Our Skoolie Journey

[Ponyracer]

After some basic measurements/math, seems physically possible.

Garage needs to be 5' 5" tall to cary an adventure bike or my street bob with apes. IF I can lower the floor 16", which that would put the floor even with the skirts so only the frame would hang lower, do an 18" roof raise, loosing approx 4" for isulation and the tongue and groove ceiling, that leaves me an available space of 8' 10". -5' 5" = 3'5". Of course that has to account for the floor in between and the matteress height so the bedroom would def have to have a "pop up'd" section. Guess I'll have to wait and do the roof raise, then see what my overall height is. Def don't want to end up with a UK double decker looking bus.

[Malkieri]

You really need to find and talk to this guy! He seems to not have the problems you are having with loading a motorcycle on a bus...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgDtixq8ATY

[sweetfarm]

That video was awesome! I was thinking that you could compress the suspension on the motorcycle to lower it 10 or 12 inches to gain height in your bed. Or maybe even wheel wells for the bike in the floor and a lift up bed for loading. Flipping down the handlebars and flattening the tires would also gain you valuable inches

[Ponyracer]

You've got to be kidding me! I'd guess that's from India, those guys are good at stuff like that.

[Ponyracer]

Well I convinced my wife to go climb around under the bus and scrape off a ton of dirt to get to the transmission tag. Ya she's a keeper lol.

Well unfortunately I found I have an AT545

Anyone have any good links on tranny swaps behind a cummins? Prob go with a MD3060 since it seems to be the best tranny that will bolt to a 5.9

[bansil]

Originally Posted by Ponyracer

Well I convinced my wife to go climb around under the bus and scrape off a ton of dirt to get to the transmission tag. Ya she's a keeper lol.

Well unfortunately I found I have an AT545

Anyone have any good links on tranny swaps behind a cummins? Prob go with a MD3060 since it seems to be the best tranny that will bolt to a 5.9

document it...lots of folks talk about it, haven't seen it yet though

[Tango]

Confirm what bolt pattern you have on your bell housing. As I recall, the 545 is an SAE-3. If so, most Allisons can be had in that pattern including the 645 and others. Can't comment on the MD 3060. Of course you can swap or modify the bell housing but that can get tricky too.

Below is something I found on an RV board supposedly added by a transmission tech...might help...

if it is a 3000 series (it may say MD3060 on the tag) they ALL have the capability of being a 6 speed. you just have to go to a dealer and have them program it to a 6 speed. Allison WILL NOT change it to a 6 speed without an authorization from the manufacturer of the chassis because the driveshaft or axle may not be able to spin that fast. I've changed quite a few to 6 speeds but in a few instances I was not allowed to because the driveshaft wasn't supposed to spin that fast.

[Ponyracer]

GOD I LOVE Craigslist!!!!!

Homelite 3500 gen=$150 running condition

TORO 4000 gen, HD model with sound enclosure, looks like an EX4500 honda=$100 need a coil or similar as it lost spark

And the CROWN JEWEL......enough metal to reskin the sides and front after my 18" roof lift, with a bunch to spare and resell!

18 ga. Stainless 2 of them

The rest are aluminum...

.035-7 of them
.030-9
.028-3

All unused 4x10 sheets!!!!

$850 for ALL of it, HAHAHAHAHAHA. In AK ONE sheet is nearly $200

[Ponyracer]

Wife picked up an rv door at the local place, $175 brand new. Prob more than the lower 48 but it still beats $305 shipping from EBAY!! Windows coming next.

[Tango]

You have no idea how much I wished a flat RV door would fit my shorty...at any price. I probably have 6 months work and a grand tied up in making one to fit the ever so slight curve of the body and weird angles.

[Ponyracer]

Should have just welded up a flat frame then trimmed it it with sheetmetal, allowing the sheet to act as a transtition from the curve/radius to the flat frame!

[Tango]

Very close to what I did. The leading edge of the door (hinged side) is square and flat while the other has the slight curve of the body. I made the frame flat, then had to kerf the curved side in several places, bend and tack weld it. It took several tries to get it to fit properly. From there, I had a sheet metal shop fab the skin. They had to clamp & brace it in order to weld the outer skin to fit without distorting the frame off from the funky angles necessary for proper closure all around. Like I said...a Royal PITA but it came out pretty OK.


The "blank" as it came from the sheetmetal shop.


The big window was custom made to fit and the lower opening is what I call a "curb viewer". Handy for lining up with things on the passenger side.

[Ponyracer]

Nice! Any pics completed and installed?

[Tango]

Thanks PR --- Still a ways off on installing. It is filled almost solid with insulation and I have fitted the latch & both windows. Just lots of other stuff on the "to-do" list ahead of it. Like an engine...and transmission...and rear end. Ya know, all the little stuff. I did find the hinges I want to use though. Massive chrome on brass "cooler door" swings rated at 500 pounds each. Good thing...because that's what it feels like it weighs when I have to move it around the shop!

[r_w]

COOLER DOOR HINGES!! Oh, those are a perfect look (and scale) for an old skoolie.

[Ponyracer]

Originally Posted by r_w

COOLER DOOR HINGES!! Oh, those are a perfect look (and scale) for an old skoolie.

X2 those are soooo cool!

[ponyracer1]

Hey guys, for some reason I had to create a new account. I made it back from my deployment, painted the bus white, (2.5 gallons rustoleum oilbased btw), threw in the stuff needed to get it legal and got RV plates on it. Put on a class 5 hitch, wired it for brakes, added a brake controller, autometer pyro, boost, op/water gauges. I turned up the "smoke screw" (not enough I guess, no change) also cut the fuel plate to 100 and slid it all the way forward. I replaced the stock can filter with a hi flo one, and straight piped the exhaust. It def has more power then when I started but still won't get out of its own way. Very little power down low, chuffs and misses when cold until you put your foot in it then it smooths out. Will run 3200-3400 rpm at 55 on flat ground. 60 downhill, 45 uphill. From the research I've done, most cummins are governed to 2800. Why will this one spin so high? Tach goes to 4K.

1997
5.9 cummins non electric 12v P7100 pump
Allison 545 auto (yes I know)
5.38 gears
10r 22.5 tires

[Tango]

Hmmm...ya, it should only be winding about 2800 off the line in lower gears but settle out closer to 2K at road speeds. As you already know, the 545 is part of the problem. A six speed could give you closer ratios throughout plus some extra on top. And having full lockup makes a huge difference.

Meanwhile...pushing a 5.9 to those kinds of rpm's is going to make for a short life. You can play around with gearing, tire size and rpm numbers on the calculator below but I would hesitate to keep running it above 3k.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/multirpmcalc.html

The P pumps are trickier than the inlines to play with as far as tweaking goes so you might try having a qualified Cummins tech take a look. Something does not sound right to me.

Good luck with it and let us know what you find out.

[ponyracer1]

The next time I have it fired up I'll run it to the governor in 3rd but currently it runs to 3200+ on the tach in 4th, might run further, that's just where I stop it. Seems to be running well, 22-23lbs of boost at full throttle. Wonder if the tranny could be toast? Bus only has 48K miles, came from a northern AK town, supposedly lived in a heated garage attached to the school. I sprayed out prob 100 lbs of mud from under it, apparently they don't have asphalt up there lol.

Maybe my tach is nuts. Using the calculator it shows 2550 rpms at 55 which sounds more like it.

[Tango]

Ya...the tach is a likely suspect. Most 5.9's would be screaming at anything over 3K.