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Old 04-22-2016, 02:16 PM   #1
Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 120
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E Allison 3000
Rated Cap: 84 Kids/56 Adults
My Unnamed '99 International Amtran

So tuesday I drove down to indianapolis and bought myseld a 1999 international amtran flat front, front engine bus. She has a DT466E engine and an allison 3000 trans with 109k miles. Picked her up for $2,500.

30 minutes outside indy, the intake hose inbetween the air charge and the intake manifold ruptured and it became a slow limp home since i was down about 50% torque/power.

I'm in school to become a diesel mechanic, so I took it to school on wednesday to have it checked out by my teachers and we found the problem hose. They said I got the bus at a steal of a price.

Other than the hose, she drove great.

So far I've deactivated the emergency door alarms and put a lock on the back door. I'll be keeping this thread updated with progress pictures as I have them. I also applied for title change to an RV which should come in the mail in about a week,[IMG]

Oh, and anyone in michigan with a skoolie hit me up and we can have a meet and greet.


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Old 04-22-2016, 02:22 PM   #2
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Dude, you got a deal from the sounds of it. Congrats. You sound energetic and I'm looking forward to following your progress, as are many others here.
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Old 04-22-2016, 02:37 PM   #3
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That's a screaming hot deal you got on your bus. Nicely done.
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Old 04-22-2016, 03:08 PM   #4
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Location: Houston, Texas
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Rated Cap: 15
Welcome to the Craziness! --- And Roger the smokin' hot deal. Great engine & tranny combo for a song. Is it fairly rust free?

And do keep up with the diesel tech courses...we desperately need someone with those skills here!
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Old 04-22-2016, 04:00 PM   #5
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Houston, Tx.
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Year: 1999
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 84
Wow....you got a steal for the price, lucky you. Hope it holds up well.

I have the exact same bus and will be starting my renovation in about 1 more month. To bad I'm way down in Texas or we could compare notes. Really looking forward to seeing your progress. Remember to post lots of pics .
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Old 04-22-2016, 06:08 PM   #6
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Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 120
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E Allison 3000
Rated Cap: 84 Kids/56 Adults
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
Dude, you got a deal from the sounds of it. Congrats. You sound energetic and I'm looking forward to following your progress, as are many others here.
Yeah I've been on the hunt for over 6 months and was starting to go nuts. I'm glad i finally found it and I'm ready to dive in.

Quote:
Originally Posted by slaughridge85 View Post
That's a screaming hot deal you got on your bus. Nicely done.
I got it from MacAllister Machinery in Indianapolis. They had about 100 buses on the lot of varying age and price. The guy in charge of sales is Ron Garrett and he was really helpful.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango View Post
Welcome to the Craziness! --- And Roger the smokin' hot deal. Great engine & tranny combo for a song. Is it fairly rust free?

And do keep up with the diesel tech courses...we desperately need someone with those skills here!
Yeah I'm definitely going to get my associates and get my ASE certification. I hope to be able to provide some advice as I learn more. Fair trade for all the great info everyone has posted on here.

As for the rust, there's some scaling underneath, but it doesn't look too bad. I'll try and post pictures of the overall condition this weekend for you guys.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyboyHPD View Post
Wow....you got a steal for the price, lucky you. Hope it holds up well.

I have the exact same bus and will be starting my renovation in about 1 more month. To bad I'm way down in Texas or we could compare notes. Really looking forward to seeing your progress. Remember to post lots of pics .
Do you happen to have the original owners manual or anything like that? There are some switches and other things that i have no idea what their function is.

What did you end up paying for yours, and how many miles did it have?
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Old 04-22-2016, 08:22 PM   #7
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Houston, Tx.
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Year: 1999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmattarn View Post
Yeah I've been on the hunt for over 6 months and was starting to go nuts. I'm glad i finally found it and I'm ready to dive in.

Do you happen to have the original owners manual or anything like that? There are some switches and other things that i have no idea what their function is.

