Buses aren't just for rednecks anymore !!!

[HotRodPC]

Most of the modern military mine resistant vehicles have the C7 and Allison 6 speeds in them. In my experience they have tons of power and are darn near indestructible as long as you change the engine oil regularly. If you let the oil get too dirty, they tend to lock up the injectors. They have no problem pulling a 24,000lb MRAP up a 60% slope in 100+ degree heat with little to no maintenance though. We had one in Afghanistan where the radiator sprung a leak and dropped all the coolant as the marines were headed out on a mission. It started overheating on the way out the gate and they didn't want to take the time to change vehicles, so they just kept going.

They did a three hour mission in the desert in Helmand Province with zero coolant in the engine. It finally died right as they were coming in the gate and they towed it the last few hundred yards to the maintenance yard. We found the coolant leak and fixed it. Then found that the engine oil got so hot that it melted the plastic connectors to the injectors under the valve cover and had filled the HPOP with plastic(which was why it finally stopped running). We cleaned the plastic out of the HPOP filter, put a new injector harness in it, changed the oil, and it fired right up. Ran great the rest of the time I was there(6 months or so).

Exactly what I've heard and read. Keep the oil clean and the Heui pump and injectors will love you for it and keep it in good running condition and should expect to get the 400,000 - 500,000 miles out of it or close to 20,000 engine hours.

 

[Bextreme04]

Exactly what I've heard and read. Keep the oil clean and the Heui pump and injectors will love you for it and keep it in good running condition and should expect to get the 400,000 - 500,000 miles out of it or close to 20,000 engine hours.

In the several years I worked on them overseas I NEVER saw one have a HPOP failure. The only time I saw injector failures was with the marines in Afghanistan. They were not very good about sticking to their service intervals and they were using 15-40W scooped from an open 55 Gallon drum into a reused gallon jug to fill the oil. Needless to say the oil had some grit to it. When we arrived as civilian contractors(after I got out as Active duty Army) that was one of the first things we changed. We ordered screw in spouts for the drums and built racks to get them horizontal and up off the ground. Most of the damage was probably already done and we would usually have to change a few injectors every couple weeks for quite a while. When I was active duty, the only issues we had with engines were on the MAXXPro MRAP's that had the MAXXforce DT engine, those things had all kinds of Injector and HPOP issues. The CAT and Cummins engines we had were basically just service and send it.

 

[HotRodPC]

Now that the cat is outta the bag. Those 2 big buses aren't my first bus. The first one 1 traded one of my built AR Pistols that I had just under $500 in. No engine or trans. I figured I'd make a gasser out of it until I realized it's an air brake bus. I kinda wanted a shorter bus but those seem to go for even bigger money cuz everyone wants the cute little buses and they can't drive the bigger ones. Not to mention parking woes due to size. I've already sold the hood and quarter fenders for $500 and got my money back on it. It has 4 brand new tires on it that are only 3 years old so they've got another 5-6 years use on them. These buses don't get to wear out tires. The tires age out before they're wore out.

But, this is the bus I've been living in for the 3 months with some solar and a diesel heater. Rat holing some cash for a big bus build and looking at buying a couple acres with a barn and mobile home on it soon. If I can make that deal happen with this guy. It's actually been quite comfy and works out fine since I'm usually at work. I get free showers at the truck stop where I buy fuel for the rollback. Laundromat sucks but my clothes are very clean in the commercial machines I use. I've got a guy wanting to buy the drop out 3rd member to do a gear ratio change on his bus too. Seriously thinking about taking this coach off the chassis and making anchoring it to 4 piers at my daughters property. It'll be a neat little shop or studio. If we ever get the medium duty conventional back from the shop, I also have a guy that offered to buy what's left if I can make arrangements to get it to Van Buren, AR. He wants it to make a heated hunting blind. It is a neat little bus but the guy who bought it for the engine and trans also took the instrument cluster and front bumper so I'm not wasting time and money putting it back together. Parting it out and as said, might keep the coach, and if not, over the scale it'll go to get rid of it and add to the profit I made from it.

