I purchased a 30 year old bus sight unseen from rural Scotland and tried to drive it 400 miles home.
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- Join us for a slightly different type of video to what you're used to from this channel. Don't worry - the normal videos are continuing, this is just some extra content to document the journey home and eventual restoration of this 1996 Volvo Olympian which we bought from the North Coast of Scotland.
This was randomly suggested, watched it and enjoyed
strangely compelling watching. A change from Americans getting old cars to run. Good luck lads
Despite most younger people being fixated by their phones, it's good to see that the next generation of young anoraks are keeping up the British tradition of tinkering with ageing vehicles. Well done, lads! Your country needs you!
Well said
I wish I could buy an entire bus
I don't think it is particularly that young people are fixated with phones. In today's Britain, they are taking a hell of a risk. Scottish Police would bang you up for J Walking never mind driving a 30 year old bus home with issues. Good luck to them. But it's wrong to say young are on their phones, it's not 1955 and when traffic Police on the M6 intercept it could turn into nasty fines or far worse.
They still exist, just not on social media for the most part. Who can blame them?
Classic and military vehicle ownership is on the decline for younger people massively due to the cost of them being charged by the older generation. Costs are significantly higher than when they bought into it. Just look at photos of the age of club members. There’s no young people.
With young lads like this keen on engineering and mechanics, there is hope for Britain yet!
👏👏👏👏
not with the current government in charge. UK is dead
Always has been hope for Britain never give up..
....
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Yeh haha
Three cheers for the enthusiasm of youth! In my late 70s I would have packed the car with every tool and spare I could muster but would never have had the foresight to include a toothbrush!! However, the bus looks really good and should be a great restoration so, good luck with it and looking forward to following your story.
Boys and Toys. No matter what age you are.. a boy will never grow out of their toys. Good luck and I hope you get the bus restored to all of It's natural glory!
I've just subscribed to a train channel because a few guys decided to buy an old double decker for restoration. I have no interest in trains or busses, but somehow youtube knew I wanted to see this. Makes total sense 👍
Same here !
@@buxvan and here
Same here, best regards from Germany
What do you mean?
Me too 🥴😂🤣
No idea why this was recommended. But watched it all and now excited to see what you do with it next. Great video.
The fact you've done this on the only driest day for 6 months is nothing short of miraculous, keep it up lads
nice cliche
One of the BEST videos on UA-cam for some time. Well done all of you.
What a road trip. I stay about five miles from the Dakota where you stayed overnight. If only I had known I would have given you the use of my workshop to better effect the repairs. All the best.
That's a lovely thing to comment!! Thank you anyways :))
Toothbrush and cable ties, outstanding work, quite superb.
Great to see a bunch of young lads with real enthusiasm for something other than gaming and phones.
Oh bore off you old sod
I love how all the armchair experts like to criticise the way you did things, but if you get the job done, the bus is in one piece and not broken and no one got hurt or killed and you were not arrested ,impounded or stranded then YOU DID IT OK. well done.
Fully agree…Great job. I wouldn’t have made it past that first left turn
@briggaskin 🤔…Oh, I remember. That was the slogan for British Leyland, wasn’t it? 😃
Gosh how wonderful - you lads would not be out of place in a 1960 adventure film
Best way to get to know a vehicle, often to the amazement of the seller who can't believe you didn't bring a trailer. Fiat Panda Selecta from London, Reliant Fox from Cheshire and a Reliant scimitar ss1 from Warwickshire all to North Yorkshire with no problems and a lot of fun.
just been suggested to me 16/06/24 and can honestly say i really enjoyed watching. the fix with the toothbrush pure genius
Glad this video came up as a recommend, the channel content is fantastic.
Volvo Olympian, this one looks like a Mk 1. Must be a dream to drive!
Cummins L10 engine too ♥️
@@Jimbo-gi7xn and Voith Cogs 😎. Don’t make em like that any more
@@JW1_1 I've driven a few Cummins/Voith combos.. definitely the best pairing
Seeing you do a fix with a toothbrush, frankly, made me proud to be British again.
Amen !
👏👏👏👏
That’s a typical British bodge. While in the shit, use your bodge kit. You have to improvise more often than not. And do whatever it takes to keep on moving.
