who here carries a spare radiator on there bus??

[johnjem]

and where do u store it?on my 4905 i think the best place 2 put is is under the bed in a crate with allittle antifreeze in it the crate will have to be 12"deep to fit the radiator!i am parting out another bus befor u know it i will have a complete bus inside my bus i am a pack rat or just making sure i have all the good spare parts i need for the just in case day

[tekebird]

I would not bother.  if you are concerned get your radiator serviced and be OK with that.

Don't carry alot of parts you'll likely never need

[skihor]

if you feel that your radiator is that questionable why risk popping a motor that will cost $10K + to rebuild. One of the first things I did was get new Rads.

 Don & Sheila

[Tenor]

I just scavenged out an MCI-7 for parts, and I left the radiators.  If this parts bus has a very good radiator, take it!   However, I would not carry it all over the country.  I used to own a 4905, and MAN is that a big radiator!

Glenn

[TomC]

I wouldn't carry another radiator-just a waste of gas to haul around the extra weight.  The only extra parts I carry are oil, anti-freeze, oil filter, fuel filters.  As to anything else, just buy it where you be-it's not as though you're going through the Australian outback that has no stores near by.  Well maintained buses are VERY reliable.  Don't carry a bunch of junk that you're probably never going to use-just a waste of space and extra fuel burned.  Good Luck, TomC

[captain ron]

I was thinking about carrying a spare motor, you know just in case  But then I found another MCI8 and I just tow it behind me for spare parts. 
Glen, How you doing? Heard about the bus fire , How did everything come out for you?

[buswarrior]

Hello.

Consumables like alternators and starters make life easier.

Especially as the 2 stroke Detroits are leaving mainline commercial service and availability of some of our stuff starts getting rare in the usual places.

Otherwise, preventive maintenance and go with the God you believe in.

Or Visa, whatever!

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Tenor]

Hey Ron!
All is well.  For those reading this thread, I used to own the Captain's old 4905.  Great bus to cut your teeth (fingers, knuckles, forehead....) on.  Fortunatly, no one was hurt and I did drive the bus home with a rope on a jack handle for a throttle that my buddy ran while I ran gears and steering!  The bus either has or is supposed to go to Cadillac MI to the guy who bought out "GM Bus Guy".  The day after I bought your bus, my wife found out she was pregnant!  I'm so glad that the order was not in reverse or we would have missed out on all of this fun on top of the fun of parenthood.  My son is now almost 15mos old and is just taking his first steps!  There is no other way to camp with a baby than in a bus.  We just moved some furniture and put a crib in and we were set.  That flexibility is why we have stuck with this and got the next bus.  I am working during his naps and so far have got a good start considering I did not get this bus until mid September and I had a lot of re-assebly to do on this one.  I just got the floor in and am replacing some luon that had water damage due to  partially installed windows that leaked for several years.  I'm also just finishing the insulation and will be ready to put tongue and groove wood on the walls.  I like the cabin feel!

Glenn

[Sam 4106]

Hi Guys,
Here are my thoughts on carring spare parts. I don't, other than oil and antifreeze. I do carry tools though. I have a lot of spare parts on shelves in the storage area of my shop. If I ever need a part that I can't get at a local parts place, I can call a friend and have him ship it to me. I have never needed to do that in 18 years. However, I keep my bus maintained myself and give it a good inspection and do any required work on it before every season. Maybe i've just been lucky.
Thanks, Sam 4106

[johnjem]

well thanks for all ur inputs,i realy didnt mean i was that bad of a pack rat,i just know that these buss dont  last forever and believe it or not it just may happen,and i know how much a rad will cost so i will stick it under the bed<

[johnjem]

and if ever i ran across 1 stranded buser that needed 1 in a jam i can help them out right!

[Dallas]

John,

I have a PD4103 but I carry a driveshaft from a 4905 because it's just too good to toss in the scrap pile and someone might need it sometime!

No excuse, I need to unload some of this junk, but will I? NOT! 

Dallas

[bobofthenorth]

I guess everybody does it their own way and that's a good thing or else we'd all end up in the same place driving the same thing and that would be really confusing in the parking lot.  

Personally I'm about to set out on a 10,000 mile adventure into Mexico.  We'll be carrying oil, filters for the big engine and the gennie, antifreeze and SCA, fuel filters and miscellaneous electrical fuses, relays & switches but none of the "big" stuff.  Not even a spare tire - (flame away).  I might consider carrying a starter if I was concerned about it but that is really the only item that could stop me in my tracks.  If the alternator gave problems I've got lots of other ways to get 12V power to keep going.  Our bus is for living in and travelling, not for being a mobile parts store.  I carry enough tools to do a minor rebuild but I don't carry a storehouse full of parts.

[NewbeeMC9]

if your gonna carry that big a rad, run cold water through it and use for A/C