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Old 08-01-2022, 07:03 AM   #43
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I'm cautiously optimistic...had a successful road test yesterday after wrestling the trans and transfer case back into the bus.

New shocks - greatly improved ride quality/less bounce, definitely stiffer
Rebuilt trans with new/upgraded steels and frictions - no more vibration, smoother shifts
Disc brake conversion - holy cow, what an improvement
Torsion bar adjusters - front end is still 2" low, I need to get those back out and try a different setting on the adjustment gear to get more preload on the bars and get the front end up

It's still running on the hot side, so I'm going to put in an electric pusher fan to help airflow and probably swap in a 160° thermostat. Still need to find the leak in the dash a/c to get that recharged and working again, and have a few wiring things I need to sort out. I ended up replacing the chassis battery AGAIN because the one I bought just a month ago got deep cycled twice and was no longer holding a charge. I'm leaving the battery disconnected while parked for now until I can figure out what's drawing so much power when its parked.
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Old 08-01-2022, 02:46 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sploke View Post
Disc brake conversion - holy cow, what an improvement
LOL, Once I did the brakes, virtually every trip we ever took after that, I would just find and opportunity to ask my wife, "Have I ever told you how nice it is to have real brakes in this thing?" That was a running thing for several years after I made the mod.



On running warm, that coach should not have any problems with cooling. Does your scoop under the front bumper run all the way back to the radiator? Is the radiator working properly - no loose fins? Is your timing correct? Springs and weights OK? How is the carb? I've seen some Rochesters get the enrichment clogged or miss-adjusted. One particular Revcon was setup so the secondaries did not add any fuel. Anytime the secondaries opened up, it would overheat.
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Old 08-01-2022, 10:25 PM   #45
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LOL, Once I did the brakes, virtually every trip we ever took after that, I would just find and opportunity to ask my wife, "Have I ever told you how nice it is to have real brakes in this thing?" That was a running thing for several years after I made the mod.



On running warm, that coach should not have any problems with cooling. Does your scoop under the front bumper run all the way back to the radiator? Is the radiator working properly - no loose fins? Is your timing correct? Springs and weights OK? How is the carb? I've seen some Rochesters get the enrichment clogged or miss-adjusted. One particular Revcon was setup so the secondaries did not add any fuel. Anytime the secondaries opened up, it would overheat.
Question for you on the brakes - I replaced the proportioning valve with one meant for disc only, no drums. Now, I can't get the brake warning light and buzzer to turn off. The valve came with instructions to confirm operation of the warning light connection, and it's operating like it should. I'm not sure what the dash light/buzzer expects to be happening to turn off, but whatever it is, it's not happening. Did you have any issues with that?

As far as the temps...radiator is in great shape. I haven't checked the timing, I can look at that, but I haven't touched it and when I replaced the plugs they didn't look at all lean. I haven't messed with the carb at all, but it doesn't seem to be down on power or anything. Again, this thing has less than 10k miles on it so there's not a lot of wear and tear at all. I'll have to give Cliff's book another review and make sure everything on the carb is dialed in.

I don't have any kind of directed scoop under the bumper. The fairing under the bumper is just wide open back to the trans cooler, A/C condenser and radiator. Is there supposed to be some sort of ducting in there?
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Old 08-02-2022, 11:53 AM   #46
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Yes. Under the front bumper, the fiberglass should go come down about 10 inches on either side in front of the front wheels. There should be a center section that is a scoop/dam molded into the fiberglass that goes across the front. Attached to this is a section of aluminum that attaches the air dam to the base of the radiator frame. This forces all the air that goes under the bumper into the radiator. I have heard of someone who the previous owner broke the fiberglass center section, so they just cut the whole thing out. That may be what happened to yours. But there should be an air dam with duct work back to the radiator.



I did not have any issues with the brake light warning indicator. Can you unthread the sensor from the old one?
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Old 08-02-2022, 12:52 PM   #47
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Yes. Under the front bumper, the fiberglass should go come down about 10 inches on either side in front of the front wheels. There should be a center section that is a scoop/dam molded into the fiberglass that goes across the front. Attached to this is a section of aluminum that attaches the air dam to the base of the radiator frame. This forces all the air that goes under the bumper into the radiator. I have heard of someone who the previous owner broke the fiberglass center section, so they just cut the whole thing out. That may be what happened to yours. But there should be an air dam with duct work back to the radiator.



