Oh dear, what did I just get into?

[irmagoo]

welcome bene
good luck on your venture!!
mike

[streetrodder]

BENE, don't get too discouraged with anything that you may encounter with your new to you BB. Just ask questions and these guys will give you the answers. Again WELCOME to the zoo ha ha ! TOM

[bubblerboy64]

Your plan makes good sense. Have as good of an idea as is possible what you are starting with before getting into it too far. If the mechanicals are sound you've got a lot of work to do but the end result will be worth it. If the bus requires 20K of engine transmission and heavy work better know that up front.

You certainly sound like you've developed an organized approach to this. Just don't get too attached until you get the inspections completed.

Looks like it will be a fun project to follow along on. Good luck and get those pictures posted. We like pictures.

[papadbh]

Bene, you are a wise man! Gonna love that bus, trust me I know!! Good luck and welcome to the fun...

[Randy Dupree]

The Cat engine will smoke on startup when its cold.
It will also smoke on startup when its hot.
It will also smoke going down the road.
It will smoke at idle!
Its the nature of the beast!
Of course new oil,new fuel and air filters will help.
I would say if you drove it 600 miles its going to be fine.
What say the rest of you Cat guys?

[Bill Pape]

Bene,

We admire your thoughts & efforts. We welcome you and are excited when someone brings one of these Old Dinosaurs back to life.
As said the 3208 will smoke white when cold and black when hot & under load. This is a good thing, means it is healthy and wants to run.
Your trip home indicates the drive train is probably solid, the early 3208 usually does not generate enough horse power to do damage to the Allison or rear gears. Check the suspension, steering brakes and exhaust for safety.
Change all fluids & filters, cleanup the interior, replace the tires & hit the road. This bus can still travel & have fun while some renovation is in progress.

[Rick]

Smoking is not a problem with the 3208. Mine smokes just as Randy said, at start up and going down the road. Rather than smoke look for oil consumption.

[gcyeaw]

The N/A 3208 will run forever as long as you maintain proper maintenance. That means scheduled oil changes and add what is needed along the way. I use Shell Rotella 15/40, but there are several other quality brands. My 250 turbo eats oil for lunch, about 1 quart every 300 miles or so depending on the speed and hills.


A valve adjustment is another thing that should be done. Improper clearances from wear can result in a broken valve which can pretty much trash the engine. It's cheap insurance. I've put over 40K miles on it mine with no issues. It has about 94K miles on a rebuild installed two or three owners ago. I had the valves adjusted this spring and they required very little adjustment, but knowing they are right is a good feeling.

The rubber fuel lines at the engine get cracked and brittle under the cloth loam covering them. Take a good look, they may need replacing if they are original.

I used to have a '78 FC33. I upgraded to an '83 FC35. The old '78 is still in use by a new owner.

[Gene Mehr]

Mine 3208 smokes in the national parks pulling the hills going past all the peddle bike riders getting fresh air. and I just poor the smoke on them with my right foot.

[iamflagman]

Originally Posted by Bene

There is a bit of slop in the steering and a bit more blue smoke on startup than I'd like too, though not while running after warmed up. So, I think I'll need to get the motor, tranny, rear end, brakes, steering, and chassis a once over before I delve too far into planning full rebuild procedures.

Your adventure sounds almost identical to what I did when I purchased my 'Bird, I totally agree about the CAT 3208 smoking and mine uses oil, more depending on how hard I drive it and what kind of terrain I'm traveling on. Check out this thread Wanderlodge Owners Group > Mechanic's Corner > FC (Forward Control Unique Issues) > Throttle Sweet Spot

As far as slop in the steering, I like most early model 'Bird owners have found that first being used to driving a car or a pickup where we sit behind the front axle and then jumping in a 'Bird where we are now sitting behind the front axle greatly affected how we reacted to changes in the steering wheel and tended to over correct with our steering input which in turn created more of the Wandering. There are however certain things that can be done to correct some of this through a good correct king pin lubrication and other adjustments, etc, check out;

Wanderlodge Owners Group > Mechanic's Corner > Tires, Brakes, Steering and Suspensions > Taking some more of the wander out of the Wanderlodge

Related threads to also view;


FRONT PANHARD BAR REBUILD


KONI FSD Self Adjusting Shocks & KONI Adjustable Shocks, Procedure & Part Numbers


Rear Suspension Panhard Rod Bolt Failure Warning And Repair

If you haven't looked through my photo web site for other ideas check out VISIT THE FINN'S INN EXPRESS REMODELING ADVENTURE AND TECH. TIPS