looking for the best repower

[Van]

Height is the problem in a Eagle the length is fine all re powers have something to work around in older buses takes a strong will  and mind to do one plus $$$$

I love when people say "It can't" or "Shouldn't be done".

[sledhead]

I started this thread and have since sold the M C I with out doing the repower . as said just buy the engine in the coach you want and that is what I did but it did take a few years to find the one we liked . 550 hp and 1875 lbs of torque is amazing and now that I have it life is awesome
I use cruise control up and down the hills all the time . only thing was the inside needed a up date and that has been a lot of fun redoing that . only down side is I wish we were not as long (45' ) I did look at some country coach units that were 36' long with a tag and a 450 hp engine but really liked the 3406 e cat and they only came in the big coach's

the money to do the redo power plant would have been way more then the cost of what  I have in the coach I have now .

dave   

[DoubleEagle]

I love when people say "It can't" or "Shouldn't be done".

Eagle solved the problem of keeping a flat floor in the rear of Model 15's by using a two piece valve cover design on the Series 60 where the rear (toward the front of the coach) two cylinders had a low valve cover. The front four cylinders with Jakes (rear of coach) had a taller valve cover. It all just cleared the frame with not much to spare.

[thomasinnv]

Eagle solved the problem of keeping a flat floor in the rear of Model 15's by using a two piece valve cover design on the Series 60 where the rear (toward the front of the coach) two cylinders had a low valve cover. The front four cylinders with Jakes (rear of coach) had a taller valve cover. It all just cleared the frame with not much to spare.

MCI did the same thing. My 11.1 S60 had jakes on the front 4 only. When i replaced it with the 12.7 i modified the floor so I could have the jakes on all 6.

[Jim Blackwood]

My 12.7 has the B500 transmission retarder, how does that compare to the Jakes? (I haven't driven it yet.)

Jim

[buswarrior]

As a driver, for the combination of smooth and variable control, I preferred the joystick controlled retarder.

As an owner, I'd want to be darned sure of sufficient cooling for the transmission.

However, Jakes won't cook the transmission.

Tough call if I was choosing between two otherwise equal buses.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[DoubleEagle]

I don't know how the B500 works, but I had a Mack Dump truck that had the CAT 3406 and a retarder that used the engine oil to function, I think it was called the "CAT Brake Saver". It had the ability to actually stop the truck as you went down through the gears without using the brake. It was a $7000 option (1980's), and had problems with internal O-rings failing. If one needed replacing, you had to buy a whole kit with dozens of them for hundreds of dollars (I still have many of those thick CAT Yellow O-rings). I suspect the B500 might use the torque converter to slow down.

[luvrbus]

I have the best of both worlds a Jake on the engine and a retarder on the B500  after a 15k B500 in Fl the PO decided Jakes were the way to go

[TomC]

Why not find a wrecked truck with the Detroit DD13 and 12spd Mercedes based autoshift? Very nice shifting and will get the best fuel mileage. Good Luck, TomC