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Old 03-08-2008, 04:34 PM   #21
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Re: good deal or no?

thanks to phill i am pleased to announce that we have found "our bus" it was the 1987 that phill listed earlier. my buddies and i went out and checked it out before we left for florida yesterday it is a strong running gas bus that has plenty of room to be creative. i am kind of relieved that we got a gas bus as much as i am a diesel nut ... ultamently this bus will be doing a lot of sitting durring the winter, and we all know what happenes when diesels sit... but i am looking foward to completeing our payment of 1100.00 when we return on sunday and i plan to document the entire transformation thanks again for everyone advice and we'll see ya soon

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Old 03-09-2008, 06:27 PM   #22
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Re: good deal or no?

here is a picture that i snaped of it on my cell phone before we left for florida...
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Old 03-09-2008, 08:14 PM   #23
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Re: good deal or no?

Congratulations on your new bus! Sounds like you got a much better deal than that first one you were looking at. Plus with this one if anything happens to it - it's worth $900 in scrap, so worse case you're only out a couple hundred bucks. Do you know if it's carburated or fuel injected?

Keep us posted with your progress.
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Old 03-09-2008, 10:24 PM   #24
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Re: good deal or no?

it was carb she needed a little starting fluid lovin because it was so cold... the only thing that was wrong with it was it needs a new batt.. other than that she fired up ran well, good brakes... cant wait to get started on it.. firt things first anyone know where to get a new battery, and how much thats going to run me?
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Old 03-10-2008, 12:28 AM   #25
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Re: good deal or no?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigballsbus
first things first anyone know where to get a new battery, and how much thats going to run me?
I got a used battery from a semi-truck junk yard for $35 bucks. It's 1000 cold cranking amps, and a little bigger than a regular car battery. Otherwise Walmart has cheap batteries, I think I got 2 marine batteries there a few years ago for something like $60 each.
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Old 03-10-2008, 06:40 AM   #26
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Re: good deal or no?

It would be good to know what size and how many batteries it has. My guess is that it's going to use a Group 31 battery or two. 8D's are great for diesels because they allow for longer cranking periods, but a pair of Group 31's will provide more more cold cranking amps for a shorter period of time. If you had to crank your gasser half as long as I have to crank my diesel on the cold mornings it would be flooded.

Get a battery or two from somewhere that you can get it replaced under warranty down the road. This means Wal-Mart, Batteries Plus, a national parts store chain like Advance, O'Reilly's, CSK, etc.
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Old 03-11-2008, 09:49 AM   #27
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Re: good deal or no?

for reference, a brand new 8D will prob cost ya $150-200 This is not your typical run of the mill battery, it's the size of 3 large pickup truck batteries. They are great to use as starting batteries, millions of semi trucks use them. They are also good for giving up small amounts of current for long periods of time. This only applies if your buses battery compartment is designed for a battery of this size. Most buses i've seen either use a single 8D, or three regular batteries in paralell, but i haven't seen too many gas buses.

It's a lot of money up front for a battery, but it's well worth it in the end. You spend the money now, or spend more in frustration down the road. Having used both deep cycle golf cart batteries and 8D's to run my "house" loads inside the bus, i prefer the 8d batteries over the golf cart batteries.

here's info from the interstate battery website:

Reserve Capacity (RC) defined:
BCI defines it as "the number of minutes a new, fully-charged battery at 80ºF (27ºC) can be discharged at 25 amps and maintain a voltage equal to or higher than 1.75 volts per cell" (i.e., 10.5 volts for a 12-volt battery). This rating represents the time the battery will continue to operate essential accessories in the event of a charging system failure.


The best 8d they sell has reserve capacity of 450 minutes and weighs 132 pounds 1400CCA.
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Old 03-11-2008, 01:01 PM   #28
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Re: good deal or no?

You said it was gas, it takes a regular "big" battery, 900-1000 cranking amps. Wally world has them, Sams, etc. Congrats on the bus and I hope you have a great time converting it. There certainly is enough knowledge at this site to keep you enlightened and informed. sportyrick
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Old 03-11-2008, 09:27 PM   #29
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Re: good deal or no?

awesome.. the one that was in the bus was huge!! it looked like 3 large truck batteries like what was posted above. does anyone know what to ask for when looking around for this? we have to make phone calls on the way home from florida so we can pick it up on the way home. sorry for the delayed responce for some reason the website or the wireless server at the hotel woudn't let me look at the message board... oh well thanks for the info guys... everyone on here really know's their stuff when i get back i plan to make a video and upload it on youtube so you can look at it and get your suggestions. thanks again
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Old 03-16-2008, 02:00 PM   #30
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Re: good deal or no?

Found a battery at Battery+... its HUGE!... we are picking up the bus tomorrow. i am rather excited i just had to post something. once again i will post tomorrow with pictures and maybe a video.
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Old 03-31-2008, 03:29 PM   #31
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Re: good deal or no?


Quote:
...take out the 454 and sell it on Craigslist for $500. Sell the AT545 for $400 (and it would sell fast at that price). Sell the tires and wheels for $200. Scrap the rest of the bus for $900 (that's 10 tons at $90 per ton). Sit back and enjoy your $800 worth of beverage money.
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