Rebuild of 85 345 Finally starts

[Paul J Mauro]

Hi Bob
any ideas on replacing the original dash AC
cant seem to locate a new compressor for the leaky old guy
otherwise engine tranny in running the break in should be able to post some after pix later today .still have not figured out how to
replace the rear curbside window glass - no glass guys here want to take it on
hoping to hit old forge campground soon this weekend !

[cmadmaxman]

If this is what you need, PM me with your address, pay for shipping, and it's yours. I removed them and put something I could see out of when we first got the coach. Yes it says curb side, but you can see it was mounted on the left side.

[bobmiller1]

Rebuild the original compressor, parts still available....easy job, just time consuming. Send me a picture of the compressor and I’ll quote you a price. Regards, Bob

[Paul J Mauro]

Originally Posted by bobmiller1

Rebuild the original compressor, parts still available....easy job, just time consuming. Send me a picture of the compressor and I’ll quote you a price. Regards, Bob

hey bob Im ok with the compressor I meant the condenser is leaking the skinny radiator looking part in from of my new rebuilt radiator .wonder if the dash ac on this beast is really ever worth the trouble .also searching for the dash controll unit for heat ac fan seems to be a 1989 dodge van part number

though we would be upstate NY this week but the new calipers didnt come in yet need to finish the brake rebuild but waiting on those

yellowstone is good rv trip for bigger rigs lots of camping spots hope they are all open still planning to head west after breaking in engine

[Boom Sounds]

If anyone ever needs a new AC Compressor, then check ACME or the TruckAirParts catalogues as potential leads

[Paul J Mauro]

just got delayed by the slow production in china of condensers .my local truck guys (tucks) tell me they cant get any more for me or anyone else due to supply slow down from china - need a new unit normally they get them from Napa,or advance auto .sold out here . any ideas on a contact to grab one.thought this would be the easy one to get naturally .gm part # 3055473

[Paul J Mauro]

thanks reached out waiting for an answer trying to get the condenser unit for the 85 345
my gm guy cant find one locally
454 P30

[Paul J Mauro]

all set got one thanks

[Paul J Mauro]

well new engine trans front brakes 8 new tires and many bits later we made it from bolton ma to Cotopaxi Colorado with a few delays and shakedown issues.going to tackle some here over the next month .lost one plug wire on the way now ok using both hi temp ceramics and the insulation sleeves from jeggs rated 1200 degrees.

[kidjedi]

Originally Posted by Paul J Mauro

well new engine trans front brakes 8 new tires and many bits later we made it from bolton ma to Cotopaxi Colorado with a few delays and shakedown issues.going to tackle some here over the next month

Lemme know if you're coming through Denver on the way back home. Maybe I'll have the Diskotrek running by then and we can have a 454 P30 meet up!

[Paul J Mauro]

Originally Posted by kidjedi

Lemme know if you're coming through Denver on the way back home. Maybe I'll have the Diskotrek running by then and we can have a 454 P30 meet up!

Ok will do

[PeterH-350LE]

Originally Posted by Paul J Mauro

well new engine trans front brakes 8 new tires and many bits later we made it from bolton ma to Cotopaxi Colorado with a few delays and shakedown issues.going to tackle some here over the next month .lost one plug wire on the way now ok using both hi temp ceramics and the insulation sleeves from jeggs rated 1200 degrees.

Congratulations on a almost perfect shakedown cruise! Do yourself a favor and retighten all the rubber hose clamps. They tend to be on the loose side after the initial heat run.

