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Old 08-03-2015, 05:59 AM   #501
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 584
Year: 1988
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: I.H.
Engine: DT360
I can only dream of having that setup. Mine does 55-60 at around 2500 - foot to the floor.

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Old 08-03-2015, 09:08 PM   #502
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Posts: 703
Year: 1995
Engine: DT408
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronsb View Post
So I was driving on the highway yesterday...

It's hard to see the tach needle with the sunlight shining on it, but its indicating about 1700-1800 rpm there.

Moving down the road at 67ish, it seems a little faster than expected for a 5.39:1 rear end. Any thoughts?

Maybe the district that owned the bus couldn't get 6th overdrive unlocked either and changes out the r&p?

That doesn't sound right for the gear ratio you have. Did you get 6th unlocked? If so how much overdrive is it? I have 4.78's in mine but with the MT643 I'm turning about 2100 @ 55ish. 1900 is max torque for me so I want 2100 but would sure like to be @ 65mph.
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Old 08-03-2015, 10:00 PM   #503
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
Posts: 1,635
Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
The tag in my bus says 5.38 axle ratio; it seems to be set up very similarly to yours. Engine is 8.3L, my transmission is B300R but it should be geared the same as the MD3060 I think you said yours has. Even the dash cluster looks about the same! IIRC my tach reads around 2100 at 65 MPH.

My calculation some time ago was that if I could get the second overdrive unlocked, which I believe offers a 0.65 ratio, then I'd see 1840 RPM for 65 MPH. That seems to be about where you're at. But if the tranny controller says 5 then I think you're right that a previous owner may have changed the axle ratio instead of the transmission program.
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Old 08-11-2015, 12:19 AM   #504
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 722
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 RE
Engine: 8.3l Cummins
Rated Cap: 78
Some changes

Our house is now officially on the real estate market in the western Washington area.

To keep the kids from trashing the house while its listed, we are living on the bus, sort of. I have a free standing ac unit to keep things cool, and I got our fridge installed and working. The fridge is a 7.something cubic foot DC only fridge. It's 9 to 36 volts, and uses about 90 watts at full power. It's really great! (I'll try and get some pix)

Since I'm done working on the house, I started working on my framework stuff some more. Tonight I got a little incentive by hitting my head on the corner of the steel square tube and bleeding everywhere.

So, those bits came out, I finished welding the support extension, and then grinded the offending corner, clean, prime, paint.

Overhead stowage on right front js ready for paneling installation, if at least to prevent a trip to the emergency room to sew my scalp back on.

So I guess that means I'm working on it again.

Anybody within a 30 mile radius of Bellevue have a house for rent that I can park my family and bus at? Part of our plans are to not dive back into home ownership right away, but we will if we have to.
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Old 08-11-2015, 07:03 AM   #505
Almost There
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Hattiesbur, MS
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Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Well, I'm jealous.
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Old 08-14-2015, 08:09 AM   #506
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Originally Posted by LandLubber View Post
Well, I'm jealous.
Yea, me too 😁!!
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Old 08-16-2015, 07:03 PM   #507
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Very nice build! Thank you for sharing!
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Old 08-17-2015, 02:04 AM   #508
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Year: 1998
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Chassis: TC2000 RE
Engine: 8.3l Cummins
Rated Cap: 78
Getting the floor prepared for some peel and stick vinyl planks.

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Old 08-17-2015, 01:29 PM   #509
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
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Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
I like seeing the lack of wood, and all the nice metal.

Nat
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Old 08-23-2015, 04:54 PM   #510
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Maple Ridge BC Canada
Posts: 200
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC2000 Rear engine
Engine: Cummins 8.3; MD3060
Rated Cap: 84
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronsb View Post
Getting the floor prepared for some peel and stick vinyl planks.
A bit off topic....

I am working on my front end right now.... I took all spring leafs apart, all air lines, air tanks... etc...

Everything looks like tornado vent through my bus....

I want to add air bags to my front suspension to be able to get more clearance when I need it.....

Since we have almost the same I want to make a little favor for me... Can you please measure how much clearance you have between bottom of the frame and U-bolts cap holding the front (steel pyramid or trapezoid looking piece ). Can you take a picture with the ruler if possible...

Do you remember your front weight by any chance? I never had a chance to put my bus on scale.... I am guessing if 2500-2800lb air bags will be big enough to raise the front 3-4 inches

Any info will be appreciated...
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Here is my conversion thread:
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f11/98-bluebird-tc2000-conversion-2-feet-roof-raise-3-slideouts-9728.html
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Old 08-24-2015, 12:33 AM   #511
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Year: 1998
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Chassis: TC2000 RE
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Rated Cap: 78
No problem, I will try and get under there tomorrow.

It is actually good timing because I have to move the bus tomorrow anyway, so I can park on clean pavement to crawl around.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad View Post
A bit off topic....

