| Author | Message | ||
| JimC (169.207.115.124)
Rating: N/A |
HI I looked at an 83 model 10 eagle this weekend, I have a couple of questions, The bus semed to wander on the back country roads as the pitch of the road changed, it had about 1/3 of a wheel of play to catch up. Is this something that is normal? Has anyone had that problem, if so what kind of repairs ($) will it need? The trans seemed to bang into the next gear, and the motor seemed to almost rev too high before it did so. The bus was completely open inside, including the floor so it was quite loud, I am wondering if just seemed harsh due to noise. Other than those two things it seemed good, straight body, open inside so there was minor rust to be seen on the framing, some inside the fender wells, and under the front end but not major. (southern bus) The motor started right up with no smoke, undocumented 200,000 since last rebuild and rebuilt twice since new, no noise, good to very good tires. ASking price $11,000, SEEM FAIR? Thanks Jim Callaghan Wisconsin | ||
| two dogs (66.90.211.111) Rating: N/A |
sounds tooo steep to me...one on ebay for 3000 sounds better to me...think I'd pass that one up... | ||
| two dogs (66.90.211.111) Rating: N/A |
or...if ya' got $...and can act fast(1 hour) i'd bid 20,000 on that 4104 | ||
| Darryl (68.184.122.103) Rating: N/A |
Jim, that doesn't sound right on the steering. It's too much. Also, the transmission should not bang into the gears. Most of them shift fairly smooth. The hardest shift will occur in third gear when the torque converter locks up. However, it is not a bang, but a slighter more aggressive lurch. If the engine speeds up between shifts, this is called flairing. It usually is a precussor to a transmission overhaul. | ||
| Don KS/TX (66.82.9.18)
Rating: N/A |
I was wondering Jim, to the inexperienced bus person, that 2 stroke V8 SOUNDS like it is screaming, and those Allisons all seem to shift hard, compared to our modern cars that you can hardly detect a shift. What are you comparing it to? I agree, the price SEEMS high. | ||
| BrianMCI96A3 (65.160.214.93) Rating: N/A |
The steering sounds scary to say the least, something is wrong somewhere... hard to say how bad and where. Brian | ||
| Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.175.111.243)
Rating: N/A |
Federal motor vehicle standards (FMVSS 393.209) requires no more than 5-1/4" of play measured on the rim of a 20" wheel for power steering, 2-1/2" for manual steering. Older Allison transmissions will shift very nicely going up through the gears. Downshift from 4th to 3rd can be quite harsh on some and still be "normal". Jim | ||
| Ian Giffin (Admin) (64.228.55.132)
Rating: N/A |
Hi JimC, It's easy for people to take a quick look at eBay then come back here and say this price is too high - but they can hypothesize all they want, even when they know nothing. Little is gained except for them to see their words in print on a bulletin board, some would say. This web site and other quality web sites like busconversions.com, busforsale.com and rv-coach.com, to name just a few, have been around for a very long time with many articles written about how to process information gleaned from others' experiences. Yeah, free is even better than $3,000., but you should see what free and $3,000. buys you these days! You would first have to make a determination as to how much work you can or will do as compared to your budget for work you need to pay someone else to do. I often wonder why perfectly good running Eagles of the vintage you're looking at still sell for over $35,000. For the head-turning curb appeal of the Eagle, it may be worth a tranny job for 4 to 8 grand and another thou for the steering. Jim A's specs are correct for the steering. That box needs a lookin' at. The answers to your questions are easy to understand if you take a few days to digest some of our "starter" articles or Dave Galey's Bus Converter's Bible, published online here at BNO. Light reading, but it's far deeper than a comparison to eBay. In Dave's "Conclusions" Chapter, for example, he writes about the total cost of a conversion, breaking down each component by percentage of the total cost of your conversion project. Although these numbers can be argued, Dave has converted several buses and kept track of his costs on each project over many years - some might consider him the grandfather of the conversion hobby. His percentage estimate for what you have described in your question bears out the $35,000. price tag on the Eagle I just saw at http://goodsonbussales.com/83eagle-831.htm. If you take a look at this bus, consider what you wouldn't have to spend any money on, like stainless steel, exterior paint and likely a bunch of other things. You wouldn't save enough to afford to send your children to college, and you can't see much in a picture, but that bus may just be a diamond in the rough - maybe the one you're looking at is, too. On the other hand, a few experienced people in this business think ANY conversion created by ANYONE other than a professional converter is a waste of time and money. The best advice has been properly documented on this and other bulletin boards a million times but it is always worth repeating: See if you can get the bus to a qualified mechanic because he's the impartial judge of the problems your bus has and what it'll cost to repair it. Read the articles again and again. You'll see something new every time. And try to ignore the one liners on this bulletin board disguised as quality advice. Also try to ignore the rhetoric in those trying to defend their great answers. You have asked several very good questions which deserve intelligent, thoughtful, reasoned, researched answers. Thank you for utilizing our bulletin board! Regards, Ian Giffin www.busnut.com | ||
| two dogs (66.90.216.210) Rating: N/A |
I might have just gotten a spanking | ||
| Ace (24.28.44.126) Rating: N/A |
