Eagles International Forum

My husband and I are going to be getting a 1966 Eagle 01 from his grandmother. It is currently sitting on some land several states away and we won't be in a position to pick it up and start fixing problems for a couple years, but would like to at least start identifying any issues and planning for them.

The following is a list from the man who did the conversion about 25-30 years ago. It states a lot of the work that he put into it. When converted he even had it inspected as a motorhome and made sure it followed all the RV guidelines to pass this inspection. 
Remove all seats and windows.
Install new metal siding.
Install Motorhome windows.
Install kitchen appliances, stove, refrigerator, propane stove.
Install water system. Fresh water. Holding tanks for sewer.
Install on demand hot water heater.Install walls following motorhome floor plan.
Install 12v de and 110v ac electrical systems.Finish interior with paneling and felt material.
Install TV and music radio systems. Unit has a queen size bed and a hida bed.
The following mechanical items have been done to the unit
New front end such as ball joints, tye rods etc. 2000.
New brakes 1995.
New tires 1999
New rebuilt engine by Detroit Dealer. 2000.
New cooling system and fan units. 2001
New alternator system. 2001.
New windshields, 1998.
New air conditioning systems 110v. 2001. 

 As for issues that we want to ask about first:
1. The metal siding appears to be wavy. Is this simply a cosmetic issue or can this cause other, more serious issues. (Unfortunately I have no pictures of this yet, because we are not there to take them ourselves and are relying on relatives when they go visit the land it is on.) 
2. Obviously a bus from 1966 will have rust. We are seeing mostly surface rust in our pictures, but a couple spots are clearly worse. The problem is we are not entirely sure what we are looking at pictures of. (Photos taken of the undercarriage were taken at random and sent to us) if you could help us identify the rusty parts in the photo it would be a big help so that we know exactly how important these rusted parts are. 
3. I was told the torsilastic suspension can be big money to fix or replace. The big question is how much money is big money and if it does need replacing would putting in an airbag system be better? I have put all the photos of the underneath that I have so far, and I think one shows part of this suspension. Please let me know if I am correct and also if it looks to be in good shape.

 We are working on getting more photos sent, but it's a slow process

It wouldn't let me attach pictures to the last post for some reason, so here they are.

Couple more pictures I found

I have a picture of the torsilastic suspension . It looks like it has already been adjusted quite a bit, but I'm not sure which direction the nut moves to adjust or how much more of the bolt there is behind it. Could someone please let me know how much adjustment is left, if any?

In the inspection thread I posted the following photo:





It looks like you have quite a bit of thread left.I really do not know much about 01 suspension details, but some folks add "extenders" on the later models to get more thread.  I think that is not a good idea for lots of reasons, but mainly if you need an extender, the Torsilastic is probably long gone.

Jim

BTW, I don't think I said this in either thread, but a dealer today would charge over $20k to rebuild that engine.  A strong positive point for the bus.  The 8V71 is a pretty darn robust engine if treated properly.  Since it does not have a turbo, it is a bit weak at altitude (the blower does not add power at altitude)

Jim

You have plenty of adjustment left on the front, the question will be what is happening in the rear. The Model 01 has a different setup than all of the other Eagles made after them. If they are on their last adjustment, the only hope for parts is from a salvage Model 01, which is not real likely. Some people have added air bags, but that is a big job that requires a lot of fabrication. 

The most pressing situation is to evaluate the integrity of the rusted frame members and other mounts and brackets. It would be foolish to put time and money into this Eagle if it is not sound. If you have to pay someone to do this, it could be very costly. Hopefully you could find someone who has delt with Model 01's to inspect underneath and recommend what needs to be done. In the few pictures that are shown, there are some notable rust outs. The wavyness in the side panels could be rust bubbles from the frame pushing out on the sheet metal.

Thanks for your response!

I don't believe that the back needs to be adjusted based on the pictures I have. But this is just based on the fact that it does not appear to be sagging in the back. Do you happen to have a diagram of the suspension on the back? If I know what to look for I can try to get someone to take a picture of it next time they are there.

And I don't believe the frame is very rusty other some surface rust. The wheel wells don't have any rust and it spent a lot of time in a dry climate. Plus the people who have looked under it have said that the frame looks to be in good shape. So far there's only a couple spots (and they aren't on the frame) that have some serious rust and they are small enough to be patched. Hopefully as we get more pictures from family it will create a fuller picture of the underside, but so far it looks good according to everyone who has seen it.

As for the wavyness of the side, the waves are up at eye level where the fiberglass meets the metal. This seems too high up to be caused by rust from a frame. But I also am not sure exactly what is behind it. Unfortunately I don't have a good picture of it to post here, but could there be a different reason it is wavy at the top there?

Thanks for all your input.

 

Use a pick to explore the rust areas. It is well known that eagle tubing rusts from the inside out.
wayne

I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for the top. I will make sure to get a pick when I go there myself or maybe I can get family to do it sooner than later.  Thanks for the tip