5.9 IH Engine and Automatic Transmission

Our school is having to salvage a couple of buses due to structural cracks in the bodies. Is there much use for the 5.9 IH Navistar engine and/or the automatic transmissions out of them? They are both good mechanically. I think I could save them if someone could use them.
Email is open.

What trans is in them, 545?

Good engine. Very durable, just not near the power of a 466. The trans is probably a 545. I've had my eye out for a 360 to play with, if the price was right I'd buy it. He bus body would also make a dandy storage building

They are mechanical all the way with Allison AT545 transmissions. I'm trying to find out how the school would want to separate them from the bodies money-wise. One of them only has 75,XXX miles on it. It has only been used for a spare bus for the last 14 years I know.

Yes. They are mechanical all the way with Allison AT545 transmissions. I'm trying to find out how the school would want to separate them from the bodies money-wise. One of them only has 75,XXX miles on it. It has only been used for a spare bus for the last 14 years I know.

Why not sell the whole bus on a salvage title?

The 5.9L truck engine is close enough to the DT360 tractor engine that it can be used in a diesel conversion.

I don't know why I even get involved in administrators' decisions. The best bid they got for salvage was around $1850.00 for each bus. (Pretty darn stout I thought. That would have to be around $11.50 to $12.00 per hundred.) The school is wanting $2500.00 each. My suggestion to them was to pull the engines and trannies and sell them separate. Then, sell the bodies for scrap. The best I can find out, the engine and trans should weigh around 1,800 lbs. Their question to me was what will the engines and trannies bring? I don't have a clue about this market, but $1,000.00 per engine/trans combo with the scrap price of the bodies would put them right at $2,500.00 each. I have more questions than answers and will probably wish in the long run that I had never asked the first question! LOL! They did tell me that the mileage info they first gave me was incorrect. The one that shows 75,XXX on the miles had a cluster replacement at 72,XXX miles, so it is around 147,XXX miles. The other one is around 160,XXX miles. I started the one that shows 75,XXX on the miles today. It hasn't been moved since September, but it busted off like it was running this morning. The other one had really weak batteries.

I don't know why I even get involved in administrators' decisions. The best bid they got for salvage was around $1850.00 for each bus. (Pretty darn stout I thought. That would have to be around $11.50 to $12.00 per hundred.) The school is wanting $2500.00 each. My suggestion to them was to pull the engines and trannies and sell them separate. Then, sell the bodies for scrap. The best I can find out, the engine and trans should weigh around 1,800 lbs. Their question to me was what will the engines and trannies bring? I don't have a clue about this market, but $1,000.00 per engine/trans combo with the scrap price of the bodies would put them right at $2,500.00 each. I have more questions than answers and will probably wish in the long run that I had never asked the first question! LOL! They did tell me that the mileage info they first gave me was incorrect. The one that shows 75,XXX on the miles had a cluster replacement at 72,XXX miles, so it is around 147,XXX miles. The other one is around 160,XXX miles. I started the one that shows 75,XXX on the miles today. It hasn't been moved since September, but it busted off like it was running this morning. The other one had really weak batteries.

Jeff, What year are the busses?

I'm pretty sure they are both 1991 year models purchased in 1992.Our school is notorious for purchasing leftovers. It saves the school money, so I guess that's OK. It really doesn't matter in the end.