buying first bus, question on 2005 dt466 and allison combo

[willsmusicbus]

hi yall, new here and first post. hopefully this is the right thread for this.

been doing a bunch of research and found a bus im really into. 2005 ic re300 from down south. its the shortest rear engine ive ever seen at 33ft. dt466e and allison 3060 combo. tall celing and the icing on the cake is that its already been gutted and registered in my state as a rv.

now for the questions/hesitation

theres 200k on the engine and trans, its due for filters and fluids ran a bit rough but seemed to open up after it got warm. from what ive found 2004 seemed to be the last year of the long run of high mileage dependability the 466 was known for. is this 05 going to give me issues or will i need to rebuild it right off the bat?

the allison 3000 series? when does that give out?

the bus is limited to 55, in theory this can be removed. but it means its geared for the low end. the 3060 has a 6th gear thats unlockable. if both could be removed it would be an unstoppable combo. but ive heard allison wont budge with unlocking ic busses

[david.dgeorge07]

I think ECCB bought a bus with this motor and had a major issue as soon as it got home. Front cover coolant leak $8k repair estimate IIRC.

I have a bus with likely similar gearing and 6th unlocked. Does 65 @ 2200RPM 70 @ redline.

Without 6th gear approx 60 was redline.

[EastCoastCB]

I learned how much it costs to fix a DT466E the hard way!
With IC's its not just the emissions that killed them, but also the low quality of manufacturing.
Would I buy another 2004 IC? Absolutely not. Wouldn't even consider another IC newer than maybe 2001 or 2002. But that's just my take on it.
I'd rather buy one fresh from the school than take on someone else's project. Gutting it is the easy part.

[cadillackid]

the 55 MPH can be computer limited.. any ideas what your RPMs were at 55? the redline on a DT-466E is about 2600 RPM.. if they were less .. then it may have geasring for more speed.. . the computer speed limiter can be disabled with a scan tool. the DT-466E doesnt like to run at its redline all day... it wont break but it is rather inefficient there..



-Christopher

[willsmusicbus]

so i gather yall would pass on this especially at an 8k asking price?

[ermracing]

I think I'd pass. After looking for our bus we settled on 2003 as the newest one to get with the DT466E after talking to our local International dealer (and local school bus fleet servicers). We also set a budget of $5k for ourselves when looking and found ours for a decent amount less than that. I'm not sure how much of a premium the rear engined versions command, but $8k sounds a bit high.

[boojiewoojie]

More info please....
Where down south is the bus located? Where are you located? When you get a chance fill out your profile!

It is fairly rare to find a shorter RE with the 466 and if you specifically want a shorter bus it might be worth it to investigate it further.

Have you had a chance to look at the data plate on top of the engine?
How much rust does the bus have?
How many hours on the Hobbs meter?

Sometimes a rough running engine isn't a big deal. I had a loose clamp on my turbo once and it ran like a dog. Fixed it in two minutes.

Sometimes it is a big deal....

How long has it been out of service? Was it in service with a school district or did a contractor run it?

[willsmusicbus]

i am up in the northeast, upstate ny syracuse. the bus was pulled out of a virginia school district by a shop out of TN that bought a bunch of busses to sell. its currently located in southern ny. from what i gathered the bus has sat for a year or more with only one short 300-400 mile trip after being brought up from down south. tag inside says shes due for oil filters fluids etc. so my take on that is its been a long long time since a wench has been turned on this.

i did not see the data plate, or the hour meeter. the bus is extremley clean. we have different standards up here but this is the cleanest bus for hundreds of miles. still that means one of the wheel wells rusted but overall 95%

what are my options and price tags for a rebuild. can i just do the top end/seals, inframe vs being pulled? myself vs a shop?

im only 20. i dont have much diesel experience, however im on my 6th build in 2 years. a 2012 4 door wrangler with a gen 5 6.2 chevy swap full axles coilovers and sooo much more has consumed most of my time in the last year.

i have plenty of carpentry experience as well as metal fab ability. age of a bus doesnt scare me... emissions and electronics do. i need something i can get 4-5 consecutive years out of. i have a lead foot and vehicles with stupid power already so im gonna need the biggest beast of an engine i can get. on a side note, anyone ever 60 series swap a bus?