We made it! I have to say, there were a few times the past couple of weeks that I wasn’t at all sure we would make it to Arizona, but we rolled in to Grammy’s right on time, just like we said we would. In all honesty, I sort of relished the challenge, especially with our land travels. RV travel tends to be way easier than travel by boat. Three thousand miles in a fifty-six year-old motorhome that hasn’t been cared for in at least a decade certainly fit the bill.
My mom lives in a retirement community that wouldn’t allow a bus to be parked inside for five minutes (they actually stuck an HOA ticket on the U-Haul windshield when I moved her in, as if they thought Grammy would try to make it a permanent fixture in her driveway), let alone a couple of weeks, so we rented a house for us all to hang out in during the holidays. We also made sure they had a big yard and no problem with a 31′ bus being there.
We’re just moving along, section by section. There were leaks around pretty much every window over the years, so all of the window framing and insulation needs to come out. It’s not particularly difficult work, just messy and time consuming. Jobs like this really can’t be done unless we’re in a place with other sleeping options for a few days.
This AirBnB turned out to be perfect for working on the bus.
More important than construction work during this stop, was tuning up the engine. In the end I decided to try and fix the Holley carb by removing the four bolts that hold it down, lifting it out of the bus, and throwing it in the garbage. This seemed like as good a time as any to start fresh with an Edelbrock. I was very excited about tackling this project. New carb, plugs, and plug wires seemed like the most obvious place to start.
The kids found plenty to do around the yard, and Grammy hung out in a chair outside the bus. Nice way to spend time together and also make some progress on the rolling home.
While we’re pulling out window frames to rebed them we’re also replacing the glass (just the big panes, not the little side windows).
When I first dropped the carb on I realized the throttle was going to hit the engine. Needed a nice spacer, which I was happy to discover was a problem that has already been addressed, and the part was sitting at O’Reillys waiting for me.
The valve covers came out, got cleaned up and painted, had new gaskets put in, and are looking pretty sharp. I’ve been told fresh paint adds ten horsepower.
Ahhh, a thing of beauty. Fingers crossed as I crank it over. ruh, ruh, ruh, boom, pow, backfire. Yikes. It’s late in the day, good time to sleep on the problem.
The next morning I came out with a clear head, took the air filter off and went through it step-by-step. That’s when I discovered my goof. The throttle on this was backwards to the old Holley. When the gas pedal was pushed down, the gas was off, when it was up the gas was on. That would make driving a little tricky. I relocated that shiny silver spring to the other side of the engine. At least now the engine was getting gas only when I was pushing down on the pedal.
It still wouldn’t start, though. I went through everything again. Plugs are all cinched up, plug wires are all pressed on tight and attached where they should be. The only other thing that was changed was the coil. It’s one of those thirty dollar parts that I just figured I’d replace as long as I was at it. We had had trouble finding an exact match (there’s internal and external resistor coils) and had eventually settled on this one. Since I wasn’t 100% sure it was the right one, and because the old one had been working, I just put the old one back in. And wouldn’t you know it, the engine fired right up. One little turn on the idle screw and we were purring beautifully at 800 RPM.
In the end I replaced the carb, air cleaner, plugs, plug wires, all vacuum hoses, fuel lines and filters, fuel pump. I also bought a long breaker bar and was finally able to crack the oil pan bolt. It was on so tight that I’m virtually certain nobody had changed the oil in a decade. New oil and filter sure couldn’t hurt anything. All in all, not really that much work, and only about $500 bucks, to get this thing really running right.
24 Comments on “Fine Tuning”
nice – congrats! that’s gotta feel good …
You are a gem.
Yeah, rookie mistake. RED paint adds 11hp -and a racing stripe an extra .5… 🙂
So cool. If you guys are ever around Orlando, we have 3 acres you can park, rest, fix and socialize. Looks like you guys are having a blast.
Let’s see, you replaced the starter, battery, carb, plugs & wires, coil, valve cover gaskets, oil & filter. Next thing to go will be the alternator.
Might be wise to pick up a rebuilt spare as they are likely cheap for your rig. Of course you know you can drive a long way on a fully charged battery if you leave all misc. electric stuff off.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. It’s another one of those parts that always surprises me with how cheap it is and how easy it is to replace.
Satisfying work💕
Wishing all the Bumfuzzle Gang a Happy and Healthy 2022! You are truly a Renaissance man. It took me all weekend to paint one small room…
Glad you made it to your Mum’s…..Have and adventurous and healthy New Year!!!
Glad to see it was not such a big job to fix.
Glad that you made it to your Mom’s, since you don’t have her garage any more who’s keeping the 356? I hope it’s safe and in good hands. No details required, just hope that’s it safe and being cared for. Robbie
Are those gate valves and galvanized pipe near the radiator? Hot water line?
When opened they let hot engine water run through two heaters (with blowers) inside the bus. I removed one of them because it was HUGE and took up the entire space underneath one of the kitchen table seats. The other is installed in the dash in front of the passenger, so it’s not intrusive. Haven’t actually used it yet because there just hasn’t been any need. Never really that cold while we’re driving.
I was wondering if it had the optional SteamPunk Cooling Package. 😀
Fine logical engine thinking — maybe keep looking for a proper replacement coil.
happy New Year to you and Family!!!– still sunny and warm here if you float by again.
Happy to see you made it to Moms with a little sightseeing along the way. Envy you your warm weather. It was six here in Michigan yesterday. I love all seasons; but as I am getting older, winter is getting longer. Love how you and Ali are not afraid to tackle a project and make it work. Your mechanical abilities truly are amazing. Hope things continue to fall into place.
It looks as if you are ready to go to the drag races. Kudos. Blue Bird Drag Racing . . . right up there with Monster Trucks. A sure money maker. 😉
You have developed much patience!
Patience & persistence pay off! Thanks for the morning laugh here in our RV, when we read your comment:
“RV travel tends to be way easier than travel by boat.”
We were inspired by your book to buy a boat & take to cruising. After 2 years of the live-aboard life my husband announced:
“I did not retire to work on a boat!” So now we live in an RV-also has its challenges (plenty for an old fart of 70) but not the boating motto we became too familiar with: “It’s always something.”
Glad you continue to relish such challenges! Nice spot you found to finish the projects-good luck with it all! Can’t wait to see the wonderful finished product you will all create together! 🙂
Ok, that first picture had me thinking the engine was in a wheelbarrow….glad I was wrong and the repairs were easy. Happy New Year and safe travels.
Love to check in and see your fun rebuilds. But speaking of “Fine Tuning”, I am working on my trading a bit. I cannot find the Graphics and Charts site (www.liveonthemargin.com/lotm-graphics-and-charts) to follow along the Live on the Margin audiobook. Any chance I could get an emailed copy, or if you have another way to access them? Thank you in advance.
Hi Preston, here is a link to the graphics and charts for Live on the Margin. Will send an email as well. https://web.archive.org/web/20140313234833/http://liveonthemargin.com:80/lotm-graphics-and-charts/
Thank you Ali!
Put on chrome valve covers and you can do a wheelie in the bus.