6 Window Blue Bird Off the Grid Conversion

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by iBiskuit

Hey Brad! It ran very good the entire way. Not one hiccup thank goodness! My only issue was that it did not want to go into 1st gear right outta the gate. Seemed like I had to throw her into 1st gear the first couple times. Seems to be okay right now though. Other than that, she drove and felt great. I was worried the entire way, not to mention, it was the same day we got all those strong storms from that Tropical Storm Cindy or whatever her name was with a bunch of flash floods.

I was cruising at roughly 65 mph according to my gps. They said there was a governor on it so I figured it was set there. Speedometer didnt read properly so I will be fixing that eventually.

Tires are in great shape and the rear suspension is air ride.



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IIRC the first gear is only used when on a grade or when a tractor low is needed. IIRC they have to be stopped to go into or out of 1st. The spicer 5 speed I had was like that. But that was in an F750. Usually 1st is granny low.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Brad my red is another one just like this, and only thing is watch your temperature. Many of them are Factory limited to 62 by computer, at 62 if your fan clutch is weak you will run hot, don't over temp it.
235 is alarm bells ring and bad things can happen. 220 is as hot as I ever want to see a 444, it may derate on you as you go above 216 depending on the software rev.

Your 545 will max the rpm easily , I ran mine for close to 10k miles at 65-70 before my 545 started acting up,
Biscuit,
Not going into first is a valve body issue, change the fluid and filter on the transmission and check the shift linkage adjustment. My 545 was failing to go into first at the end .. there is a video of mine in this forum. Valve body issues can often be helped by fluid and internal as well as spin on filter change. If the shifting is wonky fix it as the 545 struggles with low line pressure anyway ..
Christopher

Valve body?? lol these are manual, bro!

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Brad my red is another one just like this, and only thing is watch your temperature. Many of them are Factory limited to 62 by computer, at 62 if your fan clutch is weak you will run hot, don't over temp it.
235 is alarm bells ring and bad things can happen. 220 is as hot as I ever want to see a 444, it may derate on you as you go above 216 depending on the software rev.

Your 545 will max the rpm easily , I ran mine for close to 10k miles at 65-70 before my 545 started acting up,
Biscuit,
Not going into first is a valve body issue, change the fluid and filter on the transmission and check the shift linkage adjustment. My 545 was failing to go into first at the end .. there is a video of mine in this forum. Valve body issues can often be helped by fluid and internal as well as spin on filter change. If the shifting is wonky fix it as the 545 struggles with low line pressure anyway ..
Christopher

I will *DEFINITELY* keep my eyes glued to the gauges during the trip home. Oil pressure under 30 or temps over 215 will have me concerned (and stopping as soon as possible).

As EastCoast pointed out, mine (the "new" one) and iBiskuit's bus are 5-speed manuals, not AT545's. The difficult shifting into first could be either due to sitting, or he is engaging the clutch brake.

For those not familiar with clutch brakes, basically it is a small friction pad in between the transmission and clutch. Since many of these transmissions are not synchronized, there's nothing to adjust the speed of the clutch disks to the speed of the gears. This is why many large vehicles are "double clutched" or rev-matched (usually not both) to shift. When the vehicle is stopped but the clutch disks are spinning, there needs to be a way to slow them to shift into gear and get moving. Enter the Clutch Brake. It is used by simply pushing the clutch all the way to the floor. All other clutch usage should be "partial" pedal travel, enough to disengage but not all the way to the floor (doing so will greatly reduce the life of the clutch brake).

I will update my profile with the "new" bus once I have it in my possession.

[cadillackid]

nice on the manuals!. I didnt realize ibiskits was too.. my bad.

if you double clutch right before you stop do they go into first? or even double clutch at a stop will they slide into first?

seems my jeeps to go into reverse i always needed to double clutch.

-Christopher

[jazty]

Originally Posted by iBiskuit

Hey Brad! It ran very good the entire way. Not one hiccup thank goodness! My only issue was that it did not want to go into 1st gear right outta the gate. Seemed like I had to throw her into 1st gear the first couple times. Seems to be okay right now though.

1st gear often doesn't want to engage on my Spicer 5-speed either. 1st and reverse gear aren't synchro'd, so they can sometimes be a problem.

Here's a shifting trick that hasn't failed me yet:

- Firstly, don't try to shift into 1st gear while moving. Dead stop only. It's too low to get that shift right.
- If you have come to a stop from speed (not freshly started the bus) then with the engine idling, shift to neutral and let the clutch out for a split second, then press it back in. This ensures that the transmission gears aren't ripping around at high speeds.
- Lightly rub against the 2nd gear synchro. This will slow the transmission gears.
- Now you can easily shift into 1st (or reverse. same thing)

The alternative is to wait for the gearset to slow down with the clutch pressed down. This can take a while, which isn't always possible in traffic.

