Gillig's Model Number Code came from the cubic inch displacement or the horsepower rating of the engines installed in their buses.

Examples are shown below.

318=Detroit 6V-53
501=IHC I-6 gas
534=V-8 Ford gas
160/170/180/190=Cummins I-6
855=Cummins I-6(horizontally mounted amidships)
743=Cummins I-6(horizontally mounted amidships)
636=V-8 Caterpillar
555=V-8 Diesel(Cummins - or Caterpillar)
426=671 inline Detroit Diesel.
590=Hall-Scott I-6 horizontally mounted amidships.

IHC=International Harvester Corp.

The "D" in the Model Series means that the bus was a Type "D" bus, and the "T" after the "D" in some models meant that the bus was a Tandem-Axle.

Almost every 555D Series Cummins Diesel was repowered by a Caterpillar 3208 V-8.

If you want to learn more about the meaning of the lingo used on the power/drivetrains in a Gillig, click here� Its an e-mail I received that I thought deserved to be put on the site.

California spec'd their last 743 D Series Gillig with the Cummins NHH220 in 1972 due to new emissions regulations.

Washington State required ALL Gilligs and Crowns made after 1975 to have the 8-way flasher system. Under the grandfather clause, all Gilligs made prior to 1975 were allowed to keep the 4-way flasher system. However, it wasn't until 1977 before they were seen on ALL new buses in Washington State.

Gilligs, as well as Crowns, were used in the opening to "Dangerous Minds" starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Gilligs were also used in the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus"

A Gillig was used in the Lenny Kravitz music video "American Woman". Look for Heather Graham up on top of a white bus. The bus is a early 50s Gillig Conventional.

Gilligs tended to be the heaviest school buses built. They used steel in almost every part of their bodies while other manufacturers tended to use a mixture of steel and aluminum. Crown Coach Corporation in Los Angeles used aluminum for 95 per cent of the exterior body panelling of their coaches. (Crown ceased production in early 1991, when General Electric phased out school bus production)

Here's a little known fact.��Did you know that Ford and Gillig had something in common?��Their emblems were blue ovals,��except that Gillig's had a v-shaped notch at the bottom.

Another little known fact.��The Embree family invented the side mount radiator system used on the mid-engined Gilligs and Crowns.��Californians will recogize this name as the name of a Transportation company today.