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Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

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XtrapepperoniartX
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:29 am

Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by XtrapepperoniartX »

My husband and I are going to be purchasing a 1966? Eagle off of his grandmother. We won't be in a position to go pick it up for a couple years, but we've made a down payment (fully refundable since it's sight unseen) and I am definitely going to want to gather information (technical, specs, and otherwise) while we dream and plan for it. 

At this point, I just want to say hi to the folks in this forum as I am sure you will be a a wealth of information for us. 

Also, I'm curious how many folks have an Eagle from the 60's.

Thanks for letting me join!

I am attaching a few preliminary photos of both the bus as it sits now and some pictures from the 90's when it was first being converted and having it's engine rebuilt.
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beltguy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 am
FMCA #: F246286
Bus Model: 1985 Eagle 10 with Series 60 and Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission (SOLD)
Location: Evergreen, CO
Contact:

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by beltguy »

First of all, welcome to the group!!!

There is a wealth of information in both the forum and the website.  You can pick through it as questions arise, or just post a question and we will point you in the right direction or answer the question directly.

You bus is a Model 01 which has some good features.  The main feature is that it has a tag axle system rather than a bogey axle system.  Translated that means the drive axle is in front of the tag axle and you do not have to deal with what is known as a drop box.  This really lends itself to engine conversions if you ever get in that mode.  The negative aspect of the 01 is that it has had many years to gather rust and that can be a major issue.The second issue that must be addressed with any Eagle is how much adjustment is left on the Torsilastic suspension.

For starters you should review the thread on inspecting Eagles:  (link)

That thread has a lot of good information for the potential buyer.

I sure hope that this will work out for you folks.  It is great if an Eagle can stay in the same family.

Jim
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
User avatar
beltguy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 am
FMCA #: F246286
Bus Model: 1985 Eagle 10 with Series 60 and Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission (SOLD)
Location: Evergreen, CO
Contact:

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by beltguy »

Some rambling thoughts:

I looked at your registration applications and noted that you signed up over a year ago.  Hopefully you have visited us a bit during that time so that you can get a feeling about Eagles. 

I see that you live in the state of Washington.  I there is anyway possible, you should consider attending all or part of the Eagle rally in October.  Hopefully the rally will be well attended and that would give you lots of folks to talk to and Eagles to inspect.  Long ways from your area, but I think it would be great to think about.

Next, it would be great if you could tell us where the bus is and maybe one of our members can help you inspect the bus when the time comes.

It appears that maybe grandpa did quite a bit of the work.  Assuming he was a good mechanic, that makes it more valuable from a sentimental standpoint.  The engine in the picture appears to possibly be a rebuilt 8V71.  Assuming it was rebuilt by a reputable person (and not just cleaned a painted), that is a great positive factor.  

A model 01 would not have power steering from the factory and would have breaks that are a bit marginal.  Both those issues can be addressed.

I will babble on in future posts.  It is fun for us "more mature" folks to help folks like you make good decisions and possibly become an Eagle owner.

Jim
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
XtrapepperoniartX
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:29 am

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by XtrapepperoniartX »

While it is true I signed up over a year ago, I haven't been on the site really until now. I originally signed up because we were going to be getting the bus, but then we had changed our minds because family had sort of made it seem like it was more trouble than it was worth. Recently we have come back on board about it though after finding out more about it.

The engine was actually rebuilt by the dealership, so I'm hoping they did a good job. Even with professionals it doesn't always work out. I believe the new engine has about 50k on it at this point. I think you are right that it's an 8v71. It's kind of hard to get information because our family who lives near there so not work on their own vehicles and so lack a lot of even basic mechanical knowledge. But they're doing their best to pass us info.  I listed the things that were done to it when it was converted in the project eagles section as well as some random photos we were sent.

When the time comes it would certainly be nice to have someone accompany us to check it out. It is down in Arizona.  For the price she wants ($1500) I think it's definitely worth it, even if at the end of the day its too expensive to fix up and becomes a vacation house on the land where it sits.

 
User avatar
beltguy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 am
FMCA #: F246286
Bus Model: 1985 Eagle 10 with Series 60 and Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission (SOLD)
Location: Evergreen, CO
Contact:

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by beltguy »

Hi Jessica (hope it is OK to use your registration name)

One photo shows the serial number as being 6940.  We have two sets of records in the forum and both agree:

SERIAL MODEL  ORIGINAL OWNER           FLT #   BUILT   RESALES/NOTES
6940   SE01   Carolina Coach Co. (NC)  C6625   1965    renumbered 85111

The records show it was built in 1965 but the tag suggests that it was titled as a 1966

Most likely, the bus has gone through several owners since it was manufactured in 1965.  There are no records of who owned our Eagles after the original purchase.

