| Author | Message | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 513 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.46 Rating: N/A |
Well, we managed to crush our exhaust system again, and we need someone to make us a new one. We're in Tucson, and could get this done here or maybe Phoenix. Don't want to go too much further with the amount of exhaust backpressure this must be generating. We have a 6" exhaust system, which comes down from the headers into the top (center) of a Cowl spiral muffler. The 6" diameter side discharge from the muffler exits directly to a welded-on custom duct that translates the 6" round duct into a 15" x 2" rectangular duct, which extends perhaps three feet or so to the back of the coach. The entire length is critical to move the hot exhaust past the intakes for the radiator. There isn't room below the coach for a 6" round pipe (it would get crushed almost immediately), hence the rectangular cross-section. Anyway, we managed to slam down onto a rock or something, flattening most of the duct and even damaging the weird transition section coming out of the Cowl. So what I need is someone who can cut off the damaged section (well, OK, I could do that part, but I'd rather not), and fabricate a new one out of heavy-gauge metal sheet. I'm not sure what gauge it is now, but I can't straighten it with a Gorilla Bar, so it's pretty heavy, maybe 1/8" or so. (I'd like the new one to be lighter gauge, so we can at least spread it back out a little the next time this happens.) In an ideal world, this would also be someone who can take the whole darn thing off the bus (muffler and all) and put the new one back on again, but I'm willing to do that part if I have to. We sheared off the welded-on mounting bracket as well, so we'll need to have one of those made (but it will have to bolt on -- I'd rather not have to disconnect everything in order to weld directly to the coach). So, does anyone have a reference in the greater Tucson or Phoenix areas they can pass along? (Or else, does anyone on this forum, with the required skills and equipment, in either of these areas want to make some spare change?) Thanks! -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com p.s. Oh, yeah -- for the curious: we were fording a wash with about 6-8" of standing water. In order not to get the 47,000-lb bus stuck up to its axles in the wet sand at the bottom, we got a flying start and hit the wash around 15mph or so. I knew we'd bottom out on the rear skids, as we often do, and I thought the sand would be kind to them. The exhaust took more of the blow than I expected. Louise captured this on video, which I expect her to upload to our blog in the next day or two -- it was quite spectacular. | ||
| Bill Keller (Busnut104)
Registered Member Username: Busnut104 Post Number: 3 Registered: 8-2006 Posted From: 71.31.79.249 Rating: N/A |
Just a thought but try putting a coupl. pieces of flat bar runing the length inside, this should add a lot of strength and stay with the heavy metal. | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 640 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
if that's a 96" wide bus I'd run stacks up the sides,but it's probably a 102..... or..a 6" pipe running up thru the interior,maybe inside of a double wall chimney pipe..OR.....the exhaust manifold is probably hip high,think about keeping it that high & run it out the rear door (Message edited by bob greenwood on February 05, 2007) (Message edited by bob greenwood on February 05, 2007) | ||
| Kyle Brandt (Kyle4501)
Registered Member Username: Kyle4501 Post Number: 278 Registered: 9-2004 Posted From: 65.23.106.193 Rating: N/A |
Maybe make the new one such that it bolts together. You can then unbolt the lower half to hammer the dents out. Lighter gauge (14ga) would make this easier too. A few length wise spacers (in the same direction of exhaust flow) would help the stiffness too. Look in the local phone book for metal fabricators. Talk to the shop foreman, if they don't want to do it, they'll know who can. If that doesn't work, call the local steel distributors & ask them for suggestions for a fabricator who does this kind of work. It may take a dozen calls, but you will find one. Good luck! | ||
| Jim Wilke (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 116 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 69.77.151.82 Rating: N/A |
OR... you could keep that 47,000lb bus on the pavement that it was designed for. Heck, I'm leary of taking my bus into a grassy field. I always walk the route anywhere I take the bus off pavement, gravel or HARD dirt. I'd say you got off cheap! Could've been a hole in that wash that would've required a 'dozer to get you out, or you might have busted an engine or trans oil pan, lines, etc. And the torque generated if your tires slip & grab can break any component in the drive train. Ask any dump truck owner! Was your last vehicle a Jeep? Jim-Bob | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 646 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
well ..I agree with Jim-bob...that much weight,going 15 mph into a river & the tires hitting the river at the same time the ass end hits the bank...shoot...park the bus & get on the cycles | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 516 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.38 Rating: N/A |
