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Old 04-22-2019, 04:28 PM   #1
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windows9bus

Hi All,


I drove her back from the Land of Dixie to a temporary home on San Francisco's Treasure Island. It's a great spot but I can not afford the $300+/mo space rental so Easter weekend I drove her up to the ranch in north Mendocino County.



The good news is there is a full wood shop and barn there. The bad news is that I will have a 4 hour drive to work on the bus, making the conversion a much longer process...


ah, good with the bad...


======



Some pictures from the trip cross country trip. Wheel alignment at the New Mexico Arizona border and her parked on the Streets of San Francisco!
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Old 04-22-2019, 04:32 PM   #2
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and Treasure Island and then Mendocino
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Old 04-23-2019, 04:30 PM   #3
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Here is the running gear master maintenance list:


1) Front wheel bearing adjust or replacement (a bit shaky) [$280 parts and seals]

2) Fan clutch replacement [$400]

3) Rear end gear ratio swap out [$500-900]

4) Brake inspection [$0]



The rest of the list is typical conversion removal stuff (seats, floor, door, heaters & AC) but I want to make sure she if fully mobile if needed. I just wish I could keep her closer.
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Old 04-24-2019, 07:15 AM   #4
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At four hundred for the fan clutch spend a bit more and get a electric or air engagement clutch
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Old 07-25-2019, 05:05 PM   #5
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FE300 Fan Clutch replacemeent

Replace fan clutch? about five hours...


Radiator frame is just four bolts (two motor mount like pads and two rubber isolation rods at the bottom).



Most problematic was disconnecting and reconnecting the intercooler tubes. Trans cooler hoses are long enough to allow the frame to sit to the left side.



Also the clutch required a good wack of the 2in wrench to break free from the motor.


It now kicks in like a hurricane at 210deg (very very loud)...
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Old 07-25-2019, 07:24 PM   #6
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Looks like a Kit-Masters clutch... love those guys.. thats the only clutches i use now
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Old 07-25-2019, 07:31 PM   #7
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OEM from the local international dealer (Borg Warner)... Price was only a bit less from Kit-Master when I called them. It was in-stock and I needed it quickly.
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Old 07-26-2019, 08:08 AM   #8
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kit-masters buys their material from Borg-Warner.. the green line seems to be the giveway..



you can adjust the temperature of that clutch by loosening those 2 screws and moving that bracket back and forth... each hash mark is 10 degrees f.. to the left it starts up cooler, to the right it starts up warmer..
-Christopher
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Old 07-26-2019, 11:05 AM   #9
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Hi Chris,

I did set it about 15deg cooler than shipped. (1.5 tics left). I now wish I had done one more.

It’s a three man job to get to the adjustment (same as replacing) so I am going to leave it until I need to fix something else up front.

Also reports from Chris (8 window) in Santa Rosa is that his 6.17 ratio bus is running much cooler with the new rear end. I guess 210 deg on the occasional hill climb will do for me now (after my gear swap).
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Old 08-02-2019, 09:12 AM   #10
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Sweet bus. What's it gonna be? A weekender? A home?
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Old 08-06-2019, 10:55 AM   #11
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I have three types of reflective tape on the bus...


1) "Hex pattern" (3m) this is by far the easiest to remove and also held up better than the rest. Just pull slowly when it's warm and you should be fine.


2) "Diamond Pattern" This stuff is horrible, it falls apart and needs to be just scraped off with a single sided razor. It also leaves 90% of the glue on the bus (with 3M 90% goes with the tape)



3) "Roswell Tape" This stuff falls apart too if you just pull on it. But I discovered that if pull lightly and run a sharp razor up and down to break the adhesive bond as you pull, it will peel off (leaving half of the glue). The Roswell name is from the SciFi pattern in the tape (very odd stuff)



Next is finding the best way to remove the glue... (goo gone and orange oil all useless)
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Old 08-06-2019, 12:18 PM   #12
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I've got lots of the second variety. I've found that with a heat gun, you should be able to get under the tape with a putty knife, then run the heat gun slowly along the tape, followed closely by the putty knife while the tape/glue is still hot. It still leaves glue residue, unfortunately, but some "Goof Off" and elbow grease will clean it up, at least.

