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Old 04-07-2015, 03:33 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathos7 View Post
Hey all been on the look out wanted to know what you guys though about this bus

I asked the guy about rust no rust on undercarriage, he was unable to tell me anything about the transmission other than its automatic.
I don't know alot.....but a 5.9 pusher

Something is not right, it is a low roof and pictures suck, can you have him take a picture that shows dash and floor inside of the door?

It may actually be a 8.3 pusher or a 5.9 I am not sure if he has done any maintenance...something is off to me

been hauling kids last 5 years for?????

it was decommissioned years ago from "yellow bus" status due to age (i think, most buses are not used after 15 years, that's TN and they keep theirs longer than most)

a picture of the engine would help also

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Old 04-07-2015, 10:04 PM   #22
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Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
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Year: 1992
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5.9 Cummins pushers are as rare as the front engine 8.3 Cummins. Never saw either in person, only on the internet.

Nat
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Old 04-08-2015, 06:08 AM   #23
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There are All Americans here in FE with the 8.3. Almost bought one last year.
The 5.9 RE's I have seen also. I've seen 444E RE's and that is even more underpowered than the 5.9.
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Old 04-08-2015, 07:59 AM   #24
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Year: 1991
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Engine: RE Cummins 5.9
K got more pictures... see if you guys can figure from these







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Old 04-08-2015, 08:35 AM   #25
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Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
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Best way to tell a 5.9 vs a 8.3 from a glance like that, is the lack of a coolant filter coming off the top rad hose engine casting.

No coolant filter = 5.9 Cummins.

Without seeing the engine tag on the gear cover, I will say it's a 5.9.

Nat
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Old 04-08-2015, 08:57 AM   #26
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At the current price it doesn't look like a bad deal.

It may have an Allison AT540 transmission, which isn't unusual behind a 5.9L.

In other words, everything is lighter duty.

I can't read the data plate to tell how light duty though.

For your purposes it might be a pretty good deal.
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Old 04-08-2015, 09:03 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
Best way to tell a 5.9 vs a 8.3 from a glance like that, is the lack of a coolant filter coming off the top rad hose engine casting.

No coolant filter = 5.9 Cummins.

Without seeing the engine tag on the gear cover, I will say it's a 5.9.

Nat
I'm in Florida so Hills aren't a problem. So other than lower top speed think it's a good bet? I gotta get out of this renting fiasco passing away my money.
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Old 04-08-2015, 09:11 AM   #28
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Uh, o.k. You said"passing away money". Remember this, a bus is something you put money into but don't really get it back. Yes, you get some freedom but where will you park it? How much time do you have to build your rent-free home? Can you afford it? I don't want to be the devil in this but I don't want to see someone try to build a dream when they are thinking this is a cheap life. It may be for some, if you can figure it out but it is still going to cost.
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Old 04-08-2015, 09:26 AM   #29
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Year: 1992
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Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Find the engine info tag on the top of the gear cover. The rear engine makes this easy compared to a front engine bus.

I'm going to guess it's around 190 hp. If your build is not super heavy, and you live in the flats, it will be fine.

If you have the MT643 in that bus, the engine can be turned up a fair bit.

If you have the at545, you have to leave the engine at 190 hp to keep from blowing up the trans.

Looks like a nice bus so far from the pics.

Nat
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Old 04-08-2015, 03:34 PM   #30
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That black cover where the red arrow points is the gear cover. The engine info tag is usually found on the side of this housing right about where the arrow is drawn. If it's a Blue Bird, you're likely to also find the engine serial number (ESN) stamped on the data plate inside near the front door of the bus. You can create a free "Limited Owners plan" account on Cummins QuickServe and add the ESN there to find out more about a particular engine. (or call a Cummins branch and give the parts people the ESN)
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Old 04-08-2015, 03:54 PM   #31
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good info!
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Old 04-08-2015, 05:56 PM   #32
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Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
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This is a rear engine TC2000 8.3 Cummins with the MD3060.

You can see the coolant filter in the engine casting at the top rad hose.







This is a Thomas rear engine 8.3 Cummins and the Mt643.



The Blue Bird has strait frame rails all the way back to the bumper.

