370 LE start to finish.....

[bobmiller1]

When I replaced all of the water lines in both the 325LE and the 370LE, not only did I color code the lines (Red for hot, Blue for cold, White for supply) but I pressure tested each circuit overnight at 100 PSI to check for leaks. The relief valve in the hot water tank would definitely release before that but I just wanted to make sure I was good to go. In all honesty I don't think that the factory grey lines can handle more than 50 PSI. If I had a Classic motor home one of the first things I would do would be to replace all of the plumbing lines.....30 years old, 30 winters........definitely a problem waiting to show itself usually at the worst time. Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

So I find myself south of Boston for the last 3 days......Charly’s (Streamquest) 370LE is coming along nicely. The new engine is here, we mounted all the drive accessories on to it and are going to install it that way, much easier. We redid the brakes lines that needed to be replaced when he pulled the Hydro-Max out for repair. We sorted out through the unnecessary wiring under the hood, now I’m sure none of the gauges will ever work again ! We redid the battery box wiring to simplify things, relocating the location for the battery isolator back to the original location on the back of the battery drawer, this eliminated about 30’ of battery wire. New 200 amp wiring is also installed for the new 200 amp alternator. We installed the new air brake parking brake valve in the floor of the driver’s area. The next trip up here will show the reinstall of the engine/ and new E4OD transmission. Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

[Krg22]

Hey Charley nice job on the battery box. I'm also a 370 owner and was also redoing my battery box last week, how crazy is that. I found battery terminal end covers on Amazon rubber and flexible plastic , large size(1.0 cable) and small for(10ga, 8,6,4,) thought they were cheesy when they came.but turned out that they work great, package of 10or 20 for 14.00 bucks.there are ones for 2.0 - 4.0 wire also 14.00bucs a pair keep up the good work Ken,

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

So I find myself south of Boston for the last 3 days......Charly’s (Streamquest) 370LE is coming along nicely. The new engine is here, we mounted all the drive accessories on to it and are going to install it that way, much easier. We redid the brakes lines that needed to be replaced when he pulled the Hydro-Max out for repair. We sorted out through the unnecessary wiring under the hood, now I’m sure none of the gauges will ever work again ! We redid the battery box wiring to simplify things, relocating the location for the battery isolator back to the original location on the back of the battery drawer, this eliminated about 30’ of battery wire. New 200 amp wiring is also installed for the new 200 amp alternator. We installed the new air brake parking brake valve in the floor of the driver’s area. The next trip up here will show the reinstall of the engine/ and new E4OD transmission. Regards, Bob

Is it just me or did someone else notice the word "racing" on the Valve covers?
I only saw 2 battery cut-offs and solenoid for the momentary switch on the back of the drawer, where did you mount the isolator? I hope you got rid of the voltage stealing diode Isolator and replaced it with a 200 amp Victron FET .
Nice work on the battery drawers, Charly!! Such a clean looking rig!

[marcvl]

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

Nice work on the battery drawers, Charly!! Such a clean looking rig!

+1! Those drawer rails looks brand new. Where did you find them? None of the 3 drawers on my rig open easily. I'm thinking about replacing all rails + locks.

[Keyair]

Looking good guys!


Question:
Do Cookies improve the 460's power output?

[Magnet18]

That engine looks badass.

Bought turnkey or built up?

What's under the valve covers?

[bobmiller1]

We were wondering who would notice first, Steve or Peter....LOL Regards, Bob

[streamquest]

Bob says I should chime in to answer questions about my coach, so here goes.
I've been tinkering around with mostly interior stuff for the past year or so, but things really cranked up once Bob shamed me into chasing him down to Arkansas for the October get together. I think he secretly wants to be close to a full stock of 370 spare parts (my 370) in case he needs something along he way (he's been lusting after my couch for years). lol.

Most of the work going on at the moment is just following in his wake. Bob has already blazed this trail, sourced the parts, and fought the battle. I'm really fortunate to have him as a friend, and can never thank him enough for all of the time and assistance that he's providing. I've often said that the best thing that ever happened to my 370 was Bob's buying a 370.

I'm also fortunate to have a dear friend that owns a metal shop specializing in stainless and aluminum. He is a genius fabricator with a racing background, and his son is a masterful welder. That should explain the battery drawer. Pull out the rusty original, plug dimensions into the water jet, fold and weld, add slides, roll a new aluminum outer panel, and install. I could spend the rest of my life trying to master those skills.

