Ok the wife and I have deciced we are tired the challenges of converting a transit..(please feel free to ridicule for getting in over our heads :) ) We are just past the steel tent stage so it's not a very challenging thought to "RELOCATE" our stuff!my thoughts are I have a Perfectly good 6v92ta MUI that could be transplanted to a OTR shell... Anyone have one lying around? :) Our budget is pretty small but i'm sure one of you guys have something...
Speaking as someone who has rebuilt and renovated many things over the years you are officially over "half way there". Basically after working for ever and once thoroughly exhausted/bored/frustrated/disappointed and depressed.....you're almost there. Enjoying the process?
Is your present coach a T drive or an angle drive. You will need to find a shell that used the same configuration. T drive are right hand rotation, most angle drives are left hand rotation. Jack
You'll get no ridicule from me. The wife and I started with a 4905 and soon discovered it was cheaper to buy one converted but not running. We then bought our 4104 and sold the 4905. Yes we had to rebuild the engine, but we then had a usable coach with a new engine. We've been using it for 6 years with no regrets.
Was told years ago a sure sign of intelligence is the ability to change direction when an opportunity presents it self...Cable
I couldn't buy the components to build my conversion for what I gave for it. Not even close. Luckily for me it had hardly even seen any use. Now after confirming that I have a very good platform to start with I am making it my coach and upgrading it a lot. But still the major items are intact. People building their own conversions already know that and are already pretty well versed and skilled at it. I would love to build my own some day. Building a conversion and starting with a limited budget............... I guess it depends on what you consider limited. But if you could find a conversion with a bad motor that someone gave up on then you may have something.
i know where there are two running buses. One of them belongs to a guy who lost his wife a few years back and now has no interst. he told me it runs well and he wants to just "dump" it to relieve the reminders. gmc, manual shift, in Florida.
if it's listed somewhere, like on BCM, i don't know. i just know it's a 4106?, fully converted and ready to go. 35 ft. and really inexpensive.
i have no business connection in this, just trying to help you and him. let me know if you are interested. Jack Conrad and a few others know about this also.
Guy has a MCI-8 871 4spd running and 96A3 8v 5spd blown engine in Wisconson wants 5 for both but sez will seperate. This months National bus Trader. I would look as close to home as possible!
I recently bought a shell 245 miles away and it cost me 1680$ to get it pulled home...ck with local bus operators they might have a bus with a bad engine behind their shop..
Quotea sure sign of intelligence is the ability to change direction when an opportunity presents it self
I like that quote.....I would only add.......when an opportunity or
better idea presents itself.
If your 6V92 is LH then find a 4106 running or not and sometime in the future plan on an engine swap. The 4106 is a great bus that is selling for less than 20k, very, very nice and wouldn't need a motor, might even already have a 6V92 upgrade. Most will only sell closer to scrap price or slightly above because there are many conversions out there that are just jack-leged awful. The 6V92 is a wonderful upgrade for that bus. You could also just sell the motor and apply the funds to your new bus.
I have a friend in MT who has two for sale. One is an Eagle NJT in nice condition with a good engine, so it's drivable to your location. You could do the swap and sell the extra engine to recover part
of your cost. He want's $12K for it.
He also has an MC8 that he raised the roof on, but has not finished. Needs caps and I think the sides are still open. He has the caps, and a lot of parts to go with it. It has a good 8v71 in it. Could be
driven with a bit of plywood fabrication for a cab and attaching the front cap. Not sure what he's looking to get for the 8, but I think it's less than $10K. I also have a buyer for that 8V71.
If interested in either, email me and I'll send you details on them.
craig
I have an '86 MCI 102A3 that has a broken frame. (needs repair but is fixable if a person were interested in doing it!)
We recently told a guy we'd take $1000 for it as is, where is NO LESS! And he told me he was interested, so I dropped what I was doing drove 50 miles to where it was to meet him, only for him to tell me "Well all I would do with it is scrap it, I'll give ya $500 for it." when I got out of my truck.
Well the things that came out of my mouth were not acceptable to print here, but I basically told him I'd pay more than that to have it towed to our new location and let it rot first!
So here ya go 1986 MCI 102A3 with no engine/trans, no seats, no A/C compressor or condensor, ALL GLASS GOOD AND IN-PLACE, but other wise complete $1000 firm and I have a guy who can/will fix it better than new. (but he said to do so at his rates will be $3000 +/- but it'll never need repaired there again!)
FWIW ;D BK ;D
A friend of mine bought a bus with no engine, and at the end of the day had to buy another bus with engine to get all of the little bits and bobs like engine mounts that you need to install an engine in a bus, and scrap the second bus after he had what he needed. So having an engine is great, but don't think it will just slide into another bus without the unique bits to that bus. On the other hand, it gives you a great opportunity to buy a bus that has an engine, but needs a rebuild or transplant! That would have everything you need to slide your good engine in.
Brian
Removed
Ekhedge- I don't blame you. I converted an AMGeneral 10240B transit. While it was cheap ($4,000), it was a hard conversion having to make all the brackets and hangers under the floor for the 85 gal gray tank, 45 gal black tank, 2-8D deep cycle batteries, 20 gal propane tank, 22h x 99w x 66L storage compartment, and creating the gen compartment next to the driver's seat like a front engine. The actual conversion inside the bus was no different then any other bus. I like it since it has 6'10" of headroom.
I spent alot of money also updating the mechanicals to my specifications. Engine, transmission, alternator, fan drive, starter, air compressor all rebuilt. Add turbocharging with air to air intercooling, Jake Brake, enlarged radiator, auxiliary trans cooler, bigger air cleaner and muffler, different rear end ratio, new air bags, changed the air assist steering to hydraulic, added fuel tank sender, etc. It's easier to get a bus that's what you want with the engine/transmission you want then to change it later. BUT-I didn't have the cash to outlay for an MCI 102C3. Good Luck, TomC
Quote from: Now Just Dallas
Jeez Bryce, if he doesn't want it, I might be interested.... if Cat will let me and I can scrap our old 4103 for enough to buy a set of rails, an engine and a transmission for it.
I always liked that old bus, it was the best of the fleet! ::)
Well Dallas you know the bus we're talking about, & know it well! Shoot you even worked on it & under it, rode in it and even drove it. You know it's a good looking, and driving tight solid bus. (with a broken engine rail/frame section)
The body is still straight and clean and complete as said before.
Brian we can provide him with the engine cradle and such as the engine we pulled out of it went into an identical bus and what parts are not in it, or here on the property should be at the Choo-Choo garage in Chattanooga where Joel did the actual swap for us after we sent the engine and tranmission too him. (the bus was in Atlanta when the engine failed and we limped it to Chattanooga and had the engine swapped cheaper than the tow bill would have been!
;D BK ;D
Bryce, do you have any pictures of where the cracks are? Enlighten us where to look and check.
Removed
I have a 1981 Eagle 10 shell for sell. You can contact me at 8884733626
Don