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Hi Gang...In my search for a motor home, I came to one conclusion. Unless you step up to the plate and buy a bus conversion or atleast a high end diesel pusher like a Monaco Dynasty, you are buying junk. I could not believe the poor quality standards in some of these "high end" motor homes...And trailers...Well, now you are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Anyway...I did alittle research and went out and bought a 1980 MC9. The bus has 77K on a rebuilt DD8V71 and Allison auto transmission. Tires are 60-70%. The bus does not appear to have much rust. The only rust I found was in the cargo door latch plates, but that is just surface rust. I drove the bus for about a half hour. It drove nice. It does not wander at all. It holds a nice straight course. Even on back roads where the road grade would change, the bus did not wander. The only thing I noticed was that at 70 or above it has a tire vibration...Like a tire out of balance. At speed below 70 it is smooth as silk. The bus was operated by a local bus line up until 2 months ago when it was taken out of service. All maintanance and overhauls have been documented by the bus line and I have the records. I paid $12,500 for the bus. What do you all think? Does that sound fair?
Now for a few conversion questions...
(1) Is the ceiling in these buses insulated? The factory ceiling is in such good condition that I hate to tear it out. Is there another way? Like maybe blowing in insulation without removing the ceiling? Ideally, I would like to begin the conversion without having to strip this bus right to the outer shell. I plan to put 2 roof airs where the escape hatches are. I ordered 2 Carrier units.
(2) I have 2 Suburban propane furnaces but I would really like to go with a diesel fired boiler. So far I've seen Aqua-Hot and Webasto. They are very expensive. Has anyone found something similar? Maybe a small oil fired boiler designed for residential homes? What are my options here for heat? I am in New Hamshire, so heat is important.
(3) Does anyone make RV windows that fit into the factory MC9 window openings? I will blank out the entire side with one fiberglass panel then cut out the window opening that I will use. I would like to use windows that fit the factory steel framework rather than having to reframe for a smaller window.
Thanks in advance for your opinions and comments....
Peninsula glass has drop in replacement windows that can be dual pane (not a big deal R value wise) .
Your overhead is insulated with fiberglass in bags to leep moisture out , works fine till about 20f , below that lots of heat is required , mostly due to huge window area.
Best window solution is stock windows and insulated blinds.
If you wish to live thru a real winter , sans electric consider the Dickinson oil fired ranges and heaters. Cheap , work for winters at a time , but DO REQUIRE a gravity tank to feed from.or a tiny bit of juice for a tiny fuel pump.
email Ross Carlisle
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