quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
IIRC, GMN calls the brakes using Hydroboost "Power-Assisted" rather than "Power Brakes". The "power" for the brakes is a tap off the power steering pump.

The downside to this is if one loses the power steering belt (as I have on both the Barth and my SOB) or the pump, one has no power brakes and no power steering!

Thank Goodness mine has two belts driving the power steering pump. I am in the middle of making an idler pulley mount to replace my air conditioning compresser so I will still have two belts driving the PS. I have beeen sorely tempted to just remove the compresser and go single belted, but that would be a little risky.

Welcome Matt! Congratulations on coming up with the Best Buy! As Rusty and Danny have pointed out, the RPO JB9 Hydraboost brake system uses the PS Pump for its operation. We needed the extra pressure for the 4 wheel Disc Brakes, and the fact that these vehicles would operate at the 14,000 lb. GVWR. May I suggest that you check the brake pipes to the rear brakes and the fuel pipes to the tank. More than likely they will need to be replaced. I don't remember whether I gave Dave the list of JB9 Brake Hoses
when I sent him the replacement list, but I will be very happy to supply them to you. Best of luck in your undertaking.

Jake Jacobson

Bill H:

Help I fell down and I'm in water just a bit over my head.

1) The intake manifold I pick up has a fitment issue. On my 454 the exaust part of the heads has a open area around it that the intake manifold does not cover. Based on this limited description can you suggest if it is ok to bolt it up?

2) I also need to build a idler pully since I am pulling the engine air.

As you know I am in Studio city. Can I hire you as a consultant for two hours on site, with two hours travel time from your place to mine and back? I offer, money or some other item of value at your determination.

I think we can cover my questions in two hours including travel time but when I think two it is often four. I do not wish you to have you do any hands on stuff, I need your brain.

Thanks:

Timothy

1973 454 25 footer

Bill H:


I Think I have the clutch puller, I have two tools I picked up to do my air pump clutch. I think the tool is for pulling, it may be for installation, I'll check tonight.

I can drop it off any evening after Wednesday. I need to go home and get it tonight.


So it appears we are both a bit overwhelmed. Oh boy this is fun.

Do you mean the inboard calipers on an XKE? Yes I have, may god have mercy on your fingers.

I'll take pictures tonight.

Thank you very much.

Timothy

P.S. Where did your post go? Oh well, my eamil is timothy@virtual-dmis.com or my work number is 714 516 9580 if you want to call.

Tim, I would be glad to come out and look it over for just a cold sangria or mojito and a gyros from Panos.

Warning: Tale of Woe follows:

Everything I own is broke and we have house guests coming. Friday I reached such overload that I actually had a shop work on my truck. Never in my life have I done that. I am also buying a new fridge, rather than repairing the present one. All our food is in the Barth’s fridge, and it failed, for the first time in our ownership. All the fridge food is spoiled, and the frozen stuff is being distributed through out the neighborhood for temporary storage. Now that they know how much venison we have, we will have to have a neighborhood barbecue. Hopefully the new fridge will come today. Oh, yeah, my toad has driven me crazy with both starter and alternator malfeasances of intermittent occurrence, so troubleshooting is making me crazy. And if I can't get my drill press working, it will be a new one tomorrow.I refuse to put a new motor on a drill press old enough to remember Steve Allen on the Tonight Show. My bike hates me, the Barth is in the middle of a radiator repair and on and on. And it seems impossible to buy a puller for the clutch on my R4 air conditioner, so I am making my own. And I have now lost the clutch key, and no one has a 4mm key. All I get on the phone is "¿Que?" Or "I'll connect you to the lock department." All three vehicles have rear brake needs. Ever replace rear calipers on a Jag? AAAARGH! Even my allegedly reliable K75 is balking. And Susan's Honey Do list is growing at an exponential rate, with no end in sight. Even the wheelbarrow is High Drama.
At least my lawn mower started.

End of Tale of Woe.

