Ford School Bus

[gr8shot]

Found an ad on CL for a Ford school bus with a 5.9 cummins in it. I've been searching for a donor motor to swap in to my 95 chevy and this one sounds promising and the price is definitely right.

The guy doesn't know squat about it though. Says it has a 10 speed manual tranny. Any clue what transmission this would be? Any searching I did turned up cummins bolted to an allison auto, couldn't find anything on a manual tranny in a Ford school bus.

Also if anyone knows, are there any deal killers on a bus motor instead of a cummins out of a Dodge pickup? It's a 96, so I'd imagine it's intercooled and probably is a p-pump, which is a lot of why I'm after it.

And lastly, the bus has no brakes, so I'd have to tow it home on a trailer. Any idea what a bus weighs? Is it too much to expect a duramax to tow it? He said the seats are removed however. I have access to a pretty long G/N flatbed, but I don't know if it'd be long enough or if the bus would even make it onto it without getting high centered. But if it's too heavy then I'll have to go back to the drawing board.

Thanks!

 

[jheyob]

I've only saw an at545 behind a cummins in a school bus...a couple friends went on this school bus buying kick a couple years ago with the same plans you have.

I'd be more worried about the height of it than the weight, esp on a deckover. 20klbs + though unless it's gutted.

 

[Big Block 88]

OUr school busses here when I was a kid were all manual trans, but pretty sure they were eaton 10's basically a 5 speed with a high and low side. The weight shouldn't be more than 20k I wouldn't think, our duece and a halfs weigh around 15k and they are much heavier duty than a bus

 

[maxthis]

I wouldn't be to worried about hauling it.....I would in a heartbeat.

Just want to make damn sure that is the motor you want.

as said above^probably an eaton 10 speed, very very common tranny back in the day

 

[gr8shot]

I'm still waiting to hear back from the guy, but my hopes are high at this point. I don't know much about the eaton transmissions. Are they even feasable to use in a swap? It'd be awfully neat to have a 10 speed, more for novelty's sake than for actual usefullness, but if it would work and it could hold a little more than stock power I'd probably try and use it.

I did a quick google search and it looks like the Eaton 10 speed either has a 1:1 10th gear or a ~.75:1 10th gear. I like the .75:1 since thats what the NV4500 has and that would keep the rpms about right for what I'm after. Right now the 454 cruises at about 1800-1900 rpms on the interstate, that's a little low for the big block pulling much weight, and 4th gear is like 2600rpms which really sucks the fuel. But 1900rpms would be perfect for a cummins on the interstate I'd think.

 

[03 D-max]

But 1900rpms would be perfect for a cummins on the interstate I'd think.

1900 is a great interstate speed with the 5.9, you defiantly dont want to get much above 2000 though or the mileage really starts to suffer

 

[Big Block 88]

The Eaton 10 would NOT be a good choice for pick up swap, it's huge, heavy and slow shifting as hell. You have an NV4500 that is what dodge used anyway so that would be my pic for the tranny.

 

[1lowdiesel]

i'd be willing to bet that it's not intercooled. Should be a 215 motor though. My buddy has a few of these motors sitting in his yard. As stated most of them were the allison but i would bet that one has the eaton. I would agree that trans would be a slug, the cool factor is one thing but a slug non the less.

What are you getting it for if you don't mind?

 

[dirttymaxx]

eaton 10 wont work in a truck you need air to go from the low side to the high side. . . wow factor is up there but i wouldnt use it,heck you wouldnt need the frist 3 gears

 

[Big Block 88]

eaton 10 wont work in a truck you need air to go from the low side to the high side. . . wow factor is up there but i wouldnt use it,heck you wouldnt need the frist 3 gears

Our 10 speeds in the Duece and a Halfs are not air actuated hi/lo they are a huge mech shifter on the floor. But I bet you are right it being a school bus it is most likely air shifted hi/lo. We just leave it in High as Low is completely useless unless there is a freight train stuck somewhere

 

[1lowdiesel]

Our 10 speeds in the Duece and a Halfs are not air actuated hi/lo they are a huge mech shifter on the floor. But I bet you are right it being a school bus it is most likely air shifted hi/lo. We just leave it in High as Low is completely useless unless there is a freight train stuck somewhere

lol yea you can also pretty much run that thing on piss and vinegar too

 

[gr8shot]

i'd be willing to bet that it's not intercooled. Should be a 215 motor though. My buddy has a few of these motors sitting in his yard. As stated most of them were the allison but i would bet that one has the eaton. I would agree that trans would be a slug, the cool factor is one thing but a slug non the less.

What are you getting it for if you don't mind?

Ok, so obviously no eaton tranny. Kinda sucks it's probably not intercooled, but thats fixable . Hopefully if the guy gets back to me I'll go check it out this weekend. I'm hoping to put the 12v into my 2wd 95 chevy 3/4 ton eclb. It's just sitting, wasting away with a gas guzzling 454 in it now

It's pretty much the perfect candidate in my eyes... 2wd, 3.73 rear end, longbox, NV4500 (not sure if it's the newer, cummins compatible version or not) a little beat up, and paid for I'm hoping to stick with an NV4500 whether it's mine or a dodge one. And around here a 454 converted to natural gas and set up as an irrigation power unit will sell for $3000+ all day long so thats the plans with the 454 afterwords to recoup most, if not all of the costs of the swap.