A well deserved one too I might add!  Ace | ||
| two dogs (66.90.216.210) Rating: N/A |
Sorry I@N ....will rephrase that....JIM...that bus you drove sounds like a piece of S - - - | ||
| Ian Giffin (Admin) (64.228.55.132)
Rating: N/A |
TD, Naw... It's Thanksgiving and I have indigestion, is all :-) Really, I love you. In a guy kinda way, of course!! Ian www.busnut.com | ||
| Ian Giffin (Admin) (64.228.55.132)
Rating: N/A |
Well, well, well! Hiya Ace, ol' friend! Long time no chat. Sincerely hope all is well with you and yours. Great to hear from you. Ian www.busnut.com | ||
| two dogs (66.90.216.210) Rating: N/A |
o.k. all you guys beating on steel wheels...BACK_OFF....I've been adopted | ||
| Don KS/TX (66.82.9.30)
Rating: N/A |
Good post Ian, thanks for helping put it all in perspective for us. The problem that repeatedly surfaces here is that we are such a diverse group. We (at least I) often ASSUME that others are experienced do it yourself types and have a few certificates on the wall, and a bus conversion is "just another small project". That assumption often gets people in trouble. The other is finances. Often a guy is trying to get on the road for say 20k, and the advice coming from someone that would not even consider a shell for less than several times that seems very discouraging. Each are correct in their search, but often the 20k guy is run off by the "never got his hands dirty" who paid 80k for his shell plus several times more than that for the conversion. I guess it would be nice to have a qualifications link so each of us could see where the other is coming from. It worked so well with the old MAK board when we had the photo of your bus as part of the name line. Surprising how many of the "experts" who never even had a bus ran like the computer was on fire. I thought it was nice, the phonies hated it, the honest people loved it. And for Jim, it would have helped if we had known his qualifications, intended use of the bus, etc. Just thinking out loud this morning Ian. | ||
| two dogs (66.90.211.134) Rating: N/A |
o.k. an Eagle is the only bus I've driven see how mellow I am Ian ??? now...all we got to do is teach Madbrit how to shift.......naaaaa...think he's got a closed mind it sure is a beautiful day !!!!!!!glad to be alive | ||
| Ian Giffin (Admin) (64.228.55.132)
Rating: N/A |
Hi Don KS/TX, I agree with you. And using your example of the 20K bus, according to Dave's percentage estimator, the shopper could consider his budget to be about $8,800. for the shell, with an engine/tranny combo costing an additional $1,800. A person looking at this bus, who faces a more expensive shell, engine and transmission, inclusive of any repairs, will likely not remain within the $20K budget. (By the way, Don, subscribers to this bulletin board CAN provide a picture of their bus, qualifications, location and several other pieces of information each and every time they post a message here. Case in point, please click on my name above this message and see what happens!) Regards, Ian www.busnut.com | ||
| Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (216.67.217.205)
Rating: N/A |
Two Dogs, I do know exactly how to shift, done it many times, BUT these days, my back prefers me to shift it into "D"....... (G) Getting old and falling apart is hell...... LOL. You're right, it IS a beautiful day and I am glad to be alive too. Peter. | ||
| Peter Broadribb (Madbrit) (216.67.217.205)
Rating: N/A |
When I picked up my MC-8, it had about 1/3rd turn of free play. Sure made for a fun trip back to Arizona on the freeways for 350 miles, it followed every rut and tramline it could find. I tried to adjust the steering gearbox, it did help a little but it really needed an overhauled unit by then. I was going to upgrade to the integral unit so I didn't worry about it. Peter. | ||
| two dogs (66.90.212.54) Rating: N/A |
atta boy Peter....I wondered where you were...all in fun ....o.k. TWO DOGS | ||
| Richard Bowyer (Drivingmisslazy) (24.196.191.70)
Rating: N/A |
Hey I@N, I didn't know that. Pretty neat. Richard | ||
| Johnny (65.224.20.31) Rating: N/A |
"Federal motor vehicle standards (FMVSS 393.209) requires no more than 5-1/4" of play measured on the rim of a 20" wheel for power steering" *jaw hits chest* FIVE INCHES of play in the wheel? I know of NOBODY who considers even HALF that acceptable! However, play doesn't mean a bad box--I've seen almost a quarter turn on a Ford L7000 (that was a fun drive back...or not) caused by a bad tie-rod end. With new rod ends, there was no more than an inch of slop. Also, if you can (safely) get under it, you might want to make sure the box isn't pulling off the frame (that could prove an unpleasant surprise when you get the frame shop's bill). I do agree that a DD can SOUND like it's taching out even at low RPM's--they call them "screaming Jimmys" for a reason! The V730 (6V-71 powered GMC transit) at work shifts firmly--I don't consider it "harsh", but someone used to the smooth, almost-imperceptable shifts of a modern car easily could. The 3-2 kickdown on our 730 usually gives a moderate "lurch", probably from the converter unlocking. | ||
| Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.137.67.179)
Rating: N/A |
Johnny- That's the maximum play allowed. Just a tad over and you're out of service. My Ross upgrade on my MC-8 gave me about 1/2" and my current Prevost is the same. Steers kind of like a sports car-- not handles, steers!! LOL Jim | ||
| Ace (24.28.44.126) Rating: N/A |
Hello I@N! I'm still doing good! $usan is too! Getting the ole 01 ready for the road. It should be done early 04 for sure! Been keeping my nose clean and mount to myself by just reading all the usuall BS that goes on, along with the more mature replies from those that are! You and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving and hope to see you finally get down to Jack's this time around! Take care... A&$ |