Low gearing solutions?

[teamgreen]

Does anyone have any tip regarding this issue? I have a gas powered bus with ,I'm guessing, 6.20:1 gearing and it goes around 50. I am considering looking for a a higher geared 2 speed rear end from a salvage yard. It's a fairly short B500 Ford bus and I would like to go 55-60 without to much strain. If this topic is somewhere else, I'm sorry I couldn't find it here. Any ideas or tips would be appreciated.

[Stealth Camper]

Can't get there from here. I have almost identical setup. 6.33:1 on high range in rear end. 8.4:1 on low range. New Process transmission that I can't remember the ratios on...I can go 50 to 55, depending on downward slope of the hill.

I talked to local truck place that said they could re-gear the rear end and it was disproportionately expensive - about $2,000.

Have thought about changing axles and drive train (to diesel) but that is very pricey and takes more time than I want to put into that.

Lately, I have been looking into changing from original 20" tires to 22.5. That should add a few mph to the same engine speed, but will reduce the load pulling ability. That is no problem for me - so long as it can pull itself.

[tamangel]

I had a 1969 B500 Ford short bus for a while.. I found it had the same engine (HD 351) as most U-Haul trucks of the time frame..probably shares alot of the same chassis components also..parts source?.. maybe some help in locating specs and ideas.. Somewhere, I have all the manuals...somewhere...

Mike

[teamgreen]

Cost is not an issue for me as I will be buying used and installing it myself. These parts are very common in junkyards and inexpensive. I can get a differential from a salvage yard for 300-500 dollars and install it myself. I think I need a two speed though so I will probably end up with a whole axle swap. My friends are pushing the diesel swap but that is a HUGE project and I would not install anything I can't maintain myself. You are going to have an expensive experience if you rely on mechanics. Find friends who can help you.

[Stealth Camper]

This whole train of thought just keeps coming back to one solution for me. If I don't want to keep the gas engine, I will just go get a diesel bus. I want to put the effort into the living quarters rather than wrenching. But then I'm getting old enough and have done enough car and small truck work that it is no big thrill to me any more - doing the interior is much more fun.

[teamgreen]

A diesel bus is the way to go for sure. I live in Ca where the state has systematically destroyed their older diesel schoolbuses so people like me can't use them. I am a stubborn fool and went against all the advice given me and bought a gas powered hydraulic braked bus and now Imust suffer the consequences. I wanted a short,low tech bus and this one came with a prior conversion. It will never be a great highway vehicle but I think it can be improved on.

[dburt]

Perhaps you could find an older Ford 2-ton farm truck that has a worn out engine that you could pull the rear axle from. Most came with 2-spd rear axles, so if you could get lucky, you could pick up a dead farm truck for $4-500 and have your rear axle. Of course you need to look in a farming area, so if you are in SoCal in LaLa land, you need to check out the farming areas up north from Bakersfield to Sacramento. Farm auctions are a good place to find worn out farm trucks, as well as farm equipment and truck dealers.

Another option is to find a so-called "brownie box" 2 or 3-spd aux transmission that you put behind your main transmission. Older Farm trucks had them also, and are a great way to gear up or down as the driving situation demands.

[graydawg]

DBURT you are aging yourself, especially if you ever drove one or owned one, but you are right a fellow could find one, they will most likely be found on old farm equipment or a more likely you will find one around a military surplus yard. usually in a international all wheel drive tracter even a convertible top seemed to be the rage in those day's. The name suicide shifter seems to come to mind.

[Rudy]

My 1973 Blue Bird with the 1160 Cat diesel say 6.8 for the gearing. The guy who drove it home when I first got it was reaching speeds of close to 70 MPH.

Is my bus supposed to go that fast? Going 60 or 65 would be fast enough for me if I was driving it.

I have no tachometer on the dash. Are those hard to hook up? I don't know how to hook one up.

Also, the bus has 11R 22.5 tires.

[teamgreen]

Wow Rudy,
70 seems really fast for a diesel with that gearing but maybe you have an overdrive. I would definitely want a tach but I have no idea how they are installed on a diesel. It is hooked to the ignition system on a gas powered bus.

[Jones'n4chrome]

My 1973 Blue Bird with the 1160 Cat diesel say 6.8 for the gearing. The guy who drove it home when I first got it was reaching speeds of close to 70 MPH.

Is my bus supposed to go that fast? Going 60 or 65 would be fast enough for me if I was driving it.

I have no tachometer on the dash. Are those hard to hook up? I don't know how to hook one up.

Also, the bus has 11R 22.5 tires.

If you do not have an overdrive transmission and your tire diameter is 41.3 then @ 70 MPH the engine RPM would be 3872.54

I'm not sure what max RPM is on your engine, but I never go above 2100 RPM on mine.

How do you know what your gear ratio is? The tag on the dash could be wrong. The speedo could be wrong.
They may have geared it higher when they made it into "The Strong Johnson Emergency Response Unit"

Drive it down the road and check it with your GPS.

Chuck

[Jones'n4chrome]

Wow Rudy,
70 seems really fast for a diesel with that gearing but maybe you have an overdrive. I would definitely want a tach but I have no idea how they are installed on a diesel. It is hooked to the ignition system on a gas powered bus.

Don't let Diesel's spook you too much, they are not hard to figure out. I think they are easier to work on and more reliable then most gas engine's.
You can't beat them when it comes to moving heavy vehicles.
I don't want anything that runs on gas anymore. I think Sharkey said that on the site somewhere.

[teamgreen]

I know I know, gas is bad. I also have hydraulic brakes as I am a glutton for punishment. I got mine cheap, already converted,and with a porch. It does need a major remodel which I am having a blast with. I have to deal with what I have but if I ever get busy at work again, a 5.9 12 valve Cummins sounds like fun. All I would need is everything from the radiator to the rear end.

[Stealth Camper]

Just keep driving it like it is - that will be the cheapest solution for many years. If you just absolutely can't resist, buy another bus with drive train you want and convert it. Keep the first one as a weekend camper and use the diesel for long trips. Or just alternate between the two. Or gut it and put seats back in so you can take 30 or 40 of your closest friends on small trips around town. (I do that from time to time with friends and family. I may look for another seated bus after conversion just so we can continue the tradition.)

[teamgreen]

The two bus option sounds fun but this bus is my home. I'll probably drive it as is for a while with a 2 speed rear end on the wish list unless someone tells me different. They are common and cheap in junkyards. I'm thinking that since my bus is quite small, going 55 should not be impossible. Forty five is not OK on the freeways where I live. Hopefully, I'll be leaving the freeways of the Bay Area behind me soon. Anyway, thanks for everyones advice.