This might be lengthy, look at photos first to keep your interest.
With most of the bus frame repair, replaced or reinforced I have now to start a new journey in my conversion process. I choose the engine and eng. Compt. You will see from the beginning photos of how my engine and eng. Compt. Look and it is disgusting. So I decided to remove the engine, upgrade and paint the engine. Compartment and also inspect and paint my engine before putting it back in. Well that was a good intention, but as luck would have it there was a lot more going to have to be done and it was not going to be easy either.
The first photos show the original engine fuel lines and who knows what else and what in hell everything else was at that time but what a freaking mess back there but its days were numbered to be in that condition. I designed a moveable engine cradle to remove the bus engine from the compartment. This took days, I had to find materials I thought would be heavy duty enough to hold the engine. Then how was I going to design it?? It took days to do, maybe a week or longer. I unhooked all lines and electrical connections to the engine which took a couple of days to make sure I did it all right and marked everything etc to be ready to remove the engine. After fitting the cradle to the engine and raising the engine about 1 “ off the bus frame cradle using 4 2 ton jacks placed on the corners of the oil pan, I raise the engine to remove it from the engine compartment.
This all worked good, real good until I got the engine outside of the bus area and all of a sudden the engine rolled over off the cradle as if in slow motion, Jesus, here we go again. Working all alone, as usual, and using only a 2 ton engine hoist, I worked 2 solid lengthy days to bring this engine back up to vertical and placed it on wooden blocks. I was a wreck, not knowing if I hurt my engine etc. and so many scenarios going through my mind, you can just imagine.
Now I had placed the engine securely secured on wooden blocks, my inspection would begin after pressure washing the engine first. I taped off all the openings to stop water from getting into the engine and what an oily, filthy mess she was. After drying a day I started my inspection by opening up the inspection ports on the right hand side of the engine and I was able to see the pistons as they were moved by hand by me and I could easily see the pistons go up and down and I was looking for broken rings etc. Well I did not have to look far, I found what looked like a piece of a broken ring in the inside edge of one of the inspection ports and remember this area is protected with a bolted cover and nothing can get in there from the outside anyhow.
Further inspection found that my motor mounts were welded at one time and one of the welds was cracked as well!! Look in the photos, it just never ever ends.
Not viewing a broken ring from the inspection port area I decided to remove the oil pan and check there for debris and metal from any failure from the past. Well I did find metal in the oil and a large chunk of metal that was pulverized and I had no ide what it was. It looks like the lower part of a piston but you can see it in the oil pan photos. After all these findings I instantly got that sick feeling in my gut. What in hell to do, put this engine back in the bus after clean up and paint or find another engine hopefully now without any issues. After days of thinking about it I made the decision, Replace the Engine with another if the price is right.
I went on line and through the ads on a busnut website I found one in Michigan I believe it is. Dick Egler had it for sale and the price was good but the distance to go get it sucked and it had Jake brakes installed as well. Wow, just what I would need to travel cross country and all those mountains etc. and I heard they are great to have. My understanding wife and I loaded up our class “C” motorhome and I borrowed a car hauler trailer from a friend and away we went after making a deal with Dick Egler on the phone. Before we got there, maybe half way there my rv overheated and shut down!! Jesus, what now?? When the engine cooled down I drove to the nearest ramp to get off the interstate and low and behold there was a repair shop right there at the end of the ramp. I drove in, told the mechanic what happened, he determined I had a blockage in my muffler and this was causing it. So he cut off the muffler with a sawzall and welded in a new pipe section and off we went again and never had that problem anymore. Little did I know that the muffler he kept might be worth money to salvage yards. I never was a good businessman, I told you that.
We returned from picking up the engine with no other issues but when I got in the yard, I had to have a rental place down the road a piece came and removed the pallet with a lift In the meantime before working on the new engine I removed the original Eagle frame cradle support as seen in photos and then designed and installed my version of a new support cradle that was removeagle if needed etc. I didn’t have much to do anyhow, hahaha.
This is the end of Post 23, this engine saga wil continue in the next post. NOTE: I did not take photos of the engine I got in Michigan from Dick and could not post this information here now. Enjoy the photos.