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09-20-2014, 11:49 AM
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#1
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Pop's bus
Yes, another newbie. I have been considering this for several years. Now that I am within a year of retirement, its time to get serious. Wife wants a condo in Florida, I want to travel. We will see who prevails Over the years we have had a few pull campers, and a couple of motor homes. But, I want something better this time.
So, what I have found (have not bought it yet) is a 1998 Thomas MVP. Local school system ( North Carolina) has it. No rust! So I will not have to spend months fixing the floors. Bus was pulled from service about a year ago. Body in great shape, tires ok, engine starts and runs just great, everything seems to be working. Talked to the mechanic at the school garage. He has all the records for the bus.
Now, I need input from you.
I know almost nothing about a diesel engine. This one has a Cat 3126 with 212K miles. The mechanic said the problem with these buses was overheating, from dust and dirt in the radiator. Their solution was to blow the radiator fins clean about once a month. The other maintenance problem is the pulleys (expensive) for the fan. So what do you know about this engine?
I have photos, as soon as I figure out the upload.
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09-20-2014, 12:00 PM
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#2
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Re: Pop's bus
Here is the engine
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09-20-2014, 12:03 PM
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#3
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Skoolie
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 151
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Re: Pop's bus
It's a low roof, how much are they asking. The 3126 isn't a great engine, multiple people on the forum have it and they I think 3 out of the 4 people that have them have problems with them. What's the transmission and hours on the bus?
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09-20-2014, 12:13 PM
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#4
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Re: Pop's bus
Transmission is Alison AT545.
Forgot to get the hours. But it is only 25 minutes away from me,I will stop by Monday.
I am 5ft 10in so the roof works.
We are still haggling the price but ~$3k
I am not in a big hurry, they will have a couple of International's for sale in the spring. But I like the looks of the Thomas.
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09-20-2014, 12:24 PM
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#5
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Skoolie
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 151
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Re: Pop's bus
With a at545 I would skip it. Your better off with a mt643 or md3060, the at545 is one of the worst you can get. Especially for 3k. I would try to find one with a 5.9 or 8.3 cummins and a mt643 or md3060, you should be able to get one with that configuration for around the same price.
Quote:
Blue Bird 74"/77"
IC 74"/78"
Thomas 72"/78"
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That's the low and high roof heights for bluebird, international/amtran and thomas. Once you add insulation in flooring you could be hitting the ceiling of a low roof pretty easily, especially on a thomas
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09-20-2014, 12:33 PM
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#6
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NUNYA
Posts: 4,236
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: DT408, AT545
Rated Cap: 23 500 gvw
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Re: Pop's bus
I can't believe they ordered that bus with a 545. That's got to be reaching the full capacity of that trans.
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09-20-2014, 01:09 PM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 471
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Ward
Chassis: Ford B600
Engine: 6.6L Turbo Diesel
Rated Cap: 26
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Re: Pop's bus
I concur, skip the 545. I have one in my Ford B600. It's not the best tranny on the market, thus the upgrade to the 643.... That body style is the LEAST valuable of the Thomas buses. The engine has a reputation for injector and oil pump failures. My daily driver, a 2000 Thomas MVP Safe-T-Liner, had an in-frame rebuild at 129K miles. It has the 643 tranny, very solid shifting transmission. Plus I drive the 40 foot raised roof version where the raise is behind the driver area. It handles better than the International in crosswinds due to the raised roof. I've driven both. Just FYI.....
__________________
We few, we Band of Brothers. For he who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.
- William Shakespeare ("King Henry V")
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09-20-2014, 06:56 PM
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#8
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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Re: Pop's bus
Love Allisons but gotta' go along with the 545 haters. 645 or newer will have full lock-up which makes a world of difference if you ever encounter anything like a hill. Most of the 645's are set up as 5 speeds but can be re-programmed so the second overdrive can be used.
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09-20-2014, 09:52 PM
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#9
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Skoolie
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 133
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Phantom
Chassis: Gillig
Engine: Series 50
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Re: Pop's bus
You may have to look outside of NC. I've been watching bus sales for years, but have never been able to buy anything in NC. They keep their buses in service much longer than most states. When they sell them, they tend to be older and have more miles than other states. Of course this is a generalization and there are exceptions.
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09-20-2014, 11:19 PM
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#10
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Valley - Arizona
Posts: 644
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freight-shaker (Freightliner)
Engine: Cat 3126b 250 HP
Rated Cap: Only 1 seat
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Re: Pop's bus
Well everyone is giving opinions on the transmission and motor set up..... no one has said,
Welcome to the gang!
My Thomas has the 3126b in it. Although I am in the middle of a motor swap, the ecm went bad and the driver ran it dry soooo........rebuild for $9k or replace for $5k? No brainer there! (The original motor had about 2million miles on it according to the Cat tech.
Hope you find your next 30 years in a skoolie!!! (Ok maybe not all 30 of them consecutively.......)
