The Original Two-Engine Scenicruiser by Paul von Fange

[sandra@BCM]

Before today's large engines were available, the only solution for gaining more horsepower was to join two engines together, which effectively doubled the horsepower to propel the bus up hills better and help run the air conditioning unit.

This article explains how this system worked and how they could limp home on one engine if necessary, or could they?

This is the story of The Original Two-Engine Scenicruiser.

https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/bcm-blogs/the-original-two-engine-scenicruiser/

[Utahclaimjumper]

Just "clickbait" for advertising..>>>Dan

[luvrbus]

Interesting reading for the folks that never knew the scenic had 2 engines at the start of life, was a dumb idea linking 2-471 together when a 6-71 turbo would have the same HP with 2 less cylinders to feed,I don't about the "clickbait"     

[CrabbyMilton]

Clickbait is right. I had a feeling that there weren't any of those left. I also don't think the 6-71 with turbo was available back then otherwise that would have been a no brainer to convert those instead of waiting for the 8V-71. GM obviously would not think about" lowering" themselves to source an engine from another supplier even if one was available since CUMMINS engines were either not powerful enough or way too bulky and heavy for buses. Of course now things as correctly stated are different. There are many modern engines and transmissions that could be used in that old gem. It does make for an interesting read.

[luvrbus]

The 6-71 turbo engine was around at the time,no way was GM going to use a Cummins or Cat engine back then. Engineers tried to reinvent the wheel the 6-71 dual pack was proven in military and marine application's in the 40's,that was a special build GM never offered a power pack with 2-4-71's,they had dual and quads offered with the 6-71 ,it took hours to adjust a quad so all 4 engine pulled together BTDT ,the duals where not that bad to adjust, they were adjusted by the EGT on the dual and quad power packs       

[CrabbyMilton]

So if the 6-71 turbo was available back then, why didn't they just use it in the SCENICRUISER? I'm sure they had their reasons but what were they?

[luvrbus]

So if the 6-71 turbo was available back then, why didn't they just use it in the SCENICRUISER? I'm sure they had their reasons but what were they?

I have no answer could have been clearance the way the 2 engines are laid over, could have been a weight issues since the 6- 110 Gm was available to,  whatever the reason it was ugly and didn't work. The 8v71 hit market in 1957 I saw the 8v71 being tested at Stewart and Stevenson when I was in high school in 1956,a oil man in Houston, Jim West had 4 Autocars the shop installed the 8V71's in for testing ,I remember the guys installing 4 valve heads during the tests