Once you get a hang of it the shift only takes 1 second.

Of course, now you're putting additional wear on the 2nd gear synchro. With the slow speed of the gearset at idle I don't worry about it much.

As for shifting directly into 2nd, well, I don't care for it. There's too much clutch slip (wear) for my liking. Also, the Spicer 5-speed operator's manual expressly states with an exclamation mark, "CAUTION: Always start in first gear. Starting in any other gear may cause hard shifting and internal transmission damage. This is because a synchronizer needs gear rotation to do it's job."

Good luck!

[Steven UK]

Plan on having a minimum of 4 100w solar panels tied to a battery bank for my electricity. Ive seen a few slick ways of making rain gutters on vehicles for a rain collection system. Going to find the best idea that fits my bus and run it into a 100 gal water tank. I also bought a cubic mini wood stove for my heat.


Collecting water....

Has this been done? Excuse me if I missed something I didn't read every thread. I think it's a great idea. Also maybe there are some experts on here that can advise if it's possible to filter gray water in a pinch?

Also completely unrelated what was the movie where a kid starved to death in an abandoned Skoolie?

[Steven UK]

Rainwater - Purification and Filtration

Some good information here... It kind of suggests that filling tanks from rain water would entail having the main fresh water system as a light gray system showering, washing clothes e.t.c then filtering the drinking water.

Sounds totally doable to me...

[PNW_Steve]

Regarding rainwater harvesting.

I do not have city water or well. I depend on rainwater collection for my domestic water supply.

We only get around 40" of rain annually and I only have 700 gallons of storage so, with these limitations, I still have to haul water during stretches of dry weather.

Don't count on rain for providing all of your water. It will serve to supplement but, unless you park in the Olympic Rainforest, you will not collect enough to reliably supply all of your domestic water.

[Steven UK]

anyone go 'Bear Grylls' and do some DIRECT WATER RECYCLING!!!

https://gizmodo.com/why-you-definite...pee-1648474064

just saying... in a pinch...?

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by PNW_Steve

Regarding rainwater harvesting.

I do not have city water or well. I depend on rainwater collection for my domestic water supply.

We only get around 40" of rain annually and I only have 700 gallons of storage so, with these limitations, I still have to haul water during stretches of dry weather.

Don't count on rain for providing all of your water. It will serve to supplement but, unless you park in the Olympic Rainforest, you will not collect enough to reliably supply all of your domestic water.

so just curious you can't be too far off grid because you have a good internet connection. are you in town but not connected to water? in the hills? when my son goes to college three years the wife and i are going traveling. and were cheap... so we are exploring options.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

so just curious you can't be too far off grid because you have a good internet connection. are you in town but not connected to water? in the hills? when my son goes to college three years the wife and i are going traveling. and were cheap... so we are exploring options.

I have a cable Internet connection about 2 miles away. I run a 5.8 ghz link to a a hill top site and then a 2.4ghz link down to my trailer in the woods.

We did have power installed two years ago. Before that it was generator & batteries.

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

Plan on having a minimum of 4 100w solar panels tied to a battery bank for my electricity. Ive seen a few slick ways of making rain gutters on vehicles for a rain collection system. Going to find the best idea that fits my bus and run it into a 100 gal water tank. I also bought a cubic mini wood stove for my heat.


Collecting water....

Has this been done? Excuse me if I missed something I didn't read every thread. I think it's a great idea. Also maybe there are some experts on here that can advise if it's possible to filter gray water in a pinch?

Also completely unrelated what was the movie where a kid starved to death in an abandoned Skoolie?

The movie is called 'into the wild' highly recommended !

[WanderWoman]

Has anyone told you to NOT pull the hose on the heater unless the hose is clamped down? If you don't... you will have RADIATOR fluid all over your bus and no fluid in the radiator.
Just a little FYI... I may be speaking from experience ;)
Sandi
www.thismidwifetravels.com
Living full-time on my Skoolie

[Brad_SwiftFur]

So, after a long (but mostly uneventful) day, #206 is home. I noticed a few discrepancies between mine and 205 ... Mine has no emergency windows; they've been replaced with regular windows at some point. The extruded aluminum frames are different (and shinier), the replaced windows had different window latches ... Mine also topped out at 55; no idea why 205 would run 65? I was turning 2600 RPM at 55 MPH. I'll check the rear end gear ratio later.

Oil pressure remained around 30 the whole trip (after it warmed up) and the temp behaved itself. It never even approached 200, according to the gauge; stayed under ~190. The fan did cycle on and off frequently at highway speed, and it seemed to "spool up" gradually, not like the air-clutch fans I am accustomed to in big trucks.

