Mr P
1996 International 3800. dt466. Meritor 10 speed
If one guideline for this section is "a diary for your bus", here goes.
How I got a bus: In 2020 I noticed all the schoolies passing through. I thought about it for my (larger than most) family to see "the west". Being a car mechanic I knew the reliability of the 12v Cummins, and I think it was here that I learned about the DT466 being (possibly) a step better. I would occasionally search the net for a dt466 bus, then wait months before searching some more. Any dt466 bus I found would be several hours away, and I wasn't going to drive hours to "kick the tires". About a year ago I found one fairly close, and actually chatted with God about the situation, as it seemed like a nearly perfect location, price, and condition. Only....that bus was sold before I could even communicate with the seller. In a little "frustration", I prayed like "but this seemed good, but....what's next".
Because that local bus disappeared, I looked at the two remaining. The farther away was about 20 miles from where a good friend lived when I last saw him 20 years ago. I mistakeny sent my friend a FB message with ONLY a link to the bus advertisement, he replied with "I think I know where this bus is. I think it's in this town. I think that's the bus at the church I used to attend. Want me to go look at it for you?"
And he did. He actually had done much work driving trucks with dt466 engines, so he knew all about the engine, and gave me a good, factual report about the engine, bus condition, and performance. I got to spend time with that friend when I went to verify what he said and buy the bus. And got to spent some time with him and that church's pastor, it was a great time of reconnection for them. We sorta counted the "unusual" situations that all came together for that evening's meeting to occur.
The long trip home convinced me that the at545 needed to be replaced. FB Marketplace again...showed a semi trans for sale locally, sold by a former customer of mine. We reconnected, he said it was a good one. Thanks in part to answers from Caddilackid on this site, I figured out what I needed to put it in the bus.
How I got a bus: In 2020 I noticed all the schoolies passing through. I thought about it for my (larger than most) family to see "the west". Being a car mechanic I knew the reliability of the 12v Cummins, and I think it was here that I learned about the DT466 being (possibly) a step better. I would occasionally search the net for a dt466 bus, then wait months before searching some more. Any dt466 bus I found would be several hours away, and I wasn't going to drive hours to "kick the tires". About a year ago I found one fairly close, and actually chatted with God about the situation, as it seemed like a nearly perfect location, price, and condition. Only....that bus was sold before I could even communicate with the seller. In a little "frustration", I prayed like "but this seemed good, but....what's next".
Because that local bus disappeared, I looked at the two remaining. The farther away was about 20 miles from where a good friend lived when I last saw him 20 years ago. I mistakeny sent my friend a FB message with ONLY a link to the bus advertisement, he replied with "I think I know where this bus is. I think it's in this town. I think that's the bus at the church I used to attend. Want me to go look at it for you?"
And he did. He actually had done much work driving trucks with dt466 engines, so he knew all about the engine, and gave me a good, factual report about the engine, bus condition, and performance. I got to spend time with that friend when I went to verify what he said and buy the bus. And got to spent some time with him and that church's pastor, it was a great time of reconnection for them. We sorta counted the "unusual" situations that all came together for that evening's meeting to occur.
The long trip home convinced me that the at545 needed to be replaced. FB Marketplace again...showed a semi trans for sale locally, sold by a former customer of mine. We reconnected, he said it was a good one. Thanks in part to answers from Caddilackid on this site, I figured out what I needed to put it in the bus.