I always used to carry things like wire coat hangers, string, wire and tape, got out of a few issues with those
I knew that toothbrush would save the day at some time of history!
Your knowledge astounds me
Well done on the running repairs
😂😂. I’ve driven wagons up and down the country and have been to Banff… bloody good job the DVSA wasn’t lurking on the way down!! I’m amazed you didn’t get a tug on the M6 in Cumbria!
No MOT by all accounts
I was thinking the same thing.😂
Ive had a pull for no number plate lights.
@@JohnyThunderPants MOT expired 6 January 2023 apparently, I doubt this video was filmed then.. but maybe. If no MOT then no tax or insurance either. All good until DVSA gets you then that will be one hefty fine
We took two Nationals to Duxford one year. One of the lads had put the tax discs in the wrong buses. Copper pulled us outside the showground.
@@CTRLyurselfand perhaps get the bus seized.
I don't normally watch videos on old vehicle restoration, but as I used to be a bus driver, it was a 'must watch this one.
Well done, Ben and his friends
Wow. I'm not a bus spotter but I might have to "come out" as a bus curious ! "
I'm into old motorbikes , 've got 8, & I'm restoring a heinkel bubble car.
That's enough stress for me thanks.
Owning a massive old bus must be an absolute nightmare.
I love Double Deckers , Especially the way the soft nougat melts combining with the chocolaty crispy cereal crunch .
From the fridge I hope.
@weepair2 , Sometimes I prefer them from fridge hard and chewy - other times soft and gooey just left out for scooping up choc chip mint ice cream onto the end of it. You ?
If you want something new go to mcdonalds order a mcflurry and a hot apple pie and crush it into the mcflurry! Game changer!!!!@Vikingcat01
@@Vikingcat01 You are giving me a semi🤣
Mmm...😂👍🏴
I enjoyed driving this bus when it was a school bus at EM Horsburgh in Livingston
Pretty sure I’ve been on it back when I was in primary school
I think I drove it for Lothian buses before they sold them to EMH
@@graememckay9972 this particular was owned by stagecoach before EMH
You should have bought it then!
I drove this bus when it was new in Newcastle.
I drove these in service, they were my favourite, very smooth and felt like driving a tank
Well done lads on saving ex stagecoach west Scotland Olympian 16728 went to horsburgh after leaving stagey so 728 has had a hard life I hope u guys restore the bus to its former Glory
What a great adventure, and I must say I'm very impressed with your driving skills. It can't be easy driving such a large vehicle down those tiny country roads and then all the way to Manchester. Well done ! 👍😁
Glad to see another Volvo Olympian being saved, main fleet of Stagecoach buses in the late 90s the short&long wheelbase Olympians! Nice one guys ❤😊😍
Best of luck guys. I’ve just completed restoring R364LGH, a Palatine 2 bodied ex London Volvo Olympian which I love. It’s big and green now!!
This popped up on my feed, and i'm genuinly surprised. what a great video. good to see some young lads with some engineering knowlege and interest. got a new subscriber here.
Crikey good job you didn't get stopped by the old bill or DVSA.
😂in my experience the old bill and vosa stay away from school buses as if there is a problem they can be responsible for a lot of screaming brats lol
Madness, I love it. Great that you were holding up a Series Land Rover towards then end.
Very well done lads....enjoyed this immensely. Good to see youngsters can still think on their feet when it comes to fixing things on the wing!
Women can do it too
Good Luck to you young man...I would have loved to come and help you ...Never Give Up and look forward to seeing your progress Then....A Bus/Coach show...!!!!!!
Great work on that saving that bus. I look forward to the progress.
Very impressed with the team work ethic, well done.
For some strange reason I'm hooked on learning how this all turns out and have subscribed. Good luck.
The banter, The laughter, bucket loads of enthusiasm and resourcefulness (not forgetting the toothbrush), brings warmth to an otherwise cold trip. I broke down once in Italy with a snapped crank on a tour bus....not such an easy fix. A replacement engine and £20,000.00 lighter in the pocket. Well Done Guys. Subscribed.
a great achievment really you never know what hides in old rain engines or buses as a rule and its great that it got there through sheer determination. well done
Wow how have I only just found this channel 😮it’s amazing I love it and you boys are nuts 😂and hilarious ❤
what an adventure you will remember for a long time. well done with the running repairs.
