gas milage and durabuility

[David G.]

i just bought a 1974 chevrolet bus,it is in fantastic shape. it came out of montana.no rust or dents to speak of at all. it has a 366 with what i think is a 745 allison tranny. it runs good but smokes just a little and leaks some oil from the rear seal. i just paid $450.00 for it and just had to put a carb. on it and drove it home. i would like to know what kind of gas milage i can expect to get from it on the interstate? i will do a complete rebuild on the 366 and all my conversions inside will be very lightweight to keep the weight to a minimum.any help would be appriciated.

[Steve]

This topic gives you an idea of what people have been seeing:

http://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21

[lapeer20m]

i have a buddy with the same engine in his bus. he only gets 4-6 mpg. The above link sais 7-10, but i think that is most unlikely for your bus. I have a 6.6 litre diesel and it only gets 8.5 mpg.

the mechanic at the school bus garage said that fuel economy nearly doubled when they started using diesel engines. At my local school district, previously they used the 366 gas, now they mostly use the dt 366 diesel.



There is more energy in a gallon of diesel than there is in a gallon of gasoline. That's the biggest factor in fuel economy between the two engines.

From my limited expierence, i've found that weight isn't a big factor in fuel economy for my bus. I get the same mileage in my skoolie with the jacuzzi full or empty. That's a difference of almost 4,000 pounds. Perhaps it'll make a difference with a gas motor?? I don't really know.

Hope this helps.

[David G.]

thanks guy's......i may look later down the road at sticking a diesel motor in there,would i run into much trouble doing that,as far as the tranny and wiring goes?

[lapeer20m]

For the cost, labor, and frustration involved, you would be much better off buying a bus that already has a diesel engine rathing than trying swap for a diesel.

as long as it's still running, you can always sell your current bus for more than the $450 you paid for it.

I only paid $775 for my bus (1991 Ford B700 72 passenger ward body with a brazilian made 6.6 litre ford diesel automatic allison trans) and i've driven just over 13,000 miles so far. The only big mechanical problems i've had to pay for: Rebuilt starter $200, and a new water pump $200.

Any of the DT series engines (DT360, 366, 466) are supposed to be excellent, and cheap to work on. From what i've read, the DT466 is probably the most coveted skoolie motor that's out there.