Birddogs Baja Bus

[birddog1148]

My regular haunt is the off road section but bought this today. $350 with a clear title

[Ol'fogasaurus]

What's the plan for it?

Lee

[birddog1148]

What's the plan for it?

Lee

Dunno, try to get it running in the next few days for starters. I know it will not be a show car, Cooperbaja thinks I should make a Baja Bus and that dont sound all that bad.

How tippy are lifted busses? I rolled a truck once and don't want to repeat that.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

If you are going to make it an off-road bus you better figure some way to keep the silverware from jumping out of the drawer and the drawer shut!

Actually there are several of busses that run out on the dunes in OR; from what I have seen they lift them about 5". I've never ridden on one on the dunes and I don't expect to even if asked. I hear riding in the front seat when dropping off the top of a dune is a real rush. The ones I know of, that run on the open dunes, not the trails are not camper vans as they are too heavy and too much potential flying stuff but on the trails and open lands like in CA they should be the cat’s meow; fun riding the trails in the AM, then a leisurely dinner in the back with the awning out then a leisurely trail ride back to home; ahhh, that sounds like “the life”.

I know of one bus that got rolled down a no-see-un dune on New Year’s Eve night filled with people in various states/stages of self-awareness in it and several got thrown around and hurt so if you do build a Baja Bus, do the cage, seating, and restraints correctly!

Lee

[birddog1148]

Got it back to the shop and it started for a second and the radio works, ran out of time, play some more friday.

[turboblue]

'71 ?

[birddog1148]

'71 ?

yep

[turboblue]

'71 ?

yep

If I ever bought a bus that would be the year I'd shoot for.
It should have disc brakes on the front..........

[birddog1148]

Off to work on the old girl today, hope to drive it around the yard by sunset.

[birddog1148]

Well, swapped in an old carb from the Baja and she fired right up. Still going to rebuild the carb she came with. drove her around the block a few times, think the accelerator pump circuit on the swapped in carb is plugged now. worked at first but dies now unless I ease into the throttle. New cap, wires, plugs. Dont have brake lights or rear turn signals yet, or headlights. And I am pretty sure there is an exhaust leak or 2 or 3. The nurse that steared it to the shop wants a ride so I better get workin huh?

[4play]

got it running good take her for a ride, and maby you can play doctor,

[birddog1148]

Slower night at work so I found some time to rebuild the carb.
Got some new exhaust gaskets coming and some spare fuses. Also ordered a shifter bushing kit as I understand that can be a cause of the sloppy shifting.
The more I play with this thing the more I like it. I am not giving up the Baja but this thing seams like fun!

[fusername]

they are a blast and not too tippy. i lifted mine ~2.5 inches. would like to go higher w/ bigger rubber, i only had 27 on it. also if you do roll them, bays are fantastic in a rollover. the achiellies heal, esp on a pre -72 is head on, there is very little structuree under the cab.

in order of importance:
TIRES! must be minimum 1580lbs load rating, so c min, and reinforced sidewall is strongly redomended, makes a huuuuuuuuge difference in ride quality. i had a bus that handled better with NO shocks and the right tires vs passenger car tires and shocks.
cvs: you can bolt on t4 joints and get a few inches if you machine em or get ~1/2 inch longer axles, but i think the best move is bite the bullet and go straight to 930s. i wish i had rather than the incremental upgrade.
front end: cut and turn, just like a bug cause bus adjusters are expensive. you need to cut off the steering thingy then weld it back on, but thats easy enough. slap on some coil over shocks for a cheap up. rear bug shocks are the same as front bus shocks, so those crappy empi coils will work. if you have the cash, liift spindles are the best way to go, or the tools to diy. youd swear they were made of gold tho, only two shops does em that i know of, 400+ per set.

ill post more when im at a oc, but i think uve seen my thread. off road bays are fantastic.

oh and to keep tire selection easier, most mercs and volvo use bus bolt patterns, so ditch those wierd 14 inch rims and go 15 or 16. i am@@@@@@@@@@

[birddog1148]

Waiting on a turn signal switch. Nasty vacume leak appeared and caused much chaos. Was at the vacume port on the left side of the engine, a short section of hose was there with a bolt in it and the hose was split.

I have adjusted the valves, changed the throttle cable, electric has been a bear but about got that handled. New shifter bushings came in and have a 3 day weekend coming up.

Glad this came with the bus.

[fusername]

doing an engine drop to do all the bushings? worth it for shifter feel, and anytime is a good time to repack CVs, esp if ur gonna lift it.