Thread: Any Diesel mechanics out there?????

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Looking at a RV School Bus conversion that has everything we want in one. BUT it has a 8.2 Detroit in it w/170,000 and everything I read about those motors says walk away. BUT that being said it's what we're looking for, has everything we want & need in an RV. If I want to replace the Detroit motor or if it decides to grenade what would be a good Gas or Diesel replacement OTHER then another Detroit Diesel??
And could anyone recommend a shop or someone in Illinois or Missouri around the St Louis area that could do this swap IF we decide to buy the bus & have the swap done...joe

I expect he'll jump in here, but why go farther than Ryan, 40FordDeluxe, in Mitchellville, Iowa? Not an impossible distance from St Louis, and he's proven himself to be well versed in anything diesel. Your only problem might be dealing with the wheelstands once you get it back from a power train swap.....

I'd consider either the Ford/IH 6.9 and the Cummins 5.9.

Both have +'s and -'s but both can easily go 300K miles.

Just my 2 cents.

(ps, if a deal on a Cat 3208 fell out of the sky, I'd be all over it! LOL)

i have over 500k on my 1990 1 ton 7.3 . still using it for a farm truck to pull heavy loads .

Originally Posted by 34_40

(ps, if a deal on a Cat 3208 fell out of the sky, I'd be all over it! LOL)

LOL sureeeeeeeeeee you would. You must have a use for a boat anchor....joe

Nah.. 'round here if it says Cat.. it brings a premium price.. re-sale is pretty good.

Hey Joe, just change the spark plugs and adjust the carb, it'll run forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe, I would be leary of that engine too. They like to blow up. I haven't worked on many of them still in trucks. Usually they were already repowered. I helped repower some in the early 2000's when I was working in a fleet. They were in chevy C60's that were plow trucks. We put 5.9's into those trucks. Another good engine choice for that would be an 8.3 Cummins. Still a 6 cylinder, based on a 5.9, just larger. There are a lot of them in medium duty trucks so parts are available for them, and you might be able to find one easier because they are in a lot of various types of trucks. What would really be awesome is an ISL Cummins with the factory injection pump trash canned and a P7100 mechanical injection pump installed instead. If you get the 370hp model, they have jake brakes, and can be used with the mechanical pump. That is the engine I want in a hauler some day. I really wouldn't spend the money to put a Cat in there. 3208's are OK, but anything Yellow is super expensive, and the parts are a niche market. At least with a Cummins, a lot more places stock parts for these. Like Roger said, I'm about 5.5hrs from St.Louis. I could do the swap. How fast, IDK as I can't get that beast in my shop, but I'm not afraid to work outside either.

Umm...just my thoughts Joe...but are you sure you want one as large as that?

We had one of a comparable size (originally a 44 seater,) and found it to be a pain in the butt. If you wanted groceries it was impossible to get into and out of supermarket car parks... you had to park three blocks or more away and carry your groceries back to the bus...which sometimes entailed two trips.

The same thing at a liquour store or a diner.

Also, in some towns with angle parking we had to park a mile or more away from whatever it was we wanted to visit...bloody nuisance.

Driving a machine that size was never the issue, I've driven trucks and buses pretty well all my working life, the milk tankers I drove for years were up over the thirty tonne mark; so that was no problem.

The interior space was good I must admit, but for sheer practicality...nah.

This time around we bought a Tonka toy.

Just my 2c.

Thanks for all the info Ryan, hell who knows what will happen here. The only thing for sure is we need something large enough & comfortable enough for us 4 that can be driven...

Originally Posted by johnboy

are you sure you want one as large as that?

I'm sure you know how hard it is to find a bus that suits your needs, let alone one converted to an RV. I have looked at hundreds of RV's, ALL had a tripping hazard for the wife when it came to getting in the passenger seat, can't have that. Plus we have Lexi & Daisy who will be traveling w/us also. Most RV's also were low slung & made it impossible for us to go to some of the places we plan to travel to. For one I couldn't get on my sister's property unless she cuts the fence open for us because her driveway has an incline that likes to feel the bottoms of most large vehicles. So I started looking at buses & wanted a bus that I could at least see the motor w/out laying down on the floor looking through a hole.
As far as parking, hell Robin as big as that thing is, it's like asking "Where does an elephant sit??" Any damn where it wants too. I'm not too worried about if I can park close to get grub & etc, this beast would be a Point A to a Point B vehicle & living quarters for us four. If we need to get anywhere once we have landed, either we'll borrow a vehicle or we'll just hold down the couch until such time as we get a ride.
It's not bought yet, just weighing my options but I have to be sure it's what we want & need before I spend that kinda $$$$ Hell I have the cash to do it, the question is, do I want to spend spend it doing it?? This is only one of two project I have in the works the other one I have had since 1993 & it's about to go through a transformation, just have to decide who's going to do the work for me......joe

Another tack to the transportation issue is to flat tow an old beater (or a new purpose bought vehicle) for use once you reach Point B. We see lots of 4WD Jeeps where you can just flip the T-Case & tranny into Neutral and go, but there are others, too. Even a UTV on a small trailer - some of those things can be licensed for the street, and a lot of places they are legal for other than main highways. Just a thought.