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08-23-2019, 07:20 PM
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#1
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2 Rivet Member
1988 29' Airstream 290
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 43
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1988 290 LE: 8.1L + Allison Swap
Thought you guys would get a kick out of this. Stage 1 of my 8.1L swap in my motorhome. Big thanks go to Moodified13 for not just showing it was possible but for providing lots of guidance along the way
First step was was getting the beat-ass old 454 and TH400 out of the rig - a bit of a tricky task when you only have inches of vertical clearance and no way to get a standard engine lift in there.
Referring the historical documents left by Moodified, we built some forklift extenders bolted up to the exhaust manifold studs. We then lifted and pulled the engine/tranny out through the front.
Few things I would do differently the second time - but it worked well enough.
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08-23-2019, 07:24 PM
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#2
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2 Rivet Member
1988 29' Airstream 290
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 43
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8.1+ Allison -Continued
More pics of the engine + tranny removal
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08-23-2019, 07:37 PM
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#3
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2 Rivet Member
1988 29' Airstream 290
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 43
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8.1 + Allison Swap
We were feeling pretty scrappy and resourceful with our bolt-on lifting forks + tractor setup. Until we tried to lift for the first time. Nada. Turns out the lifting capacity drops off quickly as you move out from the bucket attachment point. Luckily we had my engine hoist and were able to scrap together the non-OSHA approved jerry rig shown here.
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08-24-2019, 04:33 AM
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#4
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Site Team
2007 30' Classic S/O
Somewhere
, South Carolina
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 6,436
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Innovate, adapt, overcome.
Stay tuned for the next chapter shoe horns and grease on the tight spots plus a bigger lifter.
__________________
S/OS #001 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L 6 Speed
16" Michelins, Hi Spec Wheels, Max Brake, Dexter 4 Piston Disc Brakes, Carslile Actuator, Equal-I-Zer, Dill TPMS. Campfire cook. BMV-712. DEMCO 21K Lb Cast Iron coupler
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08-24-2019, 08:45 AM
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#5
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4 Rivet Member
1987 34.5' Airstream 345
Menomonee Falls
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 424
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Hey,
Your going to put an 8.1 cummins in there? Is there room for that? Is it a 8.1B model or just an 8.1. The b model is a full blow diesel, rebuildable with sleeved cylinders like a big OTR truck engine. I had one of those in my FL70 FedEx truck.very good engine. I got 10-13 mpg , and I weighed empty, I think about 12 K. I'd be interested in your progress. Would you take a ton of pictures. I may go diesal for something like that. They got tons of power. You wouldn't t be slowing down on hills, that's for sure. DJ
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08-24-2019, 03:52 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
1991 35' Airstream 350
Columbia
, Tennessee
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 927
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I think it's the 8.1 GM big block gasser. Replacing the 454, 7.4.
__________________
Chris & Brenda....................cMADMAXman
AIR Member 12654
1991 350LE "Zephyr"
1982 310 MoHo (Sold! New home, NYC.)
Many Years ago, 1972 Argosy 24' trailer
Toad, 2001 Chevy Tracker 4x4
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08-24-2019, 03:53 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
1991 35' Airstream 350
Columbia
, Tennessee
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 927
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Hopefully he will be putting the allison 1000 in with it!?
__________________
Chris & Brenda....................cMADMAXman
AIR Member 12654
1991 350LE "Zephyr"
1982 310 MoHo (Sold! New home, NYC.)
Many Years ago, 1972 Argosy 24' trailer
Toad, 2001 Chevy Tracker 4x4
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08-24-2019, 04:14 PM
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#8
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2 Rivet Member
1988 29' Airstream 290
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 43
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8.1l + Allison
Yep - putting in an 8.1L vortec gas engine plus the Allison 1000. Uses the same motor mounts as the 454 but looks like it’ll still be a tight fit
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08-24-2019, 05:28 PM
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#9
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Dazed and Confused
Currently Looking...
1983 31' Airstream310
Hillsburgh
, Ontario
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 3,805
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davejay
Hey,
Your going to put an 8.1 cummins in there? Is there room for that? Is it a 8.1B model or just an 8.1. The b model is a full blow diesel, rebuildable with sleeved cylinders like a big OTR truck engine. I had one of those in my FL70 FedEx truck.very good engine. I got 10-13 mpg , and I weighed empty, I think about 12 K. I'd be interested in your progress. Would you take a ton of pictures. I may go diesal for something like that. They got tons of power. You wouldn't t be slowing down on hills, that's for sure. DJ
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Yeah, don't think so...[emoji16] You'd seriously have to rethink the doghouse, front suspension and your sanity.
Cheers
Sidekick Tony
__________________
Per Mare, Per Terram and may all your campaigns be successful.