The Good:
I have yet to calculate fuel economy, but I think I used somewhere around 30 gallons for about 300 miles, so I probably got somewhere around 10 MPG.
All the lights (except the 8-way flashers and stop sign) seem to work; the front right turn signal may need replaced. All gauges seem to work. Wheelchair lift works (and will probably remain in place. I have aging parents who may end up ... err ... "needing a lift"). Tires have fair tread and brakes I could not check through the backing plate (will do this later).
Air ride suspension and air-ride driver's seat.

The Bad:
Limited top speed. I believe electronically limited to 55 and turning 2600 RPM while doing it.
Small-ish 30 gallon fuel tank.
No A/C. I live in Georgia and plan to drive this bus. Need I say more?
Seat lacks arm rests. Not a big deal when running around town, but quite desirable on extended trips.
No cup holders.
No cigarette lighter. Fair enough to discourage smoking, but I will want to charge my phone, and operate a GPS and/or dash-cam. I could use USB ports for this.

The Ugly:
The driver (depending on who you ask).
The spray paint over the 8-way flashers and lettering. Oh well, I'll probably end up painting it anyway.

I'll post pics and start a new thread when I do. I'm tired and it's dark anyway. It's been over 17 hours since I left this morning.

[cadillackid]

is that a T-444E? if so, 2700 RPM is the factory programmed limit... the computer wont let you raise it.. and from what i understand even though ford runs them at 3400 RPM in the powerstroke they have a thicker headgasket to account for the extra rod stretch of the higher RPM.

you have a viscous fan clutch.. (one that works).. I had one on mine and replaced it with an electric (not air) clutch.. at 55 MPH my temperature would run nearly where yours did..maybe a bit warmer because of the AT545.. at 65 is where i had temperature issues.. though id check it... if you watched my video of my bus you can see how highly inaccurate the navistar gauges can be.. my temp gauge sometimes reads high sometimes low (oftentimes 10-15 degrees discrepency fro mthe computer to the gauge needle.. and the needle gauge uses the computer for its reading.

10 MPG is about right.. I was getting a lifetime average of mid to high 9s in mine with the 545 so tyours wit ha locked stick could easily be at 10. with overdrive it appears im getting 12-14.

oil P at 30 seems low.. before i replaced my oil pump I was running 35-40 (150k miles). after my oil pump replacement im now running 40-45 in summer weather... high RPMS on the 444E like to run the oil temp up a bit.. I do notice that the oil P sender is likely AFTER the filter.. as it seems for the first 2k or so after I change the oil and filter that my oil P is a few PSI higher.. so you might just want to give it a good old fashioned oil change. your gauge could be defunct too..


-Christopher

[Brewerbob]

Pics and/or link to wood stove?

[EastCoastCB]

My OP on the gauge is around 20-25 at idle when at operating temp. Who knows if the gauge is correct.

[cadillackid]

that seems about right at idle hot.. when mine was HOT like 210 or so it would run 18-22, after the melling pump it would be like 23 or so.. nearly the same even though the oil is cooler now.. I notice its like 24-25 at idle since the trans..

the oil pressure seems to max out at about 1500-1800 RPM now with the melling.. and is a few higher than before..

that melling is an easy swap. easiest if you have the radiator out but still doable without.
-Christopher

[brokedown]

Dang your bus is geared worse than mine! 😀

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[iBiskuit]

Sorry for the slight absence everyone! Spent this past week trying to hit a curve ball life kept throwing at me. Finally glad to have that situation off my chest so I can get back to converting my bus!

I am glad to see all this conversion going on within my thread. I will have to go back through and read each post so I can be sure to answer any questions along the way. I appreciate everyones input.

This morning I was able to get back to work on the bus. I was able to remove those stubborn bolts left where the wheelchair gets strapped to the floor (all . I noticed the section right next to the wheel has the worst rust (makes sense). I am going to replace the entire rectangle (you will see why in the picture) It holds my weight fine but it has some give to it and has a huge hole where someone could pass me a beer if I was working under the bus. Plus I would rather replace that now than a couple years from now after I finish converting it. ::woof::



I was also able to get the drivers seat frame out. Those four bolts held their own but I finally got the upper hand. So only thing left for me to remove is the rear and side heaters. I plan on looping them exactly like the video that was posted on here a few days back. I forget who actually posted it but i love the idea! Seems relatively easy to do but I have avoided the entire situation because of the mess they can cause. I also tend to find a way to mess things up in the process aaannnnddd I always grab the short straw (which never go good together). But as the cliche goes....the adventure never begins until something goes wrong. Boy is my life full of adventure! Haha

Outside of the heaters and welding up a few patches on the floor (and a new first step), this interior is ready for prep and paint. Its been a long few weeks but things are beginning to take shape!


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