What did you end up paying for yours, and how many miles did it have?
I'm almost embarrassed to say, I paid $8500 for mine. But to me it was worth it. It already has a white roof, which I'll paint over with HyTech insulating paint, tinted windows, and highway gears. it has 162k miles on it and appears to be rust free.

Wish I had an owners manual but I don't. You'll have a head start on me but as soon as mine gets here I'll be happy to share whatever I find out as far as original equipment and how it works.

Is your's a 40 footer as well?
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Old 04-22-2016, 09:31 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmattarn View Post
I got it from MacAllister Machinery in Indianapolis. They had about 100 buses on the lot of varying age and price. The guy in charge of sales is Ron Garrett and he was really helpful.
Thanks for the name of the dealer. I looked through their current inventory and they have a large selection at decent prices. Did you do any haggling or pay the listed price? Are the buses in IN under strict inspection regulations like NY and a few other states? If so I would expect to see them in pretty decent shape and retired with lower mileage than less regulated states. What kind of shape are the mechanicals on the bus (tires, brakes, etc)? Wondering if I bought one there would it be ready to make the drive back to VA right off the lot? How did the other buses on the lot look as far as mechanical condition and rust?
Sorry for all the questions but it's good to get first hand feedback from someone who has just been to a dealer that has a large selection of buses. Looking forward to your build!
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Old 04-23-2016, 07:30 AM   #9
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,707
Year: 1991
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Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
what a great lookin bus!!! Love it..

im not in Michigan but im in central ohio.. we need to find some southern michigan / ohio / indiana skoolies and all meet somewhere in the middle!! would be fun!

-Christopher
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Old 04-23-2016, 07:34 AM   #10
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,707
Year: 1991
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmattarn View Post
Yeah I've been on the hunt for over 6 months and was starting to go nuts. I'm glad i finally found it and I'm ready to dive in.



I got it from MacAllister Machinery in Indianapolis. They had about 100 buses on the lot of varying age and price. The guy in charge of sales is Ron Garrett and he was really helpful.



Yeah I'm definitely going to get my associates and get my ASE certification. I hope to be able to provide some advice as I learn more. Fair trade for all the great info everyone has posted on here.

As for the rust, there's some scaling underneath, but it doesn't look too bad. I'll try and post pictures of the overall condition this weekend for you guys.



Do you happen to have the original owners manual or anything like that? There are some switches and other things that i have no idea what their function is.

What did you end up paying for yours, and how many miles did it have?

I looked at mccaslister , they have some really nice busses there.. some good deals, some not.. but they definitely have some Gems!

what a great way to practice what you are doing in school too, you can learn about the 'E' part of the engine too and get good at it!! thats where the $$$ is at after school, troubleshooting and repairing the electronics..
-Christopher
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Old 04-26-2016, 11:57 AM   #11
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 120
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E Allison 3000
Rated Cap: 84 Kids/56 Adults
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyboyHPD View Post
I'm almost embarrassed to say, I paid $8500 for mine. But to me it was worth it. It already has a white roof, which I'll paint over with HyTech insulating paint, tinted windows, and highway gears. it has 162k miles on it and appears to be rust free.

Wish I had an owners manual but I don't. You'll have a head start on me but as soon as mine gets here I'll be happy to share whatever I find out as far as original equipment and how it works.

Is your's a 40 footer as well?
Mine has a white roof as well, tinted windows, 40 footer, and its a 6-speed but the 6th gear is locked out. Is your 6th locket out as well? Rust free was worth it, I've got quite a bit of scaling rust underneath that I'm going to have to clean and repaint this summer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dgorila1 View Post
Thanks for the name of the dealer. I looked through their current inventory and they have a large selection at decent prices. Did you do any haggling or pay the listed price? Are the buses in IN under strict inspection regulations like NY and a few other states? If so I would expect to see them in pretty decent shape and retired with lower mileage than less regulated states. What kind of shape are the mechanicals on the bus (tires, brakes, etc)? Wondering if I bought one there would it be ready to make the drive back to VA right off the lot? How did the other buses on the lot look as far as mechanical condition and rust?
Sorry for all the questions but it's good to get first hand feedback from someone who has just been to a dealer that has a large selection of buses. Looking forward to your build!
I couldn't haggle on mine due to the ridiculously low price, but they may be able to on something a bit newer. Indiana has state inspections on their buses so if it passes they shouldn't have any rotted out supports, good tires, etc. Mine is still certified to deliver children through September of 2016. When I took a drive around the lot most of the buses seemed to be in pretty good shape, they have a full service mechanic shop there. Other than my intake hose rupturing, I had no problems driving it 300 miles home. I also don't have a CDL with airbrakes and had no problems from that either.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
what a great lookin bus!!! Love it..

