Leyland opd 2 double decker

Hi
I am currently restoring a Leyland opd2 and want to travel long distances in it when done. I was wondering if anyone can give me advice on what I can do to keep up with traffic a bit better (80km should do it).

These are the options I was considering:
1. Highway diff
2. Transmission from more modern truck or bus
3. Engine from more modern truck
4. All of the above plus modern air brakes and power steering ect (use a donor truck for parts)
5. rebuild my origional engine and maybe fit a turbo

If anyone has any suggestions or experience with this I would be very greatful

Thanks

Lee, you forgot an option........

6. leave it alone & appreciate your Bus for what It is..

Lee plenty of people go down this track your thinking about and I dont think to many ever end up that successful
It appears to me people change one thing to fix one problem then something else appears so they change that and then something else

Dunno as I have never done one but I think before most people know what has happened they have chewed thru some serious coin and still only have a old bus

Back in the 60's people used to do overland trips from London to Australia in this style of bus and I think they were a pretty standard setup
So maybe hayseed might be onto something just sit back and enjoy the world going by

Paul

Back in the day I did a few ski trips from Sydney in an old AEC double decker, not sure how quickly it would get along but it didn't take a hell of a lot longer to get to the ski fields than the coaches.
Great setup, dining etc downstairs, all bunks upstairs and somehow there were usually way more girls than guys.
When I did my first bus, also an AEC, ex Sydney government transport I fitted a quicker diff and that allowed me 90 kph I think it was, not really keeping up with the traffic but way less abuse than before.
Was fine at 1430 rpm but at 1438 it would valve bounce, snap off a valve and do the piston. Used to carry all the necessary spares to rebuild beside the road until I fitted a tacho !
Sold it to a guy that was going to drive it across the Gunbarrel !

You haven't said which series of OPD2 or build year yours is. The overall design dates from the early fifties and for the time they were a very good and successful vehicle, however what you have is a vintage vehicle which needs to be treated at such. Don't push it and it will go on forever. 40mph is tops. . Any breakdown will involve very extended stops while parts are sourced and a mechanic old enough to be a genuine diesel fitter is found. The AEC's mentioned come from a later generation of technology.
To get what you are seeking will involve replacing 100% of the bus, as every change has a knock on effect. Then every modification has to be signed off by a certification engineer ($$$$). What you are looking for is a motorhome that will carry around 3 tons of 'stuff', maintain 90km on the highway, and not require hercules to be the driver (these days people have no idea of the effort put in by drivers back in the day), so you are looking for something built late 70's or 80's. Coaches have the legs for the highway but can be well past their use by date due to rust between the skins and all sorts of other hidden problems. As has been mentioned city buses don't make the transition well. If you can find a bus guru who knows his vehicles you might get pointed to some select models of Volvo, Leyland or Mercedes. The aim is to get them as they come out of service and not dragged out of a jungle after sitting idle for milenia.
Not trying to pour rain on your parade but rather you reset your plans before you have chopped the bus about to the extent that vintage bus enthusiasts won't give it another life. Maybe do this one up to play with as a local driver and get something else more suitable for the big trips. A member of our club rode his WW2 Harley to London & back but times have changed and 20km to occasional club meets is the longest run it gets these days.

To give you an idea what you may be facing if you do this properly, this pic is of VP when we cut her down to floor level, we had to go even further to get all the cancer out.

Just been to the Bright Adventure Film Festival

one of the great movies (about 3 hours split in two) was "Pillock Conquers the World"

The story of a group of 9 poms travelling in a double decker bus from UK to Australia then across the USA. Limited motoring skills, only two could drive the bus but over 3 years a great trip. A couple of the , now geriatric, blokes were at the festival to talk as well.

Pillock Conquers the World (1969-72)

Pillock Conquers the World
A folk group buy an old rt bus as the ultimate ‘band van’. They load up their instruments and drive it to India, around Australia and then across the USA. This spectacular film comes from the pre-Shoreditch era when the fuzzy beard had but two legitimate homes: on either a lumberjack or a folk musician. […]

busman wrote: Back in the day I did a few ski trips from Sydney in an old AEC double decker

Great setup, dining etc downstairs, all bunks upstairs and somehow there were usually way more girls than guys.




Must have been a GM engine? I've heard they attract the ladies! :blink: :blink: :blink:

Pillocks conquered the world in a Leyland RTL :ohmy: outnumbered three to one almost by AEC RTs.
7' 6" wide except for some RTWs that were 8' wide. :blush:

The first OPD2s came to Sydney in 1949 and featured the then new 600 engine. The first post war AECs arrived in 1947 and had the new 9.6 litre diesel which debuted in 1939.
Both models were limited to 30 mph, through gearing and fuel pump governor. You could get a few more mph out of them by opening the rack up a bit, but as you say that is inviting trouble elsewhere. Limiting the power output was a ruse to improve engine reliability and life.