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[89Suburban]

Now that the cat is outta the bag. Those 2 big buses aren't my first bus. The first one 1 traded one of my built AR Pistols that I had just under $500 in. No engine or trans. I figured I'd make a gasser out of it until I realized it's an air brake bus. I kinda wanted a shorter bus but those seem to go for even bigger money cuz everyone wants the cute little buses and they can't drive the bigger ones. Not to mention parking woes due to size. I've already sold the hood and quarter fenders for $500 and got my money back on it. It has 4 brand new tires on it that are only 3 years old so they've got another 5-6 years use on them. These buses don't get to wear out tires. The tires age out before they're wore out.

But, this is the bus I've been living in for the 3 months with some solar and a diesel heater. Rat holing some cash for a big bus build and looking at buying a couple acres with a barn and mobile home on it soon. If I can make that deal happen with this guy. It's actually been quite comfy and works out fine since I'm usually at work. I get free showers at the truck stop where I buy fuel for the rollback. Laundromat sucks but my clothes are very clean in the commercial machines I use. I've got a guy wanting to buy the drop out 3rd member to do a gear ratio change on his bus too. Seriously thinking about taking this coach off the chassis and making anchoring it to 4 piers at my daughters property. It'll be a neat little shop or studio. If we ever get the medium duty conventional back from the shop, I also have a guy that offered to buy what's left if I can make arrangements to get it to Van Buren, AR. He wants it to make a heated hunting blind. It is a neat little bus but the guy who bought it for the engine and trans also took the instrument cluster and front bumper so I'm not wasting time and money putting it back together. Parting it out and as said, might keep the coach, and if not, over the scale it'll go to get rid of it and add to the profit I made from it.

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I love you man.

 

[SDJunkMan]

That would be my holy grail. Is a Blue Bird TC2000 with a Cummin's 8.3 in the rear with an Allison MD3060 but old enough it didn't have the EGR and EGR Cooler and a side door.

The Flex is cool, but because of it's age, everything needs to be updated. Finding a newer bus as a donor would give me better axles, brakes, and driveline. That bird sounds interesting, how much? not sure if a 8.3 would fit ( kind of long), I like the Cat I have but its heavy.

 

[Frankenchevy]

These C7's are also very hard to start. They don't use glow plugs. It has an air intake heater that assists in starting.

Most Cummins are the same way with a grid heater vs glow plugs. 12v/24v 5.9, 6.7, ISC 8.3, etc. I don’t know about the 6ct, I’ve never messed with one of those. I think that’s what you’ll find in an older than mid-90s pusher if Cummins equipped. We had an early 90s ring type compactor that had one. It got parted by my uncle due to a catastrophic failure not related to the engine.

It has to get fairly cold to make it hard to start. We would start them in the teens and they’d fire right up. You could argue it might be a bit harder on them, I guess. My ‘04 24v with 206k will fire right up. It’ll go into high idle if I let it warm up for a few minutes when near freezing. If it’s real cold I’ll run it for a few minutes with the exhaust brake on to get the defrost going. The 6.7 doesn’t really care either way.

 

[bucket]

The two 8.3 Cummins I've got experience with would fire up in the dead of winter, no issues at all. So long as the batteries hadn't lost much charge.

 

[89Suburban]

I love all this stuff!!! Good job guys!

 

[squaredeal91]

You forgot to mention the hippies lol. Around here we have alot of hippie busses, some are pretty Rad. I've always wanted to do one myself.

 

[RanchWelder]

The Pug makes the picture on the first page.
Here's the Barrett-Jackson Bus: School of Hard Knocks
1957-CHEVROLET-CUSTOM-SCHOOL-BUS-178698

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When I pushed camera and shot film one of my friends, used to travel from movie sets in one of these:

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Many cool night in there... It had dark green leather seats and art deco chrome everywhere inside. Sconces for lights and wood trim.
The glass was all tinted cool blue/green with curtains. We'd get wrecked in there after work... The bus parties were epic. He just ripped the seats out of the last 5 rows for his bed, hung a curtain for his space, and the rest was stock. The ladies loved the bus parties... in the morning some nights every seat would be filled with hung over guests.

It was more of a mobile nightclub with sleeping quarters... on the back lot of the film studio parking area. Waterboy?
In 1997 it was $500 to fill it up.

