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Old 10-24-2016, 11:29 AM   #141
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I understand the part about them being many mile motors in pickup trucks.. I want mine to be a many mile motor in a school bus...

I knew there are differences like the mechanical pump, the fact theres no EGR on the 444, the 444 is plumbed wit ha return line whereas the ford wasnt (at least not some years).. the ECM;s are different 97-up

the accessory mounting is different due to the 444 accepting an air brake compressor in the normal ford position of an A/C.. so the 444 A/C is center top... (stacked if theres 2)... the water pump and routing is different...

I just want to make sure i do any necessary maintenance / updates to mine so it can be a long-miler.. I Drive my busses.. they dont sit parked for long...

-Christopher

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Old 10-24-2016, 11:32 AM   #142
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2003 was the last year for it... the 'mid 2000s' ford trucks were the 6.0's.. (VT-365 in IHC speak)..

as we know the 03,04 6.0's were disastrous.. (less so in the VT-365 because the VT had no EGR COOLER BS to deal with).. by 05 the ford side was getting worked out.. but still didnt hurt to pit head studs on it..

I digress as the 7.3 does have a better rap than the 6.0... my source of info is coming from school bus people not pickup-truck people...

in fact theres a forum member as we speak trying to get a 444E home and he os blowing oil and smoke all over the place.... could nbe simple or could be bad... but sounds like wrench turning, possibly sierious wrench turning in store for that one..

-Christopher
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Old 10-24-2016, 01:21 PM   #143
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in fact theres a forum member as we speak trying to get a 444E home and he os blowing oil and smoke all over the place.... could nbe simple or could be bad... but sounds like wrench turning, possibly sierious wrench turning in store for that one..

-Christopher
Yea... depending on what he finds, if it's something that's gonna take big bucks to fix he might be better off just selling that one for scrap and reinvesting in something different.... but bet he doesn't go with another 444!
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Old 10-24-2016, 01:51 PM   #144
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or you fix whats wrong and have a known quantity.. it sure doesnt sound like his engine is completey blown, unless there is in fact a dead cylinder we arent learning about, with bad rings belching oil... then its time to test compression...

-Christopher
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Old 10-24-2016, 02:01 PM   #145
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Roof sanding time! I have been working on getting the roof ready to paint.












I also spliced a melted wire for my transmission temperature gauge. However it did not fix the dead gauge, so i will have to do some more trouble shooting.

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Old 10-24-2016, 02:09 PM   #146
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a melted wire couldve popped a resistor on the gauge panel itself.. I dont know on that bus if you have the integrated gauge panel? or the indiivdual gauges..

on my integrated panel I had a resistor issue related to my trans temp gauge.
-Christopher
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Old 10-25-2016, 12:35 AM   #147
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7.3=445.473



But 444 looks better on a badge!


It's the other way around, actually.

4.11" bore, 4.18" stroke, works out to 443.65 cubic inches displacement, flip that over to metric for 7.270L, and 7.3 is where the marketing guys wanted to go.


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Old 11-04-2016, 01:29 PM   #148
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Did not do much last weekend on account of my eye. Had a piece of metal in it that they had to remove and drill the rust out of.



I did however get the emergency hatches covered. I still need to sand and paint them before cutting a 14x14 hole in the middle for the celling fan.



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Old 11-04-2016, 02:44 PM   #149
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Very nice Justin. Hope you're recovering well.
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Old 11-05-2016, 04:58 PM   #150
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bummer about the eye, but you guys are still making really good progress. wow!
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Old 11-09-2016, 12:10 PM   #151
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Justin, I am blown away by your stamina and progress. I'm considering getting into the skoolie game and this thread is so inspirational.

Your documentation is incredible too. Please please please keep sharing with us. I can't wait to read the rest as it comes out. Every time I watched one of your videos I kept thinking 'oh god, please don't let this be the last video.' I have been slowly watching the dates on the thread posts climb and reality started to settle in as I figured out that there was no way for you to finish the project before the thread caught up with present-day.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how much the videos and picture mean to me and encourage you to keep up the good work.

