My perfect bus?

[gsriley1]

Hey guys,
Well I guess I found my perfect bus, as it now resides in my driveway. And we have lots of questions.
We looked at over twenty buses in all price ranges. I had almost given up on an Eagle, and
decided to buy a GMC 4107 that was usable "as is." We didn’t really want to take out a loan to buy a bus, and the 4107 fit the bill.

I had originally decided to pass on this ‘66 Model 1 until I e-mailed some photos to
Craig Hanloh, and he pointed several things out to me, and strongly suggested I reconsider. I inspected her stem to stern for rust, and found very little. None of the suspension pick up points has structural rust, and torsion bars are apparently good, and there is also no visible structural rust on the chassis, although most of the chassis members have surface rust. She also has updated caps and bumpers, and the ancient Gen Set is powered by a 4-Cylinder diesel Lister-Petter with a 7.5KW Kohler head.

She is full converted with a full bathroom/walk-in shower, gen set, Dometic
Fridge, and propane heat. She also has one basement air unit and another 110
air unit in the front. I don’t think that either of units was working to the previous owner’s satisfaction. Would it be better to install roof or basement A/C units?

The bus was parked in the late 1990's with a charging problem. Some of the
wiring is a mess, but electrical wiring "be my thang." She still carries an original generator which I would like to update to an alternator. Does anyone have suggestions, or perhaps photos/instructions? What is the best way to add an alternator to the engine?

Also the bearings on the idler pulleys and radiator fan need to be replaced. I believe I once saw a post where another Eagle owner eliminated the “t-drive” (am I calling it the right thing?) Should I replace the bearings, or is it recommended to replace the radiator and fan with something from a modern truck or bus? It came with a second t-drive, which I was told it needed.

The previous owner spent obscene amounts of money on her just prior to parking
her. Most importantly he had an engine problem in Oregon, so he took her to
Stewart & Stevenson and had a new "crate" 8V71 installed at a cost of over $20K.
The hubometer shows 2,100 miles!

The transmission is apparently either an eight or ten speed Eaton. He also had
new Jakes installed with the engine, and a rebuilt compressor. I even got all of the paperwork for all of the repairs and upgrades. When he got home, he and mama had a difference of "bus" opinion, and she went and bought a new Prevost which they still use.

Last Sunday when the wrecker driver was moving her they accidentally left the
transmission in gear, and pulled it less than a foot and she was running, and pushing
this gigantic wrecker up the road. It was all he could do to get it stopped
before we had a catastrophe. I surmise that once the residual fuel in the rack was gone, she quit running.

The wrecker driver offered my five times what I paid on the spot, so I suppose I
must have gotten a decent deal.

She currently carries an odd assortment of tire sizes. Steer 10-22, Drive 11-22, and Tag 10-20. I’ve been told that 24.5” are the preferred size. Is this correct, and does anyone have suggestions where to buy in the Houston area? Several of the rims are the old-fashioned and very dangerous split rims (Budd?) I’ve located new 24.5” steel wheels for $70 each and new Alcoa’s for $175 each.
At least one of the air lines needs to be replaced. Any suggestions along those “lines” would also be helpful. I’ve read the posts on updating the brake canisters, which we will definitely do. In about a week I’m going to remove the fuel and air tanks, and clean and inspect everything. I’ve promised my wife we won’t start her until the air brakes are fully functional as we have small children, and knocking her in gear seems all too easy. I’ll probably have a local truck shop do all of the brake work, but want to bring them all of the correct parts, and instructions on any updates we are going to make.

We did pressure wash her, which helped her appearance immensely. She currently has a
6' Pomeranian painted on the back, soon to be replaced by my wife's"5KidzKrazy" logo.

My total investment including the tow bill is less than $2k, but I expect to
spend thousands more over the next few weeks. I believe we got a solid old “caveman bus” which has lots of possibilities.

I'll post some photos soon, and have tons of other questions!
Greg

[Dreamscape]

Hi Greg, Glad to see you are posting here! It's been great talking and emailing with you. Ask lots of questions cause you at the right place to get correct answers!

Don't forget to start your Project Thread, and post all of your pictures and progress there. That way it's all in one spot and easy to find.

Welcome Aboard!

[rusty]

I don't know much about the 01's but I would say you are better off putting new bearing in the fan and idler. No reason to reivent the wheel here that fan was made to go a bunch of miles. Just remember to grease it, I give mine a shot everyday when on the road. I don't think you have to take out the radiator to do the bearing change, but if it were me I would take out the radiator and have it checked. Cooling is not a problem if everything is up to par. Sounds like you made a good deal. Welcome to the Maddness.

Good Luck Wayne

[gsriley1]

Does anyone have part numbers for the bearings?
Greg

[rusty]

Gregg, I do not know the bearing numbers, but the ones I have changed are avalible at a good bearing house. You can take yours apart and take them in to be matched.

good Luck Wayne