Salutations!

[Twilight Tramper]

Hello all!
I just recently won an online auction at publicsurplus.com.
It's a 1991 Bluebird TC2000 with a 5.9 2nd generation Cummins straight 6 turbo diesel with 216,000 miles.
It has the Allison 545 auto transmission.
72 passenger.
$1,331. ;)

This will be my first bus and first conversion project. I have been reading and doing some research about my endless options. ;)

My plan is to build a stylish house on wheels that can be boondocked for up to 2 weeks....oh yea and never pay rent again ;)

I currently live in California and plan on driving 1,200 miles to Washington state where I have family, and also where my bus is located.

I bought this bus simply because I knew that the motor was worth what I paid, I've seen 22 pictures and 2 videos of it running but other than that I have no idea what I'm getting into, and I love that ;)

I will let everyone know how it turns out with the bus and the company "public surplus"
There are countless busses being sold by school districts throughout the US on their website, I've read some nasty reviews about that company, however, I decided to create my own experience since the price was right.
In California it is not uncommon to see a beat up school bus going for $5000.


Untill next time,
Cheers.

[Stu & Filo. T]

Where in California?

[bansil]

welcome and can you please not use that font, it is hard on the eyes and looks like a 1984 war room computer ;)

Thanks

[Twilight Tramper]

Originally Posted by allwthrrider

Where in California?

I'm from Ontario California, but I'll be moving to Longview Washington in a few months.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by Twilight Tramper

It's a 1991 Bluebird TC2000 with a 5.9 2nd generation Cummins straight 6 turbo.

Welcome fellow skoolie.

We all know the excitement you are feeling. It feels great.

Just remember, this is a bus, not a dodge truck. Your bus has a 1st generation 5.9, 12 valve cummins engine, not a second generation. The injection pump does not dictate the generation of the engine.

Buses never used the VE injection pump that dodge trucks did from 89 to 93. They used the P pump right from the start. Dodge trucks didn't see the P pump till 96.

Your engine is most likely tuned to 190 hp. Just like the 96 + dodge trucks, it's easy to turn up the power.

However, the AT545 Allison automatic transmission will not hold up to anymore than the 190 hp.

Again welcome.

Looking forward to pics and a build thread.

Nat

[Dragonpop]

If you give us your auction number we can all go on public surplus and
view all the details and offer insights on your purchase. We also bought ours from Washington State and are very happy with our purchase. We contacted the maintenance garage that serviced our bus and the foreman said if we sent a stamped self addressed envelope he would give us everything in the file since it was no longer needed. We received all maintenance and repair records as well as the original invoice from the dealer plus a Bluebird Operators manual and a Cummins maintenance booklet. Our auction is still visible from 2011 it is #611712 just do a search and put the number in the description box. On publicsurplus.com hth

[Stu & Filo. T]

Originally Posted by Twilight Tramper

I'm from Ontario California, but I'll be moving to Longview Washington in a few months.

So your a bit south of me

[Tango]

Sounds like you did find a good engine but I agree, the 545 is a boat anchor...toss it overboard. No lock, no park, granny low but not necessary for most apps, and getting harder & harder to service. They are rated to 235 hp and 445 lb-ft pounds of torque but lacking in gears. You got your bus so cheap you can afford to hunt down a five or six speed that is a locker and then have a great combination. The newer six speeds can be had as close ratio double overdrive and will mate to an all mechanical engine with nothing more than a TPS (throttle position sensor). And they will bolt up directly to any Cummins with an SAE3 bell housing.

Best of luck and...do it YOUR way.

[proconsul100]

i Bought my bus at public surplus and it worked out great. mine was at the selling agency, which was the puyallup school district. I live in Lacey WA. Sounds like you got a good deal on your a bus

[Twilight Tramper]

Okay, I drove up to Washington state last week to visit family and get my bus. ;)

When I got to the school district an asked for my already purchased bus, the first man I talked to looked at me with a wierd look and said "let's go talk to the mechanic so we can ask him about your bus"
This scared me lol
He askes the mechanic "Hey Phil, is his bus the one SWAT shot up?"
The mechanic looks at me in panic and says "I think so, what number!?"
I almost lost it lol

Thankfully it was the bus right next to mine that had all the windows shot at, smashed up and pryed apart.

I asked the guy what it was all about and he said swat locked up the bus and wanted to test the most effective way of getting into a schoolbus so they tried everything, from shooting it, to bashing it with the butts of thier guns, to using a crobar, and they couldn't get in or break the windows out.
I thought that was impressive...

So I checked out my bus and the mechanics said it was sad to see it go because it was the best running and most maintained out of all of them.
I checked the fluids and filters and everything was brand new, I couldn't be more happy.

Three hours after I drove it away I had a hitch welded on it and we towed my friends Toyota Camry behind us through some steep hills and I managed to get 10-13 mpg.

The transmission does seem the be the weakest link in the chain, however it still runs like it's brand new.
What would be the best alternative?

[bansil]

First thing would be pictures next look at the right side of tranny for an Id plate and let us know what kind it is (verify 545) and what is it doing?

[Cowgirl Magic]

I drove a TC for our school district for years it was always my favorite. We still have the bus for a back up and whenever the bus I drive is down that is my first pick. If you have an automatic trans you just need to learn how to get the gears shifting down on hills with your acceleration or shift it manually. Have fun!

[Dragonpop]

To bad you didn't get a bunch of pictures of the shot up bus. It would have
been an inspiration to everyone on the skoolie site to see just how bullet
proof these vehicles can be.

[bansil]

I guarantee they are not bullet proof for almost all ammo, sheet metal is too thin and not enough layers etc...

[cowlitzcoach]

Unlike some here who don't think much about the AT545 transmission, if you understand it you should have no problems with it.

I have seen those work in bus just like yours well over 250,000 with nothing more than regular fluid and filter changes.

Like any automatic transmission, DO NOT get it hot. Heat will kill it faster than anything else.

When those Blue Birds first saw service we had a lot of problems with the transmissions overheating. Come to find out, Blue Birds built for service back east don't need the extra transmission cooling that is required of buses that have to go up and down some serious hills.

I am sure that as old as your bus is that problem was addressed a looooooooooong time ago and shouldn't be a problem for you in the future. Just watch the trans temp gauge.

In my experience the biggest drawback is the AT545 doesn't hold back on a hill very well. Unless you really downshift into the lower gears you get virtually no engine braking. Without engine braking you are going to use up your service brakes pretty quickly.

If the choice of buses was between two buses of similar quality and price and one had the AT545 and the other had the MT643 I would go with the bus with the MT643. But I would not rule out a bus with an AT545 just because is had an AT545.

Depending on your rear gearing the four gears in your AT545 will be more than adequate for you unless you intend to go well off of the end of the pavement with it or go up high with the mountain goats.

By the way, your bus has air brakes with a very strong spring brake parking brake. As long as your brakes are adjusted properly a spring brake will hold a bus parked a lot better than any park pin could.

Good luck and happy trails!