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Old 07-16-2022, 02:14 PM   #381
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Communist State of New Jersey
Posts: 964
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: CE200
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 27,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223 View Post
hope you can keep it.
the trick for drilling upside down is to use a bottle jack or floor jack to back up the drill and take it slow on both the drill and the jack and i mean low speed.
then all you have to do is hold the trigger and hang on to the drill if it is trying to twist out of your hands then you are putting to much pressure on it with the jack.
and maybe step drill it like 1/4" pilot and then 3/8" then 1/2" and the 5/8" or 9/16" your hitch came with.
my hitch install was a little special because right in that area the bus body people welded on 10" extension and the welds hit right where 2 of my bolt went so i had to grind the weld flat enough to drill and deal with getting through the weld penetration on the top side that i couldnt get a grinder to.
and had a bus body to chassis shackle with a 3/8" hold down hit right in the other bolt area so i torched out some 3/8" washers/spacers to match?
hope you can get through this but i also can understand getting rid of a project and just get out on the road and enjoy it.
This is a 15,000 lb. hitch so It uses 5/8" bolts so I needed an 11/16" drill. Amazing how much it cost and how quickly it dulled.

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Old 07-16-2022, 04:12 PM   #382
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Midwest
Posts: 267
I'm not interested in buying, but how much more do you have to do to get it where you'd want to live in it? Perhaps a nearby member will see and be willing to assist.
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Old 07-16-2022, 04:54 PM   #383
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Communist State of New Jersey
Posts: 964
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: CE200
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 27,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veloc View Post
I'm not interested in buying, but how much more do you have to do to get it where you'd want to live in it? Perhaps a nearby member will see and be willing to assist.
A lot. Too much to expect anyone to provide that much help. I thought I might be able to get enough done to be able to drive it out to AZ and maybe find somewhere I could work on it through the winter but that seemed a long shot too.
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Old 07-18-2022, 12:34 PM   #384
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Communist State of New Jersey
Posts: 964
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: CE200
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 27,500
I just got the replacement HPOP hoses in the mail. They're made with Eaton hose and I'm converting to threaded connections from the stock quick release hoses. A few days ago I received the base gasket/screen basket for the reservoir so, once I clean up the gasket surfaces, I'll be ready to reassemble.

My buddy and I attached the cable ends to the new battery cables on Saturday so those are ready to hang as well. If I'm feeling up to it I should have it running this week though the weather is forecast to be in the 90s all week - oh well.

Once I get it running I'll take it out for some drives to be sure I got everything screwed back together correctly. Assuming it runs well, I'll put it on Craigslist ASAP after that.
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Old 07-30-2022, 10:28 AM   #385
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Communist State of New Jersey
Posts: 964
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: CE200
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 27,500
Yesterday I finished the last odds and ends on the HPOP reseal. I poured the oil I had pumped out of the reservoir back in and checked how high the level was figuring it would be low due to the loss of oil draining back into the crankcase and also from the body of the pump and oil lines I changed. It was low but I figured I'd wait to see if the oil pump did the job for me during cranking, I figured it would but I wasn't sure. I also wanted to wait for my neighbor, the diesel mechanic, to get home from work so I didn't put the plug back in the top of the reservoir.

When Mike got home he stopped over and stood by the engine bay while I manned the key. It cranked for about 10 seconds then caught and almost immediately smoothed out which was about the time the geyser of oil started coming out the fill hole from the plug I didn't remember to put back in. Fortunately Mike was signaling me to cut the engine so it didn't spurt that long -- just long enough cover everything I had cleaned in the valley while doing the job. What a mahroon!!!

Anyway, other than the geyser there don't seem to be any leaks. I'll know better when I take it for a drive.

I've got to do the final hanging/anchoring of the new battery cables under the bus. It was amazing how few hangers they had holding them before. I also have to get the tailpipe back on and get a lot of tools out of the bus before I can drive it.

Now I need to get it on Craigslist and maybe Facebook to try to sell it. Really don't want to get rid of it but I probably won't be around long enough to finish it. I was standing beside it yesterday thinking about how much fun it would be to have it out in the desert. When I was teaching on the Navajo Res. we used to have fun running the back roads in our pickups.

If I'm physically able to make it out this winter it will have to be using my Expedition pulling some kind of toyhauler - which I don't own yet. Time will tell.
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Old 07-31-2022, 10:38 PM   #386
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 787
Year: 1993
Coachwork: 44' Newell Coach
Engine: 8v92T Detroit
Rated Cap: 2 adults and two pigeons
I don't come to this site often but do receive updates through my emails. I wanted to let you know I sent prayers for you and that I do read your updates. At the end of the day, you need to do what's best for you. My wife reminded me that it would cost me well over 100k just in build costs for my bus since I am OCD. The issue with us is that although we earn a decent salary, it would still have to be stretched over years before my bus would have been done. We were propositioned to sell it and after thinking about keeping it, I at first reluctantly sold it but we bought a nice 45' coach that was in excellent mechanical shape. The interior was dated, but I renovated it all myself at such a reasonable cost. It is at a shop getting a good look over underneath. So far so good. Bottom line, you might find it just better to find something to get into and be done with it whether it's a van, camper, travel trailer, completed conversion and the like. Your priority is to get out of NJ. I wish you all the best and will continue to look forward to your updates.
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Old 07-31-2022, 11:45 PM   #387
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Communist State of New Jersey
Posts: 964
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: CE200
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 27,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bus'n it View Post
I don't come to this site often but do receive updates through my emails. I wanted to let you know I sent prayers for you and that I do read your updates. At the end of the day, you need to do what's best for you. My wife reminded me that it would cost me well over 100k just in build costs for my bus since I am OCD. The issue with us is that although we earn a decent salary, it would still have to be stretched over years before my bus would have been done. We were propositioned to sell it and after thinking about keeping it, I at first reluctantly sold it but we bought a nice 45' coach that was in excellent mechanical shape. The interior was dated, but I renovated it all myself at such a reasonable cost. It is at a shop getting a good look over underneath. So far so good. Bottom line, you might find it just better to find something to get into and be done with it whether it's a van, camper, travel trailer, completed conversion and the like. Your priority is to get out of NJ. I wish you all the best and will continue to look forward to your updates.
Thanks for the prayers.

Congrats on the coach. Those make a nice traveling home.

If I'm still able to travel this winter I may buy a toy hauler, hitch it to my old Expedition, throw one of my Harleys into it and head out. Time will tell.
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Old 08-02-2022, 10:42 AM   #388
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Communist State of New Jersey
Posts: 964
Year: 2004
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: CE200
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 27,500
Over the weekend I cleaned all the tools out of the bus. Yesterday I picked up a new exhaust clamp which I'll install today. Re-hanging the tailpipe is the last thing I need to do to get it road ready. If I can generate the mental and emotional energy I'll take the bus out for a drive in the next day or 2, then list it for sale. An unsatisfying end to what would have been a cool adventure.
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Old 08-02-2022, 11:03 AM   #389
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Central Kentucky
Posts: 330
Coachwork: Busless for now
Dang. Really hate to hear this, but you know what you need to do.
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Old 08-02-2022, 12:02 PM   #390
Bus Crazy
 
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: SW USA
Posts: 2,064
Year: 2003
Coachwork: IC / Amtran
Chassis: CE300
Engine: International T444e
Rated Cap: 23
I'm really sorry to hear this. I hope your situation allows you to get out on the road in some form or fashion as suggested above.
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