[Paul J Mauro]

Originally Posted by PeterH-Airstreamer

Congratulations on a almost perfect shakedown cruise! Do yourself a favor and retighten all the rubber hose clamps. They tend to be on the loose side after the initial heat run.

great idea
also the exhaust manifold bolts to the down pipe all got loose and I even lost one on the last 6 miles up the mountain to 10,000 ft parking lot in my driveway . looks like they used standard bolts and not brass studs with special locking nuts .am I remembering this wrong or do all these old 454 engines use just standard bolt hardware to the threaded manifold to hold the donut in ? overall not a terrible shakedown so far

[Paul J Mauro]

Ok folks in Colorado shakedown in progress.did a belt replacement in Kansas did a plug wire replacement in Indiana. Got a few weepy coolant connections.putting airbags in the ftontcspungs here also trying to better seal the doghouse .otherwise seeing America the beautiful

[Paul J Mauro]

345 engine tranny update
Ok in summary we had a great summer trip we love our 345 especially with 2 big labs and a new puppy .need the room.We went west climbed to our home at 10,000 ft in the Rockies and came back via 80 since 70 was a busy mess.We seem to have all the typical 345 issues .in Colorado we replaced the manifold studs and bolts to keep the exhaust donuts in .My colorado friend says the rebuild folks did a lousy job with that and used the wrong diameter donut.off my 1/4 in but a common mistake .much quieter now and running better.The new high temp plug wires (ceramic) with the 1.200 degree shields from Jeggs were terrific. solved the 454 hot melt wire issue.We pulled the smog and the air pump and converetd to a new shorter belt but my friend also said the most common error with the belts is the wrong lower bushing on the alternator causing the belt to be slightly off kilter .we will check that here which requires a straight edge and probably a custom fabbed bushing.AC ran great , gen ran great , the biggest win was the new air bags for the front end. when we did the new brakes and calipers we should have done it in Ma but driving west without them and driving back with them was quite a diff .install was easy and parts easy to get (rock auto) . Still need to do a few things but since I stayed stock there is no easy way to adjust a carb for sea level and then high altitude so we adjusted in CO and it ran great most of the way home new quad carb (quadratec) may not be a winner .went for all new tires which I reccommend highly as these rigs are nasty with a flat . my old tires aged out after 12 years and I blew one coming back from florida . they looked good but check those dates .Still trying to solve the dash air ( lousy) but with good roof air its almost a moot point.
Hope everyone had a good summer trip hope to run into you at the fall events in new england . We ususally do the Garlic festival in Bethlehem or BRattleboro , hope they are on this year .Thanks for everyones input along the way .Especially Bob and Peter .Yes I re snugged all the hoses in Co and stopped any minor coolant leaks . Also need to tighten the oil filter housing which is sweating a bit .Always a list right !

[Paul J Mauro]

Bob have you heard the alternator on these 454 engines need a specially fabbed bushing to stop the belts from dying of early wear stress from misalignment? my colorado buddy told me to take it off carefully measure with a straight edge and re bush the bottom so its plumb - now that we are back in MA i think thats our job 1 .

[Magnet18]

Originally Posted by Paul J Mauro

Bob have you heard the alternator on these 454 engines need a specially fabbed bushing to stop the belts from dying of early wear stress from misalignment? my colorado buddy told me to take it off carefully measure with a straight edge and re bush the bottom so its plumb - now that we are back in MA i think thats our job 1 .

That's interesting and I hadn't heard that. My 454 has always had a squeaky belt i couldn't figure out.

[bobmiller1]

I'll take a look tomorrow morning and take a couple of pictures from the 325LE. Regards, Bob

[Magnet18]

Originally Posted by Paul J Mauro

our 85 345 we bought new and pushed about 200,000 miles full of kids dogs and memories.now the family voted to rebuild not replace for the next generation of users.

Just caught up on this thread, and had to say that's awesome!

[Magnet18]

Originally Posted by Paul J Mauro

Bob have you heard the alternator on these 454 engines need a specially fabbed bushing to stop the belts from dying of early wear stress from misalignment? my colorado buddy told me to take it off carefully measure with a straight edge and re bush the bottom so its plumb - now that we are back in MA i think thats our job 1 .

Found an old post from WayneG that I had forgotten about, may be relevant

Originally Posted by WayneG

Check your alternator pulley, My belts would squeal and slip under high amps.

The reason was because someone (we wont say who here ) swapped the original alternator and did not swap the pulley.
Most alternators come with a pulley designed for a different belt width than what the P30 uses.
I ended up going to a alternator specialist to get the proper pulley and no more problems.
Also all that belt slippage adds more heat to the front alternator bearing and rotor, making it die faster than it should.