Just to put it out there, if you have jubilee clips that are too small, you can join them together to make a bigger one.
That's so obvious, but I'd never thought of that. Cheers
@@buxvan👍💯🤔🙂
Same trick works with cable ties
At 18:30, instead of crawling under the bus in that tight space, would it not have been better to remove those four(4) screws, and then remove the Lower Sill Panel - to fix the suspension issue?
Train dvrs sent to buy a new bus for the 'bus replacement' service. Gulp! Loving it!
Extract thoughz.. wtf .. pinches self.. ouch.. >
great vid guys ! , must be really exciting buing a bus at your young age ( i was still cycling LOL) & your brave !!! 10/10
Your doing well guys congratulations from a retired boomer auto electrician Aotearoa New Zealand 🇳🇿👍
Great purchase, journey and teamwork. Also great to see a couple sharing their passions.
Looking forward to the future episodes of the restoration. Good luck.
Nice seeing young people doing practical work. Not having heads down tapping on a phone. Well done to you and wishing you well for the future, and best wishes from a very old person
LOL! A lot of rail guys seem to like their buses too. Lovely purchase there.. I bought an ex Stagecoach Carlisle Dennis Dart (PX05ELV) with a friend just last year, fun but buyers remorse still on my mind
Isn’t that guy at start of the video not a train driver ?
@@JackT21I'm the train driver. Louie at the beginning is my partner and owner of the yellow Olympian.
I’m a high speed passenger train technician and also a bus preservation member too 😂
@@beneliastrains lucky men! Did he drive it?
What a suprise, carlisle is my hometown, so I may have been on that bus a fair few times as I'm 22.
Welldone guys, right in my back yard, great to see your bravery with these projects, I used to love sorting up old gear when younger, buying old caravans selling the aluminium, and making car trailers, to get a bit of cash for next project, then it led onto cars, a good few before I was age to drive, then did damaged repairable, great times, and glad to see young lads still tinkering with mechanical engineering
No idea why this was suggested for me, I'm not in to buses or trains, but I enjoyed watching this and subscribed because it'll be fascinating to see the old girl restored.
"Is that On The Buses?"
"No, love. It's the spinoff. Under The Buses."
I hate you Butler.....lol
Best of luck lads with the bus a brave attempt and great video vlog from a former bus enthusiast and driver although now long retired. Good luck👍
I was actually nervous for you, and im relaxing in my armchair. Lol. Well done for making it home
Can't quite remember how this was recommended to me, but I'm glad I stumbled across this! Hopefully you're able to restore this bus, as it's certainly been saved from whatever it was originally destined for! I love how you've got loads of enthusiasm for this too!
What a great video,and your mate is a clever lad to have around, looking forward to the next video.
🌟Excellent, well done fellas. Looking forward to the next chapter 👌🏽
I've been restoring buses for over twenty years now, and have loved every minute of it. Good luck with the restoration - with your enthusiasm, I'm sure you will make a good job of it. Very enjoyable video. 😀
keep up the good work you are keeplng a piece of transport history on the road,and the enjoyment you get will is something a lot of us would love to do,i remember these buses arriving in liverpool in 1960s.
The body work, both inside and out, looks to be in very good shape, then again, it's a 1996 model and not 1976. A good tip, before hitting the road is do a full mechanical prep, checking for any leaks (fuel, air, lights, air bags, as it has a lean to the right and low at the back, plus water) and dodgy belts etc with the engine running for at least 15 minutes prior to setting out. It runs well on the road, so good luck Ben with spending your hard earned cash on the restoration project...have fun!😉
Looks like it has a bit of an air issue at the back lol glad to see others that like tinkering
Excellent English lads.
Carrying on the English
Tradition of eccentric
Passions. I wish they where more. You are going to have a lot of fun.
I didn't realise you were so young. Good to do something different in a video.