Hey, Jim-Bob -- I asked for help, not judgment. You use your bus the way you want, and I'll use mine the way I want. For the record, we walked the wash before we did this. (Yes -- through the water). And dirt forest roads were part of our game plan from day one, which is why we have M&S tires on the drivers. And, yes, I expect there is at least one bulldozer in my future. But I only have one life to live and I'm not going through it worried every day about what I might break or where I might get stuck. Bob G. -- to your earlier comment: in hindsight, it would have been better to reroute the exhaust while the bus was under construction, possibly up and out the roof. Now that it's completed, though, it's out of the question. I'm not going to tear up the bedroom to do it. Besides, I can have the exhaust rebuilt 20 times for what it would cost to reroute it. Out the back is also nixed -- no room that way for the muffler. And, BTW, my manifold is at eye level (unless you have really, really long legs!). -Sean | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 647 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
somebody woke up on the wrong side of the river  | ||
| John Peterson (Hafftrack)
Registered Member Username: Hafftrack Post Number: 4 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 130.76.96.19 Rating: N/A |
Hi sean I will be in tucson next week and can help but this place may be able to help . I used to work for him . Thay have the stuff but I don�t know if thay have some one to do the work . Mountain-Aire Refrigeration 3120 E 45th St Tucson, AZ 85713 (520) 294-2943 | ||
| Jim Wilke (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 117 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 69.77.151.82 Rating: N/A |
Sean, I'm not judging you. I was kind of astounded that anyone would take a highway coach, especially one that heavy "scrambling" like an enduro bike. And I didn't realize you had walked the path. (Actually we agree on much.) And I certainly maintain anyone's right to play with their toys anyway they please so long as nobody "loses an eye". Hey, post a picture occasionally from those neat way off the road sites you find! Us chickens are envious! Jim-Bob | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 517 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.36 Rating: N/A |
Louise actually took a short video clip of crossing the wash. I'm hoping she'll post it shortly. (Posting video is actually quite a bit of work, and I'm glad she does so I don't have to...) In the meantime, she did post a picture of the lovely spot where we stayed (the one we had to cross the wash to get to in the first place), here: http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/02/temporary-throttle-position-sensor.html -Sean http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 649 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
you won't have to rebuild it 20 times, It will be in the junkpile long before that | ||
| JJ Woden (Jj_woden)
Registered Member Username: Jj_woden Post Number: 16 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 65.19.246.49 Rating: N/A |
Hey Sean Nice blog site! I saw the video clip too. Many of us just didnt realize how much fun these things can be. Use it like it is yours. Sorry about the discontent you recieved here. Generally these guys really accommodate others. Maybe Bob will let you take his for a test drive some day. Just kidding, all! JJ | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
Registered Member Username: Niles500 Post Number: 702 Registered: 11-2004 Posted From: 72.91.107.56 Rating: N/A |
Right On! JJ - at least Sean gets the MOST use out of his bus as is physically possible, it's not just sitting in his yard - Me thinks some people get jealous of all the fun he's having - And Sean it sounded like your exhaust hit one of those rocks that were buried in the dirt - FWIW | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 650 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
I wouldn't even let that guy LOOK at my bus...ya don't realize he did more damage than he can see...watch...his bus wont be around very long | ||
| Sean Welsh (Sean)
Registered Member Username: Sean Post Number: 521 Registered: 1-2003 Posted From: 67.142.130.41 Rating: N/A |
Bob, Better take your avatar down, then: I'm looking at your bus right now! :-) I don't have any qualms about the level of damage I may or may not be doing to the bus. It's not an investment, it's my home and my transportation. In a perfect world, it would be all used up just about the time I'm ready to be done with it. That being said, I have a lot more faith in the engineering than you do, I guess. Princess Cruises has a fleet of MCI's that run up and down the haul road to Prudhoe Bay all summer long. Lots of things jiggle loose, but the frames take the punishment quite well. And I do a road like that perhaps three or four times a year, not twice a week for a whole season. The Neoplans are designed for alpine roads. Many are dirt, or worse, cobblestone. Turns are tight, and there are ruts and washes everywhere. I spent the first year of ownership of this bus fixing problems due to lack of use: the coach had accrued 26,000 miles in 18 years. I consider that sort of neglect to border on the criminal -- these coaches were meant to be driven. FWIW. -Sean | ||
| Leland Bradley (Lee_bradley)
Registered Member Username: Lee_bradley Post Number: 5 Registered: 11-2006 Posted From: 140.178.205.10 Rating: N/A |
Sean, Keep up the good work. The more I look at my Cityliner the more impressed I am with the engineering that went into these buses. That said I will be looking at re-routing the exhaust during conversion as my wife likes birding and we plan on boondocking on BLM land. | ||
| Christy Hicks (Christyhicks)
Registered Member Username: Christyhicks Post Number: 11 Registered: 1-2007 Posted From: 65.77.66.1 Rating: N/A |
