What Would You Do Different?

Jim Blackwood · July 25, 2022, 02:16:50 PM

So you're sayin' what, that I'm some sort of Bohemian Renaissance man or something? Well hell if the Foo shits I guess. I just was never one to sit on my hands and expect someone else to do it.

Jim

epretot · July 25, 2022, 06:07:43 PM

I'm too new at it to have regrets. But I'm sure they will come.

I have been working steadily on the project since December 2020.

Hoping to be finished this fall.

freds · July 25, 2022, 06:52:46 PM

Spend a bit more time and money looking before buying LOL!!!

Jim Blackwood · July 26, 2022, 07:40:55 AM

Yeah Fred, a valid point. However I feel I did about the best I could have done under the circumstances. Being a retiree the budget is limited and time passes by. Yet here I am and in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in. Same could be said for the bus. It's a one shot deal, gotta make it count and the single very biggest consideration is to finish the job. Everything else has to be balanced against that including budget overruns. I'll say it again, I'd like to see the 4 stroke conversion I could buy for $20K. Pretty sure it wouldn't have a few things that I do.

And have you noticed that we have several new DL conversions going on right now? I think that speaks volumes for the quality of newbies dipping their toes in the water. We'd all just love to be able to go out and just buy the conversion that we want, but for many of us for a variety of reasons that just isn't possible. The ones doing the new builds surely aren't very different from the old timers that started this whole thing in the first place.

Jim

windtrader · July 26, 2022, 11:05:19 AM

Quote from: Jim Blackwood on July 25, 2022, 02:16:50 PM
So you're sayin' what, that I'm some sort of Bohemian Renaissance man or something? Well hell if the Foo shits I guess. I just was never one to sit on my hands and expect someone else to do it.

Jim

Hi Jim,Could you clarify your comment? I meant nothing derogatory in my post and apologize if I offended you. Maybe you were making a joke?

Jim Blackwood · July 26, 2022, 12:00:13 PM

Yeah, it was a joke Don, no anxiety intended.

Jim

luvrbus · July 27, 2022, 10:07:06 AM

Installed a 3406 Cat engine instead of the 8v92, when I drove my Eagle bus home for 1200 miles the 8v71 and the 4 speed manual transmission was the first thing to go

TomC · August 01, 2022, 10:14:14 PM

Just like Tony's bus with 3406B, I LOVE my Caterpillar 3406B. Even though I do not have overdrive anymore, with 11R-24.5 (476rpm) and 3.55 gears my 60mph cruise is 1690rpm. If I want better fuel mileage, I just drive at 1600. 1800 (continuous rating) is 64mph. I would like to have an overdrive-Meritor makes a 3 spd air shifted auxiliary box called the Fat-30. Gears- 2.50, 1.00, .86 overdrive. Can take 30,000lb/ft input torque. My 3406B has 1375lb/ft torque maximum, and if I multiply it by 2.25 torque converter, and 3.692 first gear I still only come up with 11,422lb/ft torque-so not even close. Just something to consider instead of changing the rear end gear ratio. My 1800rpm cruise would come down to 1548. Good Luck, TomC

luvrbus · August 02, 2022, 06:45:21 AM

Quote from: TomC on August 01, 2022, 10:14:14 PM
Just like Tony's bus with 3406B, I LOVE my Caterpillar 3406B. Even though I do not have overdrive anymore, with 11R-24.5 (476rpm) and 3.55 gears my 60mph cruise is 1690rpm. If I want better fuel mileage, I just drive at 1600. 1800 (continuous rating) is 64mph. I would like to have an overdrive-Meritor makes a 3 spd air shifted auxiliary box called the Fat-30. Gears- 2.50, 1.00, .86 overdrive. Can take 30,000lb/ft input torque. My 3406B has 1375lb/ft torque maximum, and if I multiply it by 2.25 torque converter, and 3.692 first gear I still only come up with 11,422lb/ft torque-so not even close. Just something to consider instead of changing the rear end gear ratio. My 1800rpm cruise would come down to 1548. Good Luck, TomC

I would want a 3406 C,I recall Sonnie installed a 3406A in Tony's 350 hp he had a choice between the a or the 425 hp B and went with A for the difference in price.My 8v92 was better in the mountains but was no contest on level ground with the 2:95 gears in that bus.FWIW that was a afer cooled 3406 till we change it to CAC changing to the CAC made a huge different in performance

Utahclaimjumper · August 03, 2022, 09:45:33 AM

Then Tony blew it up!!..>>>Dan

dtcerrato · August 03, 2022, 11:30:13 AM

After all the campers, trailers, & RVs that I have owned before the bus purchase - if I had the experience & the knowledge of how robust a severe duty commercial bus was I would have went the bus route first because it's the 1st & only RV (conversion) I have owned that I literally couldn't overload it like I did and paid for dearly all of the earlier predecessors.

plyonsMC9 · August 15, 2022, 10:54:54 PM

I would not have let the bus sit long periods during the conversion process w/o finding a way to exercise it, keeping the seals lubricated & happy, tires rolling, etc. I know not to leave the bus sitting for months at a time while I have the conversion out in the driveway, garage, or wherever, but for some reason I did not think of that during the conversion process and I'm certain I've paid for that oversight. Wouldn't change anything else. The bus conversion journey has been a blast and I've learned a ton of things along the way. Not to mention wonderful friends, travels, experiences, and of course the sound of those beautiful diesel engines.

Kind Regards, Phil

Glennman · August 16, 2022, 12:50:44 PM

One of my main regrets is that I wished that my current project bus had come along about 2 years earlier. I bought a '74 converted MCI for 25 grand and regret the day I bought it. It's actually a pretty nice bus and drives great, but: 1. I didn't do the conversion (trying to troubleshoot someone else's work can be frustrating); 2. The engine now has an overheating problem; 3. I have a brake can issue and other issues too. That being said, if I had the opportunity to get my '02 sooner, I would have saved a lot of money. The way I justify this in my brain is that since I got the '02 for $1000 and was able to get nearly $2000 for the recycled materials that I removed from it, I'm ahead on that, but of course I need to spend a lot of money to convert it. At 60 years old, we cannot wait for the perfect deal to come along, because you might be waiting until it's too late to start such a project. I've owned 6 buses now with hopes of converting one from scratch within my lifetime. I bought the '74 thinking it was getting too late in life, then the '02 literally fell into my lap (I wasn't even in the market for one). I'm going for it, but I know I'll have to do something with the '74 eventually, if and when I get the '02 completed. Oh well, it's always good to have a project in front of us to keep us young.

Jim Blackwood · August 17, 2022, 09:32:55 AM

That's right Glen, you need to stay busy. But there's a comfortable range it's probably best not to go too far from if you can help it. And you are right, time is not on our side.

However, I'm really glad I waited until I could afford to buy a bus that: had a tall roof so I didn't have to do a roof raise; had a 4 stroke engine; had a good automatic transmission; had an auxiliary heater; had r134 in the AC (although that is becoming less of an issue with the r290); had good solid floors; had attractive overhead bins; and had alloy wheels. It made the conversion just that much easier and widened my choices for options.

Jim