See ADVERT HERE for HT740 (http://tinyurl.com/qz46of9)
I know most of you will roll around the floor laughing at the price, but choice is a bit more restricted here. What I would like to get is some idea whether this unit would be more or less a drop in replacement for the Spicer and whether the 8V71 can do a reasonable job of pushing it along. We are speed limited to 62mph here so there is no intention of trying to push it along at 75mph.
That price is nothing to laugh at! The 8v71 does fine with an Allison 740 transmission, but I do not think you could call it a drop in replacement. It is completely doable though. You might need a different bell housing, modification of the mounts, and modification of the drive shaft. You will need some sort of cooling system for the transmission and,of course, a shift tower, shifter and cable.
My conversion was from the Spicer to an MT 647 because the 740 was to long for my 35 foot MC5a. Using a 740, I think, may require less adaptive parts than I needed.
I think that's a low price considering you're getting the shifter and cooler with fans with it. Go for it-your bus will accelerate much faster and since both the 4spd manual and HT740 are 1:1 high gear, your top speed will be the same. Good Luck, TomC