possibly the right bus for me

c_hasbeen · 04-23-2015, 06:13 PM

I have a bead on a 95 thomas with 250 hp 8.3 Cummins, and air brakes,MTB 643 transmission/retarder, pas through bays, out of Idaho and the claim is no rust either, it will not be available for a week or maybe more.
200,000 miles or a smidge under.

wish me luck! if it is to be our bus than it will!

EastCoastCB · 04-23-2015, 06:25 PM

Nice. Sounds like awesome running gear.

bansil · 04-23-2015, 06:29 PM

Dang, nice drive train....oh! Wait! Mmmm....it actually is terrible, where is the ad? I will save you all the smiles by getting this before you enjoy it.

You're welcome

Oh! And take pictures and write a story about the pick up of said land yacht

porkchopsandwiches · 04-23-2015, 08:05 PM

Awesome! The 8.3 is a good motor, I wish I had one (or anything but a CAT). Is it a pusher or what? Only thing I can think of is check what the gearing is like, what RPM on the highway. MT 643 is 5 speed with lockup converter, right?

c_hasbeen · 04-23-2015, 08:33 PM

yes, it is a pusher, it is about 38 ft long and he said the gvwr was 36000 pounds has air brakes 78 inches tall inside also.
it sounds like a LOT of BUS maybe more than I need but

porkchopsandwiches · 04-23-2015, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c_hasbeen

yes, it is a pusher, it is about 38 ft long and he said the gvwr was 36000 pounds has air brakes 78 inches tall inside also.
it sounds like a LOT of BUS maybe more than I need but

The 78" is the best part. That is how mine is. I am 6'1" and specifically bought the Thomas bus I did so I would be able to stand up inside without doing a roof raise. It will be an awesome platform for you to work off of, I am jealous!

EastCoastCB · 04-23-2015, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porkchopsandwiches

Awesome! The 8.3 is a good motor, I wish I had one (or anything but a CAT). Is it a pusher or what? Only thing I can think of is check what the gearing is like, what RPM on the highway. MT 643 is 5 speed with lockup converter, right?

4 speed lockup. But no OD. Excellent transmission though.

superdave · 04-24-2015, 06:30 AM

i have a 96, tops out at 62, little over 2000 rpm, pretty good engine braking too. 4 hour drive over a mountain and the tranny never got over 170* buy it!

c_hasbeen · 04-24-2015, 04:58 PM

We are pretty excited about this bus!

c_hasbeen · 05-05-2015, 12:53 PM

We got to go look at this bus, it is pretty well specked out for a mountain bus so we bought and drove home.
no issues in the 10 hours of driving other than the door rattles like crazy when the wind is just right, I figure to look into that some time soon.
she will run 70 MPH at 26 ~2700 rpm, with a couple hundred revs still left on the governor, but really seems to run great at about 65. The retarder works you can watch the trans temp jump up when you use it hard.
The wabasco heater I have not messed with it, I believe it may be inoperable, but the little I know about them it may be something i can deal with at a later time.
tires are in great condition and only a few years old.
drove through some heavy rain, stopped a couple of times to check for leaks but did not fins any, the only place I found moisture was in the bays, but this must not have been the case very often because there is no rust in the corners.
the only rust I could find was on the screen frame that covers the air intake on the side.
here are some pictures.

crazycal · 05-05-2015, 01:31 PM

This air foil will add 15 mph to your top end. You can probably hit 130 now.

Nice bus. Congrats.

Scooternj · 05-05-2015, 02:00 PM

I foresee lots of busted knuckles, foul language, and airborne rust. Congrats on the bus

Tango · 05-05-2015, 02:08 PM

Super sweet combo! Should make an excellent platform.

And just for the record...in 3 digit Allison designations, the middle number is always the number of gears. 545 (four gears)...643 (still 4 gears).

Also...you can look up your tranny online at the Allison site...

My Transmission

crazycal · 05-05-2015, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tango

Super sweet combo! Should make an excellent platform.

And just for the record...in 3 digit Allison designations, the middle number is always the number of gears. 545 (four gears)...643 (still 4 gears).

Also...you can look up your tranny online at the Allison site...

My Transmission

Yes and a mt653 is a 5 speed but first gear does not go into second. You must top to go into and out of second.

c_hasbeen · 05-05-2015, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazycal

This air foil will add 15 mph to your top end. You can probably hit 130 now.

Nice bus. Congrats.

oh I was told that the air foil kept me from breaking the sound barrier???something I hear is quite common in the skoolie world???

cowlitzcoach · 05-05-2015, 05:12 PM

It would appear as if you have gotten a really nice bus that still has a lot of life left in it.

EastCoastCB · 05-05-2015, 05:16 PM

yup thats a helluva bus

Piersg · 05-05-2015, 06:39 PM

Nice bus! I wish I had an 8.3 instead of the Cat, would make working on it easier!

Kubla · 05-05-2015, 09:23 PM

and a real driver's seat, not the straight backed green torture rack that came in mine

crazycal · 05-05-2015, 11:36 PM

You have a really nice bus with some cool extras, i.e. air foil. My first bus was a 40 foot Bluebird with an 8.3 Cummins. This is what I am picking up next week. It seems like I keep getting smaller and smaller. You will have fun with your bus and won't need much. You got engine, transmission, length, Webasto, luggage compartments. You got it all baby! Now just finish the outside.

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