| Author | Message | ||
| Tom Phillips (Fortyniner)
Registered Member Username: Fortyniner Post Number: 12 Registered: 2-2010 Posted From: 67.76.9.26 Rating: N/A |
Hi Busnuts, I need to find a bus shop around Pensacola fl. I purchased a 4106 monday and am driving back to texas. Yesterday while fueling up I noticed the PO had put some spacers under the air bag pads to raise the bus. Not good. I need to undo all that since Im not comfortable driving it now. I cant believe I didnt notice it before purchse. Any suggestions would be welcome. Tom P. 512 five five four 6958 | ||
| Patrick levenson (Zubzub)
Registered Member Username: Zubzub Post Number: 241 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 70.51.28.192  Rating: N/A |
"Spacers" a pic would help. how's the bus sitting (level? spec height?) are the air bags inflated? Is it possible you are looking at block off plates? Was this a weird work around for broken levelers? Can't help you with shops but if you know what you want a decent truck shop may be able to help, the air bags and levelers are truck stuff (ish) and it will take a dirty little grease monkey to crawl under there. | ||
| Tom Phillips (Fortyniner)
Registered Member Username: Fortyniner Post Number: 13 Registered: 2-2010 Posted From: 67.76.9.26 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Patrick. The PO clearly added some fabricated spacers and modified the shock mounts and leveler rods to get ground clearance I guess. I stopped at one shop but no surprise they give me a weird look when they found it is a 1961 bus. -Tom P. | ||
| Patrick levenson (Zubzub)
Registered Member Username: Zubzub Post Number: 242 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 70.51.28.192 Rating: N/A |
Sounds like a major pain....I would probably drive it as is unless it feels really unstable. A few slow speed zig zags and hard stops in a safe area should give you a feel for the handling...if it feels good, consider a nice slowish ride home. the benefit will be the fuel savings when you baby these buses are awesome. Will help pay for the repairs once you get it home. | ||
| Bryce Gaston (Busted_knuckle)
Registered Member Username: Busted_knuckle Post Number: 300 Registered: 1-2006 Posted From: 74.226.123.115 Rating: N/A |
Might try these guys here, http://www.goodtimetours.com/ I have never personally dealt with them, but I have heard good things about them! FWIW ;) BK ;D | ||
| Tom Phillips (Fortyniner)
Registered Member Username: Fortyniner Post Number: 14 Registered: 2-2010 Posted From: 66.93.216.253 Rating: |
Hi Folks, Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who responded. I ended up just driving back to Texas since it was just manageable at the governed 60 mph. The bus got 7 mpg from St Augustine to Pensacola but its jacked significantly higher than normal. Hopefully restoring normal ride height will gain back 1-2 mpg. The drive train looks tight. Only slight oil film around transmission breather. No more than one or two drips even after overnight parking! During the fuel stop at Pensacola the bus failed to crank. Fortunately a trucker who had a fondness for the old GMs saved the day. He told me to get in and put it in reverse. Three more guys joined and we started it in reverse! Turns out he used to run a charter company and had done that many times before. Turned out to be hot starter. Huge thanks to Daryl in Pensacola! Not sure if I should start a new thread about restoring suspension but Im dropping bus off tomorrow to get an estimate. I do need either the original length of the frame bump stops or distance from -frame- to axle since the PO lengthened them. If someone has the frame to axle dimension with it down on the stops I could just fabricate some new ones. The shop manual only mentions bumpstop to axle dimension so its not help. One again, thanks to everyone for the support and advice ! Tom Phillips. PD4106-453 | ||
| Len Silva (Lsilva)
Registered Member Username: Lsilva Post Number: 396 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 72.187.35.208  Rating: N/A |
Tom, All the information you are looking for is in the maintenance manual. You simply cannot own one of the old buses without it. Number 1 priority is the book. | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 67 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 98.20.49.87 Rating: N/A |
Tom, Where in TX are you located? | ||
| Patrick levenson (Zubzub)
Registered Member Username: Zubzub Post Number: 243 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 70.51.28.192 Rating: N/A |