Most people have no idea there are only 23,000 bus drivers, on any given day, max. Only helicopter pilots are more exclusive at apx. 21,000. The ones driving the touring bands have the gig to die for. We rode on Prevost usually. My career did not require me to tour though.

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<---- Paint one like this.
Only down side, if you run out of fuel and piss off the management, you're fired!

It's a serious responsibility driving a major act. Anyone can forget to fuel up with all the racket on one of these, so you have friends call you from around the world to remind you to fill the heck up... at 6am... I've made a few of those calls... "OK, I'm awake... thanks for calling..." "Fuel the damn BUS!"
Unless you fly helicopter, there is no more Elite status under the DOT/FAA, as a BUS DRIVER.

When a band member or a roadie got "lucky" and he showed up too late for the bus ride, at the hotel at 6AM, they called it an "Oil Spotting".
You'd come out of the hotel, freaking out with a severe hangover, thoroughly late for the mission, to find only the "oil spot", where the tour bus used to be parked.
Then you would have to pay for your own trip to the next show... $300-$500, penalty for getting laid and drunk!

You guys brought back some great memories for me... I am grateful to be in your company.

Chop, shorten and Lift one. Make it 4wd?

 

[Dooley]

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[bucket]

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Good lord I love that long bus!

 

[Radiohead]

Skoolies & Squares. Nice

It's hip to be square.

 

[Turbo4whl]

It does share alot with the 3126. It's like the new generation of the 3126. It has the Huei (Huey) High Oil Pressure Injection Pump system. If you can keep clean oil, I hear they are real good, but they are expensive when they break. It's like $4000 for a Heui pump and injectors, that's the parts only and normally when the pump goes, it takes the injectors with it. There is an aftermarket spin on pre filter that's sold to put inline BEFORE the heui pump and that's the supposed to make the C7 bulletproof they say. That pre filter kit uses a spin on filter and the system is $1000 if you can install it yourself. Honestly, I'd just prefer to go Cummins or International DT466 or even DT466-E so long as it's pre Maxxforce junk and really don't even want the EGR Cooler BS either.

These C7's are also very hard to start. They don't use glow plugs. It has an air intake heater that assists in starting. I hear if it's below 55 degrees, you better have the block heater plugged in and even then it's still hard to start. Now where I'll be, it's not likely I'll have power, so I guess I have to use the solar system to plug it in. I don't know, I only bought it cuz it was cheap and low miles. I might just flip it and sell it for $4000-$5000. It's in really good shape though and I hate to get rid of it. But I might just keep buying buses at the good deals until I finally get the holy grail I want which is the Blue Bird Pusher with a Cummins 8.3 and MD3060 Allison. Mine is hard to start but once it finally starts and smoothes out it runs really good. It only has 4900 engine hours on the hourmeter and 131,000 on the clock. I'd say that's accurate since doing the math is an average of 26 miles an hour. Most school buses are wore out at low mileage due to all the idling time and the hard stop and go use all the time. This was an activity bus for the sports teams, not a route bus so that's why it's in it's condition and the low mileage and good odo/hourmeter ratio.

To help the C7 to start cold, pop the hood and pump the fuel primer hand pump until you hear the fuel pushing past the relief. Sure a block heater is great starting aid, but some times that just can't happen.

 

[HotRodPC]

To help the C7 to start cold, pop the hood and pump the fuel primer hand pump until you hear the fuel pushing past the relief. Sure a block heater is great starting aid, but some times that just can't happen.

Yes, cuz I don't have 110V near the bus where it's parked. I have a feeling the intake heater isn't working and needs replaced. I'll have to get it tested and the relay too. I've read that Cat's especially the C7 are just generally harder to start than others. My Cummin's 24V in 30 degree weather after sitting 2 days, cycle the key 1 time, bump the starter and before 2 full revolutions it's purring like a kitten. OK, maybe purring like a full grown lion.

I just hate cranking so hard on this Cat. You know that's a lot of amps going through those cables. They get hot, the starter gets hot, draining those big ass batteries. I don't want to burn up the starter and melt the coating off the cables. I even cycle the pre start ignition 2 times and it doesn't seem to make any difference at all and why I'm leaning toward the intake pre heater isn't working.