I did not have any issues with the brake light warning indicator. Can you unthread the sensor from the old one?
I went out and took another look...so I have what I considered a splash tray at the bottom of that lower fiberglass bumper fairing, and there are some pieces of aluminum sheet on either side that sort of direct the air away from the wheel wells, so maybe that's what you're talking about?
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Old 08-02-2022, 02:05 PM   #48
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Yes, you have the plate on the bottom and sides, although the sides maybe less than desirable. When you say running warm, what are your outside temps and under what conditions?



Even when I converted to the 502 which double the HP, so a lot more heat, I never had issues. Traveling 80 mph+ with temps in the high 90s towing a 24 ft sailboat, the fan did not run until I would slow down or stop.
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Old 08-02-2022, 02:28 PM   #49
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Quote:
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Yes, you have the plate on the bottom and sides, although the sides maybe less than desirable. When you say running warm, what are your outside temps and under what conditions?



Even when I converted to the 502 which double the HP, so a lot more heat, I never had issues. Traveling 80 mph+ with temps in the high 90s towing a 24 ft sailboat, the fan did not run until I would slow down or stop.
What thermostat did you have in?

From what I can tell, mine likely came with a 180° or 195° thermostat. I was getting up north of 220 on the drive west, but that was also in 90+ degree temps and going up hills. When I got on a downhill grade and was able to come off the throttle some, it generally settled down to 200-205. Still hotter than I'd like, but at least not in danger of boiling out of the radiator. It was definitely something I had to monitor later in the day as it got hotter and I'd prefer to not have to worry about it too much. You can see in the pics above I added an electric pusher fan so hopefully that will help some as well.
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Old 08-02-2022, 03:17 PM   #50
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It is very pleasing to see this thread, i am finishing a very big push/rebuild on a 33 imperial. May i ask how you lowered your propane tank? This Imperial has a tank that is 85 gallons..read 18" tall and over 6' long. Dropping that much weight terrifies me, i am no longer 35 yrs old and that tank is going to clumbsy and perhaps to heavy..I have no ideal of its weight.

As to your overheating, do you live in a DEQ state? Is your emission system fully functional? What GM did to that 454 is well crazy as far as a emission control system. You should be running a 185/195 stat in the engine, assuming your water pump is solid..your thermal clutch is functioning and your fan cowl is fully intact.
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Old 08-02-2022, 04:19 PM   #51
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It is very pleasing to see this thread, i am finishing a very big push/rebuild on a 33 imperial. May i ask how you lowered your propane tank? This Imperial has a tank that is 85 gallons..read 18" tall and over 6' long. Dropping that much weight terrifies me, i am no longer 35 yrs old and that tank is going to clumbsy and perhaps to heavy..I have no ideal of its weight.

As to your overheating, do you live in a DEQ state? Is your emission system fully functional? What GM did to that 454 is well crazy as far as a emission control system. You should be running a 185/195 stat in the engine, assuming your water pump is solid..your thermal clutch is functioning and your fan cowl is fully intact.
I'm not subject to emissions in CT due to the age of the vehicle. The AIR system has been removed, so there's not much left of the emissions control system. The fan cowl is there, but not fully intact.

My propane tank was only about 60lbs or so empty...I didn't know this until after it was out. I ran it empty, then lowered it down slowly using a few floor jacks. If you do a search on RV propane tanks for your size, you should be able to find someplace that lists the dry weight just so you have an idea of what you're looking at.
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Old 08-02-2022, 06:33 PM   #52
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Ive searched the net over and over for a tank of my size, the only thing i was able to glean from that was the robust construct that was used on those old tanks. Now that you state 65lbs its game on...after i work my self up to it..

