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Regular
Location: Santa Cruz, Calif. | You've come a long way, Stephan and probably a lot mopre time than you expected. But it is looking great and it has been an impressive education for all of us. Are you goiong to paint flames on the sides of the coach?? ;-} |
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Expert
 
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Yes, it is taking longer than expected, but to do it "right" just takes time. No flames, just will be quietly showing people my exhaust pipe! |
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Veteran
Location: Olympia, Washington | Quietly? |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | byegorge - 2012-10-02 11:00 PM Quietly?
It will be quiet up front where I will be sitting! The Duramax is a relatively quiet diesel. I will be running a Banks tuner and will keep it in the Economy setting most of the time. But if I select the extra 75 hp setting, it might not be so quiet for those that I pass. |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | The project moves forward. The fuel tank is out of the donor so that the fuel pickup assembly is assessable and the fan pulley is back from the machine shop. http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=77&photoid=2301 |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | This winter progress has been slow due to time being required for some other activities, but some progress has been made relative to the fuel tank. If you go to the following link, it will put you where the new photos start.
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=77&ph...
You will be able to see the complex fuel pickup/return/sending assembly and how it will be attached to the FMC tank. Since I retire in another month, much more time will be available before long. Things will move much faster then. |
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Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Great meeting you and Eric, Stephen. Hope your retirement keeps you busy and happy as hell.
Also hope Eric can keep up with you.
On the ferry back to Vancouver then Blaine Wa. in the morning for my second attempt to get #509 across the border.
Keep us posted on the progress.
Terry Anderson
#846
#509?
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | A little more progress has been made. With the very capable and appreciated assistance of Larry Enoksen, #968, the fuel pickup assembly and the fuel tank have been removed. Those photos start here: http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=77&Page=12&sortdir=asc Additionally, the master brake cylinder was also removed and taken to Randy Bradshaw, #299, for analysis and rebuilding. |
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Contributor
Location: Cupertino, CA | Stephen, thanks for letting me help! Perhaps when you return we can make some more progress. I may go to Eric's and reinstall the brake plunger we took out that could have been left in. A little less to do when reinstalling the master cylinder.
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Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | No time for rest Stephen. Can't wait for the day when you let us all know that the 'D-Max Sings!' Love diesels. Carry on and please do say hello to Eric for me. |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | At last!!!! Some more progress in that the new fuel tank has been completed and awaits installation. As most of you know, work on the coach has been delayed by many months due to my moving to Oregon. With the move almost completed, work on the coach will resume and at a faster pace as I have also fully retired. Here is a link to the latest photos in the photo album detailing the process.
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=77&ph...
If you have not done so, you are encouraged to go back to page one of the album and follow it from the begining so that you have a full appreciation of the process and all that is involved.
Comments are welcome as are wrench spinners! |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Some more progress has been made. Here is a link to recent activities including the placement of the fuel pickup module into the tank.
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid... |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | And some more progress is being made. Here is a link to page 15 of the photo album on this site. The fuel tank is ready to go in and the generator has been removed and the dash gauge cluster has been removed. See the comparison pictures of the 1976 gauge cluster and the 2006 gauge cluster. What will take time with the gauges is the trimming of the new cluster and the design and fabriction of what will suround it and hold it in place. Hopefully, it will also be pleasing to look at! One step at a time. http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=77&Page=15&sortdir=asc There just is a LOT of steps! |
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Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Thanks for sharing Stephen - sounds like a blurb from an 'AA' meeting :-)
Keep pushing my friend, the good-weather's a com'in!
I agree with your sentiments on the new gauge cluster vs the old with one caveat: when something on the new one calves you buy a new unit; whereas, if something goes on the old school one, you'll likely be replacing
a bulb.
Walk-on...
