the wait is over

[Hvbuzz]

So before we left, we charterd a fishing boat to take us out on lake Superior. I wish I could say a fun time was had by all. But... My son got seasick and couldn't hold down his morning milk. Which ended up on me. My wife saw that, and got sick herself then. The fishing was actually going pretty well at that point, but only my daughter was able to man the lines and reel in the fish.

20170629_072021 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

As I was feeling sorry for my wife and son, I told the captain to turn around less then 2hours into our trip.
20170629_110011 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr
Before we got to the bridge, low and behold, both started feeling better. So we were able to turn around again, and start fishing again.

Almost better...
20170629_091818 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

20170629_110029 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

Considering the beginning, I think we ended up with a pretty good catch. 5 lake trout, 2 coho salmon.
20170629_111416 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

I'm not much of a fish eater. But fresh salmon directly onto the grill, is mighty tasty..
20170629_182354 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

[Hvbuzz]

We had a non eventful trip over to North Dakota for a extended weekend and 4th of July. Not much to see other then the normal farm stuff as the years before. Fireworks, parades and horseback riding. I also realized how much my aunt and uncle have aged, and how short life really is. They turn 80 this year, and life on the farm is nearly over for them. Makes me think how much more traveling I would like to do.

20170703_171601 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

[Hvbuzz]

So we are home now. I had one day today to go get my parts, before the work rat race starts again next week. Of course, my truck has two flat tires and a dead battery. No time to waste on working on that. So I jump in the Tahoe and off for my parts. Pretty easy to load with a forklift. But getting it out by myself took some creative processes.
So here it is. Full radiator and CAC, and plumbing.
20170707_115226 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

Getting it cleaned up
20170707_153821 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr
I like my fan shroud better, but I will have to see if it will fit, if not I will use the one that came with it.
20170707_151903 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

20170707_133710 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

I know Chris was asking about part #'s
20170707_141513 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

It's from a 99 International with a DT530E. I did alot of cleaning, measuring and thinking of the best way to change it out. I have a pretty good plan, and it does look like it will be a direct swap with the CAC plumbing that came with it. I am going to borrow a buddies engine hoist and that should make it pretty easy to swap out.

[Hvbuzz]

I just wanted to add. I modified my fuel plate on my fuel pump before I left. It made a huge difference. Some of the same "hills" I have had to down shift and worry about over heating, like the stretch on 680 north of Council Bluffs was not a problem this year, with the same 95* ambient air temps and high humidity. I lost quite abit of speed but never had to down shift. My EGT's hit the high of 1160 which is just under the 1200 I was worrying about. All in all it is a great little improvement. It made driving that much easier this trip without all the down shifting. I should have done it sooner. My coolant temps came close to 210* this year but never went over. So the clutch fan was for sure the problem. With the bigger radiator and CAC a new turbo will be happening soon. Stay tuned...

[cadillackid]

this is awesome news!! thanks for the part numbers.. ive seen that radiator listed on a site and was thinking that might be the ticket..

although I think with my 'TRANS'formation i have solved my cooling issues.. my fan barely even kicks on now at close to 90 degree outside heat since I have double overdrive with lockup.. however im definitely saving that pic and part number for future reference in case I need a cooling boost..!! awesome stuff!! i think anyone with a hot 444E or DT-466 can use this!.
-Christopher

[Hvbuzz]

Radiator swap is in process.
20170715_084952 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

I may just turn it into an air cooled Diesel. Would be a ton of more room under the hood.
20170715_085349 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

Bigger radiator in.
20170715_174254 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

Only modifcations I had to make were to both radiator hoses. Being everything is a little wider, the radiator sits closer to the fan and block. But still plenty of clearance. So I had to cut off about 2 1/2 inches off both the lower and upper radiator hose on the straight parts and then they fit perfect.
20170715_174306 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

The intercooler piping from the turbo to radiator off of the DT530 motor fits perfect.

The only little snag I have hit is the cold air return to the intake. I didn't have a good silicone hose but ended up orderding from ebay. Should be here in a couple days. The bends are correct in the piping but the intake on mine I think is lower then the donor. I ordered a longer hose and think that will make up the difference I hope. I will know soon...
20170715_174322 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

Just for reference. The Dt466 intercooler piping is 3" ID. The Dt530 is 3.5" ID. Off of the turbo is the same size diameter.

[Hvbuzz]

Got my silicone hoses Thursday and finished it up this weekend. Took it for a 30 mile test drive today, in the 90's* and high humidity. Seeems to be good. I started a kitchen project in the house, so the bigger turbo will have to wait a little bit. But, I'm still hoping to get it installed by fall. I'm debating on trying to hit the Grand Canyon over the kids' spring break in 2018. I would really like to have that installed if that happens.

20170723_103424 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

[cadillackid]

looks great!! I was looking at some pics online.. the split radiator appears to have a 1" aluminum stand-off forward from the fan... at least it does on my 444E... and it appears that the full rad / CAC cooler dont.. so that makes sense you would have everything slightly closer to the fan.. my electric fan clutch gives a little more clearance than the viscous did i think...

great swap!!!!

its one I wouldve done had i not chamged transmissions.. my tranny swap to the 1000 has completely solved my cooling issues.. that coupled with the better fan / clutch and coolant..