I am working on my front end right now.... I took all spring leafs apart, all air lines, air tanks... etc...

Everything looks like tornado vent through my bus....

I want to add air bags to my front suspension to be able to get more clearance when I need it.....

Since we have almost the same I want to make a little favor for me... Can you please measure how much clearance you have between bottom of the frame and U-bolts cap holding the front (steel pyramid or trapezoid looking piece ). Can you take a picture with the ruler if possible...

Do you remember your front weight by any chance? I never had a chance to put my bus on scale.... I am guessing if 2500-2800lb air bags will be big enough to raise the front 3-4 inches

Any info will be appreciated...
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Old 08-24-2015, 12:38 AM   #512
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 722
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 RE
Engine: 8.3l Cummins
Rated Cap: 78
Interesting thing:

The data card riveted to the bus says 5.39:1 for the rear axle ratio, but physically turning the drive line over (rear axle on stands, brakes released) gives me about 4 revolutions on driveline to one revolution on axle.

Im still not sure if its got a locker but that would be pretty nice.
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Old 08-24-2015, 09:37 AM   #513
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Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Usually, the wheel turn trick will tell the tale. Maybe it has been re-geared. Sounds like you might have a 4.11 there.
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Old 08-24-2015, 12:31 PM   #514
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Salt Lake City Utah
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Year: 2000
Chassis: Blue Bird
Engine: ISC 8.3
Does the 3rd member have any tags on it?
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Old 08-26-2015, 10:49 PM   #515
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Year: 1998
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Chassis: TC2000 RE
Engine: 8.3l Cummins
Rated Cap: 78
Sorry, I haven't climbed under the bus yet to take measurements or check for tags.

We are closing on our home sale and busy packing and reducing our footprint right now. At least we have a place to land and I can reconcentrate on the bus.

Over the last year I found various leaks and stuff on the roof and patched them with sikoflex. It was looking a little patchy so I added a new layer of Henrys 287 to the roof, it looks great.

Price per gallon it does make a difference and its thick enough that it seals a lot of little gaps and cracks too.

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Old 08-27-2015, 12:19 PM   #516
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Year: 2000
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Engine: ISC 8.3
Oh, man. Moving, especially combined with reducing, is a huge chore. I feel for ya. Good luck.

Since I guessed you were probably kinda busy, I took a few pictures from my bus this morning. It's a Blue Bird CSRE, so not "exactly" the same as yours and Vlad's, but the model year is close, GVW is the same, power train is nearly the same, so I figured maybe the front end will be the same or at least similar.





My tags say GVW 36,200 and front axle 13,200 pounds. When I weighed it after removing seats but before removing any floor or body metal, and probably with a full fuel tank and me in the driver seat, the front axle weighed 8,300 and the rear 15,200.

The shackle at the trailing end doesn't have a lot of height left to give, but I guess the air bags could be sized to deflect the spring down even farther than where the shackle bottoms out.
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Old 08-27-2015, 01:23 PM   #517
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 722
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 RE
Engine: 8.3l Cummins
Rated Cap: 78
Yeah, from memory those photos look nearly exactly the same as mine. Grease your shackle points!


Quote:
Originally Posted by family wagon View Post
Oh, man. Moving, especially combined with reducing, is a huge chore. I feel for ya. Good luck.

Since I guessed you were probably kinda busy, I took a few pictures from my bus this morning. It's a Blue Bird CSRE, so not "exactly" the same as yours and Vlad's, but the model year is close, GVW is the same, power train is nearly the same, so I figured maybe the front end will be the same or at least similar.





My tags say GVW 36,200 and front axle 13,200 pounds. When I weighed it after removing seats but before removing any floor or body metal, and probably with a full fuel tank and me in the driver seat, the front axle weighed 8,300 and the rear 15,200.

The shackle at the trailing end doesn't have a lot of height left to give, but I guess the air bags could be sized to deflect the spring down even farther than where the shackle bottoms out.
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Old 09-15-2015, 12:14 PM   #518
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 722
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 RE
Engine: 8.3l Cummins
Rated Cap: 78
Another thing to add to the list

Make sure that most of the items on your switch panel operate off keyed power, or at least have indicator lights.

Failing that, a battery disconnect is helpful.

We've been living on the bus while we bridge a gap to the next place we'll be staying at so I can continue work - and our smallest kid must take after me. He is constantly finding all the switches and poking at them.

I wonder how many near total discharges the current batteries will take? I wanted to upgrade to a pair of 8D batteries anyway.
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Old 10-09-2015, 10:10 PM   #519
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 722
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 RE
Engine: 8.3l Cummins
Rated Cap: 78
New tires getting installed. I'll pick up the bus tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to driving it quite a bit more.

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Old 10-10-2015, 09:34 AM   #520
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Posts: 4
Good luck on this project, it looks like your off to a great start, we want to have a greenhouse in ours, compost our waste, and collect rainwater
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