Just finished 4k roadtrip in the Bird

[davidkerryedwards]

Denver-Minneapolis-Duluth-Bayfield-Mackinaw-Port Huron-Buffalo-Rochester-
Cleveland-Chicago-Denver.
Apart from some problems with the recall work on my Dometic frig (which I wrote
up on
the Dometic recall thread over at RVNet), the only problem I encountered was the
missing
panhard rod bolt which I posted about earlier. Had it repaired (along with a
loose right
rear shock discovered at the same time) for $175 in Minneapolis.
What a difference that bolt made. Driving the bus much easier. Takes about 1/3
of the
physical effort to drive it compared to the boltless bus. For the first 5k miles
I drove it, I
wondered how old men managed to drive them since I was very tired at the end of
the day.
My best guess is that the bus had been missing the bolt since about 1990 since
the
bluebox shows a broken right front shock mount in that year. I'm thinking that
whatever
broke the shock mount, also broke the panhard rod bolt. It might also explain
why the
Bird went through a number of hands in a relatively short period of time after
it left the
hands of the original owner.
The real key to knowing the symptoms of a problem with a panhard rod is what
happens
when a semi begins to pass you on the interstate. With the bolt missing, as
soon as the
wall of air in front of the passing truck hit the rear of the bus, it moved
sideways and
required a correction. With the bolt repaired, if there is any buffeting from a
passing
truck, it only occurs once the air pressure hits the front of the bus.
Got between 7-8 mpg.

Kerry
82 FC 35
Denver