OK, now that I have had my cry,………. Send me some digital pictures at Billat908(at)yahoo(dot)com with your phone number. When I have studied them, we will look at them together and work this out. A picture is worth a thousand words, and words and pictures together is better yet.

Now, as for the idler pulley, I plan on using two 1 inch ball bearing pillow blocks and a length of 1 inch shaft with a 5 or 6 inch pulley on the end. A flat plate will be attached to the existing compressor mount casting bolt holes by means of two welded-on ears, and adjustment will be by a bolt threaded through the plate, pushing down on the cast mount to raise the plate and tension the belt. Buy a longer shaft than you need, as the remainder can be used to lap in rifle scope rings.

quote:

Originally posted by timnlana:
Bill H:


I Think I have the clutch puller, I have two tools I picked up to do my air pump clutch. I think the tool is for pulling, it may be for installation, I'll check tonight.

The tool I have is for A6 and early R4 ( up to 1980) compressors. It has 7/8 threads. The later R4 clutches require an almost identical tool with finer M22X1.5 threads. I am in the process of cobbling up one right now from an old fitting from a Getrag oil cooler. Install tool is the same, as they retained the 3/8-24 threads on the shaft. I just use a coupler nut and a short length of threaded rod for that. So I should be all right before nightfall. But, thank you for the offer.

quote:

Do you mean the inboard calipers on an XKE? Yes I have, may god have mercy on your fingers.

They are on an XJ, but are almost the same. I remember doing it once before, on the XJS, and had to drop the whole rear suspension assembly a little bit. Maybe it will go better this time.

quote:

P.S. Where did your post go?

Everything I do is a constant state of interruption, and I was mid-edit and then had to go do something when you posted, and hit a wrong button and lost the whole darn thing. Fortunately, I had saved an earlier permutation on Word, so it wasn't too hard to ressurect.

I seem to have lost my edge. I used to be able to manage a dozen broke airliners and a whole bunch of techs. Now, I can't even sit and think. I have to do just one or the other. Don't retire. The ability to multi-task goes away really quickly.

For those who have been following this with bated breath, I offer this update.

I worked through the worst of our pressing exigencies and social complications, and lacking pictures from Tim, called him at work. While we talked, I went out and looked at one of my 454s with had the manifold off. It turns out that the heat riser port on the head has some cavities around it. I presume they are for casting convenience. They are of no consequence. So he is going to bolt the manifold on and go zoom.

BTW, anyone installing a high rise intake on a MH needs to look at doghouse/air cleaner clearance. Fortunately, the MH element is taller than the standard truck element, so you can install a lower pick up truck element with a different top and it will have plenty of clearance.

I have filter element numbers and can measure and photograph my swap meet air cleaner top if anyone needs the info.

My story so far, nothing to update....
The tow company brought my Barth home for $490. They used a Peterbilt ten wheel truck, for $195 an hour, but they didn't want to drive an hour to the site of the Barth and not have enough truck. Maybe they were worried that the terrain of an old Army Air base, where the Massachusetts State Police keep their vehicles was going to be a problem.

When the truck mechanic I have done business with, had an opportunity to work on the Barth, I had it towed to his station for $100.

I told him I was not in a hurry for it, and then it seems that men who need their trucks for a living have gone to the head of the service queue.

So, to sum up, I have spent 3x on towing what I spent on the BarthBluesmobile so far!
best regards,
Matt

Update: The truck mechanics have looked at the Barth. Generally things are good, engine is good, frame is good. Brake lines and power steering hoses require replacement. Steering box is recommended for replacement. The shop owner suggests it would be a good time to replace the rusted semimetallic brake pads with ceramic pads. To get it in safe running condition and to pass state inspection will require about a $2K check. My banker has expressed an interest in giving me a loan on the rig, they value it at around $8K.

