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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: 74eagle04 on October 01, 2018, 11:58:08 PM

Title: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: 74eagle04 on October 01, 2018, 11:58:08 PM
Hello everyone
I'm new to this forum
I've got a 74 eagle model 05
That my wife and I purchased from her uncles estate
Anyway on our way home from sturgis back to Calgary Alberta we had a catastrophic engine failure just outside of Billings Montana so we had to have the bus hauled
We took it to Interstate Powersystems and the guys there were great
I have to say that the service department at that location is top notch and the crew that rebuilt my 8v92ta did a great job
It's nice to see a place like this these days
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: richard5933 on October 02, 2018, 03:07:51 AM
Welcome!

Glad you found a good shop. I use the Interstate shop here in the Milwaukee area and feel the same way. They may not be the cheapest, but they do good work and are pleasant to deal with.
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: dtcerrato on October 02, 2018, 05:57:53 AM
Sorry about your misfortune glad you found good service. Enjoy your new venture with your fresh engine.
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: neoneddy on October 02, 2018, 06:44:50 AM
I'm always curious to the conditions and situations that precipitates and engine failure. I've heard of just bad luck , luck with technomadia and thier engine eating an air filter (I think), to catastrophic overheats.

Looking back where there any early signs?
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: Ed Hackenbruch on October 02, 2018, 08:18:02 AM
Is Larry still at the shop or did he finally retire? 
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: PP on October 02, 2018, 09:44:12 AM
Welcome and glad to hear that you are back up and running.
Will
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: Paso One on October 02, 2018, 10:16:57 AM
Welcome
I too had a good experience with Interstate Power systems in Fargo ND. They got me in right away diagnosed the problem however could not help me with the needed rebuild for lack of numbers on my block they could not give an accurate Firm estimate.

I ended up going home and robbing pistons and sleeves from a parts engine, Scott Crosby met me back at Fargo and in the Detroit dealers parking lot we replaced the broken sleeves and pistons.
They gave us power and loaned us the specialty  tools and their coolant pans with pump to refill
They were Steller.
I would never had tackled that parking lot repair if it wasn't for Scott.
Started it drove it the 1000 miles home and replaced the engine in my shop.
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: luvrbus on October 02, 2018, 01:24:26 PM
Parking lot job on buses are no different than what you do in the field when a pump or a generator goes down just dig in and get it done.I watched Geoff tear into a MCI at one of our restaurants working off a piece of cardboard.I prefer concrete and a shop my self now days I guess it's the age thing  ;D. I was miserable this past spring working on engines in the elements for 2 months in Texas   
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: dtcerrato on October 02, 2018, 07:31:24 PM
For what Paul & Cliff mentioned - we lived that on our 12,000 mile Alaska road trip. We kept on keeping on, never threw the towel in and always saw blue skies beyond fallen trees. Surge tank rupture, air compressor quit - ran on aux electric compressor from FL to IN, cylinder head replaced, starter replaced, making oil, replaced all the fuel cross over tubes, three oil changes, disintegrated blower - replaced the blower on the side of the road in AK (11 days), broken front brake drum, sliced the drum off the stud disc with a side grinder in a Walmart parking lot and drove it with only three wheels of brakes from MO to FL. In that order. It was all part of the adventure. That was summer of 2016. We plan on doing the trip again in summer of 2019 - hopefully at least less eventful - well we're gonna be optimistic & say event free. AK or bus(T). :-)
During that 2016 road trip, special thanks goes out to Scott, Paul, Luke & Gene among others for making it possible for us to keep moving forward...
Title: Re: Great shop in Billings Montana
Post by: eagle19952 on October 02, 2018, 09:50:22 PM
Quote from: luvrbus on October 02, 2018, 01:24:26 PM
Parking lot job on buses are no different than what you do in the field when a pump or a generator goes down just dig in and get it done.
In the arctic, if it was night time the shop was under the black roof, if it was day time it was the blue roof.
Many days ....the roof leaked and the floor was wet :)
The pipe line wasn't the worst tho, they had and endless supply of 3/4 inch ply wood and Tioga heaters. 500K btu.