Your Canuck friend,
Terry |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | It appears that the engine is slipping into the coach!
see page 17: http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Well, the engine has been in and out a few times since my last post. Here is a link to where the photo album has continued the installation process. http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=77&photoid=2882 At this point the engine is permanently in the coach, the parking brake mechaism designed and installed and the stuff is being put onto the engine such as the dual 145 amp alternators. Click on the link and follow the pictures for the expalaination in the picture captions. Come and see the coach in Carthage in July. |
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Contributor
Location: Cupertino, CA | BRM hasn't posted progress lately, so I wanted to let you know that he has put on many of the engine accessories, Eric has begun the installation of the wiring harnesses and will be working on running the wires front to rear to make things work.
Another milestone was achieved today, or at least it felt like it when Stephen and Mark (his son) installed the fuel tank, ran the fuel lines and wiring.
Next in line is bleeding the brakes and converting the Generator to Propane before its reinstallation.
Stephen is working faithfully on the coach with the goal of it being on the road soon. Next milestones will be getting the intercooler and radiator installed and running the motor. Then it will just be making sure all the parts that have been disconnected have been reconnected and doing a test run.
It is hard not being excited about the progress being made and seeing the shell of an engine compartment being filled with soon to be working parts!
Keeping the faith with Stephen, I am, |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | larryenok - 2014-06-07 8:42 PM Another milestone was achieved today, or at least it felt like it when Stephen and Mark (his son) installed the fuel tank, ran the fuel lines and wiring.
I would like make one correction to the above post in that it was Larry and Mark that did the real heavy lifting in getting the new fuel tank into the coach. I could not have done it without their help. Here is a link http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/show-album.asp?albumid=77&photoid=2951 to a photo of the tank being put into position. You can see that some serious lifting was done by the two of them. Mark is on the left and Larry is on the right. It is exciting to see a light at the end of the tunnel and know it is NOT a train!! |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | All fuel filters and lines are now in place as well as the engine compartment computers.
See it here: http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Still not a train at the end of the tunnel! The work continues on getting the coach on the road and to Carthage. This link takes you to page 23 of the photo album. http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=77&Page=25&sortdir=asc It shows the location of the water to air intercooler (technically an "aftercooler" . |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Still plugging away on the project. Here is a link to page 27 of the photo album. http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid=77&Page=27&sortdir=asc Don't know where you left off in your picture viewing, but the last two pages at the moment are #27 and #28. The time to turn the key is getting close. |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | The project is still progressing. Here is a link to page 29 and 30 of the photo album where you can see the current status. Close, but still not done!
http://www.fmcowners.com/mbbs22/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
Too many other projects and life events! |
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Elite Veteran
Location: Victoria, BC. Canada | Looking good Stephen!
Can't wait to hear them tires squeal.
Give'r!
Terry |
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Expert
Location: Cottage Grove, OR | Time for a project update. Progress has been slow as last fall we purchased a fixer-upper house in Cottage Grove and that has taken time away from this project. In fact, after having worked on the coach last February, I was unable to do any more work on it until yesterday. BUT, yesterday was a good day in particular because Eric was able to spend all day and into the night working on the electronics.
The end result? THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND RUNS VERY SMOOTHLY!!!!
We are now working on all the little things that can now be identified that need adjusting or tightening or etc. such as putting a fuse where missing, attaching the ground wire that was missed, tightening the hose fitting that was loose, new adapter bracket that attaches the shift cable to the transmission, searching for the vacuum leak .... you get the idea!
I will be running a couple of Banks Power ( http://bankspower.com ) add on units: the engine tuner and the Speed Brake (provides engine braking using the OEM turbo). We started and ran the engine without and Banks items, just the OEM units, to prove that we had that part properly connected before we started changing things. It was nice to see the full dash cluster functionality all working as it did originally in the donor vehicle.
We are now connecting the Banks units and will then retest everything after that is done. I will then provide another update. |
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Elite Veteran
Location: Oceanside, CA | Awesome news! It's nice to hear about someone successfully completing one of these conversions rather than the half dozen FMC's I've seen setting with no engine and "I planned to swap in a diesel but never finished" comments attached to them.
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The Dieselfication of Coach 1046