About me: I work at a company which every 7 years give employees a 2 month extra vacation. Should all go according to plan, with no corporate downsizing, then 2008 will be the summer that I take my wife and boys out for the ride. In talking about this with my wife, before the Barth, I had talked about using the minivan, and how I would prefer an RV like a guy I work with just used, but I said it "take a miracle to get us in an RV." Well, you have seen it! My first son is afflicted by multiple disabilities, and the fallout from that has devastated me financially. He is overcoming the effects of cerebral palsy, some seemingly autistic tendancies, and has a cochlear implant to combat deafness. He uses sign language. We have communicated the idea of traveling the US in 2008 with him, before I got the Barth. He responded to the travel idea, by signing the letters, "R" & "V". That looks like it is lined up to happen.

Well, there we go!
Matt

OK it is time to update...

I was given a great Christmas gift, the "Barth CD" that Dave put together! There is a Santa Claus!

My friendly local truck mechanics had some openings in the scheduling, and got to work. [openings means that there are not snow plow trucks in need of repair]

Knowing I want to take this machine for a 2 month tour in 2008, the guys used their discretion to work against any issue that might leave me stranded on the road. All brake lines, fuel lines, and PS lines were replaced. Brake Master Cylinder, slave cylinders, and pads. Rotors and drums were machined. Fuel tank removed and inspected, lines replaced. The 454 and Turbo 400 seem fine. Diff was drained and fluids replaced, there was water inside somehow, but all is fine now.

We still need a carb and ignition system tune up. I might try that myself, I used to play with 350s in an earlier life.

Behind the Y pipe, the exhaust system is in need of replacement. I have read of the ideas that others in this board think of the Thorley headers and of Banks Exhaust. The complete Banks system from headers to tailpipes goes for $2K. But, having had headers on Camaros, I am concerned about the added heat, noise, and maintence issues surrounding them. Is that a concern in the Barth world?

thanks,
Matt

My Barth came with Banks on it so I don't know any better. If I were to DIY , I'd go to Thorleys & an Edelbrock Performer Manifold, with a carburetor rebuild by an outfit touted by several members in some previous posts.

I don't like the Banks air cleaner, a pretty, but big & clunky aluminum casting with a reusable wet filter element. Banks may have come into the 21st century since mine was installed, so it might have been updated. I've been thinking of replacing it with a dry filter installed outside the engine compartment.

The major problem with headers is heat rejection. Motor home engine compartments are not well ventilated. Headers can cook spark plug wires, & contribute to hot starting problems on the 454. There are heat resistant plug wires, and fairly simple fixes for the hot start problem, & no doubt others here can give specific brand advice on those items.

If you're doing an ignition & fuel system tuneup, now is a good time to go for the goodies.

There are a lot of Banks kits, & other engine warm-ups on Barths & S.O.B.s, so have at it.

quote:

Originally posted by olroy:

I don't like the Banks air cleaner, a pretty, but big & clunky aluminum casting with a reusable wet filter element.
I've been thinking of replacing it with a dry filter installed outside the engine compartment.

I would agree on the dry filter. The tests I read indicate AC is the best, with Baldwin a close second. The Bank$ air cleaner seems to be more marketing than anything else. The K&N element is a poor cleaner of air, and cannot give more power unless the old element is hopelessly clogged. Even then, the only time an air filter element can restrict power is at full throttle.

quote:

The major problem with headers is heat rejection. Motor home engine compartments are not well ventilated. Headers can cook spark plug wires, & contribute to hot starting problems on the 454.

My playing around with a remote temp indicator shows that the highest eng comp temps (at least in my Barth and one previous SOB) are after shutdown or in hot slow traffic. The heat soak after shutdown is a known cause of hard starting in chevvies. I believe that the greater mass of the cast iron headers have more heat to transfer to wires and starters after shutdown than the thin tubes of headers. It is a little harder to call when under way, as there is air moving around.

I have noticed less doghouse heat with Thorleys.

