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Old 07-20-2017, 09:28 AM   #2601
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I really wish I was "ready" financially today.

Good ol' SOUTHERN busses......

https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?f...timingWithin=1

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Old 07-20-2017, 12:44 PM   #2602
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a few nice buses in WA

Look on govdeals.com; click on "Buses, Transit and School"; click the "Location" column to sort by state. Go to the last page (you should be able to click "Location" twice to get descending sort but you can't). There are 3 Blue Bird RE buses in Renton and 2 in Tumwater. The Tumwater buses are less than 36 hours from end of auction; the Renton buses are 5 days out; all are currently under $2K. They look nice; all of them say that they start and run. Caveat - all say that the mileage is unknown and you can't believe either the dash odo or the hub odo. All have Cummins 8.3's and Allison 3000 series trans from the look of the shift quadrant. (Is there an Allison 3000 series trans found in a bus that is NOT a 3060?) All have 5.38 rears.

I have some questions for the wisdom of the crowd:
All are dataplated as 22.5x8.5 tires; all have 22.5x11.5 from the pics. Any problem with that?
What is a "Hurrihot" heater? forced air or Webasto-type?
What's the additional hardware surrounding the parking brake valve? (see picture)

Man, if I wasn't wrapped around the axle getting Mom into assisted living.....
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Old 07-20-2017, 03:31 PM   #2603
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Originally Posted by Sockeye View Post
Hi, my first post so hope I'm doing this right, let me know gently if I'm not. I've been dreaming of a shorty but am not in a position to buy one yet -still I have alerts set up on craigslist and kijiji so I just saw this one posted 8 hours ago in Vancouver - Surrey actually - Oh did I mention I'm from Canada...I rarely see any posts for this country so thought maybe someone would be interested. But here's the thing, I have no idea if this is a good engine but I'm trying to learn what would be a good engine/transmission on a short bus so without further blah blah blah here it is a 2002 GMC Savana 3500 Turbo Diesel 24 passenger school bus - $10998

https://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rds/...222435831.html

oh dang, is this the infamous 'orphan engine'?

The 6.5L in a G3500/4500 chassis is definitely an orphan. And at that price it needs to be avoided at all costs.
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Old 07-20-2017, 03:39 PM   #2604
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Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
Look on govdeals.com; click on "Buses, Transit and School"; click the "Location" column to sort by state. Go to the last page (you should be able to click "Location" twice to get descending sort but you can't). There are 3 Blue Bird RE buses in Renton and 2 in Tumwater. The Tumwater buses are less than 36 hours from end of auction; the Renton buses are 5 days out; all are currently under $2K. They look nice; all of them say that they start and run. Caveat - all say that the mileage is unknown and you can't believe either the dash odo or the hub odo. All have Cummins 8.3's and Allison 3000 series trans from the look of the shift quadrant. (Is there an Allison 3000 series trans found in a bus that is NOT a 3060?) All have 5.38 rears.

I have some questions for the wisdom of the crowd:
All are dataplated as 22.5x8.5 tires; all have 22.5x11.5 from the pics. Any problem with that?
What is a "Hurrihot" heater? forced air or Webasto-type?
What's the additional hardware surrounding the parking brake valve? (see picture)

Man, if I wasn't wrapped around the axle getting Mom into assisted living.....

22.5x8.5 is the size of the wheel. The tires could be 10.00x22.5, 11.00x22.5, or 12.00x22.5

Hurrihot was the brand of heaters used by Blue Bird. They are forced air through a heater core and not a fuel fired heater like a Webasto.

If the bus has the ISC it will have the heavier duty transmission and will not have the AT540, 1000, or 2000 series transmissions. If the quadrant shows more than 4 gears then it is not an MT643.

If the choice came down to a Tumwater bus and a Renton bus, leave the Renton bus alone. Tumwater has been known for spe'c'ing their buses heavier than others and they have a reputation of keeping their buses in tip top condition. Renton is not known in the same way.
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:56 PM   #2605
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I *WISH* my bluebird had Hurri-Hot heaters but instead im stuck with the newer style POS Bergstrom / Kysor crap..

my door heater is a Hurri-Hot.. but the main one isnt..
-Christopher
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Old 07-21-2017, 08:29 AM   #2606
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FWIW, there are also a handful of 40' Bluebird AARE's on PublicSurplus from Eugene OR. All are Cummins 8.3/Allison MD3060. The difference that catches my eye is that the Eugene buses all have a duct/tunnel construction intruding into the passenger compartment at the rear to pick up cleaner air from farther off the ground. The air is always better at the higher altitudes, I suppose. But they're good looking buses for the crowd that's looking for that setup.

