My name is JZILLA and I got a bus!

[Tango]

Dang it Dan...that's the one I needed a couple of nights ago! Good thing the shrubbery out back was high.

[BootsBus2011]

Looks great! I got a 1989 Thomas about 6 months ago (20 seater). I got all the seats out, and installed some benches and a new captains chair. Mine doesn't have a manual though. Any idea how to turn the heater on? It worked when I bought it, but isn't working now

[BootsBus2011]

Thanks, I'll look for the switches! Love your benches! Beautiful!

[Bullwhacker007]

Putting HID bulbs into a "factory" stock housing is illegal and the reason is way too much flare; you will blind oncoming drivers.
Ever get blinded? You know it and HID lights can be picked out very easy by the cops..
I did convert mine to HID; but I had to get the "European" housing with the clear non bezel lens.
I then obtained morimoto 'mini" HID projector housings and installed them into the European headlight housings.
The projectors have a cutoff line on the beam and you can see that when they are shined on a wall.
The hi/lo beam is controlled by a shutter in the housing.
I now have "normal" HID headlights BUT they still are not legal.
I went through all this for a cost of around $500.00 BUT I am ruined by HID lights and won't go back to "normal" headlights; they look weak and yellow now.
I use the 5000K color; bright white.
I did try just the bulbs in Factory housing and after blasting a cop in his car and the look I got I parked it and switched over the headlights. Before doing the mods I mentioned.

[Stuff]

hay! how's that pimping ride??

[chev49]

do not just wire up your ac units to the alternator. the battery bank is there for a reason. they make higher amperage alternators -and you could install one of those, or you can go get another alternator with an internal regulator and build a bracket for it (with maybe a tensioner added). Then you would want to put something like a group 31 battery and hook one a/c up to that separate system.

or you could add a aftermarket ac unit which cost about 1k and not use all of the other ones...

one thing you didnt mention was wire size from alternator, wire end conditions on batteries and alternator wires, and how good are all connections to the ac units. this can make a difference also.

[bansil]

Originally Posted by jzilla

Okay.. I need some feedback PLEASE. Ever since I first got the bus with new batteries (3 batteries), I've been trying to keep them from going dead. Well being that my bus has two A/C's (Carrier Transicold Units) each unit takes 80 amps to run. With two, that is about 160 amps just for the A/C's. I have a 200 amp alternator right now and that still doesn't keep my batteries charged when just running one A/C. Each A/C's hot wire goes straight to each battery, the third battery goes to my starter. Even though they're all tied in together, if using the A/C they still drop in power. Riding in a bus with windows open in Texas just circulates the heat.

My Question: Can I run my A/C hot wires directly to my alternator? Rather than to each battery. Good or Bad? Your feedback is appreciated.


If this doesn't work another idea that crossed my mind, using my generator to power my A/C's, what would I need to convert the power from my generator to regular battery power? Is their anything that could do that?


Hope to get some feedback soon. Thanks

Don't wire straight to alternator!

Your alternator can put out 200 amps but at what RPM?

It will only put out what is needed to charge your batteries, so if you only have 10 amps being used from the batteries; the alt. will give the batteries back 10 amps and so on

so you need to determine at what RPM your alt. can put out 200 amps and make sure that if you use 200 amps you have a big enuf wire going back to your batteries or you will burn it up.

an example would be if your alt. puts out 200 amps at 4000 rpm (just numbers I don't know what yours is)

and you are turning say 2000 rpm, then you will get no where near the 200 amps you need.

That is why idling your engine will not really charge your batteries up(idling at 800rpm may only be putting out 5 amps if that all is needed )

So figure out the specs for your alt. and go from there

you will need to figure in the pulley sizes so you get an accurate rpm the alt. is turning

[roach711]

You want to size the alternator to the load. If you use a small alternator to power a large current draw it will go "full field" (that means it's running wide open) and alternators don't like that any more than engines do. It doesn't hurt to do it once in a while, but if it's run that way too long the windings will overheat and burn up.

The two-alternator setup gives you more power and also a backup alternator. Using the generator to power the AC's saves you from fooling around setting up two alternators.

[chev49]

on a truck engine, the belts are longer and thus the belt tension will decrease faster as the belts age (than like a car engine). and the alternator outputs are much larger, which requires proper belt tension...so ya gotta check the belt tension occasionally.
your alternator needs to turn at least as fast as your smaller pulley, and using a larger one slows it down and reduces your electrical output. ya need the stock pulley on there, and shorter belts are not hard to get, just make sure you get ones that will be pretty much running the alternator at the minimum adjustment so that as they wear, you can still use them. good idea to write the new belt numbers somewhere also.

[roach711]

Good find! Replacing a belt is way cheaper than swapping out alternators. I agree that the new, shorter belt is the best solution.

If you find that you do have a weak battery remember that it's best to replace battery bank batteries in pairs (get batteries with the same build date if possible). If you have one strong battery and one weak battery the weak one will continually try to pull the strong one down to it's charge level, shortening the strong one's life.

Everything costs double with diesels.

[GreyEagle]

Originally Posted by richlindquist

Note to self ......... this is NOT to be used as a cruise control.

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by jzilla

Thanks for the welcome! I just got back from getting the title transferred and registered, plates say private bus and was told once the conversion is done I can transfer the registration to a regular vehicle registration. I would just have to show pictures of my conversion and it didn't matter if I had water, sink, bed or not. I also stopped by the shop where KRUNK is getting painted right now and the shop owner shows me a Electric Generator that he wants to get rid of. I thought I'd show y'all and see if anyone knows if this would be a good buy.




Has anyone seen anything like this? The guy wants to sell it for $100 Would this power up a flat screen and sound system?

Appreciate the feedback.

I think Steve had one like that in his Wanderlodge when he bought it.

[chev49]

i would like to have one... not to actually use but just to have
the good inverters do the job today.. im not talking about the $150 ones.. the $3000 ones.

[Tango]

Also...These days there are some excellent high efficiency inverter gen sets from both Honda & Yamaha that don't require an external inverter. Great sine wave designs that you can run computers & such twitchy devices directly off of.

[ol trunt]

TANGO, You are suposed to be on hiatus for another 2 wks! What's this back sliding all about! If you are not carefull we will get busy and HYJACK your thread! Jack

[Tango]

Hey Trunt --- have a ball. Hijack & jest are encouraged. Today I'm in Tennessee teaching the last day of the Faux Bois intro sculpting class, then another three days dedicated to an advanced class. Do have internet on the road for a change but obviously not getting anything done on the shorty to share. Still nice to keep up with everyone else's progress though.

[chev49]

when ur done with tenn, go to alabama cause they are still using burnt sticks on the cave walls...

our property there has 3 caves..btw

[Tango]

THREE Caves??? --- I'm jealous! The more bunkers the better these days.

[lornaschinske]

Congrats on the job! And the trip! (no major breakdowns... minor ones are to be expected )

[GreyEagle]

Does this mean you'll have to go to work?

If so..... I don't think I want one of them there job things.......


Good looking bus, that probably why you got the job.