Ft worth, governor question!

[KGT4791]

Hey everyone! We are brand new here. From Fort Worth, TX. We just bought our first school bus, in the midst of converting it right now. We just raised the roof 20in. Getting ready to put all the sheet metal on the sides, get it all sealed up and insulated right now...
Anywho, does anyone know how to go about removing the governor on a 1988 GMC diesel? Right now we are topping out at 55... that's not nearly fast enough for Texas 70mph highways.... PLEASE HELP! Thanks in advance! Much love.


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[Dapplecreek]

...We just bought our first school bus...

I like the attitude...

 

[cowlitzcoach]

The governor on a bus or medium duty truck isn't there to be a nuisance and bother to keep you from going fast. It is there to keep you from over revving the engine and ending up with a big boat anchor.

If you want to go faster the only way to do that is to change the rear end ratio. There are three ways to do that.

First, change the rear tires for taller tires. This will usually only net about 5 MPH.

Second, change the rear end ratio from whatever it is (probably greater than 5:1) for something more like 4.35:1.

Third, swap the transmission for an OD transmission.

Obviously none of those changes are going to be inexpensive.

Before you get too far into your conversion you may want to take a step back and consider trading in your current bus for one that has more highway friendly rear gearing.

Good luck.

 

[Tango-SKO]

As I understand it, there are some governors that do limit speed and others (most) that limit RPM's. As Cowlitz notes above, you definitely do NOT want to be over revving the engine. Find out the power profile for your engine (HP & Torque at what RPM's)...then see where you are as it sits. But to consistently run at Texas highway speed, you will almost certainly have to make some gearing mods to the drivetrain. Best of luck with it and let us know what you discover.