1979 FC35XV Anniversary Edition

[Glen Getchell]

Does anybody know the "Good, Bad, and Ugly (beyond the horrid "lets see how many grills we can put on the front nose") of the XV. I have tried to read up on it, but info seems excessively limited. I know XV stands for 15 year Anniversary Edition, but it almost seems like it should have stood for Experimental Vehicle. I understand that they had a different frame which was the precursor of the Pusher Coaches. I know they have more storage. Did they raise the floor to do this? If they raised the floor, is the bus taller to accommodate head room? And how much higher is the floor compared to the standard FC? The owner says it has both leaf and airbag suspension. Why? I understand both for lifting / hauling capacity, but not for a constant weight vehicle. Are parts available? Are all other components (the brakes, steering, etc...) the same as the standard FC? Is overall weight similar? Obviously the XV can not be based on the All American like the standard FC.

Honestly the XV is confusing to me. Despite being hard to look at (at least from the front), it must be terribly rare, and if the changes were such great ideas, how come Bluebird went another decade plus with basically the standard FC leaving the XV essentially a one year only Black Sheep "experiment"? Or is it just a plain and simple customer tested Prototype?

Bottom line, I believe I will be looking at one of these soon and would like to know if my FC research so far applies to the XV or is this a completely different exotic animal. Will the Bluebird community be able to help when things hit the fan or will it be dumbfounded by being quite literally a super rare Bird? Is this a case of ugly goes straight to the bone, or does it have a great personality that you can't not fall in love with?.

Lastly, when it comes to the market for the XV, are they as desirable as the much prettier standard FC. Are values the lower, same, or higher?

All info greatly appreciated.

[tulipvendor50]

Glen, I believe that the 79XV is a typical FC but has an additional 8 inch frame on top of the frame which makes it look taller. The interior is a typical FC but does not have the wheel wheels inside. The outside compartments are larger again because of the frame.

[Denizen of the Deep]

WOG member, Marcelino Abalos has one.

1979 FC35XV
West Palm Beach, Florida

[Glen Getchell]

Originally Posted by tulipvendor50

Glen, I believe that the 79XV is a typical FC but has an additional 8 inch frame on top of the frame which makes it look taller. The interior is a typical FC but does not have the wheel wheels inside. The outside compartments are larger again because of the frame.

So if I am understanding you correctly the only difference is that the XV has a 8" spacer (aka as a second frame) on top of the first frame. Then the body is set on top of that. All other components are straight FC (with the exception of the confusing leaf spring / air suspension).

Wouldn't this mean that the entire coach would be 8" higher would it not? I would also suspect that a "second" 35' long 8" high frame would add considerable weight to an already substantially heavy beast. Anybody know how much more an XV weights? Weight is directly related to performance, mileage, and hauling capacity. I may be starting to see why the XV failed to thrive.

If anybody has the specs on an XV, I'd love to see them.

Thanks!

[Ssmarinediesel]

Originally Posted by Denizen of the Deep

WOG member, Marcelino Abalos has one.

1979 FC35XV
West Palm Beach, Florida

Yes he does

[Ssmarinediesel]

Parts wise, yes parts are available; you just have to shop around from
different sources. I think what the seller referred to with the leaf and air bag suspension is the fact that the front suspension has the leaf spring with the addition of an air bag. Mine was updated with Newway suspension so I think what I have in the rear is not the norm but I could be wrong. I can send you measurements if you want to get an idea of how tall it is since I currently have mine in my back yard right now.

[rotaryjohn]

Don’t forget the double size rear bumper.

[Glen Getchell]

Originally Posted by Ssmarinediesel

Parts wise, yes parts are available; you just have to shop around from
different sources. I think what the seller referred to with the leaf and air bag suspension is the fact that the front suspension has the leaf spring with the addition of an air bag. Mine was updated with Newway suspension so I think what I have in the rear is not the norm but I could be wrong. I can send you measurements if you want to get an idea of how tall it is since I currently have mine in my back yard right now.

Ya, I would love some measurements. Like how high the foor is from the ground, and how high the roof is from the ground (total height). Also if you know the overall weight, front and rear weight, and front and rear weight capacity? Is the XV pushing those limits closer than a standard FC? That info would also be helpful.

I'm already slightly fearful that an FC would fall through my driveway and land in Bejing. I can't imagine an even heavier one.

Thanks!

[Crit Bliss]

XV has all the options, bigger storage bays, flat floor as there is no need for wheel well protrusion. Some of the original buyers later returned to Wanderlodge to have full air ride and turbo engines installed. Super nice Birds that take it to the next level

[Dieselbird01]

Originally Posted by Glen Getchell

Does anybody know the "Good, Bad, and Ugly (beyond the horrid "lets see how many grills we can put on the front nose") of the XV. I have tried to read up on it, but info seems excessively limited. I know XV stands for 15 year Anniversary Edition, but it almost seems like it should have stood for Experimental Vehicle. I understand that they had a different frame which was the precursor of the Pusher Coaches. I know they have more storage. Did they raise the floor to do this? If they raised the floor, is the bus taller to accommodate head room? And how much higher is the floor compared to the standard FC? The owner says it has both leaf and airbag suspension. Why? I understand both for lifting / hauling capacity, but not for a constant weight vehicle. Are parts available? Are all other components (the brakes, steering, etc...) the same as the standard FC? Is overall weight similar? Obviously the XV can not be based on the All American like the standard FC.

Honestly the XV is confusing to me. Despite being hard to look at (at least from the front), it must be terribly rare, and if the changes were such great ideas, how come Bluebird went another decade plus with basically the standard FC leaving the XV essentially a one year only Black Sheep "experiment"? Or is it just a plain and simple customer tested Prototype?

Bottom line, I believe I will be looking at one of these soon and would like to know if my FC research so far applies to the XV or is this a completely different exotic animal. Will the Bluebird community be able to help when things hit the fan or will it be dumbfounded by being quite literally a super rare Bird? Is this a case of ugly goes straight to the bone, or does it have a great personality that you can't not fall in love with?.

Lastly, when it comes to the market for the XV, are they as desirable as the much prettier standard FC. Are values the lower, same, or higher?

All info greatly appreciated.

Rare but maybe not as rare as one might think. There were supposedly about thirty-seven XV's produced.

Here's a small excerpt from a Wanderlodge Brochure in our database that was contributed by Steve George a couple of years ago: