Omg, we have a 1956 gmc bus & I had no idea what the was in the front of the bus. I had no idea it unlocked it. How cool 😊 thanks for the video.

Have fun with kids. They will never forget this.

That was being a good parent making sure the kids were away from the shifter.

@bryankeller3492

5 жыл бұрын

YES...Good Dad...(Wonder if Mom still nags him to dress biz casual and get a mini van instead)

Really like your bus. Same year as me 😎

After you start the engine you should engage the high idle for a number of reasons, it kicks the alternator in to charge your batteries , it also prevents the engine from hunting and warms the engine up quicker but primarily to kick the alternator in and give the engine sufficient revs to properly charge the batteries. I know it started easily but that starter pulls over 600 amps from the batteries to start the engine on a warm day. For long battery life you must replace the used power quickly or the battery will internally degrade to a lower state of charge and need replacement much sooner than normal, usually just when everything is packed and your ready to take the wife and kiddies on a weekend or a full vacation and the bus fails to start due to low or dead batteries. I learned the hard way and am simply trying to impart my knowledge after driving truck for over 30 years. Cheers!

@NJP76

5 жыл бұрын

I also read somewhere that Detroit Diesels tend to run low oil pressure if they are on slow idle for too long.

i wish i had a bus like thay.. would be a great project for me.. been looking for a bus at a good price. . have a 31ft class a in great shape but want a bus.. thanks for the video.. cool old bus

That's the year I was born. You must follow up with the restoration story. Best wishes with it.

good looking 04.

Nice feature about the PD 4104 is they will average 10 mpg at 65 mph on level terrain. That is an early 4104 you have there because the early coaches has a gas driven 4 cylinder engine to run the air conditioning system compressor. It used around 40-50 horsepower to run the AC and that slowed down the acceleration of the coach on the later models but it eliminated the AC gas engine running out of gas which happened too often when running through a hot summer which turned the inside into an oven. The drivers used to shut of the AC compressor until they got up to highway speed then turn it back on so they could accelerate quicker. That is what the engine controls are on the left side of the left window side panel, later production ran the air conditioning compressor of the 6-71 series Detroit engine which were all rated at 238 horsepower. When shifting a Detroit 2 stroke you wind them up until they hit the governor around 2200 rpm the back off the throttle pull the shifter into neutral pause for half a second then move the shifter into second or third or forth gear. The spicer 4 speed transmission is straight cut gears no synchronization at all. Takes a bit of practice but after a while it's easy to shift. Be advised the ratio of the 3rd and 4th gears is wider than first to second and will take a slightly longer time to match gears without using the clutch. Most professional drivers only use the clutch for first or reverse. The throttle cable is old school and was replaced on most intercity coaches with an air throttle which is much easier to use and maintain. Talk to a Detroit mechanic and I'd convert the throttle to air if I were you. When you need to service the coach lube oil and filter go to a local bus company as they used to use a pit to service the brakes etc. a lot of bus companies now use a portable 4 screw jack system to lift the coach safely on a concrete floor for service and I'd want a professional mechanic to inspect the slack adjusters for the drum brakes to make sure you have good brake shoes, the S cam bushings aren't worn out which can reduce your braking power by over 50 percent. If they are worn it will be expensive but replace the four drums with new ones and all new springs and rollers and new S cam bushings. Then your coach likely has manually adjusted slack adjusters that should be adjusted every 1000 miles until you get an idea how often you need to adjust them. Most bus companies won't charge you an arm and a leg to adjust your brakes. Don't have it done at a truck stop as most mechanics now a days are used to automatically adjusted slack adjusters. I moved a PD 4104 for a friend of mine and the brakes worked but needed them adjusted and he insisted I take it to a nearby truck stop. After the mechanic said I was ok I stepped on the brakes after I started to roll and no brakes at all. I left it in first gear and shut off the engine to get it to stop then backed it back over the pit and went under the coach with the mechanic protesting that I wasn't allowed in the pit and readjusted them myself as the idiot mechanic had backed all 4 brakes off instead of tightening up the adjustment. I got a full refund and an apology from the shop manager. The brakes worked fine after I adjusted them. When I started driving trucks in 71 just about every driver had 7/16 wrench and would crawl under the tractor and trailer to make sure the brakes would stop him when he wanted and 99 percent of trucks back then used manually adjusted slack adjusters. Now all new trailers and tractors or any new air braked vehicles come with automatic adjusting slack adjusters by federal law. Food for thought my friend. Enjoy!

@GeorgeStar

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info.

@driver169

4 жыл бұрын

I learned to drive on an "04" with the pony engine. Don't stop on a steep hill!

Somewhere on the panel should be a switch that says high idle which is air operated and designed to raise the idle to keep the generators working to charge the batteries. Every GM PD coach has that feature and it works with a minimum air pressure PD 45 pounds and requires that after turning on the high idle switch you momentarily step on the throttle as the high idle air piston will hold the throttle at high idle but won't move it without you stepping on the accelerator to allow the piston to fully extend then it will keep the engine speed above idle to generate heat and electricity. When ready to drive shut off the high idle and depress the clutch after the engine returns to idle.

@dttprice

5 жыл бұрын

James Shanks Your assumption that all GM PD coaches were equipped with high idle is incorrect. I drove a lot of 4104’s back in my younger days, and none of them had a high idle solenoid, or any switch labeled high idle. I did see some that had a locking T-handle style hand throttle cable mounted near the accelerator pedal. It connected to the underside of the accelerator pedal in the drivers compartment, and could be used to keep the pedal partially depressed while the coach was parked. I have seen that cable referred to as a “poor man’s cruise control”, but using it for that purpose while the coach is underway is exceedingly dangerous.

hug your kids at home and belt them on the bus!

I wonder if it would be possible to rent a coach conversion for vacations ?

8:05 has cruise control?? surprised...

did you mention how much ? sorry if u did. .

@slowdaze

7 жыл бұрын

We bought it last year for 8K, not looking to sell it just share it.

Drain your air tanks!

Choke on a Diesel engine? Didn't know they existed because there's no carburetor on a Diesel engine?

@dttprice

5 жыл бұрын

Cats01 No. The choke was for the gasoline engine that powered the A/C compressor and condenser fan. The A/C engine was a 4-cylinder Continental Y-91 industrial engine, mounted in the first compartment behind the left front wheel.