1984 International Air Force Bus

[Famousinternetjesus]

Shifting the auto tranny into neutral should achieve the same effect as a clutch the way the brownie will experience it as far as I can figure, because obviously that IS an issue nat. And dude I didn't come here to make new friends, I came here for info, to ask questions, this sites search functions, are crappy at best. This Is MY thread that i started about MY bus, I can post all the questions I want. Thanks for finally responding to something mechanical rather than telling all about how how perfect your engine/transmission set up is or telling me to do an engine swap, that's not what I want to achieve! Help and advice is only helpful when it is actually relevant

[Famousinternetjesus]

Despite whatever harshness I feel compelled to share my continuing experimentation and progress, I have tracked down mounting brackets for the brownie, forward linkages/shift lever etc also! All told including a two piece drive shaft and te tranny is spent 350, which when I compare it to online prices on eBay etc is a sawweeet deal. I am embarking on a road trip in the next few day and won't be able to install it until after, bummer. I spent and hour on the phone with an engineer at Allison discussing all the different concerns I had about the tranny and the torque converter, the most important thing seems be be how perfectly balanced the drive shaft is at speed, which walker driveline, the local shop can definitely handle. I am very excited about this project.

[Tango]

Roger that --- proper driveshaft balance and angles are critical to a happy ride.

[Famousinternetjesus]

for anyone in the process of doing a brownie box installation, or interested in the process etc. I have mounted my brownie 3-speed and yoked up to the rear portion of my driveline. i had to dig a little at a junkyard to find the right ujoints and yokes etc but i got em and i got em cheap. had em repressed at a driveline shop and i was in business. the box is up underneath the bus and i have taken my measurement for a custom length slipyoked shaft to span the gap between the transmission and the brownie, i will keep the original shaft in the event that the brownie craps out and i need to drop it and return to the original set up to limp home. all told, if I value my own personal labor hours at 0 (which you should if this is something you do for fun) im into this project for less than a thousand dollars, which is pretty cool when you think about it what ive accomplished. once its monday and the driveline shop opens again i can have the shaft made and complete my install. now i just need to mount my shifter...erk. shouldnt be too hard, but may be the only thing so far to require "customization" ie cutting/drilling.. any way cheers to everyone out there gettin greasy

[nat_ster]

As always, pics or it didn't happen.

Nat

[Famousinternetjesus]

if you wanna see pics of the bus, google my name ;) ill be uploading more soon, especially of this projects process/progress. with this setup im going to be in the middle of the 6.9's peak torque band at 65 in overdrive!!! which is also where the at545 is very happy, so im very excited. for those who need pictures, they are coming, it took me a minute to figure out how to get the pictures from one piece of technology to another haha, im better with a wrench than I am with a computer. I should be about at job completion by next sunday if all goes well, I even managed to find identical mount bushing to the worn out ones that came on the cross members i got. ill be posting pics on my website, like i say just google my name you'll find it.

-FIJ

[EastCoastCB]

I didn't see anything much about brownie boxes. just this-

[Famousinternetjesus]

thats right bud ;) little face, big face

[Famousinternetjesus]

i think there arent that many pics on instagram, but on the website there are, and will be many more very soon.

[EastCoastCB]

I just saw the instagram acct and figured you had them there.

[Famousinternetjesus]

Haha, yeah, no, that's just because...no reason but yeah there's a Wordpress site I had a friend make for me

[nat_ster]

If they are not posted here, many folks myself included will not bother looking for them.

So far I see a thread full of text, nothing else.

Nat

[Famousinternetjesus]

And that's just fine, anyone interested in seeing pictures of the brownie installation process can choose to look, or not, that choice is yours, but really doesn't bother me much. ;) I will keep this updated on progress over the next two weeks and will be sure to post some links to videos etc. of the final product in action for those who are interested. Best wishes

[Famousinternetjesus]

After some rearranging of the airlines going to the rear brakes the transmission fits perfectly, nestled between the frame rails, I found that older ford engine mounts are identical to the worn out mounting bushings I had to replace. At this point I am waiting for my drive shaft!! Now to mount the linkage. Dun dun dun

[Famousinternetjesus]

Famousinternetjesus.wordpress.com

[Booyah45828]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

That 6.9 is one of the worst engines you could have picked.

Nat

Oh please elaborate on this. And your experience that lead you to it.

Originally Posted by Famousinternetjesus

Famousinternetjesus.wordpress.com

Kudos man! One bit of advice, I'd change the torque converter to something really low stall wise to use. A low stall torque converter (1200 Rpm) will act like a lockup converter when you're in overdrive. It won't have the efficiency but it will be better then what you have.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by Booyah45828

Oh please elaborate on this. And your experience that lead you to it.

Diesel engines should be inline 6, not V8.

Nat

[opus]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Diesel engines should be inline 6, not V8.

Nat

All except for the 3408 and the V71's and the V92's. ;)

[Famousinternetjesus]

The 6bt is obviously a way better engine in every way but that's not what I have I have the bus I have and my modifications are all going to be within the bounds of its capabilities... And an engine swap is completely unnecessary and overly expensive for me... I don't

[Famousinternetjesus]

Yeah I've looked into lower stall torque converters and it is something I am considering. right now i only plan on using overdrive at highway speeds, which I think should put me right around 1800-2000 rpms at 60-70 mph maybe I'm wrong (it's happened before) but I think that's right in the range that te stock converter is happy