-Christopher

[BurlKing]

that spot by the lift bridge in duluth looks so awesome. iconic minnesota!

[Hvbuzz]

Originally Posted by BurlKing

that spot by the lift bridge in duluth looks so awesome. iconic minnesota!

Thats my first time to Duluth. We will probably revisit in the next couple years. Diffently more to do then we had time for. While we were there the week before the fourth, it never made it over 70*. We were chilly. Now I wish we had those temps after the week we had last week with temps right at 100 and high humidity!

[ben2go]

Good build.

[o1marc]

What did you line the shower with? Love the carpeted walls.

[Hvbuzz]

Originally Posted by ben2go

Good build.

Thanks! We enjoy it. Hard to believe will it wiil be 8 years soon, since buying and starting the conversion.

[Hvbuzz]

Originally Posted by o1marc

What did you line the shower with? Love the carpeted walls.

Sorry for the delay. I didn't notice my own thread had been brought up.

I used a plastic panel from Menards. I'm not sure I would recommend it now tho. I still like the texture more then FRP. However, it does shrink and expand a lot with different temperatures. Functionally, it still works great though.

I still like the carpet too, Thanks! It's funny, I bought some sticky back Velcro rolls on amazon and now hang stuff randomly on the walls.

[Hvbuzz]

Since last summer, it was a busy fall and now winter. We have talked about moving and then things just happened. i finished the house kitchen remodel, then listed and sold the house in 6 days. We then had 3 weeks to move out right before Christmas. It all worked out, but my nerves were shot. We now are proud owners of an acreage just outside of our city limits. Which is perfect since I work in town. Of course its an old house and will be needing work. So that may put some bus work on hold for another year. We will have a couple trips this summer with it, but I may not get the turbo replaced. Maybe... I still really want to do that though... I want to thank everyone for the nice messages I have gotten. It felt like I got quite a bit of negatives when I started the build. The only thing I can say is, no one but your selves, will know what is best for your build. So build it the way you think will fit your needs. There will always be mistakes along the way, but that is just part of the learning curve.

So the new parking spot for now.
20171220_141505 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

Come spring I plan to have a new spot behind the house. A new septic system was put in. So I had a extra line put in just for the bus. The bus will be parked by the jeep in this picture after I trim some trees soon...
20171219_154011 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

[ben2go]

You're welcome.

Good idea to use velcro on the carpeted walls.

Congrats on the new property. I considered installing an RV septic dump in my septic system on my property. If I build my big garage, I will do it.


As far as people getting down on others over their builds, each individual has a certain expectation and comfort level. So each build will be different. Everyone has their own ideas. The only time I pipe up is when I see something that maybe unsafe. I'm always up for idea exchanges.

[Hvbuzz]

I apologize, someone pm'd me about my generator mounts. I read it briefly and was going to answer it later. Now I can't find the message.

I used fuel tank brackets off of a 1998 FL70 Freightliner. I only had two and then made a 3rd bracket myself. The fuel tank brackets did work out well and would recommend doing it again.

20150530_123910 by Hvbuzz, on Flickr

[Hvbuzz]

Hello all,
It has been a long time since I have updated. It hard to believe it has been ten years since I started with this journey. The little girl that helped me take out seats has since grown up and moved out. The family trips we took with it will always be apart of our memories. But in the last three years unfortunately the bus has only served purpose has a guest house. With my work roles that have changed, I have lately felt like it may be time to find a new home for it. I will post it up in the classifieds, but this posting really explains it all. The only thing that has really changed is the front clip has faded color. The bus body still has gloss, but has been seeing some paint chipping and showing some of the yellow once again. I really do hate to see it go but I feel like it may be time to let someone else enjoy the experience. I am not sure what it is worth and will probably never see what I have put into it. But I am going to ask $15,000 and see what interest there is in it. Thanks to everyone that has offered input to the build.
Nate

[bus-bro]

I think, from what I've seen of conversions coming through here lately, you're about $100,000 too low in your asking price. It's a crazy asking price, but call it a tiny home and advertise in the SF bay area!

Otherwise, a great bus at a reasonable price, especially if you consider all the work that's been put into it.

[JackE]

Originally Posted by bus-bro

I think, from what I've seen of conversions coming through here lately, you're about $100,000 too low in your asking price. It's a crazy asking price, but call it a tiny home and advertise in the SF bay area!

Otherwise, a great bus at a reasonable price, especially if you consider all the work that's been put into it.

This one has 2 A/C units, that makes it worth at least $150K!

This is a great thread, kudos to you for your adventure! I read it all today, and enjoyed seeing your memory building, and seeing your kids grow up! Some great ideas that I'm sure are riding around in dozens of other busses all over the country. And, $15K is a steal with this kind of recorded history to back it up!