I have a 1984 international s1700 with the 6.9 IDI. It has an Allison at545 right now and I'm wondering what the best options are as far as a manual transmission swap. I currently have a 3 speed brownie box behind the Allison and I have at my disposal a zf5 from a 350 super duty diesel of the same year. Bum wondering what the easiest bolt in swap would Be. Is there a Spicer I should be looking for? Thanks.
Some more information about me and my bus. I'm installing a turbocharging system in the next week or so depending on time and when the kit arrives. I installed a 3 speed brownie box from a 1954 street sweeper in the bus and have 12 forward speeds. I want to get rid of this darn auto tranny. I'd like to have 15 forward speeds now to fully utilize my increased horsepower. I'm not sure which manual transmission will best suit my needs. The bus weighs 13k pounds maybe 15 loaded heavy
If anyone has any thing they want to chime in id appreciate it. I generally don't join forums to talk to myself
What in the world are you planning to do with this thing? :beatsme
Me and my ridiculous bus We'll. I live in it. And I plan on continuing to do so with fairly large amounts of travel involved. Consider this my first hot rod/rat rod. Ive made numerous mechanical customizations etc. im teaching myself everything from engine to transmission to body work to interior design/fabrication basically this is my first hot rod, except on ultra scale. I'm 25 and I've done everything on my own, without help or (for the most part) proper tools. By the time I'm done with this bus I plan on being a proficient medium-to heavy truck mechanic haha. Anyway I plan on cruising at 65 at low, peak torque right rpm, and maximizing the capabilities of my 6.9. One day maybe I will go 100 mph at bonnevile. I am insane. I have no give up on my spirit and I will build this insane monster no matter what. I plan on building something so unique people like Burt Monroe and his Indian scout Come to mind. I have been deciding between a t-19/6231c combo and a zf5 / 6231c combo, I'm gonna pull the trigger on a zf5 unless someone convinces me not to. Im frankly surprised nobody has any input on this. I am the future generation of people who actually care. I work on all my own cars, nobody touches them but me. I dream about horsepower and torque. I dream about diesel. I bleed intercooled blood. I need input on my project. Coooooome talk custom with Me!!!!!
Ok, cool, hope you have fun. I'd help with your calculations, but I've never gotten deep enough into the little stuff to know anything helpful.
With a calling like that, shouldn't you be finding a DT466 or Cummins 8.3? If you want to stick with the idi v8 I can tell you with authority that engine in a schoolbus would do 85, I can't say if that was gear limited or power limited. The internet says that allison is direct drive/not lockup (1.1:1 ratio with slip???). The zf5 has an overdrive around .75 so your RPM should drop from 2,800 to 2,100 at the same speed. The questions I see are how will the zf handle the load of a bus, and will it mate up with your auxiliary transmission (if it has to?). The zf has a good reputation in pickups, but I don't know what else it was put in? Have you tried the cummins forums for info, 4btswaps is where I'd be looking.