Start up and drive the 1978 International Carpenter bus (part 1)

I replaced the needle valve, float bowl gasket and accelerator pump in the Holley carburetor and was able to get the bus started and drive it.

[@BggstHm]

hi Chad hope everything is all right with you personally because you are missed by a lot of fans including me and I hope you will post some new videos but in case it's not possible I wanted to say thank you for the videos you did post:-)

[@ytfan81]

glad to hear that 345 come to life!

[@kaiyoshi2243]

Well done! This brings back memories. I used to drive a 1978 International Loadstar 1700 with that allison. She sounded like she didn't want to wake up from her sleep. heh, Good job getting her going again.

[@gajda1984]

hey chad, thanks! glad you got it running and moving!

[@kjm1983]

Great work Chad! I knew you would be able to sucessfully accomplish this project. You surely will need to fine tune the idle mixture screws located just behind the float bowl on the side of the carb body. There should be one on each side. Simply adjust slowly left or right until rpm at idle begins to slow down, then go back the other direction until the same thing happens.Then find the spot where it idles the fastest, and you are finished with that mixture screw.Repeat.

[@shermanhatch1916]

love the push starts!

[@MsJinkerson]

it is always those old engines that take time to wake up

[@exoticg9]

thats awesome bro.Nice work.

[@TheSuperCRASHer]

I love these Old Big Ass Buses there so Cool.

[@retrochad]

Thanks for your comments! It is an International 345 CID V-8.

[@maynardcat]

My neighbors bought and old truck a few months ago. They have been working on it for weeks It sounds and runs about the same as your bus. It was loud, would start, then die, and they couldn't make it idle. I think they finally got it to run and idle just last week.

[@mauser8mm192422]

nice to hear it run

[@DBVintage]

Nice you got it running! On the idle, you probably need to adjust the idle air mixture screws and set the "base" idle.

[@retrochad]

Hello, the bus is not being salvaged for parts, I intend to keep it operating.

[@averywoodward1150]

Yay

[@jeffbradshaw1591]

When starting a cold carburated engine you have to lightly step on the gas about 1/2" or so to open the throttle, requires a slightly richer mixture (possibly combined with choking), especially when first starting.

[@retrochad]

Thank you! and thanks for subscribing to my videos. We actually got the Allison to shift about a week ago.

[@retrochad]

OK I remember seeing some adjustment screws at the bottoms of each venturi...they are located on the opposite side of the carb from the float bowl (toward the firewall) I will make sure to try them.

[@retrochad]

Yes I think you are right...I have noticed some cracked/chipped areas right where the manifold contacts the block.

[@kjm1983]

Well, adjusting the mixture screws is just normal tuning for carbs...very simple. That likely explains why it is reluctant to start on it's own without pumping the accelerator. You'll have to just look at it to see where the screws exactly are, but there's 2, one for each venturi. They won't be screws that are tightened down. Ride Retrochad Bus Lines' fleet of vintage buses today! ..lol

[@asulca593]

don't know if it was just an IH nuance, but the gauges, particularly the speedometer, would bounce around the dial when the vehicle was moving...i remember seeing this as a kid and thought it was interesting

[@retrochad]

Hey thanks a lot! I was able to adjust the idle throttle position to open up the throttle some more and this enabled it to stay running at idle (you can see this in the other video) I wonder if the carb idle circuits may still have problems? It seems to stay running OK the way I have it now.

[@Sqquiid]

just hold the starter for longer man, might have started lol

[@mrceleb2006]

I love very hard starts, i.e. very long cranking!

[@h.w.r8635]

The older the better

[@ford9572]

@fontheking5, How much longer? Like between 4 and 6 seconds? That's how I started up my 1977 Ford E-350 460 RV from cold.

[@retrochad]

I'll go back to the original fuel tank when I pump out any old gas that might be in it. It has 2, 65 gallon tanks but I don't think there is much old gas left in them.

[@robmoir7524]

That breaks me up give it ether

[@randelmckay5606]

very cool bus,,think it was 1979 that international changed the dash panel,,speaking of I've never saw a school bus panel like this one with 2 air gauges!!!! pretty cool...do u know where I could find a panel like that with 2 air gauges??? please let me know thanks erica

[@djlau1]

whare do you get them all do u bring those beautys back on the road?

[@kelleyfinch3415]

I have the same everything but it hasn’t started in 20 years it’s a 1978 model

[@DBVintage]

Might be good to replace the manifolds with some headers.

[@HVASEA]

maybe if you held the starter button down a little bit more

[@gm1990ss]

the hell with the governor. lol

[@fontheking5]

It needs to be cranked steady for much longer i think

[@mrceleb2006]

This is not a 1978 model...it's from pre-1972! BTW, this should have been re-powered by a 6.9L Diesel V8 engine used in the Ford pickup trucks!

[@josephheston9238]

The T-handle shifter says that it is 76-later. 75-earliers have the notch shifters on their automatics. The grilles are interchangeable between the 74-laters and 73-earliers.

[@bensonsspeedshop1191]

Fix the choke, reset idle, Then, it will start and run better.

[@2008FORDF450V8]

when will you have the fuel tank cleaned out and the fuel re connected thanks

[@GarbageSean]

Great video Chad! I like how at 5:01 you say "And I'm gonna put it in drive" and then the clunk of the Allison being shiftied into drive! What's the transmission, Allison HT740 or Allison AT545?

[@josephheston9238]

It would not be an HT740. Those were used for heavy duty trucks, transit and Greyhound-type buses.

[@GarbageSean]

@@josephheston9238 so would it most likely be an AT545?

[@josephheston9238]

@@GarbageSean Probably.

[@richthecardude94]

ohh lol well its big so i didnt expect much hahaa plus id mount a bigger tank on

[@ford9572]

@6452ss Yep!!! It's an old beater!!! Dilapidated old heap!! I hear he found a hornet's neat under the hood!!! Lol!!!

[@ford9572]

@AVIBobcat108 What do YOU care whether he uses a small gas can or a large one? If he wants to use a small gas can that's HIS choice, I don't see any problem with it whatsoever!! Anyway he was NOT planning to drive it on the road, Just around his property, And for the record a 3 gallon gas can probably would've fallen off the bumper I think.

[@RockinGuy1994]

Do you still have all your buses? Did you stop making videos?

[@briangleser1925]

Hi do you still have the 1978 International Carpenter bus I need the hood and a few other parts can you help me?

[@AVIBobcat08]

is that the 427 big block?

[@scotty6551]

the bus sounded rough the carb needs adjustment

[@officialkingstreerailfanga2699]

I wonder what happened to the school bus lettering on the front

[@josephheston9238]

Federal law requires that school buses taken out of school duty have the words _SCHOOL BUS_ removed and repainted other than yellow.

[@retrochad]

No it won't! I think it used about a quart of gas in 5 minutes of running.

[@Righty736]

Sounds like it has a cracked exhaust manifold

[@andrewburton2575]

Retrochad would you ever be interested in selling this bus... if so how much for

[@AVIBobcat08]

Why not use a bigger gas can? why such a small one

[@tpvalley]

governor?

[@SpiritsoftheWolf]

no it's a 345

[@jennyhernandez7745]

Make a 1959 ford bus video

[@9751asd]

are you sure of that? where did you get the info from?

[@STR8UPWITHU2]

try backing off the CHOKE!

[@neversatisfiedlol]

lol kjm