruisers into the 1970's very durable
I was just hoping he would get it all mechanically fixed up and then dedide "NAA, too much other work for the next two years". I even bought a lottery ticket "just in case"... That would be my home for the foreseeable future. Hopefully could still fit the motorcycles in the bay. Ya know, I would BUILD a bike to fit... Ever see an Evo with fold down handlebars?
YOU'RE RIGHT IT DOES NEED A LOT OF WORK DONE TO IT
There's one exactly like that bus at Abbott buses and company in Roanoke Virginia
Awesome Bus Great Project for a Guest House 😊😊
I used to restore automobiles and many times these old machines are money pits! Hopefully this will not be the case. It is always a good thing when old treasures like this can be saved.
Thanks,makes a guy wonder how many? Scenic cruisers are still in existence.
From Canada: Bravo !
For your project busses, stainless steel screws would be an excellent choice for replacing steel screws threaded into aluminum. Steel and aluminum adjoined will cause galvanic corrosion so aircraft quality screws for use in aluminum are a good choice as they are cadnium plated, not zinc plating. Zinc plating is sacrificial. To prevent aluminum form corroding, use zinc chromate primer. It is and has been used on aircraft aluminum for years and I have seen original primer on WWII warbirds. Spraying zinc chromate must be done in a well ventilated area. Aircraft Spruce has it available in aerosol cans, pints, quarts and if you are wealthy, gallons in yellow or green. I would not use it for general purposes on customers vehicles because of the price. A 16 oz. aerosol can is now about $35.00 and is back ordered. Aircraft Spruce lists it as a soecialty primer and it can be top coated. I would not use it everywhere on a bus but it does work.
If you are going to make it a guest house/Play house why not pour a concrete pad and build a roof over the bus to help keep the sun off it plus the rain. Mabe something like a car port except a lot bigger that is open on all sides except the A frame roof so when it does rain/snow you do not have to worry about water leaking into the coach.
When does it get the automatic swap? Looking forward to that one. Does the SC's have the air lift function on the tag to reduce the turning radius?
Cruisers did not have air lift on the tag axle. Also, unlike Prevosts and MCIs, which have two tag axle wheels, both rear axles on Scenicruisers have four wheels.
Fantastic‼️👊🥂
When you slide things that are rubber use diluted dish soap it will slide easier and will eventually dry
Kroil is magic. :)
They cancelled all Grey Hound bus routes in Canada. I sure miss watching those buses roll up and down the highway.
A bed, bus, and breakfast!
Where you by chance at a Schnucks parking lot in Festus MO? Cause I feel like I saw this bus one night
Yes
Definitely automatic. It makes for a much easier drive and if down the road you want to sell it it'll up the value
keep the clips coming
There were 1001 Scenics produced. I'm sure you know my buddy who has all the glass.
But wasn’t number 1 also 1001?
@@BusGreaseMonkey Number 1 was used by company executives and later put into revenue service as 1001. As you are aware it still exists. GX-2, although not numbered, was the one off prototype . It was used in revenue service by Great Lakes Greyhound Lines from 1952-1957.
Im' sure you have seen the classic trailer motels that are very popular. How about a classic bus "motel" somewhere near a major freeway? Could be a good income and a place for good bus units that aren't practical to get back on the road.
How is Tyler's bus I really got into watching his project then nothing I'm afraid to start watching another project
I can believe about the ripped-out linkages for the original manual tranny...would this have been that odd three-speed with a two-speed clutch, or a 4 speed Spicer, I wonder? I was reading that REALLY early buses had TWO four-cyllinder motors connected with a fluid clutch! Nah...impossible.
Great BGM song!
I understand your thinking but I am a bit surprised that if your plan is to park it permanently as a guest house that you’d want to do the transmission swap.
Is there any way to get all that play out of the steering mechanism?
Are you going to reinstate the correct floor height but not have the gangway in the middle?
Nice, put the mother-in-law on the far end of the property.
I chuckled when he said he’d put the MIL in there when visiting lol. I’m sure she’ll be real thrilled about that.
Can the bus be licensed as a 'Historic Vehicle'? I know the various states do offer that type of license plate.
ar you going to get stuf for the interyer from rv brakers yard?
I think I have a driver side mirror like that
Maybe an m11 or 60 series?
Man. nice but don't park it, once converted to a RV take folk's out for a overnighter, they would pay big bucks to do so !
Automatic is a good choice
Didn't Greyhound haul parcels in those buses too?
They converted a number of them to “Combo Cars” in the 1960’s. They made a custom passenger side freight door on the upper level and walled off a section for freight behind the passenger seats.