In reply to wheelsmithy:
Could be. I know he raped a Jensen Healey and a Spitfire, he may have had intimate knowledge of other British cars as well. 
In reply to wheelsmithy:
Could be. I know he raped a Jensen Healey and a Spitfire, he may have had intimate knowledge of other British cars as well.
That cap is a gas cap from an Opel GT. Have one just like it on mine and the key works to lock it. Also have a spare one tucked away. The Z is called a "Blitz" and is the signature Opel Blitz. Also on the nose of my Opel GT and steering wheel and other locations on the car.
So not British but German. That center piece should rotate exposing a key slot. Should be able to get a blank for an Opel and have a locksmith key it for you and then you can lock the cap.
In reply to wlkelley3:
The center does rotate to expose a key. I should have know that a super complicated gas cap could only be designed by the Germans. 
or fuel again. He sure does run good considering. The rear view cameras worked perfectly as well. I could back it out of the driveway without assistance.
More to come.
Very nice :)
SanFord is getting a diesel heart in the not too distant future.
Picked up for cheap. Like $1500 cheap.
It's a 6L so it will get some bulletproofing before it goes in.
Toyman01 wrote: Picked up for cheap. Like $1500 cheap.
Can't beat that price. If you didn't already have SanFord, that airport bus looks like it could be made into a halfway decent camper all by itself.
In reply to stuart in mn:
They have 8 more with auctions ending today and tomorrow. I'm willing to pick them up and store them for a couple of weeks for anyone that is interested in buying one.
A link for the interested. Charleston RTA auctions.
Here's a question. The solid front axle on SanFord isn't the best in the world.
SanFords front axle is rated at 4600 pounds. The front IFS on the E450 I just bought is also rated at 4600 pounds.
So, why couldn't I just graft the entire front frame, with suspension onto the front of SanFord. No engine mounts to build, no transmission mounts to build, modern front suspension and brakes, power steering, the list goes on.
I could remove the entire body from the E450 chassis and use as much of it as I needed to splice onto SanFord's chassis. It might be as easy or easier than a engine swap.
Tell me why it wouldn't work.
No I haven't measured anything. I don't pick up the E450 until Monday.
In reply to Toyman01:
I just figured that was the plan. It also leaves you with a nice fiberglass(?) greenhouse for the garden when you're done with the E450.
There's only one way to find out
So, I just told my wife I bought another bus without consulting her. Her response? "Cool" 
I must admit I worded the telling very carefully.
I like the plan.
How do the two wheelbases compare? the E450 comes in a short 158" and a long 176" wheelbase.
In reply to NOHOME:
The 56 B600 came in 192" and 220" wheelbase. We will find out Monday how close everything lays out.
So, there is an Allison transmission, A 6bt and another b600 shell on my local Craigslist for under 3k total. I wish I had the space and money for these kind of things
You might want to check what sort of steel the frames are made from (or at least spark test them to get some idea of the carbon content), I seem to recall reading that heavy duty frames are often heat treated and not safe to weld on, might apply to medium duty stuff too.
In reply to BrokenYugo:
The modern stuff is 36000 psi steel. I'm not sure how it would take to extensive welding. I was thinking about bolting it all together.
I really can't wait to get the new one home. It needs some extensive looking with a measuring device.
While not trivial it's relatively simple to adjust the frame length and wheelbase on the Econoline. Perhaps a full chassis swap would be even better than just a frame graft.
In reply to APEowner:
I'm not sure the rear axle is wide enough or strong enough. SanFord's rear axle is rated at 14000 pounds. The new bus axle is only rated at 9450 pounds.
I have another issue.
The wheels on SanFord are 22.5 X 6.75 with a 6 on 8.75 lug pattern.
The wheels on the E450 are 16 X 6 with a 8 on 6.5 lug pattern.
I want to stay with one wheel size and lug pattern. I can't find any adapters to make those play together.
I have a lathe and mill, is there any reason I couldn't build a set?
The lug patterns are over 2" apart. I'm thinking 3/4 or 1" steel plate, machined for the centers. That gets bolted to the E450 front hub, and the 22.5 wheel get bolted to the adapter.
They make them so the brodozer crowd can bolt heavy truck wheels to their one tons, but they are all for 10 lug wheels.
Like these.
Out of curiosity, what about Sanford's front axle makes you not want to keep it? Making a solid front axle work well enough should be pretty easy, considering everything involved is simpler than dirt.
It doesn't solve the bolt pattern problem, but if you really wanted some fun, you could find a trans, t-case and front axle from a 4wd pickup with a 6.0 and something something 4wd bus...
In reply to rslifkin: I think Toyman is looking for disk brakes and easier to find service parts.
If it were me, I would section the front frame and do the adapters for the wheels. Seems like the easy button. For joining the 2 frames I would fishplate it, bolted and welded.
In reply to rslifkin:
The three main issues about SanFord's front axle are, the drum brakes, no power steering, and the king pins and bushings are no longer available. It also drives like a 60 year old bus.
The power steering is correctable, the drum brakes are not, and I could probably build the king pin bushings. But, I will soon have a complete front end that has everything I need for basically free money. Disk brakes with dual piston calipers, power steering, and parts availability. I'd rather use that if possible and make SanFord drive much better.
Add to that, if I use the complete front chassis from the E450, I don't have to build engine mounts, transmission mounts, radiator mounts, transmission cooler mounts, exhaust, plumb and wire an entire engine. I just cut the front of SanFord off, attach the front of the E450 and build a driveshaft. Then all I have to do is make the front sheet metal on SanFord a tilt front and I'm done. Easy right? 
There is still a lot of measuring and studying to do. I'm brainstorming without any solid information so all of this is subject to change come Monday.
Edit: Yes, the thought of a 4WD bus makes me all tingly inside.
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