Probably the most documented model 01 in our forum is Paul Lawry's beautiful coach:  (Link)  Unfortunately, like so many of our old project threads, photo hosting greed has taken its toll on the content.  Fortunately, I just discovered that Paul created a WordPress site with lots of info:  (Link).  At one time I think he created a Facebook group for Model 01 Eagles, but I could not find it.

More in next post

Jim
 
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
User avatar
beltguy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 am
FMCA #: F246286
Bus Model: 1985 Eagle 10 with Series 60 and Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission (SOLD)
Location: Evergreen, CO
Contact:

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by beltguy »

Sorry, the previous post was a mess that I finally got squared away.  Now to more comments.

The purchase price of $1500 is basically scrap price and is very fair.  That said, often a cheap initial price results in a huge project cost.

You say the engine rebuild was done by a "dealer".  I hope that was a Detroit Diesel dealer.  If that is the case, it most likely was done correctly with quality parts.  Hopefully you can find the paperwork.

The suspension can be a big issue.  The prevailing thought is that there is no supplier for some of the Torsilastic parts.  There are a few that say that a company in Mexico (I think) makes the parts.  That said, folks have added air bags to both the front and drive axles.  That is not a project for the faint of heart, but there is decent documentation on our forum.  The tag axles on the 05-20 models have not had air bags added that axle (I can't see how it could be done).  Since this bus is an 01, I would think that it could be done fairly easily - but again a big job.

I see one picture that suggest there could be some significant rust problems. Rust problems can be repaired (documented in several threads and discussed in my project pages (see signature).

Sadly, over the years, I have seen folks get in over their head on projects like this.  Depending on the actual condition of the bus, you could easily be in for $100K if you have to have someone do the repair work.  If you have the skills and equipment, you might be in for half of that (and lots of hours).

If you find that this is not something you want to deal with, PLEASE let us advertise it and hopefully someone can save a great old bus.

Jim
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
XtrapepperoniartX
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:29 am

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by XtrapepperoniartX »

Fortunately the price we paid is not indicative of anything. It was simply a cheap transaction between family members. That isn't to say whether or not it's worth more or less than that, just that it does not reflect anything. Her husband has passed away and she knows very little about it herself.

That being said, I sure hope it does not reach 100k territory. My husband has always done our mechanical work on all of our vehicles, but buses are new territory and I'm not sure what jobs may need to be sourced out. I am hoping that over time as we receive more photos that we can piece together a more accurate picture of the work that needs to be done. My mother in law goes up to the land about once a month and while she's often busy up there she has been attempting to send us new pictures and answer questions when she's there, although her lack of automotive knowledge makes it a bit of a challenge.

I will keep updating though and hopefully the photos she takes will be good enough for members to help us get the bigger picture 

And yes, we have paperwork showing that it was a Detroit dealer that rebuilt the engine, so I'm pretty sure we won't have to worry about that part of the project.

 
XtrapepperoniartX
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:29 am

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by XtrapepperoniartX »

I have started a thread in the project eagles section and I have several questions that I would really like answered. I don't want to post them here since they are more technical issues, but if you read this post please go to the project section and see if you have any answers for me. Thanks! The thread is titled 1966 eagle model 01
User avatar
beltguy
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 am
FMCA #: F246286
Bus Model: 1985 Eagle 10 with Series 60 and Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission (SOLD)
Location: Evergreen, CO
Contact:

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by beltguy »

I will tie the two threads together in a day or two - kind of behind.  BTW, the fact that you started a project thread is GREAT.

I think you said the bus is in Arizona.  Can you tell us where?.  Pat and I have a trip planned to Flagstaff area at the end of this month (hopefully some medical issues -- not major-- can be minimized by then).

If it is in the northern part of Arizona, I can see if our schedule would allow for a detour.

Jim
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
XtrapepperoniartX
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:29 am

Re: Just put a down payment on an Eagle!

Post by XtrapepperoniartX »

I appreciate that you are willing to take a detour to check it out, but unfortunately my family isn't super comfortable with having strangers come out there. When it comes time for us to head down there it might be a different story since we will be there as well. But again, thanks so much for offering. 
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