Until I saw the Renton/Tumwater buses I thought that you had to buy a Thomas to avoid getting that ductwork impinging on your master bedroom. It might be a small thing overall, but it's definitely points in favor or against for me. Now that I know I can get that how I want that in a BlueBird, I won't be such a Thomas snob.

My earlier question remains: On the Renton/Tumwater/Govdeals buses, what's the extra trigger-looking thingie on the parking brake knob? TIA
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Old 07-21-2017, 01:32 PM   #2607
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
FWIW, there are also a handful of 40' Bluebird AARE's on PublicSurplus from Eugene OR. All are Cummins 8.3/Allison MD3060. The difference that catches my eye is that the Eugene buses all have a duct/tunnel construction intruding into the passenger compartment at the rear to pick up cleaner air from farther off the ground. The air is always better at the higher altitudes, I suppose. But they're good looking buses for the crowd that's looking for that setup.

Until I saw the Renton/Tumwater buses I thought that you had to buy a Thomas to avoid getting that ductwork impinging on your master bedroom. It might be a small thing overall, but it's definitely points in favor or against for me. Now that I know I can get that how I want that in a BlueBird, I won't be such a Thomas snob.

My earlier question remains: On the Renton/Tumwater/Govdeals buses, what's the extra trigger-looking thingie on the parking brake knob? TIA
That ductwork would be the least of my concerns. To me the condition, how it was kept, how is equipped are the most important. Air ride is a must for me, as is high headroom and highway capable gearing. All the rest can be dealt with.
Just my opinion but I'm not a fan of Thomas buses. Just personal preference.
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Old 07-21-2017, 01:38 PM   #2608
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Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
That ductwork would be the least of my concerns. To me the condition, how it was kept, how is equipped are the most important. Air ride is a must for me, as is high headroom and highway capable gearing. All the rest can be dealt with.
Just my opinion but I'm not a fan of Thomas buses. Just personal preference.
All bluebird AA are air ride rear and front after 2002, I was told by a dealer.

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Old 07-21-2017, 03:56 PM   #2609
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All the stuff on Govdeals and PublicSurplus that I spoke of are 98-99 IIRC. I don't remember any mention of air ride on them.

I have no intention of buying a rusty clunker just because it has the ducting I want. I hear you on that. But, my perfect bus is my perfect bus, and it doesn't have any of that in it. To me, it's good news that I can find BBs with the desired configuration since a roof raise is easier on one of those than it is a Thomas.

Most of these buses have 5.38 rear ends, which is not ideal. But, you can work with that also. Either change out the rear or unlock 6th. My fingers are crossed about some member's current attempt to unlock 6th by shipping the TCM off to an aftermarket outfit. Changing the way the engine breathes by deleting one of those ducts is a greater roll of the dice IMHO.

But, what do I know? I don't even own a bus.
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Old 07-21-2017, 04:02 PM   #2610
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5.38 is ok when you have OD.
As well outfitted as they are I can't imagine them not having air ride.
I'd buy em if they weren't completely on the other corner of the country!
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Old 07-21-2017, 04:08 PM   #2611
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5.38 is ok when you have OD.
As well outfitted as they are I can't imagine them not having air ride.
I'd buy em if they weren't completely on the other corner of the country!
Me too. I've got the bux, but no time for the cross country adventure and no place to put it here in the Land of the Overly Entitled. I've got a buddy trying to chat up a friend of his on the Eastern Shore about storing one on his property, which would put it 60-75 minutes away from me. Not ideal, but better than nothing. I would have weekend visitation right.