Chris
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Old 02-18-2020, 10:48 PM   #13
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Rear End Ratio Change

Hi All,

Its been a while.... The news is that the 6.17 has been swapped for a 4.63 and it's Awesome!

Bus is about 17K lbs

1) High speed in 5th (1500RPM = 55MPH) (1750RPM = 65MPH)

2) Steep hills (15MPH @ 2000) [I was worried about this]

3) Downhill holding (15-17MPH on 10% grade) (better than 10MPH before, shifting to 2nd and back to 1st)

4) No hunting on mild grades

5) Downshifts on up grade when I would on a manual.

Possible improvements,

1) Find a six speed Alison 2500! for lower RPM above 65MPH


2) DT466E exhaust brake...


That is all, drove her about a 1000 miles with this configuration and could not be happier with my ratio selection.
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Old 02-19-2020, 04:41 AM   #14
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Congrats!!!
1500 at 55 is what I get too- isn't it great?!

Sounds like you got a good ratio.
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Old 02-26-2020, 11:40 AM   #15
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Fan Clutch Pictures

https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/h...tml#post374487
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Old 02-26-2020, 12:05 PM   #16
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Wheel Wobble

https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/w...ces-30450.html
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Old 10-13-2020, 05:58 AM   #17
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Hi All,

It's been awhile...


Update:

6/20 - Added a 16K lbs weld on trailer hitch

7/20 - ROAD TRIP, Pulled my 25ft Boston Whaler (6220lbs Boat+Trailer) from Mendocino CA to Youngstown NY via I80/I90 for some Covid-19 boating on the Lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario.

The bus did well except east of Salt Lake City (uber steep) where I had to stop a couple of times for cool down periods. That section of I-80 is crazy, I am not sure how they get away with calling it a freeway. The new 4.63 rear end made the freeways a breeze, 55mph @ 1500 rpm was perfect for the Bus/Boat combo.

Some fun adventures, tornado warnings in Nebraska with rain so hard everyone had to stop and pull off (thank you rain-x).

10/20 - After some boating we started back in on the bus and evacuated all of the gas from the HVAC. Next step is to pull down the evaporators and one of the two condensers.

I'll post some pictures soon...
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Old 10-13-2020, 06:47 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteinSF View Post
The bus did well except east of Salt Lake City (uber steep) where I had to stop a couple of times for cool down periods. That section of I-80 is crazy, I am not sure how they get away with calling it a freeway.
Sounds like Parley's Summit Pass. Imagine going over it in the dark with a semi pulling 41,000 lbs with the air so cold the fog is freezing in mid-air and falling to the ground. AND you can't see the resulting ice embedded in the road from the fog freezing and getting pounded into the pavement.

I've seen it do it -- quite common in that area in the winter. Three months out of CDL school, too. My truck changed lanes by itself in 100 feet at 40 miles per hour when I turned on the engine brake. Fortunately, I kept my cool, turned off the engine brake and stab braked a couple times so I could gear down enough to keep the truck under control. See my Pre-Trip Inspection thread for tips on mountain and winter driving.
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Old 10-13-2020, 07:12 AM   #19
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I did that section of I-80 in my 1978 Superior with a 392 and an AT540.. yep I stopped a few times when id start smelling warm transmission coming through the air vents
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Old 12-30-2020, 08:18 PM   #20
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I'm so glad to come across this thread. I've just picked up an 2007 IC FE300, and am already learning a ton from you posts. I've also got plans to add a to hitch for the bus to pull the 22' Catalina sailboat. First comes engine and dash maintenance.

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