Hello fellow lunatics,
Any idea where I could purchase a set of Jakes for an 8V71N? I have exhausted (no pun intended) all my usual suspects.
Thanks.
Josh Miller
Try Don Fairchild, he usually has a few sets laying around collecting dust! ;)
That's where I will get mine as soon as I win the lotto!
Paul
If you are adding jakes, be sure to get the bolts when you buy the units. DD wanted $900 for the bolt set separately on mine.
Better make sure and get the bridges also
good luck
Don't limit yourself just to bus connections. Many old trucks had them and they can still be found for cheep behind some shops that don't throw anything away. Also you will need taller valve covers or spacers.
Don can certainly get them for you. Also ask David at Southern Oregon Desel down in Roseburg, Orygun.. Clifford may have a set. Dallas might know where some are. Talk to these guys direct by PM.
Hard to advise you when we can't tell your location in CONUS from you personal data. Might rethink leaving all that stuff blank....then again maybe not.
HTH,
John
Don definitely has some rebuilt sets. He just installed one on my MC5a, and so far I have nothing to complain about. Of course, I haven't driven it yet!
Quote from: Lin on March 13, 2010, 10:33:51 PM
Don definitely has some rebuilt sets. He just installed one on my MC5a, and so far I have nothing to complain about. Of course, I haven't driven it yet!
And may I ask why? ;)
Because I have not gotten the bus back yet. Don is just about finished with it, but his shop landlord is having trouble with the county. They have forced Don to stop all work at the shop until the landlord settles the problems. The situation is a really frustrating mess.
Sounds like a typical Californicate situation to me! I don't miss it at all! ;D
I'm sure Don will figure out something.
When I get rich instead of just good looking I'd like a set of jakes but for now we don't decend anything threatening, we don't have a mount iggle here in northern michigan and the roads that are steep with major down grades arn't used by buses or have clearances for them.
Cody,
There are a lot of grades in California. My feelings in springing for the Jakes was that first, switching from manual to automatic would give me a bit less control going down the hills. Second, since the engine was out, it would be easier to install them. I believe, as far as personal satisfaction goes, since I will be resigned to going up hills very slowly with the 8v71, I can get my morale back by going down a little faster and safer.
Lin, I agree completely, it's been years since I was anywhere out on the west coast but I know I'd feel a lot better tackling some of those grades with jakes onboard. I know I'd really like a set for the occasional times I would use them but for me I just don't have the extra to spare yet to do it, but when I can I do think it's a great idea.
Yep, Jakes are great out west. I can descend any grade on I80 out to Reno with little or no service brake use. It did take me more than two years to realize one has to downshift more than one gear to get maximum braking out of the Jakes.
Mine Jakes came with the bus. I don't know if I would have added them if I didn't already have them.
Okay, I've added stuff to my profile such as I am from Wheeling WV and am a 40 year old male.
Thanks for all the advice on the Jakes.
Josh
Last summer we took (in California) from highway 395 near the Nevada border, 89 (Monitor Pass) over one set of mountains, then Highway 4 (which had a big sign that said the highway was not recommended for vehicles over 25ft and with some 28% grades) down to Angels Camp in the San Juaquin Valley. Two things I'm very thankful of having-one is the turbocharger-I know I would have gotton stuck on a couple of the switch backs with the natural engine, and two having the Jake Brakes-which coming down 8% grades, and holding the V730 in 1st (the torque converter will lock up in 1st if you pull the shifter down into 1st) which allowed safe decent without much use of the brakes.
If you're going anywhere west of Interstate 25, you need Jake Brakes on your buses. Remember, when these buses were in service, they were mainly on interstates with a maximum of 6% grades. And coming down a grade at 65mph, the wind resistance will pretty much take care of the speed. But not if you're winding around on some goat trail in the high mountains. Good Luck, TomC
Quote from: TomC on March 15, 2010, 08:27:45 AM
with some 28% grades
Good Luck, TomC
28% grades? Now that is one steep road Jack
Looks like a fun drive.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rjevans.org%2FMiscPhotos%2FBus%2Ftomstrip.jpg&hash=bea67ae7faac6868d5064a713f01f657cad7e310)
To make it simple 28% is a 28 foot rise every 100 ft I doubt if I could climb it on foot LOL
good luck
How do I get a hold of Don Fairchild?
Josh
Okay, so if I am reading the chart right, the first climb is about 3300 feet over about 9 miles making it around a 7% grade.
Lin there's probably stretches in there that are considerably more exciting than the average but I agree, 28% sounds a little extreme. I don't know if I could climb 28% but I know for sure I wouldn't dare try pulling a shift on that steep a grade.
John, I sent you a PM with Don's phone numbers.
Paul
Also, at those altitudes a naturally aspirated engine will be gasping for oxygen anyway.
The 28% grades happened for a few yards at switch backs (if I remember, about 4 of them). Otherwise it was maybe around 8-10% grades. Needless to say, I won't do it in the bus again, but it would be a spectacular drive in a convertible or a motorcycle.
Bob-that's a great graph-where did you get it from? Good Luck, TomC
I can help you cheap Fred North Florida Bus Conversion. Call 850 929 40 21
One thing I don't see addressed here is:
If you have an allison the transmission will go out of lockup about 15 mph and the Jakes will no longer work until you get above lockup speed again.
This is pretty scary when you're low on air, out of lockup and in the switch backs.
Personal experience and I assure you that you will be able to snip buggy washers from your special place.
Thats when you need the lockup switch on a Allison, I had one when I lived in Idaho also it cost me a flex plate one time when I forgot to turn it off.
good luck
Quote from: TomC on March 15, 2010, 10:36:20 PM
Bob-that's a great graph-where did you get it from?
Its called GPS Visualizer (http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/profile_input). All I did was set up your route on google maps and plug in the url to the google map but there's other options for the serious GPS fanatic.
Thanks for that bit, Bob. I think we just might get some use out of it.
Tom Caffrey