Come Monday

[dwood443]

Thought I’d finally post a build thread. I’ve posted other issues like floor questions and stuff. I’ll keep everything in here from now on.

Started on the inside floor and started removing the rear heaters. I’ll probably put them back later. Since the floor is such dirty work I’m limiting that to weekends. Today I removed the upper lights.

I’ve often noticed the rear air shocks lower about 4 inches while it’s sitting a day or two. Is this normal? Is is currently parked on a slight hill.

[EastCoastCB]

ah a shortie type D. Those aren't terribly common. Nice find.

[musigenesis]

Damn, that bus is fantastic! I had no idea this is the bus from your rusty floor thread. That is well worth doing a little rust remediation on.

Some pics that show the entire bus, please?

[bus-bro]

Probably a slow leak back there.

Yeah, I like your bus too. But for bus porn we need both the front and the back ends in da' picture.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by dwood443

..........I’ve often noticed the rear air shocks lower about 4 inches while it’s sitting a day or two. Is this normal? Is is currently parked on a slight hill.

Air-ride rear suspension? Air system under 60 PSI? Typical and common leak down for a couple days .... mine does this after a couple hours.

[dwood443]

I'll post some pics tomorrow. I also had to replace the fuel tank and batteries which cost $$$ for new. I stumbled across this bus from a freind bus driver/trainer. My wife also is a retired driver but returned to driving school buses.

I gutted the interior and stuff. This will be a long process but my work is "furloughing" me for three weeks here soon because of coved-19 and I expect /hope get much more done. The hard part is coming up with the cash for material

[bus-bro]

Yeah, that's always a problem. When you got time you got no money, when you got money you got no time.

[dwood443]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

Air-ride rear suspension? Air system under 60 PSI? Typical and common leak down for a couple days .... mine does this after a couple hours.

So if you park for an extended time do you use jack stands or something to keep the bus level? Or do you park in such a way knowing the rear will drop a bit to level things out. Maybe i'm just obsessing to have a level living space too much?

[EastCoastCB]

Mine stays inflated for months on end.

[JackE]

Is it just me, or does that wheel base look like it's only about 9 feet? I can't imagine that being a nice ride even on air bags!

A well fitted air system shouldn't have much if any leak down. How often do you have to air up your car tires? Any significant leak down means air leaks which can be fixed. If your system leaks down in a few hours, you are putting an extremely excessive load on your air pump system to keep things up where they are suppose to be. More wear and tear=more repairs. I'm all about preventative maintenance, especially when the system you are allowing to be taxed is the same one you rely upon to stop!

[EastCoastCB]

It probably rides a lot better than other shorties with 19.5's and skinny tires, often with leaf springs.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by JackE

Is it just me, or does that wheel base look like it's only about 9 feet? I can't imagine that being a nice ride even on air bags!

Fun, though.

[Native]

I like it. I have seen one or two on the road in service. Cute.


Yes, you have an air leak which causes your pressure to drop below the pressure needed to keep the air shocks inflated. The actual pressure varies with the bus, but anywhere from 60 PSI to 80 PSI is needed.


Like yours, ours will drop down to the stops after a day or so. Just have not taken the time to chase down that rabit hole yet. I do agree with JackE that it is a leak and leaks cause the system to work harder than needed.

[dwood443]

Originally Posted by Native

I like it. I have seen one or two on the road in service. Cute.


Yes, you have an air leak which causes your pressure to drop below the pressure needed to keep the air shocks inflated. The actual pressure varies with the bus, but anywhere from 60 PSI to 80 PSI is needed.


Like yours, ours will drop down to the stops after a day or so. Just have not taken the time to chase down that rabit hole yet. I do agree with JackE that it is a leak and leaks cause the system to work harder than needed.

Thanks when I get under there I’ll try to investigate that a little bit. We got a bit of snow here today so it’s kind of hampering my day off work on the bus progress. still trying to get the floor finished with paint and stuff

[dwood443]

Originally Posted by JackE

Is it just me, or does that wheel base look like it's only about 9 feet? I can't imagine that being a nice ride even on air bags!

A well fitted air system shouldn't have much if any leak down. How often do you have to air up your car tires? Any significant leak down means air leaks which can be fixed. If your system leaks down in a few hours, you are putting an extremely excessive load on your air pump system to keep things up where they are suppose to be. More wear and tear=more repairs. I'm all about preventative maintenance, especially when the system you are allowing to be taxed is the same one you rely upon to stop!

It’s weird. If it’s parked level the rear shocks it will stay level for a week or more. If I park it on the driveway hill it seems to lower faster. I measured today and it’s 12 ft axle to axle. No pics today but I managed to remove the driver seat heater and will hopefully grind the rest of floor tomorrow

[WIbluebird]

We get brand new 2020 Bluebirds that lose air overnight. Not all the way but typically down to like 60 psi or so which requires the compressor to run for a bit at startup.

Not an issue that our mechanics usually spend time fixing unless its a big leak that affects air pressure while driving.

[dwood443]

I have been making progress but have not found the time to post. I managed to get the floor prepped and painted. I still have some patching to do but going to rivet in BB patches so I wanted to complete floor paint first.

I then took on removing old caulk and recaulked. Just have the passenger side complete so far.

As I walk around the bus I come to the rear wall where most rust is. I’m learning to use a cheap mig welder and manage to remove and replace frame around rear exit.

One funny thing is I removed all rear lights. And in the process heard a beeping. Seems the bus is letting me know I removed the rear lights. Still runs and drives so i temp fixed it by disconnecting the buzzer [emoji1]

Some pictures of all the work so far

[musigenesis]

Nice work, looking good. That wheelbase is crazy!

[EastCoastCB]

Looking great!

[Native]

The first pictures with the metal grey paint made me think you had pristine metal surfaces!!