The Willow Bus

[Steve]

I just found this site today, this is one of the cleanest and simplistic looking conversions I have seen.

http://www.geocities.com/capttrips25/


EDIT: Looks like not too many people can view it each day, I'll copy the pictures to the gallery next time it is up.

[Steve]

I put the pictures into the gallery:

http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/Willow

[capttrips25]

I thought it was kinda cool to actually see somebody say something about the Willow bus. We just replaced the motor with a brand-new one as well as brand-new radiator, fuel pump, water pumpmp, heads, oil pump, battery, and... Uh... to put it on a short list... everything under the hood is rebuilt or new.

We will be touring starting in June and if any of you will be at the Bonnaroo Music Festival this year just stop in and say hello.

[Steve]

I just saw the pictures of your homemade stove, pretty cool!

Just so everyone knows the album you made for your bus can be found at:

http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/The-Willow-Bus

[Steve]

capttrips,

Where did you get the new 345 longblock from and where do you get most of your parts the IHC 345? Also, did you repaint the engine to blue after it arrived?

[capttrips25]

You can get just about any motor you want from auto zone or advanced auto. They will also match or even try to better the price of each other. I started out with a price of 2000 bucks for the 345 and afther it was all done I got it down to 1500 bucks, the trick is to talk to the manager and not a regular salesman.

The hardest thing to find was a new distributor. Everything under the hood is new or factory rebuilt on willow.

Right now Im starting another bus and looking for parts for a 1949 International KB7. I am working with Zane Kesey (Ken Kesey's son) to do a replica of "Futher" for the east coast.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by capttrips25

We will be touring starting in June and if any of you will be at the Bonnaroo Music Festival this year just stop in and say hello.

Is that the same Bonnaroo Festival they have at Winchester, TN? I have never been (live near it). Too pricey for me and the stories we hear! We prefer Riverbend. Cheaper and better policed (the girls & I went by ourselves to all but 1 of the concerts this year and stayed in Chester Frost Park). I have a hard time rationalizing the $125 per ticket for 3 day Bonnaroo compared to $24 per ticket (early price) for 10 day Riverbend.

[Steve]

Did you replace the radiator, and where did you get it. I had an "accident" last night installing a fan. I was able to fix the leak but its always nice to have a sense of security.

[capttrips25]

Yes, it was bought new for about $200. A local radiator shop actually had it in stock.

[Firearm]

You can usually have the old radiator recored for about the same price or a little cheaper, but I like having the original radiator back in my vehicles.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by Firearm

You can usually have the old radiator recored for about the same price or a little cheaper, but I like having the original radiator back in my vehicles.

How exactly does that work? If I have a hole in the fins will that fix it?

[Firearm]

They put a whole new center core (fins and all) between the end caps and you get the same unit back. I prefer this method since the one that comes out is the one that goes back in. You can even have it modified by having a tranny cooler end-cap taken out or put in, etc...

I have a 3 or 4 core radiator modified for my stock cars by having the end tanks (tranny cooler tank) opened and the connectors removed so I have more coolant capacity. I put on a separate tranny cooler, which is better since the tranny fluid in the radiator heats up the engine coolant as well.

[lapeer20m]

Recoring your radiator is a great idea. I hate to spend money if i can find another good alternative. Have you tried measuring your radiator and looking around at the junk yard for one that is nearly the same size? I love the junk yard !

[Firearm]

Some things are excellent to get in the junkyard and it's fun to hunt there. A radiator Is one of the few things I don't trust as a used item, along with water pumps.

[capttrips25]

I was going to have the old radiator cleaned and flushed. I took it to the local radiator shop and as soon as pressure was applied we saw a pin-hole leak, the guy there then pushed his fingernail into the core and a new leak happened. You could almost cause leaks just by pushing on it with your finger. Radiators get old, it's just a fact and most of use have busses that or 20 years old or more. The best thing you can do to make your bus last is keep the motor cool. You can't keep the motor cool and running very long with an old clogged radiator. The material the core is made of just gets old and weak. HEAT KILLS MOTORS! Take extra care to make sure your radiator and water pump are in top working order before you go on any trip. That is why I replaced my radiator and water pump with new "in the box" parts.

[capttrips25]

http://www.geocities.com/an_intrepid_tripster/

[Steve]

You had to rebuild the clutch because nobody makes parts for them anymore, I don't like the sound of that. I hope mine never goes.

[capttrips25]

It only cost 91 bucks to rebuild the clutch, I had it modified to heavy duty pads.