Johnny (4.174.112.122)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 06, 2004 - 1:08 pm: | |
History:
1984 Ford B-700 long-nose 40' school bus, ThomasBuilt body, gas 460 power, Spicer 5+2 manual tranny.
Windows removed & paneled, interior gutted, dead 370 replaced with a rebuilt 460 & new clutch.
Latest progress: Friend with a TIG welder is working on underbody storage. Said friend also mocking-up floor bracing (attatched to frame) for water tanks (plastic 55-gallon barrels), which will straddle rear wheelhouses.
65 gallon gas tank has been boiled out & repaired (pinhole), waiting to be installed.
I drove it 140 miles (the long way to and from work) last week to keep everyting working. It drove pretty well, & I was rather impressed at managing 7.8MPG (gotta love that Holley Economaster). It was 95% highway, running ~60MPH at ~2500RPM. It pulls STRONG--a 1.2-mile 5% grade was handled easily in high gear at 62MPH. If I wanted to, I could accelerate up this hill.
Now, the bad news: my dash cluster is dead. I have a speedometer, a tach (aftermarket), & nothing else: no lights, no gauges, NOTHING. I pulled the panel, expecting a bad ground...and it came apart in my hands! %^*&^%^&*%^+*&^&*!!!!!! Big cussin' tantrum. Well, at least now I have an excuse to build a custom gauge panel.
Interior stuff going on this week: attatching plywood to floor for carpet installation, probably roughing in kitchen counters. |