You mean because the bus isnt level? Im not following you.
WARGEAR
Senior Member
Looks like you’ve got a lot on your plate! I’ll be interested to see how it turns out
Its easy to get overwhelmed, but my immediate plan is to get it gutted. Then fixing "stuff"..thats all i got right now.. i spend more time changing bits and trying to figure out how things were put together..he didnt build anything the same way and its all screwed together at different times.
I stand corrected.. 89 is the last year the S series was made. It seems the 9L(551) was only put in later half of 89. And from what ive read the 551 wasnt made after 87..seems odd to me but thats what i found.
cowlitzcoach
Senior Member
The bus body looks to be in really good shape.
The S-series is one of the best driving bus chassis ever put on the road. While I like the classic look of the Loadstar more the S-series drives so much better and turns so much tighter that there is no comparison between the two.
I just hope you didn't spend too much for your bus. The 9.0L is a genuine boat anchor of an engine. The design was to build an engine to a specific price point that would be an affordable alternative to a gas engine. In the literature put out by IHC in the mid-'70's to the mid-'80's the diesel option was touted as being able to pay back the original price premium in less than 60,000 miles. Unfortunately for those who purchased IHC products with the 9.0L very few of them ever were able to get that premium paid back due to major engine failures. It didn't help that it was pretty low on power and torque compared to the gas engines it was supposed to replace. The advent of the 6.9L/7.3L made the 9.0L obsolete. And once it was obsolete IHC practically disowned ever having anything to do with it.
I will grant you that there are people who have successfully run the 9.0L a LOT of carefree miles. But I can assure you they are the exception and not the rule.
I am not trying to rain on your parade but just making you aware of the fact parts and pieces to fix the 9.0L will most likely be hard to find and $$$$ as a result. They are particularly well known as oil leakers, worse than a 2-cycle Detroit. Most of the leaks originated in the oil cooler on the side of the engine which was also where a lot of the failures occurred.
It might be in your own best interest to find a rust bucket bus to upgrade to a better power package and rear gearing. I doubt that if you put faster rear gears that your bus would be able to go any faster and it would require down shifting on hills much sooner and into lower gears.
The S-series is one of the best driving bus chassis ever put on the road. While I like the classic look of the Loadstar more the S-series drives so much better and turns so much tighter that there is no comparison between the two.
I just hope you didn't spend too much for your bus. The 9.0L is a genuine boat anchor of an engine. The design was to build an engine to a specific price point that would be an affordable alternative to a gas engine. In the literature put out by IHC in the mid-'70's to the mid-'80's the diesel option was touted as being able to pay back the original price premium in less than 60,000 miles. Unfortunately for those who purchased IHC products with the 9.0L very few of them ever were able to get that premium paid back due to major engine failures. It didn't help that it was pretty low on power and torque compared to the gas engines it was supposed to replace. The advent of the 6.9L/7.3L made the 9.0L obsolete. And once it was obsolete IHC practically disowned ever having anything to do with it.
I will grant you that there are people who have successfully run the 9.0L a LOT of carefree miles. But I can assure you they are the exception and not the rule.
I am not trying to rain on your parade but just making you aware of the fact parts and pieces to fix the 9.0L will most likely be hard to find and $$$$ as a result. They are particularly well known as oil leakers, worse than a 2-cycle Detroit. Most of the leaks originated in the oil cooler on the side of the engine which was also where a lot of the failures occurred.
It might be in your own best interest to find a rust bucket bus to upgrade to a better power package and rear gearing. I doubt that if you put faster rear gears that your bus would be able to go any faster and it would require down shifting on hills much sooner and into lower gears.
Im aware of the boat anchor status of the 9.0L. I wasnt looking for a speed demon..lol cuz it sure isnt it. Its got about 145000 on it and the infamous oil drip is sporadic. I paid $3500 for it. The body is in fairly good shape. But i havent gotten to the bare bones of it yet..the reason i bought this one was it had aot of what i was looking for in that price range.
The only thing that matters if it will make it up a mountain road..i dont care if im rollin in 1st gear... i did research on this motor and found a site that had some old bus mechanics...they were mostly saying how bad that motor was in its early years..headgasket issues and such. So ive done my research and although its not the favourite motor of most. I bought it, and im going to make the most of it. Boat anchor and all...lol
RiskGoals
New Member
I have an S1700 and love it! It has the 7.3 and I paid 4k.
Right on, thanks! Despite the sporatic oil drip l, it actually runs great, i can run about 62 mph pulling around 2700rpms..
Well, perhaps my windows are different than yours but no, not that the bus isn't level. I am interested in trying to cover the lower half of my windows, at least for the kitchen area, so that whatever counter is there will not allow crumbs or whatever to fall between the window and the windowsill, or counter, or whatever. I would like to see a closer picture of the windows in your bus taken from above the level of the wood that covers the lower half of the windows. I want to see how it's done.
If I put wood straight across the middle of my windows it will have a gap between the wood and the aluminum center. That just seems like an invitation for trouble with liquids or food crumbs getting back there and causing all kinds of problems.
Brad_SwiftFur
Senior Member
From what I've read, the 9.0 was discontinued at the end of '87 because in '88 emission laws went into effect that the 9.0 could not meet. By the same coin, the 6.9 couldn't meet them either; it was re-engineered into the 7.3 specifically so that it could meet the emissions in '88.
cadillackid
Senior Member
there are still quite a few 9L equipped busses out there.. many of them in the jumnkyards due to rust in ohio / indiana / michigan.. with good 9L engines in them for parts or whole.. the 9L likes to rev.. so gear it such to let it rev a bit if needbe..
while the 9L doesnt get mnuch "love" in the skoolie community it seems to in the 'Bus-Geek' community.. since I am more the latter than the former.. i know of plenty who have their classic 9L's driving them all over the place.. the beauty of the S-series chassis though is you CAN swap engines and transmissions in them fairly straightforward.. a friend of mine swapped out a 7.3 IDI that was no good for a DT-360 in his S-series bus.. so if something should happen to the 9L you could swap in a 7.3 (yes they even still make the IDI as a reman engine).. or find a DT-360 and drop in.. school busses with operable drivetrains are pretty common in the midwest junkyards..
-Christopher
while the 9L doesnt get mnuch "love" in the skoolie community it seems to in the 'Bus-Geek' community.. since I am more the latter than the former.. i know of plenty who have their classic 9L's driving them all over the place.. the beauty of the S-series chassis though is you CAN swap engines and transmissions in them fairly straightforward.. a friend of mine swapped out a 7.3 IDI that was no good for a DT-360 in his S-series bus.. so if something should happen to the 9L you could swap in a 7.3 (yes they even still make the IDI as a reman engine).. or find a DT-360 and drop in.. school busses with operable drivetrains are pretty common in the midwest junkyards..
-Christopher
Good to know thanks for the info..
He just ran the wall higher. Up to the bottom of the top window. Framed it and slapped 1/4" plywood in spots. 1/2" in others and luaan in others..lol
Maybe throw some reflectix and foam board insulation and seal it with something? Aluminum tape? But thats just insulation.
Fell a little behind posting these. Look at the way the wiring was ran..he built it then decided he needed power..first pic is the lumber im going to reuse. Ive got enough 1/2 plywood i could lay the floor with it..plus im saving every screw and self tappers i can..those stairs suck..cutting them out and rebuilding so they are easier to use.. plus storage under them. I think tire covers are an excellent idea. Ive got all 4 covered. She is gonna be sitting all winter so want some protection. Anyways..slowly but surely its getting there..
..
..
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