I looked back at your old thread i see that is a very low mileage engine so carbon buildup should not be a issue. More than probably..99.9% chance you have pp heads and a real compression ratio of about 7.5 something. Those large chambered heads can take almost limitless advance. Ive finally settled in at 15 degrees initial, 22 mechanical advance a total of 37 degrees done by 2900 rpm. The vacuum can is limited to 10 degrees so at at cruise she's at 47 total advance..not a ping...not a rattle and absolutley no hesitation. September i plan to take a run in the mountains and pull a few high altitude grades simply to see if can get it to either ping or heatup to above 220. By the way late timing is a real heat problem for a 454...huge actually.
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Old 08-03-2022, 07:54 PM   #53
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Ran into a major setback on the suspension tonight...started taking the torsion bar adjusters out to adjust the ride height and realized one of them completely broke when I let the weight down on it. I need to call Suspension Maxx first thing tomorrow to straighten this nonsense out...extremely disappointed in this product.
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Old 08-08-2022, 02:19 PM   #54
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So, I am just having no luck at all lately with this thing. First, the above-mentioned torsion bar key crapping out on me. I contacted Suspension Maxx and they're helping me out to get this fixed...full resolution pending.

Then, I was having some issues with one of the backing plates for the disc brake conversion. Of the 4 kits I had, one of them had a backing plate/caliper bracket that was way out of wack. The tabs that surround the caliper were rubbing on the disc, and one of the caliper holes was drilled half out of the boss in the casting. Just generally poor manufacturing/QC.

So, I went back to etrailer on Friday, 7/29. They assured me they would get me a replacement out ASAP and get me back going. "ASAP" for them apparently meant not shipping the new part until the following Tuesday, and shipping it ground, so I received it last Friday, 8/5 (a full week to get a functional part back in my hands).

I excitedly opened the box and ran out to get it installed on the RV and quickly realized....THEY SENT ME THE WRONG FRICKIN PART. Kodiak makes a few different dash numbers for these brackets. They sent me a bracket for a two piece rotor and hub assembly...I have the integrated hub/rotor assembly (which they should have known since it's what they sold me in the first place).

So, immediately back on the phone with etrailer, to talk to a supervisor, and go through the same BS with them assuring me they'd expedite the correct part. Of course at that point it's late Friday afternoon and I'm SOL for getting a part shipped that evening for Mon morning. So, here it is Monday afternoon and I still haven't gotten any confirmation that they've shipped the part out. I'm absolutely livid with this company and their complete lack of customer focus/service. Once I get this straightened out I will likely be adding them to my mental blacklist for no future business.

Beyond frustrated right now.
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Old 08-09-2022, 07:52 AM   #55
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That floor looks perfect !
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Old 08-10-2022, 01:14 PM   #56
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So, I am just having no luck at all lately with this thing. First, the above-mentioned torsion bar key crapping out on me. I contacted Suspension Maxx and they're helping me out to get this fixed...full resolution pending.

Then, I was having some issues with one of the backing plates for the disc brake conversion. Of the 4 kits I had, one of them had a backing plate/caliper bracket that was way out of wack. The tabs that surround the caliper were rubbing on the disc, and one of the caliper holes was drilled half out of the boss in the casting. Just generally poor manufacturing/QC.

So, I went back to etrailer on Friday, 7/29. They assured me they would get me a replacement out ASAP and get me back going. "ASAP" for them apparently meant not shipping the new part until the following Tuesday, and shipping it ground, so I received it last Friday, 8/5 (a full week to get a functional part back in my hands).

I excitedly opened the box and ran out to get it installed on the RV and quickly realized....THEY SENT ME THE WRONG FRICKIN PART. Kodiak makes a few different dash numbers for these brackets. They sent me a bracket for a two piece rotor and hub assembly...I have the integrated hub/rotor assembly (which they should have known since it's what they sold me in the first place).

So, immediately back on the phone with etrailer, to talk to a supervisor, and go through the same BS with them assuring me they'd expedite the correct part. Of course at that point it's late Friday afternoon and I'm SOL for getting a part shipped that evening for Mon morning. So, here it is Monday afternoon and I still haven't gotten any confirmation that they've shipped the part out. I'm absolutely livid with this company and their complete lack of customer focus/service. Once I get this straightened out I will likely be adding them to my mental blacklist for no future business.

Beyond frustrated right now.
So, I got my second replacement part from etrailer today. Aaaaand, they sent me the same wrong replacement part they sent the first time. The incompetence here is absolutely staggering. How can a company do business like this? I will NEVER EVER EVER be giving them business again.
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