The one header heat issue I have experienced with several RVs, is that headers put hot tubes in places not heated before. This requires heat shielding or re-routing of wires and/or hoses. Thorley headers come with a couple of heat shields, but it is easy to make more with a pair of Dutchmen. On a 454, I like to shield the oil filter and cooler lines, too.

This is such a fantastic website and message board. I have come to the Barth RV world with complete ignorance a few months ago. And with the access here to the stories of others and the wisdom passed on, I am able to come up with what might be some very good ideas for implementation.

Just look at what a neophyte such as myself can see:
headers and heat
http://barthmobile.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3631087061/m/3421008061

headers anyone
http://barthmobile.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3631087061/m/5391087061

installing headers
http://barthmobile.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3631087061/m/9041038061

454 intake manifold (and carb tuning)
http://barthmobile.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3631087061/m/1911098061

So at this point, I am very partial to the idea of going with an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold on the 454. I also like the idea of the Gibson exhaust system. http://www.campingworld.com/order/wizard/index.cfm?skuN...326925&cord_Group=31

http://www.gibsonperformance.com/products.asp?pid=18553

The noise issue is still something I am uncertain of, and having a lower restriction exhaust system set up with the cast iron exhaust manifolds is still something I'm thinking about. But, I am in no hurry.

If I remember my big block geneology, aren't there engines called "truck blocks", and wouldn't this version have a higher deck height? And wouldn't this mean that some aftermarket intake manifolds meant for "car blocks" would not fit?

Anyway, have a good weekend.
thanks for your ideas and guidance,
Matt

quote:

If I remember my big block geneology, aren't there engines called "truck blocks", and wouldn't this version have a higher deck height?

Yes, and yes.

However, most motor home chassis are considered light trucks, and if big block,have the car and light truc454 block, with the lower deck height. The tall block truck engines were mostly 366 and 427. There are some 454 tall blocks around, but most of them are in boats. The purpose of the tall black was to allow a longer piston skirt so they could put another ring on it.

But.......With a Barth, all things are possible. A check of the casting number will tell for sure. Or measure the center to center length of the manifold mounting bolts. Or measure the distrubutor.

If you do have a tall block, a regular manifold will fit with Weiand spacers. No biggie.

High time for an update.....

A great line from "Hot Rod" magazine, from years past, "There's no substitute for cubic inches, or cubic dollars". Well, the 454 has the inches, and the bank loan is providing the dollars. And yes it is cubic dollars. But damn it, I am going to be ending up with a mechanically excellent machine that I will continue to adore! ;-)

And yeah, maybe I could have done much of it myself, but I've been hanging on to my job by my fingernails, and in the meantime, my boss and a pal got bounced. So putting the time in at work has paid off also, in keeping me paid. But I also know that the quality of the work by the good pro mechanics shouldn't be discounted, and the lives of my family and other travelers is going to depend upon things being done right. And I greatly value their advice, I've told them I'm taking a 2 month trip in 2008. I could be having a breakdown 3000 miles from home. If I was only going 50 miles to the lake, well, I'd be more tempted to do more of the work myself, the risk of failure would not have been as dire.

So, what's been done? Brakes all around, and lines, and the pump system has been repaired. The fuel tank has been flushed. Water was drained from the differential. Things looking questionable like the radiator, fuel pump, and water pump are new now. One air pump was siezed, it was replaced. (Oddly, the state had put on a new pump in the other position for the air pumps for the 454) Gibson stainless exhaust. New fuel lines. New tail lights. Carb on the generator needed work. New batteries. I'm probably forgetting something, but you see the idea. I'm not underwater financially, this rig paid for itself. Because it is a Barth, it is able to do that.

I haven't been in a hurry to get it back from the mechanic, but expect to in the next week or two. Then, I get to deal with the interior jobs of getting beds in place, putting a refrigerator in, a stovetop, and checking out the operation of all the RV systems. I've gotten a decent book from walmart on the topics of RV systems, something like "RV Education 101".

We'll be keeping the police paint job!

Be seeing you!
Matt