I'm not so sure anyone was mad or disgusted with Sean's choice of camping spot or how he got there. . .I think it's just part of the disease itself. This busnut disease kind of warps us all. We get so protective over the bus. I'm serious, we strip these things down and put them back together, we get to know every inch of them, sometimes not because we want to, but because we have to. .. we love on them, we baby them, we dress them up, shine 'em up, well, we get just a little obsessive with them, so any threat to a bus, of any type, makes us all recoil in horror. After the horror passes, we realize that it's really not in anyone's place to tell someone else how to treat their bus, where to take it, how to use it, and we start to see the humor of the whole thing. I'm sure that by now, Sean realizes that there are more then one guy out there that admire his bus and, well, they see something very nice, they appreciate the beauty of it, and they hate to see anything bad happen to it. They really don't mean to offend him, they are just "protecting his baby" ha ha. Christy Hicks | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 665 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
lets compare it to a lady...say there is this nice lady.... and...every once in a while...her husband beats her...how would you feel about that christie...abuse is abuse | ||
| Christy Hicks (Christyhicks)
Registered Member Username: Christyhicks Post Number: 15 Registered: 1-2007 Posted From: 65.77.66.1 Rating: N/A |
Hahaha, you're so funny! Thank goodness we DO live in a time, now, where we can't OWN another person! It's funny, my brother-in-law likes nothing better than to peel out in his Corvette. . .squealing the tires, the whole bit. Makes him feel great. . . makes me wonder "WHY IN THE _ E L L does he do that, when every so often, he tears up the rearend or something in that thing?!? AARRRGGGH!" I guess, for him it's worth it, and since he doesn't ask us for the money to fix it, well, I guess he's got the right to tear up his own stuff. I, too, would never purposely tear up our bus, but I really, really doubt that Sean was planning on tearing anything up. I imagine that a cuss word or two escaped from his lips during all this, ha ha. Christy Hicks | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 676 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: N/A |
so Christy says if her friend was being beat up by her husband,she would not say anything to anybody,it's so hard to be P/C these days | ||
| Harmer (Dave_4104_in_victoria)
Registered Member Username: Dave_4104_in_victoria Post Number: 3 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.64.223.203 Rating: N/A |
Hi Sean, good pics, your coach looks great, and don't worry, i got a bit of flack for driving our coach down the quad trail in El Golpho a couple of years back, lol. My other vehicle is an 1958 landrover, and so is the coach a 1958 GMC, i wish it had a few more gears though to allow crawling at lower speeds, lol. And yes I got stuck in the sand, and lucky for me my friend in his motorhome was built to shovel sand, in about 1/2 hour of digging and moving and more of the same, we were back on terra firma. As for the Osh truck in your pics, steel wheels, that would be Sean Torontow's conversion. He lives in Victoria, about 10 minutes from me. Great rig, but a little small inside for me. He did pretty good in the mud drags a couple of years back with it, lol. We like parking on the beaches that we have on the island, so needless to say, people sometimes get in awe and ask how did you do dat, lol. I think there is another saying that goes, keep the shiny side up. If you get up to Vancouver Island, give us a jingle, plenty of roads very accessible for coaches, if you are okay going on some gravel. And bring a 4x4 toad for the real adventures. The dust on the outside of the coach is worth it for the spots that up here. | ||
| Harmer (Dave_4104_in_victoria)
Registered Member Username: Dave_4104_in_victoria Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.64.223.203 Rating: N/A |
Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention Sean, I am setup for welding, aluminum, steel, stainless, and even have a plasma cutter along with a few other gadgets for bus or what ever repairs in Victoria, South end of island. If you are up island, there is always Mel in Parksville area with pit and great repair capicity for those unexpected type of repairs, lol. | ||
| JJ Woden (Jj_woden)
Registered Member Username: Jj_woden Post Number: 17 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 65.19.246.49 Rating: N/A |
Bob, I have a hunch she and many others here would say and do plenty. I was in a situation where I did. However, if a couple were playing one on one basketball and she sprained her ankle, and he rushed to her assistance, I would applaud them both ... and other than offering help would probably feel a pang of jealousy and go on my way. JJ | ||
| Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member Username: Bob_greenwood Post Number: 690 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 64.136.49.228 Rating: |
what if they were playing one on one basketball & he shoved her off a cliff ? | ||
| Harmer (Dave_4104_in_victoria)
Registered Member Username: Dave_4104_in_victoria Post Number: 10 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.69.65.204 Rating: |
Bob, Bob, Bob,Bob,Bob, lol.... | ||
| JJ Woden (Jj_woden)
Registered Member Username: Jj_woden Post Number: 19 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 65.19.246.49 Rating: N/A |
He crossed a creek. Not the Grand Canyon. | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy)
Registered Member Username: Drivingmisslazy Post Number: 1841 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.108.87.29 Rating: N/A |
I do not think it was even a creek. Probably just a wash that has water a couple of times a year when it rains. I think there are a bunch of nervous Nellie's who have never enjoyed the traveling in the SW or down into Bahia. |