im not in Michigan but im in central ohio.. we need to find some southern michigan / ohio / indiana skoolies and all meet somewhere in the middle!! would be fun!

-Christopher
YES!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
I looked at mccaslister , they have some really nice busses there.. some good deals, some not.. but they definitely have some Gems!

what a great way to practice what you are doing in school too, you can learn about the 'E' part of the engine too and get good at it!! thats where the $$$ is at after school, troubleshooting and repairing the electronics..
-Christopher
The E is a pain in the @$$, but it will be well worth it to have the knowledge.


Sorry it took me so long to get back to everyone, we have a busy weekend in the bus. We managed to remove all but 7 seats (keeping those so I have 14 available passenger seats until I'm ready to do new seats) and out of all the seats I removed, I only had to use the grinder to cut off 2 bolts. I managed to get all the seats out by clamping on to the nuts underneath the bus with a pair of vise-grips and having a friend ratchet tem from above. I'd say maybe 10 bolts came out clean and the rest just snapped which made things easy. We also removed the panels above the windows that contain the speakers and lights , and got started on the 20349570923784 screws in the ceiling. Lots of them are stuck, stripped, or painted over so I ended up picking up a pretty nice Milwaukee grinder to turn them into flatheads for ease of removal. About 10 wraps of gorilla take around the hose has been holding up until my new one comes in tomorrow. I'm hoping sometime this week to black out the stop signs and continue removing the ceiling.

Some of the rust on the body rails:


Main frame rust isn't great but it isn't terrible either. Should be manageable.


Hard to tell., but front tread is pretty good.


Rear tread is beeeeeeefy.


This is the only real spot of rust on the exterior of the body:


Installed a lock on the back door:






My buddy on the roof:


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Old 04-26-2016, 01:03 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmattarn View Post
Mine has a white roof as well, tinted windows, 40 footer, and its a 6-speed but the 6th gear is locked out. Is your 6th locket out as well? Rust free was worth it, I've got quite a bit of scaling rust underneath that I'm going to have to clean and repaint this summer.



I couldn't haggle on mine due to the ridiculously low price, but they may be able to on something a bit newer. Indiana has state inspections on their buses so if it passes they shouldn't have any rotted out supports, good tires, etc. Mine is still certified to deliver children through September of 2016. When I took a drive around the lot most of the buses seemed to be in pretty good shape, they have a full service mechanic shop there. Other than my intake hose rupturing, I had no problems driving it 300 miles home. I also don't have a CDL with airbrakes and had no problems from that either.



YES!!!



The E is a pain in the @$$, but it will be well worth it to have the knowledge.


Sorry it took me so long to get back to everyone, we have a busy weekend in the bus. We managed to remove all but 7 seats (keeping those so I have 14 available passenger seats until I'm ready to do new seats) and out of all the seats I removed, I only had to use the grinder to cut off 2 bolts. I managed to get all the seats out by clamping on to the nuts underneath the bus with a pair of vise-grips and having a friend ratchet tem from above. I'd say maybe 10 bolts came out clean and the rest just snapped which made things easy. We also removed the panels above the windows that contain the speakers and lights , and got started on the 20349570923784 screws in the ceiling. Lots of them are stuck, stripped, or painted over so I ended up picking up a pretty nice Milwaukee grinder to turn them into flatheads for ease of removal. About 10 wraps of gorilla take around the hose has been holding up until my new one comes in tomorrow. I'm hoping sometime this week to black out the stop signs and continue removing the ceiling.

