I have a 1973 Gillig previously
owned by RyanM.
It is a 426D-13 with a 6VA71471 DD engine.
Unfortunately, I haven't had a ton of personal hands-on-time with the bus yet since there hasn't been a practical way to have it parked closer to where I need to be for work. I'm stuck doing as much planning/research as I can remotely at the moment.
In my recent (aborted) efforts to have the bus moved a little closer to me, the person who attempted to drive it found the clutch very challenging to use. They reported that the pedal went to the floor without making it possible to shift if the engine was running.
Within a week or so I'm hoping to get a second opinion from the person who helped me move it to its present location - which should give me an idea of whether the clutch is behaving worse than before.
I'm posting here in the hope that some of you bus gurus can give me more data to work with when planning possible contingencies.
Questions;
- What linkage type(s) might have been used for the clutch in these models of Gillig?
- What are my chances of obtaining a factory service manual for the 426D? (I already have the *V-71 operators manual for the engine - available here.)
- Does anyone have suggestions for how to go about getting one?