White Prison Bus Build Thread

[Diverdude0075]

Thanks Booyah. My shop is currently unheated and it's in the teens and dropping. I'll be waiting for better temps but I like the IR gun idea (I have one). I cleaned the area really well already so I will also look for any retaining pips etc. I think I would have seen one but it never hurts to double check.

My compressor is under powered for what I need but 99% of the time it meets my needs, and I just bought it a few months ago.

 

[Diverdude0075]

Success! 342 degrees according to the IR gun and the one inch hobo freight impact with upgrading to 1/2 inch hose did the trick!! The darned pinion nut is officially removed. I’m searching for a new nut and strap kit for the u joint now.

 

[Kentucky Dreaming]

Success! 342 degrees according to the IR gun and the one inch hobo freight impact with upgrading to 1/2 inch hose did the trick!! The darned pinion nut is officially removed.

 

[Malevolence4845]

Heck yeahhh

Success! 342 degrees according to the IR gun and the one inch hobo freight impact with upgrading to 1/2 inch hose did the trick!! The darned pinion nut is officially removed. I’m searching for a new nut and strap kit for the u joint now.

The next step would have been "Can't be stuck if it's liquid" good ole oxy torch. Glad it finally stopped being a stubborn mule for you!

 

[Diverdude0075]

Making liquid would be risky. I’d probably melt something I wasn’t supposed to.

Whelp, got the pinion u joint thing off and the seal. The new seal is thicker and incorporated the metal flange. See the pic. It’s different. I thought maybe an upgrade and diameters are good but the new one, when I go to drive it in, the inner metal is hitting the pinion bearings.

I am thinking it’s the wrong one now. Must research… the one on the right is the new one.

EDIT: I found my original order and checked that against the cross references and the number on my old seal. It's the right one, upgraded to a one piece seal now. Then I found a video where a guy beat his on with a dead blow hammer. I did that and it worked great. Tomorrow I will fill it with fluid and am waiting on the new nut and strap kit.

Once this is all buttoned up I'm gonna take her for a drive and then get the entrance door installed !!

 

[Diverdude0075]

3.75 gallons was the answer!

I finally got the rear differential filled back up with fluid. It took soooo long to refill. I used 85-140 from tractor supply and she took 3.75 gallons! We're talking hours of filling, using different ideas and manual pumps, funnels, and the quart bag that Amsoil rear diff fluid comes in. I keep two of those on hand just for purposes like this. The fluid I purchased came in 2 gallon containers and I found I could pour about 2/3 of a container into the funnel and would then not be able to tilt the container any higher due to hitting the frame or other components.

I uploaded a pic of the new u-joint. I wasn't going to replace it but the old cap had some grooves I could really sink my thumbnail into, which I noticed when it fell off during removal of the driveshaft. FYI, the best way to ensure you order the correct part is to measure and compare to specs on new one. I have micrometer for this purpose. Nothing sucks more to wait for a part and it be the wrong one. For u-joints you need overall width and cap diameter.

Now I will be focusing on getting a door installed for entry.

 

[Diverdude0075]

Drove It

So I didn't get much more accomplished lately on this bus. I did prepare it for driving by removing all the crap that tends to collect when a project sits for a while, in this case for 6-7 months. It seems when you go down a rabbit hole to fix one thing it leads to many other items.

I wanted to fix what I thought was just a leaky axle seal. The pinion was leaking, brake shoes were saturated and got replaced on one side, new u-joint, new rear diff fluid, etc.

Finally she is back together in the rear so I took her for about a 30 minute drive letting everything warm up and rotate. I got her up to 55-60 mph. She started right up at least and runs great. The engine is newer and you can cetainly tell!

I want to tackle the door next and I haven't even done demo yet! It was partially demoed by the Sherriff's dept. though before I bought it so only 5-6 seats remain. The floor is only the rubber which is easily coming up. It will probably be a few weeks before I work on her again.

Also, the next purchase will be windshield wipers! They suck!