I recently took my 75 MCI-8 for a drive and I know that the frontend could use rebuilding/frontend alignment.
2 questions:
1. If I did the frontend rebuild myself, how much should parts run me?
2. If I pay a shop to do it, what should be an average cost just for the rebuild?
ps. I live in Houston, TX and was looking for an independent shop or mechanic that could do the work.
This was a couple of years ago but I bought two Michelin tires had an alignment and kingpins (luke overnighted them to me) and the brakes adjusted on my 8.
Total cost for everything was less than 3 grand and it runs in my mind that it was a little over a thousand for the tires and like 1500 for the kingpins alignment and going over all the brakes. I don't remember how much of that went to Luke for parts.
HTH
YMMV
Melbo
Jack it up. Grab wheels and see if you got any movement in king pins. ck other places. Might be just one or two joints worn. Or bad adjustment. Tie rod ends can make allot of differance as well as steering box adjustment. If you have helper have them move wheels while you look. Be safe. good luck.
No one could know what it would cost until they know what it needs. One loose part could cause slop, possible shimmy, a pull, and so can a bad tire. Tires can also tell you a few things, if you can see how their wearing.
Another part of the equation is if your doing the work, or paying to have it done.
We started having tire problems a couple years ago, really pulled to the right and when i went to get it aligned, the guy said no way and showed me the issue. i think we ended up with about $1400 to Eagle for tie rods and pins, plus another $600 for machining repair of really worn ends that looked egg shaped. Labor was another $2000 up from the $1500 quoted at $60/hour. But i think they put it together right. at least i don't have any problem yet (knock on wood). As usual, we were in a hurry and no time to think about trying it myself. parts and machining would still have been a cost. without doing it right then, we'd have wasted a tire which had to be replaced with a new front. as it is, we also bought 6 new Goodyear 11r24.5 tires for about $2500. We moved the best 2 old Michilins to the bogeys.
Quote from: robertglines1 on December 02, 2011, 08:10:47 PM
Jack it up. Grab wheels and see if you got any movement in king pins. ck other places. Might be just one or two joints worn. Or bad adjustment. Tie rod ends can make allot of differance as well as steering box adjustment. If you have helper have them move wheels while you look. Be safe. good luck.
Grabbing the wheels isn't enough. These are big things and they call for big tools. Stick a 4 foot crowbar in the rim and get someone to heave on it while you watch. Heave on the crowbar yourself and feel for movement. Put the weight back on the tires and get someone to crank the wheel while you watch the tie rods. If in doubt put your hand on the tie rod and feel for movement while your helper cranks the wheel. Like Bob said you may be able to tighten up the steering box or the drag link. Play safe - easy to get pinched or squished during this process.
I went and dug out the invoice from when my bus was imported to Canada in 2002. It got major front end work at that time. Prices are interesting, may need to double the parts prices to get to current, but interesting none the less.
Tie rod, complete with ends - $44.50
Drag link, with ends - $61.90
King pin set, both sides - $230.00
Rubber bushes for radius rods - $16.00 (the bright yellow urethane ones)
There ain't much else to change on the front end of these things! Labour was some part of 75.5 hours, but it also got a fair bit of other work. The big thing is machining the king pin bushings. You need a special reamer to set the clearances right and ream the bushings in-line. I could make a one-use one out of some harden-able steel, but I am stubborn that way, and I have a machine shop...
Brian
Yes Brian an adjustable tapered reem and the more you do the way better you are at it and most mechanics do not do king pins very often so MAKE SURE IT IS THE RIGHT GUY or you get some good coaching. The bushings will feel wonderful out of the package but pressed in the spindles they change, you have to load the thrust bearing to shim that right too and that has to be right or it will either bind in turns or slap in bumps.
Sometimes, USUALLY getting the old ones free from the axle requires the hardest hits I have ever placed on any vehicle with a sledge heavy equipment included.
If current tire wear is o/k and say all things being equal I would replace the tie rod and drag link ends put some new shocks on it and drive it. That you should be able to cover yourself. See how much the improvement. Chances are all the grease boots for these components are damaged anyway.
On a bus you do not have the room to wind up and beat the old king pins out like on a truck where its wide open. As usuall it will probably be harder than their truck counterparts :'(
Good information guys...Any members know someone in the houston, tX or Harris County area that's reasonable on rates?
Several bus shops in Channelview between Dell Dale and Sheldon road on I 10 should be plenty of shops on McCarty Dr and Wallisville Road
Houston is not a little hick town what side do you live on I may know of a shop in your area
good luck
I live on the East side just inside 610 loopt...I'm trying to stay away from the high dollar shops like stewart stevenson.
You are in the right area have you checked with Fleetpride on Wallisvillve road,I had work done at a Mexican tour co at very end of Texas Ave down by the old Browning and Ferris shop forgot the name but it was a good bus shop 55 bucks a hour
good luck
i'll check next week...thx.
There is a shop there right on one of the expressways on the east side of town.
I forget the name of the shop, but the owners name is Victor.
I've been there twice, once to p/u a real cream puff for MAK and drove it out to CA for him. And once my uncle Robert, dad & I went there on mothers day weekend to check out a Setra that was for sale.
I wanna say it's on the frontage road of 610, but I don't remember for sure.
It is on the north bound frontage road of which ever expressway it is on.
;D BK ;D
Do you have integral steering? Changed mine to integral, world of difference!
@ Busted Knuckle: The Highways on the eastside are 610 loop east and the I-10 (East Freeway)...apparently there's a few Heavy Equipment repair shops on the eastside of town. If you recall the name then I should be able to find it.
@ Ralph: It's factory steering...a side note: When make turns on long wide freeways the steering is tight, but straight away its still a little loose. I recently drained the steering fluid and refilled and bled it with the recommended oil instead of fluid. But I also feel the fronted loose when going over bumps at low speeds.