(First post ever!)
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Old 11-09-2016, 12:46 PM   #152
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Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate that!Its nice to know the videos are being watched. I am still working on the bus and filming the progress. I have not posted anything recently because I want to be able to post a video that has a clear goal accomplished. So right now I am working on getting the roof painted. As soon as I get that done, I will post that episode.
Actually the next episode is something I am very excited about. I will be attending a Skoolie meet up and hope to do a couple tours of completed Skoolies. I think that will be a very interesting episode seeing some well done finished projects!
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Old 11-09-2016, 01:19 PM   #153
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Short update:

I almost finished the hatch covers this weekend, but it started to rain.



So instead I started work on the dash. I plan on redoing it with wood and reorganizing some of the gauges and switches.



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Old 11-10-2016, 03:56 PM   #154
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I think a good number of Texas busses have some sort of units. I get the impression however that roof top RV style AC units would be better, so I am going to take these ones out.
Justin, when I first purchased my bus I had intended to take out the 2 units that were in my mine. After really studying the set up, I had a change of heart. The evaporator units are what is in the bus. I am going to relocate the rear one under a cabinet and the one in the front, I am going to remove it and replace/relocate to a under dash unit to be up front for the driver. I still plan on installing a 150000 BTU A/C on the roof, but that require 120 volts to operate while cruising down the road.
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Old 11-10-2016, 04:06 PM   #155
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in an FE or a conventional bus driving ito the sun te driver seat gets roasty toasty in the summer without road A/C... that camper unit on tye roof will just laugh at you on the road.. Both is the way to go unless the heat doesnt bother you.. or if you have an RE bus then the engine heat stays away from the driver..

the T-444E conventional has less engine heat as there is no dog-house heat..
-Christopher
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Old 11-13-2016, 08:37 AM   #156
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Took some time off from working on the bus and dropped by to visit with some incredible people and see their bus projects/homes. Check out the video:

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Old 11-13-2016, 09:02 AM   #157
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Took some time off from working on the bus and dropped by to visit with some incredible people and see their bus projects/homes. Check out the video:

Nice video

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Old 11-13-2016, 01:52 PM   #158
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Great post on the Skoolie Meetup. Where was this held at?
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Old 11-13-2016, 07:07 PM   #159
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
in an FE or a conventional bus driving ito the sun te driver seat gets roasty toasty in the summer without road A/C... that camper unit on tye roof will just laugh at you on the road.. Both is the way to go unless the heat doesnt bother you.. or if you have an RE bus then the engine heat stays away from the driver..

the T-444E conventional has less engine heat as there is no dog-house heat..
-Christopher
When I drove my HDX from Kankakee to Billings, the front was very comfortable. But I did have to turn on the foot heat to keep my tootsies comfortable. Mine does have AC, but I prefer not to use it. I would have slept in it on the way back, except the seats in back were staggered. No way I would EVER get comfortable. So, I checked in to motels on the way back. I prefer Mom & Pop motels over chain motels because of the price and they're usually quiet.
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Old 11-13-2016, 07:17 PM   #160
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When I drove my HDX from Kankakee to Billings, the front was very comfortable. But I did have to turn on the foot heat to keep my tootsies comfortable. Mine does have AC, but I prefer not to use it. I would have slept in it on the way back, except the seats in back were staggered. No way I would EVER get comfortable. So, I checked in to motels on the way back. I prefer Mom & Pop motels over chain motels because of the price and they're usually quiet.
when im talking of driving in the sun im talking may-august running in florida, texas, alabama, mississippi, georgia etc... trust me its Hot! in a bus running hundreds of miles westbound or southbound in june around 5 PM in the afternoon... I'll run the A/C all day long.. even my runs from Ohio to florida and to visit friends in the carolinas and over into lousiana, texas... yeah I wouldlve not been a happy driver without my A/C..

if I was up in the north id probably have the windows open or the heat on if it was chilly..

-Christopher
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