1936 (1939?) WHITE JAMMER 706 OPEN AIR PASSENGER TOUR BUS
VIN#: 202769
HISTORY
This bus has been in climate-controlled storage since 2020
White Motor Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer, in existence from 1900 to 1981. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, Steam cars, tractors and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Red Jammers are the vintage White Motor Company/Bender Body Company Model 706 buses used at Glacier National Park in the United States to transport park visitors since 1936. While the buses are called reds for their distinctive livery, painted to match the color of ripe mountain ash berries, the bus drivers are called jammers because of the sound the gears made when the driver shifts on the steep roads of the park. The "jamming" sound came from the unsynchronized transmissions, where double-clutching was required to shift gears prior to a
1989 retrofit that added automatic transmissions.
Design
The White Motor Company Model 706 chassis with a 318 cu in (5.2 L) White 16A 6-cylinder engine and body by Bender Body Company outperformed its competition during a group test at Yosemite National Park in California in 1935, leading to that model's selection by the National Park Service. The distinctive vehicles, with roll-back canvas convertible tops, were styled by noted industrial designer Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, with credit for mechanical design to F.W. Black (president of White Motor Co.) and Herman Bender (Bender Body Co.). The 94 hp flathead-6
White 16A engine and chassis was already being used for intercity and transit service; the canvas top had featured in the earlier White Model 614 buses, first built for Yellowstone since 1931. Some of the later buses built used the White Type 20 engine.
Each of the Red Jammers built for Glacier accommodated seventeen passengers on four four-abreast bench seats (plus one in front, next to the driver), with five doors on the right-hand (curb) side of the vehicle for passengers and one door on the left for the driver; there were four forward and one reverse speeds that required double-clutching to shift between them, with a top speed of approximately 45 mph (72 km/h). The mechanical brakes were prone to overheating and downhill speeds were controlled by engine braking, downshifting to third with a top speed of 22 mph (35 km/h). The White 706 was also available as a fourteen-passenger model, omitting the rearmost bench seat in favor of a luggage compartment, distinguishable by the presence of metal bars on the rear side windows and backlight. The body and trim colors were unique to the park in which they operated.
Approximately 50 of them remain in existence today with the majority of these (33)
being owned by Glacier Park Inc. the operator of Glacier National Park. TheYellowstone Foundation owns 8, and the rest are owned individually and are scattered throughout the country.
This particular bus began its service life in Yellowstone National Park as a sightseeing vehicle, and remained in service there until these buses were taken out of commission by the National Parks Service in 1959. It appears to have been sent to Glacier National Park in the mid-1960's to work as a sightseeing bus on the Going to the Sun road and remained there until at least the mid-1980's. The bus was sent to Krown Restoration outside Bozeman, Montana for a complete refurbishment in the mid-1990's.
After this refurbishment, the bus was sold to The Promontory Club in Deer Valley, Utah, where the bus was used as a specialty vehicle to help present high-end real estate to prospective buyers. The bus was purchased from Promontory by SunDog Tour Co.in 2019, where another thorough refurbishment was undertaken.
COMMENTS:
•On the 1936 White Model 706 Open Air Passenger Tour Bus inspected, the
restoration/refurbishments were done in the past in Utah and more improvements were completed in 2020 in Jasper Alberta.
•The GM engine ran smoothly with no apparent oil burning or irregular motor noises to date.
•Alberta Commercial Vehicle Inspection Certificate was issued by Jiro Holdings on August 28,
2020.
•A certified mechanic name is Kirby Router of Hinton, Alberta (780-740-338) performed a mechanical insurance inspection and repairs.
•Air conditioning system installed is a GM system.
•Rear heater is in place.
•Upgraded Quartz halogen headlamps are mounted.
•New spark plugs, wires and distributor were installed in 2020.
•EFI system is controlled by a Painless management system.
•Painless custom design fuse and panel box has been installed to assist the electrical functions.
•Beede brand in dash gauges are mounted.
•Minor maintenance was done on the exhaust in 2020.
•GM transmission with a 2-speed Eaton brand model differential.
•The brakes were checked in 2020.
•Re-arced springs were installed in 2020.
•The steering box was remounted.
•Wheels were stripped and later repainted.
•Paint work was completed at Cascade Collision Centre for $17,500 in Hinton, Alberta under the
direction of Duane Wilson, the owner.
•Prep work was done by Sundog Tour employees along with alot of upgrading done as required.
•The original doors are manufactured from lightweight aluminum.
•Wood interior trim was upgraded on the doors, fenders, and lower door panels, etc. in 2020.
•Woodgrain vinyl floors were installed in 2020.
•New vinyl top was made in Lethbridge, Alberta in January 2020.
•Major chrome plating and polishing of the trim was done.
•Chromed roof-top bars are in place.
•Oak dashboard was refurbished in 2020.
