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Old 01-28-2018, 03:38 PM   #1
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Year: 2002
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Chassis: TC2000
Engine: 5.9L Cummins ISB
Question Second Opinion Please?

Found a bus which (I think) ticks all my boxes.
It's a 2002 Bluebird TC2000 with the 24v Cummins engine.
Good mileage for it's age and rust free.

Owner doesnt know the transmission type, so I plugged the serial number into the Allison website and it lists it as [Serial No]-2000. Does this mean its an AD2000 transmission?

Air brakes.

On the negative side:
It's got after market aircon which i think will be a beast to remove.

Price is on budget (wont share exact price but it's under 5k).

Is there anything I should look for specifically that i'm not aware of?

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Old 01-28-2018, 03:44 PM   #2
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Also should note, it started first time.
No issues on the dash except Low Air Pressure (which I know takes time to fill - was still showing after 1 min though?).

It was very loud, but that's the FE buses.
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Old 01-28-2018, 05:58 PM   #3
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There's to much missing information.

Actual bus length?
Which Cummins? the 5.9 or the 8.3?

We don't need a link, but if you could copy some of the photos into this thread it would help get a more accurate evaluation.

Sounds like a nice bus. The TC2000 comes in a 40' model and a 28' model. The 5.9 is adequate in the shorter version but kind of weak in the long bus for long road trips. That would be a good thing if it does actually have the 2000 series allison. What is the age and condition of the tires?

Do you have some time before you have to pull the trigger?
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Old 01-28-2018, 07:30 PM   #4
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what does the shifter look like.. a 2000 will have R-N-D-4-2-1
a 545 or 643 will have R-N-D-3-2-1

-Christopher
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Old 01-28-2018, 09:02 PM   #5
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It's the 5.9L Cummins but on the shorter bus (10 windows).

The shifter shows R-N-(D)-D-2-1 which threw me. Two Ds. One in a circle.
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Old 01-28-2018, 09:15 PM   #6
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The "D" in a circle is OD...OverDrive.
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Old 01-29-2018, 02:50 PM   #7
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Buy it. Oh, wait...we don't know the price. Why is that secret?
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Old 01-29-2018, 02:57 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty View Post
Buy it. Oh, wait...we don't know the price. Why is that secret?
Guessing it's listed online and he doesn't want someone else grabbing it from under him
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Old 01-29-2018, 03:21 PM   #9
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It pains me to see people buying buses with AC (a premium feature) with the intention of removing it. A substantial number of threads here are about trying to add air conditioning.

A 24v cummins 5.9 on a 2002 bus may have the 2001 drivetrain. It's very common for the chassis to be the year previous to the bus. Make sure it's not a 53 block, google it for details if you don't already know.

My TC2000 with 5.9 takes a couple minutes to get to air pressure when starting from cold.
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Old 02-05-2018, 11:15 AM   #10
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Life is a crap shoot and there are no promises so go for it, don't remove the air conditioning, work around it, you will learn so much from your new endeavor it will tickle you when you look back in a couple years realizing how little you new and how much wiser you are. sportyrick
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Old 02-05-2018, 11:56 AM   #11
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Driving AC is a good thing, leave it in there, with 2 D's on the shifter, you have an OD transmission which is good
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Old 03-17-2018, 09:27 AM   #12
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Thought I'd pop back here to let you know that I bought it! Flew over to Vegas (from the UK) to finish the paperwork, and pick it up last month.

The big test will be in two weeks when I fly back to move it from Vegas to Washington State. I have a friend with a farm up there, where I can park it to do all the work.

Managed to get insurance, which was relatively easy (thanks to the resources on this site). Particularly given that I was trying to insure a school bus as a foreign citizen.

Gonna be interesting conversion, trying to complete the work from a Europe base. But need to get as much done before the end of September when I want to quit my job and start travelling.

I'm sure i'll be back for more info, as the conversion progresses!
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Old 03-17-2018, 12:17 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brokedown View Post
It pains me to see people buying buses with AC (a premium feature) with the intention of removing it. A substantial number of threads here are about trying to add air conditioning.

A 24v cummins 5.9 on a 2002 bus may have the 2001 drivetrain. It's very common for the chassis to be the year previous to the bus. Make sure it's not a 53 block, google it for details if you don't already know.

My TC2000 with 5.9 takes a couple minutes to get to air pressure when starting from cold.
Amen!

I have been looking at what it would take to add road air to mine. I cringe when I see members taking it out.

Also, Good call on the 53 block. Here is info on identifying the 53 block : http://www.cumminshub.com/cummins-53-block.html
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Old 03-17-2018, 01:00 PM   #14
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Location: London, UK (Building in Bellingham, WA)
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The comments on road air have definitely made me reconsider this. Will do my best to keep it in.
The only thing that worries me, is the ducts run the full length of the both sides and will need to be removed in order to insulate the roof. Removing and reinstalling aircon is testing the limit of my already limited skills.
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