Good work on getting it home. Would like to hear more about starting it in reverse...you guys just pushed it? BTW you can bypass the solenoide by just shoving the starter into the flywheel by hand....helps when the lectrical gremlines come a visiting and in my experience they always come a knocking. Sounds like you have the manuals so now you got some studying to do. The manual mentions frame to bump stop distance and somewhere else mentions the bump stop height (3 1/2" maybe??) so you add the 2 together and have frame to axle distance. Good luck on your project....have fun and maybe post a link to some pics of what's been done...p.s. when you get a new (used) bus you need to grease and adjust everything (especially brakes). Also they don't get the best milage sitting against the governor, back off a hair and you might find that 1-2 mpg right away. | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 1290 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 99.153.142.249  Rating: N/A |
Also they don't get the best milage sitting against the governor, back off a hair and you might find that 1-2 mpg right away I have found the SETTING of the gov , what RPM is chosen is the key to OK fuel mileage . Geoff of transit fame used 1950rpm (10% over the usual 1800 used in gensets and pumps) as his setting. We have used the same number and frequently get 9 mpg, although I haven't seen 10 since installing the mountain gears. Run at fire truck 2300 and the mileage is really poor. FF | ||
| Tom Phillips (Fortyniner)
Registered Member Username: Fortyniner Post Number: 15 Registered: 2-2010 Posted From: 66.93.216.253 Rating: N/A |
Hi folks, Just an update. Its been around 100 this weekend and Im beat. Spent friday washing the outside with housewash and brush then dropped it off to a local truck/bus shop this morning to see if they will be up to restoring the suspension. Hi Dallas, Im located in Austin Tx. Patrick, I did find the bumpstop to axle spec but Im still looking for bumpstop length. But its fun reading these old manuals and hunting it down. About the governor, I kept the pedal about 1/2-3/4 inch off the floor most of the way. Would that be considered off the governor? My right knee still smarts too. That kept me off the floor as much as anything. Oh, I forgot to mention another scary event. While driving at night the high beams (four) tripped off. I switched back to lows (two) and they came on again thankfully. Apparently there is only a single breaker for all high/low beams! Ill be adding a full suite of headlight breakers right away and Id recommend everyone with one of these old buses consider something like that. One short is all it takes to knock out all headlights. I was going to take some pics after I washed it but instead got out of the 100 degree heat and took a nap  Ill get some when I get it back from the shop though and post them. Right now Im going to relax with my stack of manuals and a nice cold beer. -Tom Phillips. | ||
| Patrick levenson (Zubzub)
Registered Member Username: Zubzub Post Number: 245 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 70.51.28.192 Rating: N/A |
Hey I had the same lighting problem with my '04. Mine happened on a 2 lane highway in the middle of the woods on a moonless night. All of a sudden complete and horrifying darkness! Then the breaker reset and I had lights again. Very very nasty, in my case it was tired out wiring to the lights, the insulation had decayed from heat and was grounding out the wire, the extra draw caused the breaker to trip, these breakers rest fast so it "fixed" itself. Drove the rest of the night with a flashlight pointing at the road just in case. I have since fixed that but I gotta say it is probably not the breakers, more likely wiring. The bump stop height in the '04 manual in the air leveler section. My 2 cents is to read the manual cover to cover once to help familiarize yourself to the systems at work, helped me a lot to do that. Good luck with your project, have fun. | ||
| Tom Phillips (Fortyniner)
Registered Member Username: Fortyniner Post Number: 16 Registered: 2-2010 Posted From: 66.93.216.253 Rating: N/A |
I found the bump stop rubber dimension. But the PO had modified the actual post that its attached to. It appears he actually welded new longer posts in place of the original bumpstop posts. So, to correct this either the length of the steel bumpstop post or frame to axle dimension would be needed. I think Ill start a new topic since it 4106 specific. -Tom P. |
