Let's get serious

[Juergen]

To all Birders
When I read all the posts about BB and its Repair, Costs etc, I can see a lot
of interest here.
Now, we all know that when you have an older coach, you never know what might
crop up. When any one, experienced BB Tech or just a regular Mechanic gets into
a piece of older equipment, you never know if doing this or that WILL fix the
problem. One might uncover or run into some totally different things.
Example: Taking out an inverter might uncover burnt wires or rusted areas that
might need fixing also. Therefore, nobody, even BB Techs, could not give an
accurate estimate of work to be done, because NO-ONE can see ahead of what might
come up. As MH said it, if you got it, it's your baby. So I say, you cannot
expect any tech to give you an estimate and expect that to be the final bill. It
might cost $200 bucks to fix the alternator, and if that is all that broken,
then $200 bucks it is. But what happens when the tech finds the bracket cracked?
The bolt holding it, rusted through, now the bill could jump up. Here is where
our understanding comes into play.
Anyhow, what I hated at old BB is, when they tried to Bull.. me about things
that are just plain Baloney. Just the truth please, just the facts please, know
what you are talking about.
Tranny work. Allison or ZF, each ha sits own experience. BUT, let some one at
BB know enough to steer you into the right direction. So if I am a typical
person, no mech. skills, I call BB for help on Tranny. Macy should tell me that
BB does not do Trannies, but Allison, Phone No :XXXXX or ZF at xxxp Phone: XXXXX
can fix your problem.
Engine work, same as above. Let DD or Cat do the work but tell us where and
what.
Lots of birds have still LP Hydronic heat systems. Macy should actually send
at least 1 tech to Elkhart and get trained by Mark Dexter in the system. Then at
least he could tell us what to do.
If the new BB would try and salvage all the old info and publish/ digitize it/
sell it/ make it available to all who might need it, that would be a BIG help.
And finally, when Randy would publish his book on Vintage Birds, and how to
keep them running, we would all have a base from which to work from.
My local garage here charges $60 bucks an hour, has no idea what a BB actually
is, except its big and just barely fits into the shop, and I have to supply the
parts and info on how to do it. (Changing shocks, fixing alternators, flush
cooling system etc.) How many procedures I got off this Forum and then printed
it out for the mechanic, is quite a bit.
If Macy could get all the old BB stuff together and stored, and all this forum
knowledge added to that, and realizing that fixing old things are NOT cut and
dry work, but rather an adventure, we could run these birds longer than a DC-3
(70 year old airplane).

Back in 04, at the RIV, I witnessed a case where BB was NOT able to re-place
some batteries and shock absorbers on a BIG 03 coach. The owner had to drive his
toad back home and then retrieve the coach 2 weeks later. This is what burned
Jim Magowan off with the old BB system, Being at the factory and not even a
lousy battery?
Juergen in PA
1991 WLSP36




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