-Doc
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09-21-2014, 10:36 AM
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#11
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Re: Pop's bus
Thanks for the information. A bit disappointing, but better to be now than after I spend a few month working on it. So the search will continue.
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09-21-2014, 11:17 AM
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#12
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
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Re: Pop's bus
We bought our bus thru the Asheville IWANNA. Prior to our purchase, it was used to transport white water rafters to/from the local rivers (it was from an outfit in Long Creek, SC and painted white). Most all the rafting outfits in the Western NC area use former schoolbuses for transport. In TN, the buses are often privately owned and still contracting to the school district during the winter and durning the summer, out hauling rafters. Sometimes you will see them with "For Sale" signs on them around Ocoee (TN). Our bus does not have a raised roof (David is about 5'8" or less and I am around 5'5"). We did not insulate ABOVE the floor. Never planned to either. There is more than one way to insulate a floor.
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09-22-2014, 12:41 PM
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#13
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Re: Pop's bus
Thank you Docsgsxr. Two million miles! Thats is a few trips around the world and back The one I was looking at had 220k, unless they put a used engine in a new bus. I am still looking and exploring the possibilities. My wife feels Florida calling, I hear the Aliens of Roswell, NM and meteor crater calling to me. In ~ 15 months or so I toss out my watch, calendar, and perhaps the email
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09-22-2014, 12:51 PM
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#14
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Re: Pop's bus
Asheville, and the Nantahala wonderful place to play. Lornaschinske, I may have ridden your bus when it was hauling rafters Years past we did that quite a bit of the time, that river is freezing cold even in the middle of the summer.
I agree with you about the floor insulation, around here and where we are heading its just something nice to have. I don't think my wife would ever hit the ceiling, I might. I was standing upright at the E-door when I was looking at the Thomas.
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09-22-2014, 01:16 PM
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#15
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
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Re: Pop's bus
next time we are wine tasting, I'll holler at you, we like Yadkin Valley
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
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09-22-2014, 04:54 PM
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#16
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Re: Pop's bus
Thats just across the river, We will help with the tasting
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09-22-2014, 05:10 PM
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#17
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Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 227
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Super Coach II, 36 Ft. RE
Engine: Cat 3208T, MT643
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Re: Pop's bus
Pop, welcome to the madness!
Consider a Bluebird. They have vertical walls/windows, not tapered like a Thomas, which will make it much easier to do a roof raise should you decide to go that route. Quality is second only to Crown.
I have a Crown, which is about the best quality school bus you can get (and beautiful as well). But it also has tapered sides so a roof raise is out for me.
If you have a choice between a Cat 3126 and 3208, go with the 3208. I've also heard rave reviews for the DT466. I'll second the motion on the Allison 6xx and 7xx series transmissions vs. the 5xx. Look also for highway gearing in the differential. Many school buses are geared for in-town so would struggle to get up to freeway speed and would likely rev too high at 60mph. "Activity" buses are generally geared higher for highway travel. (Activity buses are the ones with the undercarriage pass-through storage compartments.)
Rear engine flat nose buses give you the most interior room and are the quietest design, but beware of overheating issues. Dognosed are the easiest to work on but the long drive train limits storage. Front engine flat nosed are the hardest to work on and the noisiest.
Good luck in your search and subsequent conversion!
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09-22-2014, 06:19 PM
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#18
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Vacaville, Ca
Posts: 1,634
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Crown / Pusher
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
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Re: Pop's bus
Quote:
Originally Posted by Locutus
Pop, welcome to the madness!
Consider a Bluebird. They have vertical walls/windows, not tapered like a Thomas, which will make it much easier to do a roof raise should you decide to go that route. Quality is second only to Crown.
I have a Crown, which is about the best quality school bus you can get (and beautiful as well). But it also has tapered sides so a roof raise is out for me.
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Aaaahhh why is that?
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09-22-2014, 07:28 PM
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#19
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Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 227
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Super Coach II, 36 Ft. RE
Engine: Cat 3208T, MT643
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Re: Pop's bus
Quote:
Originally Posted by allwthrrider
Quote:
Originally Posted by Locutus
Pop, welcome to the madness!
Consider a Bluebird. They have vertical walls/windows, not tapered like a Thomas, which will make it much easier to do a roof raise should you decide to go that route. Quality is second only to Crown.
I have a Crown, which is about the best quality school bus you can get (and beautiful as well). But it also has tapered sides so a roof raise is out for me.
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Aaaahhh why is that?
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While I don't deny it's possible to raise a roof with tapered sides, my point was that it's more difficult, because the posts will have to be realigned.
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09-22-2014, 08:03 PM
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#20
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Pinnacle, NC
Posts: 16
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Re: Pop's bus
I agree, the straight sides would make it much easier. My brother and I used to build street rods, did a chop and channel on a '36 Dodge truck. So a school bus would be a piece of cake
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