1982 GMC Pusher (transit) w/8.2L... Opinions?

[Eric von Kleist]

400K sounds like it might be on the high end of where you'd want to buy -- especially with an Allison auto, and especially if they have been towing heavy stuff with the Allison auto. But I honestly don't know enough to give an educated opinion. I'm just basing it on stuff I have read (I do have an Allison AT540 in my bus, though, and it seems to be okay -- praying.... The Allison tranny's get knocked a lot, but there are a lot of them out there running fine.

OTOH. A used Allison auto can be had for about $350 or $400, and would probably cost as much to install. If you have problems with the tranny, it wouldn't be the most expensive repair job you could encounter.

[Jarlaxle]

RUN AWAY FROM THIS BUS AS FAST AS YOU CAN! The 8.2 Detroit is a complete boat anchor. You're better off with a used unicycle with a flat tire.

[lapeer20m]

GMC transit bus, rear engine. Are you sure it's not a DD 6v72, or 8v72?

neither of those would come with the allison at545 since they sit in the GMC transits sideways(tranverse?) They had a funky V drive trans, but i forgot who made it. They're not the most ideal bus for over the road travel....but then again, neither are most of our skoolies! The DD 6v or 8v motors are excellent engines, last forever, and are cheap to rebuild. Someone made a remark that they barely have more moving parts than a chansaw. They are 2 stroke motors, and have an excellent exhaust note if you ask me.

I've also heard very bad things about the 8.3 DD. It's commonly considered to be quite a piece of junk, it seems unlikely that it would even go 400K miles.

[Jarlaxle]

I have my doubts most 8.2's would make it 40K; I have heard of pushers with 8.2 Jimmys. From what I've heard, a 3208 Cat isn't an uncommon swap.

The V-drive trannies are made by Spicer (VS-2) and Allison (almost everything else).

[Roasting8]

Hi Brian,

If you're looking at a GMC Transit, only two come to mind. The two that were built, as a true transit, are the New Look (aka Fishbowl), and the RTS.

The New Look used to come with an assortment of Detroit Diesels. They came with either a 6V71 or a 8V71. Some of the later models were repowered with a 6V92. The transmissions used on these transits were V700 series (V730 etc.) and the Spicer VS and VH series.

The RTS was the last model transit that GM put out and it was also powered the same as the New Look.

I, myself, was looking at a transit, but I decided to go with a Skoolie instead.

Robert

[Jarlaxle]

Some RTS transits had a 6V92 from the factory. Also, the later ones had Detroit Series 50's.