A nice ex Stagecoach busways Olympian there. Great vid 👌🏻
I’ve started to follow you’re journey on restoring this old double decker bus …. Will be interesting to see how you do….. good luck lads 🚌
Now thats what you call an adventure and what a great group of friends having
Well done Lads so far 👍🏼subbed liked and following from Edinburgh Scotland , Very interested in the Restoration 👌🏻
You guys are brilliant - enjoyed watching your video - Thank you
Brings back memories of my Stevenson days when Julian peddle would send 4 drivers down the London to bring back d m s”s 30 mph all the way back to burton ,. But (Scotland ) credit to you 👍
Great video Ben, well produced, interesting will be following your story.
I loved every moment of that and it was interesting to see underneath.
I'll be honest I was worried about the leaning but it's great to see you sorted it. How you all were determined I don't know as it required a lot of patience 😊.
Good choice of bus to purchase 😊.
Edit: So sorry I accidentally clicked on the thumbs down!
Absolute brill. I WAS A bus mechanic (Fitter) Well done lads With what limited space you had you did well.
First time seeing one of your videos, and I was engrossed the whole time! Looking forward to the project and watching your progress!
Really good news you have purchased a Volvo Olympian :)
I was hooked as soon as I started watching ! Great video. Well impressed that you fixed the lean. Can't wait to see what you do next.
Looks a lot safer with the leaning problem sorted great job getting it home 👍🏻
Go on lads ... can't wait to see it restored.......
this is exactly what my dad did when he was younger with a leyland titan- glad to see more people going into bus restoration
The L10 sounds lovely on it. Good video!
Great to see! Beware of low bridges guys... know your bus height 👍
Thankfully it says near the drivers' cab what the height is so hopefully they know this for when thy take it about!
Great fun thank you for the video wishing you all the best in getting her up to spec 👍🇬🇧
Love those old dms style busses ,will be an amazing project, best of luck!
I absolutely love this. Great adventures bodging what ever you need to, to get home, now loads of fun to be had in the future with what ever you plan to do with it. Love ut
Amazing video. What a cool video. Accidentally ran into your channel. Cool! Greetings from the Netherlands.
I enjoyed this video! Looking forward to the next instalment 🙂
I'm excited to follow the repair and restoration progress...
I can't wait to see the restoration.
Ive always wanted to get one of these and turn it into a camper/home, I think it would be magnificent.
Lot of people say this, then the reality hits home, 40-45mph top speed, 14 foot plus height, 9 mpg.
You might struggle to find a parking space at the supermarket, though!
@@michaelkeen5010 Private Registration & Insurance wouldn't be too cheap.
Looking forward to joining you with the fun of the restoration. Well done and thank you all
well done guys!
Good luck with the preservation of the bus, we passed when on the A90 at Forfar as I was sitting waiting to cross the road.
I also preserve a bus myself, an Optare Solo.
Yup, I can confirm that parking it with the rear-right on the kerb cures the lean.
Now you just need to find a way to get a transportable piece of kerb that you can keep under that wheel as you're driving 😆
LOL
😆
This video has given me the notion to buy a bus myself
Great job guys. Not that long ago I used to drive a Volvo Olympian school bus very similar to yours, even the colour. Brilliant thing to drive and pretty stable even in the strongest winds. Yours took on a completely different look once you'd done the 'Heath Robinson' job on the levelling valve. Again, well done.
Great fun guys, look forward to more on the bus!
Excellent stuff! Very good looking! The bus is pretty good too! ❤
Brilliant video best of luck with the Olympian
These were still in service when i was in high school, though the memories of these are 3 distinct options: You A: Freeze yer bollocks off in the top, B: Persuade the older year lads to let a fresh year student sit in the back or C: (My option) Somehow always get the crappy bus with an exhaust leak that stunk out the cabin so you were the only one there, smacking windows to free them up in the icy weather, staying warm while not suffocating :P A student also nicked my phone n threw it under this bus as it was arriving, but i had the last laugh since they ended up losing theirs in the bus, while mine miraculously still somehow worked, Samsung Toccos, the 3310 of the early touchscreen phones :)
That can be the best tiny home on wheels ever. 😊
Really enjoyed this, great content and engineering skills