4 Curious Georges' 2001 Saf-T-Liner

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by dan-fox

If I recall, CadillacKid took out his transmission control module entirely and shipped it off to an aftermarket transmission builder with a note explaining that he was building <something not a school bus> and needed it. You might want to check with him, or read his transmission swap thread.

my tale of 2 TCM's.. my bus never had a TCM since it was an AT545.. when I installed the new transmission.I bought the first TCM that was supposed ot be pre-tuned for a Medium duty 2700 RPM redline engine (T-444E fits this).. throttle input was J1939 or analog.. it worked OK but lots of issues in cruise control.. it was bought as a 6 speed TCM..

I bought another fully tuneable TCM which I can use my EFIlive software to adjust pretty much everything about the calibration I want.. ive stuck to shift points and not much on the shift quality.. - Messing with shift quality in an allison can ruin the transmission in a matter of seconds..

I dont know if I could bench harness one of the 5 speed MD3060 TCM's and run it on my EFIlive or not.. I dont have one or a bench harness for that 2 connector style to try..

someone else here was going to take his TCM to an allison savvy shop and have it flashed.. I cant remember who that was and if it worked or not..

-Christopher

[david.dgeorge07]

Progress! Still lots to do!


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[david.dgeorge07]

I just got my letter from Thomas approving my six speed unlock on my transmission!!!


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[david.dgeorge07]

I also got all new brand new LED marker lights to go with my new paint job! The paint job isn't done and not all the marker lights are installed yet but the old ones were falling apart so badly that they were not reliable and they were leaking so I think that upgrading to LEDs will help on both of those fronts since they shouldn't need to be serviced nearly as regularly.


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[Rusty]

Originally Posted by david.dgeorge07

I just got my letter from Thomas approving my six speed unlock on my transmission!!!

Dang !!! you are on a roll !!!! (or will be rolling in 6th gear !!)


Love, love the paint. I would like your honest opinion about painting over/thru the rub rails.....Are they a PITA, or what?

Keep going- you have momentum!!!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by david.dgeorge07

I just got my letter from Thomas approving my six speed unlock on my transmission!!!


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FANTASTIC!! thats the kind of news i like to hear when it comes to these transmissions!!!
-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

LOving this thread!

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Dang !!! you are on a roll !!!! (or will be rolling in 6th gear !!)


Love, love the paint. I would like your honest opinion about painting over/thru the rub rails.....Are they a PITA, or what?

Keep going- you have momentum!!!

The rails are a pain, but if you have a good sharpie line to follow it is only a few minutes of focused attention. Drop in the bucket of difficulty. Totally worth it. Was worried but not too bad.



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[joeblack5]

david.d.

can you share exactly who you contacted. Did they sent you a form to fill out? What information did they require.

thank,

later J

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

david.d.

can you share exactly who you contacted. Did they sent you a form to fill out? What information did they require.

thank,

later J

It is not difficult basically you contact the Thomas company and go through their phone tree and the person ultimately that you will end up contacting is Ricky Mayers. He is not the engineer that can approve the change but it will be your liaison between you and that engineer. He gets your vin and a few other pieces of information like what tires you have on the bus and then he sends that to the engineer and then you wait a long time weeks to months until that engineer has an opportunity to review it and then you get a letter back emailed as an attachment. Then there's another form that the Allison technician will probably have you fill out that ask some of that same information and requires you to attach the letter from Thomas or whoever your bus manufacturer is. When I started the process I assumed it was just perfunctory and that they always granted the request, but apparently they do not grant the request if they think it will give the vehicle to high of a top speed. That speed being over 75 mph.


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[joeblack5]

cool , thanks for that info. Where is Ricky mayers located. I tried to call Thomas about some spare parts and did not get anywhere. Did you calculate your top speed based on a 6 speed? Are they basing there calculation on top engine speed only or also on engine horse power?
I would understand that they would base it on max engine rpm so that even downhill you could not exceed the 75 mph unless you put it in neutral?

Thanks again.

later J

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

LOving this thread!

Thanks! It feels like I've been spinning my wheels for awhile with nothing to show for it and then boom a bunch of stuff finally starts to fall into place! I guess it shows that some work takes time from when you start working to when you see results!



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[cadillackid]

so in other words you tell then its a custom project where you regeared to 6.13 gears or put pizza-cutter 19.5 tires on it.. lol..

thats the way im going with Navistar on getting my horsepower upgrade is that its a completely custom project and doesnt resemble a school bus anymore...
-Christopher

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

cool , thanks for that info. Where is Ricky mayers located. I tried to call Thomas about some spare parts and did not get anywhere. Did you calculate your top speed based on a 6 speed? Are they basing there calculation on top engine speed only or also on engine horse power?
I would understand that they would base it on max engine rpm so that even downhill you could not exceed the 75 mph unless you put it in neutral?

Thanks again.

later J

I honestly don't know exactly how they calculate. Ricky Myers is the guy. It has been awhile so I don't remember the specific numbers to dial but it was easy. I think max rpm and driveline is what they use. My max rpm is 2400 with a 6:1 rear end.


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[CaptSquid]

Joeblack5, contact your local Freightshaker dealer for parts. They also handle Thomasbuilt.

[david.dgeorge07]

This is how I marked for the plant BTW. Projector and sharpie at night.


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[david.dgeorge07]

Still working on the paint but got all the marker lights in before the storm. Skylights and marker lights all bone dry.




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[BuSmith]

Wow! My wife and I are enamored with the way those look. You might have just inspired a change of plans for our bus.

You said earlier that you would do things differently, could you expand on that? And is there any chance we could get more pictures?

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[joeblack5]

thanks capts. had not thought about that.

later J

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by BuSmith

Wow! My wife and I are enamored with the way those look. You might have just inspired a change of plans for our bus.

You said earlier that you would do things differently, could you expand on that? And is there any chance we could get more pictures?

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I will post more when I get a chance.

A few random thoughts on doing different. I should have purchased all the screws and hardware somewhere less expensive than ace. Ended up being like $100 in stinking screws washers, and nuts. Also, getting the panel in place and then drilling both the lexan and steel at once would have helped a lot with registration. I marked with a template but bits drift a little and it adds up. So far they are working great but I am nervous about scratches and about the impact this will have on insulation. I'm planning on thermal covers but haven't made them yet.


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