But this weekend is dedicated to making my Mother's new one-bedroom apartment look enough like her old 2 bedroom apartment that she won't notice the difference when she "comes home from rehab" on Monday. Also hope she doesn't notice the nurse's station down the hall.
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Old 07-21-2017, 04:49 PM   #2612
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Sorry to hear about that. I know how tough it can be dealing with an elderly or disabled loved one.
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Old 07-21-2017, 05:11 PM   #2613
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I have to wonder if my scan tool can unlock 6th on those older TCMs like the MD-3060s.. I know I cant touch the 2009+ A53 TCM;s.. I dont know anyone nearby with a 3060 to try it on..
-Christopher
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Old 07-21-2017, 05:30 PM   #2614
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
I have to wonder if my scan tool can unlock 6th on those older TCMs like the MD-3060s.. I know I cant touch the 2009+ A53 TCM;s.. I dont know anyone nearby with a 3060 to try it on..
-Christopher
I started to get excited until I read the "nearby" part....


On another subject......

FWIW: On the Oregon & Washington buses I have not seen much rust. Here on the west side we don't get much snow. The only place I see salt/chemicals on the road is going over the mountain passes. Those Blubirds in Renton & Tumwater look pretty nice to me.
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Old 07-21-2017, 05:31 PM   #2615
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I have to wonder if my scan tool can unlock 6th on those older TCMs like the MD-3060s.. I know I cant touch the 2009+ A53 TCM;s.. I dont know anyone nearby with a 3060 to try it on..
-Christopher
Hey come on up to Massachusetts, you can try on mine lol

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Old 07-21-2017, 05:32 PM   #2616
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Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
I started to get excited until I read the "nearby" part....


On another subject......

FWIW: On the Oregon & Washington buses I have not seen much rust. Here on the west side we don't get much snow. The only place I see salt/chemicals on the road is going over the mountain passes. Those Blubirds in Renton & Tumwater look pretty nice to me.
I want one of the renton buses. Anyone wanna drive a bus cross country???
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Old 07-21-2017, 05:43 PM   #2617
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that would be a fun drive!!

as for the TCM's id have to see what version they are to see if I can bench harness them..

when I was looking at the calibrations on mine, its real easy to disable 6th gear.. you simply set the 6th gear enable Cal at a higher level speed than the bus will ever reach.. I have no idea if thats what allison does or not.. they may have some sneaky way to do it..

theres a ton to take in when it comes to tuning in these things.. lots and lots of conditional data tables..

-Christopher
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Old 07-21-2017, 05:49 PM   #2618
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that would be a fun drive!!

as for the TCM's id have to see what version they are to see if I can bench harness them..

when I was looking at the calibrations on mine, its real easy to disable 6th gear.. you simply set the 6th gear enable Cal at a higher level speed than the bus will ever reach.. I have no idea if thats what allison does or not.. they may have some sneaky way to do it..

theres a ton to take in when it comes to tuning in these things.. lots and lots of conditional data tables..

-Christopher
Could it be that simple? Just putting a very high - low limit? Everything I have heard about these transmissions are that Allison dealers need a code of some sort from Allison Corp... Could it just needs they need permission to cya?

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Old 07-21-2017, 06:31 PM   #2619
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it could be.. im fairly new at allison.. but when I pulled the calibrations up for my 6 speed i didnt see anything about locking it out.. but I did notice you can set the shift point to 6th gear at any throttle position to zero.. and it wont shift to 6th.. and that works because I just tried it driving to starbucks here

-Christopher
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Old 07-21-2017, 06:43 PM   #2620
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Originally Posted by dan-fox View Post
FWIW, there are also a handful of 40' Bluebird AARE's on PublicSurplus from Eugene OR. All are Cummins 8.3/Allison MD3060. The difference that catches my eye is that the Eugene buses all have a duct/tunnel construction intruding into the passenger compartment at the rear to pick up cleaner air from farther off the ground. The air is always better at the higher altitudes, I suppose. But they're good looking buses for the crowd that's looking for that setup.

Until I saw the Renton/Tumwater buses I thought that you had to buy a Thomas to avoid getting that ductwork impinging on your master bedroom. It might be a small thing overall, but it's definitely points in favor or against for me. Now that I know I can get that how I want that in a BlueBird, I won't be such a Thomas snob.

My earlier question remains: On the Renton/Tumwater/Govdeals buses, what's the extra trigger-looking thingie on the parking brake knob? TIA

In WA state, before you can open the service door when you are loading and unloading you are required to set the spring brake.

Different districts around the state were having a lot of repetitive stress injuries that were identified as being caused by having the pull and push the spring brake control.

The extra trigger-looking thingie makes it easier to push and pull the knob.
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