
Greetings to all,
I want to start off with a big thank you to the proprietors of Skoolie.net. What an awesome forum for souls that are first embarking upon such an enterprise.
The wife and I have recently purchased a 1993 AmTran. It is 30’ from stem to stern, with an interior space (from behind the drivers seat to rear doors) of 21’ L x 7.5’ W x 77.5” H. Motor is a DTA 360, with an Allison 545 transmission. Body and interior appear to be in good shape considering it's age, but does have a few small dents at the rear. At the surface level, it appears to be virtually rust free (Spent it's life in the mountains, garaged and away from salted roads or air).
Transmission is slipping, but with 215,000 miles on the drive train I would have had the tranny gone through anyway. Top end of the motor had just been gone through (Still retrieving repair records) and the bus was school owned (Inspections every 45 days).
We paid $1600.00 for the bus, so will be somewhere near a $4500.00 dollar investment for a reliable platform once the tranny is built.
I was in the drive train industry for many years (Automatic and standard transmissions), but all passenger vehicles. That said, I will be posting often in the future… hoping to gain insight into the process, products, and proper procedures involved with such an endeavor. It is our goal to build a skoolie that not only fulfills our dreams and desires regarding feel and function, but also one that is versatile and efficient in every way possible. I know, It’s a high bar to set right out of the gate… but I am betting that with the input and help from kind, experienced folks… That dream will be much easier to achieve.
Any and all input/recommendations, will be greatly appreciated.
I look forward to our interactions in the future, and thanks for being out there!
Dentz