Checking out this 1983 with a 1998 rebuilt motor with a 4 speed. It's seems to be in good shape but for some corrosion I saw in the cargo bays. It's in Daytona Beach, fl. Let me know if you guys think the rust is average or I should move on? Any input would be great.
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I would move on with the rust you can see then the 8v71 N/A is a dog with a 4 speed in a 40 ft bus
Quote from: luvrbus on February 23, 2015, 03:35:56 PM
I would move on with the rust you can see then the 8v71 N/A is a dog with a 4 speed in a 40 ft bus
Are you saying it's slow?
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Kind of depends on the price and what you want to put into it and get out of it.
That rust is going to be typical. That's what you can see. The bigger problem will be the rust you can't see inside the walls.
I know of an 82 MC9 with 6V92 and auto tranny with less less rust, more to offer in the way of conversion stuff, new tires, for about 12k. Located in northeast AL.
email me if interested.
The new water pump would have me wondering and the rebuild means nothing it is almost 17 years old and being bored already to 0.10 not much left to work with in case something happens same with the crank
Rust doesn't look bad from salt encrusted Ontario?
An 8V71 has insufficient power?
Happy coaching!
buswarrior
As mentioned, it's the rust that you can't see that could be the real problem. If you were to be considering this bus seriously, you would have to do a serious inspection for deep signs of corrosion. Is it a manual transmission? There are plenty of good deals on buses with automatics around. It makes a world of difference as far as I am concerned. To say a bus has a rebuilt engine would mean something if it were done within the past couple of years. An engine rebuilt 17 years ago is just an old engine. While I currently have an 8v71 in my 35 ft 5a, and many of us have that engine or even smaller ones, I would recommend getting something with a little more horsepower.
How do you do an inspection for corrosion that is not visible?
What is wrong with a manual transmission?
What is a preferable engine?
Rust:
Look in the spare tire compartment behind the front bumper. In the electrical panel below the driver's window. Particularly at the bottom where the grounding connections are. In the baggage tanks at the frame members. In the engine compartment at the engine cradle. The fire wall. Up in the squirrel cages compartment behind the radiators. For the walls, remove some interior panels to look at the framing below the windows, and below the windshield. There will be some rust. It is a question of how much are you willing to live with, or fix.
Manual transmission: you might enjoy shifting a manual. Reselling a bus with a manual will be harder: most buyers are looking for an auto. Although most of us don't buy buses to flip them, or as an investment. A manual is so much nicer to drive, even for old bus drivers like me who have driven those 4 speeds for years back when that's all we had.
The 8V71 is OK, that's what those buses came stock with. It is not very fast up the hills. A 6V92TA or 8V92TA with Allison HT740 is a relatively easy swap and would be a lot faster. If you have the skills and the money, you can put anything you want back there.
JC
I would say to get what you could want at the start. The actual purchase price often ends up being the cheapest part of the project. Owners do upgrade to automatic transmissions, but it cost about $10k unless you save half by doing the project yourself. Fewer people change out the engine, but it can be done for another $10k. or so.
When we got our 5a, I thought that the 8v71 would be a real powerhouse. Turns out that it is not if there are hills on the menu. I find it generally acceptible and would not put the money in to change it. However, if I were thinking of another bus, I would not consider a non-turbo 8v71. We had the Spicer transmission when we got the bus. I could manage with it, but it really is a terrible transmission for RV use. When it came time to change the clutch, I changed to an Allison instead. Great decision!
I've never driven an 8V-92, but I have a 6V92 in mine. There are some hills along I-75 where the bus goes slow enough I could go back and make a sandwich, then come back up front to see if the view has changed yet.
But, on a good note, I seem to get pretty good fuel mileage. I do like the auto trans - and I'm a shifter kind of guy.
Dave
Look to me like someone put an Mci body over an Eagle frame and motor. Just saying, LOL ::)
That's not horrible rust, but ours didn't have quite as much and it was a northern bus. Also, we stripped ours down to pure nakedness and fixed all the trouble spots :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: hdemetrious on February 24, 2015, 06:14:05 AMHow do you do an inspection for corrosion that is not visible? ....
This is where a person with a lot of knowledge of that specific bus model can be very valuable. Most old buses tend to rust in specific areas and a person with experience on that model will know where to look. Sometimes it means taking off bay panels or cutting an inspection hole, other times, it's just a "where to put the light and mirror" thing. But on any old bus, be prepared to treat and repair some rust -- it just goes with the territory. The $64,000 question is whether the rust is extensive enough to be too expensive to repair, or impractical to repair, or just so bad that it means the bus is totally junk.
Hi Hani, Rust bubbles under the paint on the rivets is a bad sign, it may have come from the inside, on MCIs always inspect the radiator box, most will rust there, extensive rust there means the fans have pulled in salt air, that means its had a lot of time near salt water, better for the fan box to pull in desert sand, where you would look at anything rubber, dry cracking or dry rot would mean fan belts and hoses and tires and any rubber knuckle in the steering may need to be replaced. lower frame salt exposure, like from winter salted roads, shows up on MCIs most easily viewable on the bay door knuckles, they are made of soft steal and will rust first, this would lead you to look at what the others have mentioned. these are all simple signs of deeper rust issues. JCs and others, more extensive explanation should be taken to heart, and memorized if you don't have an experienced bus nut to go with you, if your able to bring that friend and he advises you it's best to walk away, when you fall in love with a bus, it may be real hard to break away from the one that catches your eyes, but there is a sexyer model winking at you around the block! Lvmci...
Thanks for the guidance everyone, keep it coming. I believe the motor is 8v92. Is it more favorable than an 8v71?
Quote from: hdemetrious on February 25, 2015, 08:47:26 AM
Thanks for the guidance everyone, keep it coming. I believe the motor is 8v92. Is it more favorable than an 8v71?
An 8v92 will run hotter,faster and use more fuel.
If those things are in your budget and comfort level then it is a better choice.
Remember that the v71 will do 72 mph on 97% of all interstates.
The up speeds on grades greater than 6% will be proportionately slower depending on tire size and weight.
7087 is a 8v71 the 8v92 would read 8087 fwiw that engine is a 8v71 N/A look on the front camshaft pulley it will have 8V71 embossed on the pulley
Update:
Motor is a 8v71
Radiator area has barely any rust
Electric panel very neat, no rust
Spare tire area has rust in coners on the platform that holds the tire and the bumper lift brackets are rusty
Windshield rubber seals worn, interior dash surface has rust, front framing has no rust
Engine cradle solid
Floor steel braces that connects perpindicular to luggage bay tops have rust where they connect to the luggage bay hinge area
I plan to take a section of interior wall out and see what's behind it.
Surface rust, you can sand away and paint. Rusted through, you can cut out and weld in new tubes. Depends how much you want to take on. Doesn't sound too bad so far. An 8V71 was adequate in the ' 70s when the public was used to slow trucks and buses. Today they expect trucks and buses to go up the hills at the same speed as cars. But if I found a good bus with a 8V71, I would take it. You could always turbo it later, or swap in a 8V92 or something else, if you felt it was too slow. Every bus of that age will have some rust. The judgement call is yours.
JC
I looked behind the interior wall in two different places on and the insulation was dry and in great shape. No rust was found in those spots. The clutch was difficult to push down for first and reverse. My shifting wasn't that smooth. It drives smooth. After 4 hours of shutting off the engine the air went from 120 to 80psi.
Sounds like a good bus. Air leaking from 120 to 80 psi in 4 hours is normal.
JC