I've also really been lucky to have recently met a customer at my restaurant who so happens to have been in the business of building race motors, and running funny cars for the past fifty years. After the de-emmissioning went sideways, it was a no brainer to bring the engine to him. Even better, His shop is only about fifteen minutes from me.

Th engine is a 70's generation 460 block with 8 to 1 pistons that was rated at 220 HP. Ughhh. The tear down revealed broken rings in two cylinders with a third one on the verge, valves not seating, timing chain about to fall off, distributer frozen in place, and the left head with broken off manifold bolts, damage to the casting itself, and previous helicoil repairs gone bad. Its amazing that the thing ran as well as it did. The crank was in beautiful shape, and the the rods were Super Cobrajet parts (go figure, apparently Ford was known for using whatever was on the shelf, but according to Bob these motors were built to a "heavy duty" spec).
Since the bottom end was so good, the idea of stroking it got passed by. It got a .030 overbore, new teflon skirted 9-1 pistons, a new cam with a high torque at low rpm profile, new heads with opened up exhaust ports, enlarged valves with a "performance" grind, shimmed lifters, a high volume oil pump, Edelbrock manifold, and a Holley 750 "quick fuel" carb. The best part is that it was hand assembled by a guy that builds 5000HP motors who constantly talked me off the idea of trying to do anything crazy despite being presented with my open wallet! Hanging around a shop full of 500-600 cubic inch aluminum motors presents a lot of temptation!

All credit goes to Bob for sorting out all the wiring and electronics.

I'm also really lucky to have a great Chef that makes killer cookies!

[bobmiller1]

So we were talking today about 7 blade fans for our 370LE’s, the cooling system suffers because when the chassis were delivered from GM and Gillig they did not have factory AC installed, therefore they came with a standard radiator and a 5 blade fan. I converted the 325LE a few years ago, but was unable to find a 19” factory fan for the Ford. I nailed it in Ebay today......seems like Charly was watching it as well but now it is gone......I should have it in a few days.......I think he hates me now. LMAO !!!!!! Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

[streamquest]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

So we were talking today about 7 blade fans for our 370LE’s, the cooling system suffers because when the chassis were delivered from GM and Gillig they did not have factory AC installed, therefore they came with a standard radiator and a 5 blade fan. I converted the 325LE a few years ago, but was unable to find a 19” factory fan for the Ford. I nailed it in Ebay today......seems like Charly was watching it as well but now it is gone......I should have it in a few days.......I think he hates me now. LMAO !!!!!! Regards, Bob

What can I say? Turns out my friend Bob is a RUTHLESS man.
And to think that I was going to give him a head start when we drag race!

[Kota]

If you could vector the thrust from that fan out the back you would probably get 100 mpg.

[bobmiller1]

My heavy work on the 396XL is almost done, so I have to get going on the 370LE. The plans for this winter are to remove the dinette (again) and rebuild it with better drawers underneath to utilize the space a little better. When the dinette is removed I can peel back the interior wall (again) and replace and rewire the electric deadbolt lock like I should have done when I replaced the door striker that was missing. I want to make a new dinette table to match the new kitchen countertop with an inlaid map of the United States. Replacing the original hardwood floor and getting rid of the plastic (useless) entrance step well has been on the list for a few years. The TV stand which used to house the original TV will be remade to match the kitchen cabinets with 3 drawers. The rear bedroom dresser will be removed and remade, the bottom 2 drawers will be converted into a laundry hamper. I’m still working the bugs out of the 2 speed rear end addition, just trying to retain the original hubs so I can use the original Alcoa 6 lug rims. I’ve been playing the shell game with bearings to facilitate the hubs fitting the new Dana/Spicer rear end housing. Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

Charly.....don’t be to mad at me.....LOL Regards, Bob

[bobmiller1]

A few more cuts and the new 7 blade fan is on, Charly scored a nice one as well, I separated the factory fan shroud and replaced the hardware with new. The thought of having to do a water pump replacement on the road is a terrible thought but it can be done if you prepare for it. I found a couple of bracket bolts loose from the trip to Yellowstone which tells me I really need to go over all the engine bolts again. Looking forward to the next road test to see not only if the 7 blade fan works better than the 5, but to make sure it stays on ! Regards, Bob Attachment 1Attachment 1Attachment 1Attachment 1

[bobmiller1]

Attachment 1Attachment 1

[Boom Sounds]

Amazing work gents.

[bobmiller1]

Charly’s transmission just arrived....same as mine, I remember thinking that it was so big, it would never fit. Regards, Bob