The Thomas drops the frame 5 feet from the rear of the bus to cradle the engine.

Both buses would be simple to build a hitch for. (This was a recent topic)

The Thomas has less room in the engine bay. This also means more room inside the living space.

Both buses are 1996 units.

Nat
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Old 04-08-2015, 06:22 PM   #33
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Nat are they using conventional trannies and then a dividing box or?

To reverse drivetrain spin back to normal for rear end?

Never looked at one, have seen pictures of older v-drives???? I guess my question is how do they work?

I would love to put an 8.3 and a real auto in some day (FE of course) and if the RE are conventional rotation etc, might be a cheaper swap for me
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Old 04-08-2015, 07:39 PM   #34
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Quote:
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Nat are they using conventional trannies and then a dividing box or?

To reverse drivetrain spin back to normal for rear end?
I had just assumed the ring and pinion in the axle would be reverse cut, like those in the front axle of a 4x4 vehicle. My RE doesn't have any intermediate rotation direction reversal box. There isn't room! The drive shaft from the trans to the axle is only about 2-3 feet long.
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Old 04-08-2015, 07:44 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
The Blue Bird has strait frame rails all the way back to the bumper.

The Thomas drops the frame 5 feet from the rear of the bus to cradle the engine.
Not all the Birds are like that. On the rear engine towing thread we learned that somewhereinusa's AARE and my CSRE Blue Bird both have a section of frame dropped in the way you described for Thomas -- these two samples, at least, don't have single-piece frame all the way to the bumper.
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Old 04-08-2015, 09:36 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathos7 View Post
I'm in Florida so Hills aren't a problem. So other than lower top speed think it's a good bet? I gotta get out of this renting fiasco passing away my money.
My buddy mike has a bluebird with a 5.9 and it does 75mph.
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Old 04-09-2015, 03:52 AM   #37
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I had just assumed the ring and pinion in the axle would be reverse cut, like those in the front axle of a 4x4 vehicle. My RE doesn't have any intermediate rotation direction reversal box. There isn't room! The drive shaft from the trans to the axle is only about 2-3 feet long.
On a 4x4 the transfer case reverses the rotation between front and rear

If rear input is spinning clockwise at pinion, due to only having 2 gears or a chain etc, the front shaft spins opposite so it turns pinion counter clockwise

Do rear engine buses just have pinion on opposite side(left/right) to make direction change? Is housing spun 180* and .... Crap I need to research now..lol

I am curious
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Old 04-09-2015, 04:04 AM   #38
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My buddy mike has a bluebird with a 5.9 and it does 75mph.
I agree, when we travel route 12 on outer banks mine w/5.9 will run 75.....any incline slows me down, tranny is big problem for me A545
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Old 04-09-2015, 10:16 AM   #39
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Join Date: Mar 2015
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So what should I bring when I pick up my bus? =p
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Old 04-09-2015, 12:12 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon View Post
Not all the Birds are like that. On the rear engine towing thread we learned that somewhereinusa's AARE and my CSRE Blue Bird both have a section of frame dropped in the way you described for Thomas -- these two samples, at least, don't have single-piece frame all the way to the bumper.
True, that's why I mentioned in my post that those buses were both 1996
units.

IMO I'm confident that any rear engine bus won't be hard to build a good hitch for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon View Post
I had just assumed the ring and pinion in the axle would be reverse cut, like those in the front axle of a 4x4 vehicle. My RE doesn't have any intermediate rotation direction reversal box. There isn't room! The drive shaft from the trans to the axle is only about 2-3 feet long.
It's all in the rear pumpkin. Not sure yet what is going on in there, but on my list to find out.

So yes all rear engine buses with DT466, Cummins 5.9, and 8.3 use the same transmission as the front engine buses.

That's why the next 8.3 MD3060 combo I find is going in a rat rod with the engine completely exposed.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathos7 View Post
So what should I bring when I pick up my bus? =p

A little car and a tow bar to tow it with behind the bus. Or a small motor cycle, ect to go fetch things, scout out, get parts if you break down, ect. I hate being away from home in a strange place without transportation.

Others may chime in with the little stuff. However this topic has been covered about twice a month in recent threads in the hello section.

Nat
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