and the madness begins

[txjeff]

I have been looking to purchase a bus for several months. I have been looking on line and reading as much as I can about conversions. I have looked at several older buses and decided they needed more work than I was willing to do. I recently looked at a 73 mci-7c which has been converted. The bus needs some work but mechanically seems good for a 73. My question is there anything special to look for on the mci-7c since it was used for freight as well as passenger duty?

[Chopper Scott]

I'm sure there are more knowledgable people than I to answer your question but as I have a 7 and been repairing a lot of items I can point you in a few places to look. The air beams seem to be a problem eventually. I had one start leaking and managed to repair it but installed the Mohawk rolling lobe kits that eliminate the airbeams just recently. Roughly the cost was $1600 for the kits. Another problem I had was cooling issues and from what I can gather is a problem on 7's with the Allison. Since I have made seals to get the air through the radiators instead of around, sealed up the fan door, added a tranny cooler and cut air outlets in the side doors. Basically anything else I encountered was normal maintanance stuff that hadn't been done for a long time. Just be sure you know what you are getting into. It does require more work than one might think. hope that helps. Later

[rdbishop]

txjeff,

I have a 68 MC-7 and it would really be had to give you an answer to your question without looking at the bus in person. I will tell you that there's going to be a bus rally in Franklin,TX on March 5,6,7. Look's to be about a hour or so due north of you. Maybe you could come to the rally for a day, do some looking and ask alot of questions. Maybe the owner would let you bring the bus for inspection.

Richard

[Just Dallas]

Removed

[PCC]

!!!!! THREE WEEKS AWAY  !!!  I won't be ready  !!!  HELP  !!!   It will be fun to see the other one .

[PP]

Hey Jeff, Just wanted to say welcome aboard and good luck in your endeavor. If you can get someone with experience in your area to check out a bus you're interested in, you'll be way ahead of the curve. This is an addiction and not for the faint of heart. I think it might even be genetic LOL, Will

[kyle4501]

You said it was a 7c.
Does it have 4 tires on the tag axle (10 tires total)? If so, it most likely has a Scenicruiser power train in it. Greyhound had a bunch (30 ? )new MCI 7's modified to haul more freight on the routes with light passanger loads. To do this modification, the rear of the 7 was modified & the rear bay was shortened to allow the drive train from a GMC PD4501 to be installed. If the air beams are leaking, you can simply install block off plates. They don't hurt the ride quality on this type suspension due to the tag axle carries as much weight as the drive & bridges over bumps very well.
As for parts availability for the drive train, they are available - you might have to hunt a little longer or modify something to work, but it's not that much different from other ~40 year old heavy duty vehicle.
Another benefit to the PD4501 rear - the drive axle is closer to the steer & the tag can be unloaded. That makes for some incredible traction & an amazingly short turning radius.   

The MCI 7 is a great looking bus, I hope it has the original caps.

Good luck with it!

Can you post some pictures?

[txjeff]

Thanks for your input. The bus does have 10 wheels and orginal caps. I try to post a picture.

[txjeff]

[JackConrad]

Nice looking coach. but, looking at the tag wheel, I don't think you have dual wheels on that axle, only the drive axle.  Jack

[txjeff]

Jack,

They have duals, they put the chrome caps to make it look like they are singles. Is it just a illusion or does it seem sag behind the rear wheels? The belt line looked straight but the paint lines seem to sag.....mabe its just me 

[kyle4501]

COOL RIDE!

Yes, it is a "combo" 7. Look at the shorter rearmost bay.
Get those wheel covers off & show off those tandem tags!

And, yes, greyhound rode those hard! Very hard. BUT, here it still stands - just goes to show how tough they can be. All that to say the maintenance is very important for this coach - If it hasn't already been done, it will be required sooner or later.

As for the sag, the first picture looks great. the second looks OK, but to be sure, just look at the rivets above the rear wheels & in the roof - that will tell lots. If there are a bunch of popped off rivet heads, that means bad news & lots of work to fix.

It looks like it still has the same fan drive used on PD4501's. You want to be damn sure to verify the fan & gearbox is in good condition before you drive that bus anywhere. That box is available but damn expensive! think over $2000 new. Hot impossible to work around, but the bolt in replacement is easy & keeping the one you have in good order is easier still - cheaper too. 

Man! that one looks good! Good luck which ever way you decide to go.

If you pass on it, please let us know the details of where it is.

[DaveG]

How did they load freight in the combos? And were they all set-up the same (ie 12 rows of seats and then flat floor or what)?

[Chopper Scott]

I was with Jack looking at it at first. The long rear overhang and short rear bay tells a different story but you really have to look at it twice!

[rdbishop]

Well txjeff,

Have you decided to come to the rally at Franklin?

Richard