“It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.” "Harry S Truman"
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08-24-2019, 09:30 PM
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#10
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Rivet Master
1991 35' Airstream 350
Columbia
, Tennessee
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 927
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They say the exhaust manifolds are the same bolt pattern between the two? Just curious.
__________________
Chris & Brenda....................cMADMAXman
AIR Member 12654
1991 350LE "Zephyr"
1982 310 MoHo (Sold! New home, NYC.)
Many Years ago, 1972 Argosy 24' trailer
Toad, 2001 Chevy Tracker 4x4
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08-24-2019, 10:32 PM
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#11
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4 Rivet Member
Paradise
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 288
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The vortec 8100 is externally identical to the 454. The Allison is a monster compared to the th400.
Overall, a much better setup than a metered fuelmleak and no overdrive!
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08-25-2019, 01:49 AM
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#12
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Keen amature
1975 20' Argosy 20
Chestfield
, Kent
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,534
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Did you manage to hunt down a 6-speed Allison or going with a 5-speed?
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08-25-2019, 08:17 AM
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#13
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Rivet Master
1977 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
1973 21' Globetrotter
1975 26' Argosy 26
Vista
, California
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 589
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I am watching this, I am interested in the control electronics part of the job. What are you using?
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08-26-2019, 09:34 AM
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#14
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2 Rivet Member
1988 29' Airstream 290
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bibbs
I am watching this, I am interested in the control electronics part of the job. What are you using?
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I started with a complete donor assembly (8.1L + Allison + accel pedal + all harnesses, computers, sensors, etc) so everything already worked together. From there I added a new Howell harness and had the ECM reprogramed for the new application.
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08-26-2019, 10:31 AM
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#15
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Rivet Master
1974 20' Argosy 20
Richmond
, Kentucky
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,115
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Very impressive!
Just so you're aware a standard engine hoist works quite well for removing/installing the 454 engines in these coaches. You just need to use a lifting plate like the one below.
Here's a couple of pictures of the 454 being installed in my 74 Argosy.
The only issue I had was I ran out of clearance at the top so I had to jack the front of the coach up slightly during the engine installation process. I didn't have this issue when I removed an engine from a 1986 345. The 345 sits taller than the Argosy which is what caused the jacking issue on my Argosy.
Brad
__________________
Air forums # 1674
1974 20' Argosy Motor Home
1975 24' Argosy Motor Home
1974 31' Excella trailer (parting out, as of 4/1/2015 I have wheels & windows left to sell)
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10-04-2019, 01:48 PM
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#16
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2 Rivet Member
1988 29' Airstream 290
San Francisco
, California
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bkahler
Very impressive!
Just so you're aware a standard engine hoist works quite well for removing/installing the 454 engines in these coaches. You just need to use a lifting plate like the one below.
Attachment 350533
Here's a couple of pictures of the 454 being installed in my 74 Argosy.
Attachment 350530Attachment 350531
The only issue I had was I ran out of clearance at the top so I had to jack the front of the coach up slightly during the engine installation process. I didn't have this issue when I removed an engine from a 1986 345. The 345 sits taller than the Argosy which is what caused the jacking issue on my Argosy.
Attachment 350532
Brad
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That definitely would have been a lot easier on us during the removal process. The 8.1L is several inches taller than the 7.4L liter and we had minimal clearance at the top even while lifting from the sides/bottom. Oil pan cleared the frame rails by < .5" as well - tight fit all around!
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10-06-2019, 08:53 AM
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#17
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Rivet Master
1974 20' Argosy 20
Richmond
, Kentucky
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,115
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarshallSF
That definitely would have been a lot easier on us during the removal process. The 8.1L is several inches taller than the 7.4L liter and we had minimal clearance at the top even while lifting from the sides/bottom. Oil pan cleared the frame rails by < .5" as well - tight fit all around!
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Wow! Will all of that fit under the doghouse?
__________________
Air forums # 1674
1974 20' Argosy Motor Home
1975 24' Argosy Motor Home
1974 31' Excella trailer (parting out, as of 4/1/2015 I have wheels & windows left to sell)
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10-06-2019, 04:21 PM
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#18
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4 Rivet Member
1987 34.5' Airstream 345
Menomonee Falls
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 424
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Hey,
I got to thinking about what I posted. Cummins diesels come in 8.3 and 5.9 configurations. I got a customer, that builds boat motors,and he uses 8.1 s in that application. His engines are supercharged. Is yours. That would be a trick setup. He buys OE crate motors, all set up from the factory. Keep us posted, would you? Tons of pictures too. Suggestion, make your engine Hoist vertical boom about four feet long. That will allow you to go straight in with the horizontal boom. I like the additional engineering you needed for getting it out. We guys are amazing sometimes. Who was Rube Goldberg, and where did that saying come from. DJ
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