Some of the rust on the body rails:


Main frame rust isn't great but it isn't terrible either. Should be manageable.


Hard to tell., but front tread is pretty good.


Rear tread is beeeeeeefy.


This is the only real spot of rust on the exterior of the body:


Installed a lock on the back door:






My buddy on the roof:


Nice! That's just light surface rust on the frame, should clean right up with some rust neutralizer or a wire wheel. Awesome looking bus!
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Old 04-26-2016, 01:17 PM   #13
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Location: EHT New Jersey
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Year: 2003
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Chassis: International 3000RE
Engine: T444E/AT545
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmattarn View Post
Mine has a white roof as well, tinted windows, 40 footer, and its a 6-speed but the 6th gear is locked out.
Give Allison a shout, tell them what you're doing with the bus and they can authorize 6th being unlock.

I've got a few years younger than yours ('03 RE), but stuck with a 545. When I can get around to it, I'll probably swap it for a 6 speed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dmattarn View Post
We also removed the panels above the windows that contain the speakers and lights , and got started on the 20349570923784 screws in the ceiling. Lots of them are stuck, stripped, or painted over so I ended up picking up a pretty nice Milwaukee grinder to turn them into flatheads for ease of removal.
#2 Square bits work really well on the ceiling screws. I pulled my ceiling down over the space of a day with one.
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Old 04-26-2016, 01:26 PM   #14
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
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Year: 1999
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Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E Allison 3000
Rated Cap: 84 Kids/56 Adults
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooternj View Post
Give Allison a shout, tell them what you're doing with the bus and they can authorize 6th being unlock.

I've got a few years younger than yours ('03 RE), but stuck with a 545. When I can get around to it, I'll probably swap it for a 6 speed.



#2 Square bits work really well on the ceiling screws. I pulled my ceiling down over the space of a day with one.
Square bits are a great idea, I'll have to see if I have some laying around or go buy some. I called Allison and they said something about the bus probably not having the correct drivetrain components to handle the 6th gear, but also said I could take it to an authorized dealer to have the components inspected and they would tell me for sure.
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Old 05-16-2016, 11:26 AM   #15
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
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Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E Allison 3000
Rated Cap: 84 Kids/56 Adults
I've been making decent progress on the interior removal, sorry for not having more updates for you guys. School and work keep me busy, but expect more updates soon

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Old 05-18-2016, 04:57 PM   #16
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: South Carolina, but headed back to Michigan
Posts: 84
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International
Engine: DT360
I will be mostly done with my conversion and moving back to Michigan in December. I am getting a bit of flat-nose fever now, but I still love my carpenter dognose! It has it's own charm... all mechanical, tried and trusted.

I'm actually going back to school as well. I considered diesel mechanic... but settled on other passions. I will be going to Central up in Mt P.


Very nice bus!
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Old 05-18-2016, 07:43 PM   #17
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,707
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
I like the carpenter Body... afyer 1986 the headroom inside is good.. mine is all mechanical.. and runs great.. though I blew up the air compressor today but still I like the indistrial feel and charm of the carpenter interior.. plus its easy to add A/C to!
-Christopher
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Old 05-31-2016, 02:35 PM   #18
Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 120
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E Allison 3000
Rated Cap: 84 Kids/56 Adults
Gotta love living in surburbia... just got the boot today due to city ordinances. Not sure where I'm going to put it now, but on a positive note this forced me to plate it with the plate "BUSHAUS"

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Old 05-31-2016, 03:19 PM   #19
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Houston, Tx.
Posts: 403
Year: 1999
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Engine: DT466E
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmattarn View Post
Gotta love living in surburbia... just got the boot today due to city ordinances. Not sure where I'm going to put it now, but on a positive note this forced me to plate it with the plate "BUSHAUS"

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Wow, that sucks. Hope you can find another place to store it and work on it. Good luck.
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Old 06-01-2016, 07:20 PM   #20
Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 120
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466E Allison 3000
Rated Cap: 84 Kids/56 Adults
To make things even better all my coolant is now in the oil pan and I need to get towed

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