| Author |
Message |
bobm (205.188.196.34)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2001 - 6:42 pm: | |
I own a 4104 and just had to buy this crown i saw it looks like a model 5 eagle it is a 1980 model 2R 568 12 vin 38990 it approx 40 ft with tag axle 8v71 with allison supposedly it was bought new by an aero space company in the north west to haul employees. then it worked the grand canyon hauling tourists still has seating for 48. anyone have experience converting one of these |
RJ Long (24.127.8.58)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 14, 2001 - 12:26 am: | |
Bob -
Any possibility you can email me some pics? It would help with the ID of the coach. Just click on my name above. . .
You say it's 40' with a tag axle. Does it have 10 tires on the ground? If so, that's not a tag axle - that's a "twin-screw" truck axle set back there! And that silver lever on the dash makes it a limited slip unit to get you out of the mucky stuff! (You won't find THAT on a Prevost!!)
Am I right that it's an 8V71/HT740 pusher?? That's virtually an unbreakable powertrain, albeit a little sluggish at 7,000 ft. . .
A nice thing about Crowns? They use off-the-shelf HD Truck running gear componentry. And that includes (usually) the bigger 16" brakes, vs the more common 14" brakes found on other buses. It's amazing how much braking force is generated in a 10-wheel Crown - even from 70 mph!
Crown, in additon to building one of the finest school buses in the industry, also built "spec" coaches, either one or a hundred, for anyone who was interested and willing to pay for it. Activity coaches for colleges, prisoner transports for police organizations (Los Angeles County used a bunch of them, as did the US Border Patrol), sightseeing coaches with glass in the curved roof, you name it, Crown built it. Mid-engined or pushers. They never really pursued the charter coach or intercity market, as it was frequently all they could to to keep up with the school and specialty bus orders. At one point, they were even building fire trucks!
Unfortunately, the founding family sold Crown, and between it's two subsequent owners, they took a thriving business and drove it into the ground. Such a shame. . . 8^(
HTH,
RJ
PD4106-2784
Fresno CA |
Steve 80 Crown Atomic (152.163.194.178)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 14, 2001 - 5:54 am: | |
It's an Atomic. Also known as a customized Crown Custom Coach. Just a few serial numbers away from mine, which also spent some time at the Grand Canyon. I've located 13 other Atomics, but they are still hauling passengers, and will probably do so for another decade.
You've got a very unique bus, and it would definitely help to understand how it was built before doing any major surgery to it. It is massively overbuilt, and is mostly 90,000 psi high tensile strength steel. Lots of places to shave weight though. You'll be amazed at the roll cage built into the roof. When it was built, Crown used only the latest, state-of-the-art systems, including anti-lock brakes. The 12 airbags give a very smooth ride, and full power steering is a joy.
If yours came from the NV gold mine, it probably has a lot of Prevost and MCI mods to it. I've been collecting data on these buses for a few years, but don't have a lot to share. West Coach in Chino, CA, the Crown experts, doesn't know anything about these models.
Converting it shouldn't be any more difficult than other buses, but Crown forged their own path in building buses, so research helps. Crown maintained very high standards, some seem a little ridiculous today, and trying to match the factory fit/finish can get exasperating. By the time they built your bus, they had 60 years experience, and even offered 30 year warranties, so pay close attention to all the little tricks they used in building it.
RJ's data is right on target. Cinch that seatbelt tight, cause if you hit the brakes hard, that bus is gonna stop! I almost launched myself through the windshield at 15 mph.
If it saw the same use as mine, it has virtually no rust on it and extremely low mileage. Mine has 99k miles, is 99% original, and no evidence of meatball mechanics at play. You'll find far fewer conversion obstacles than other buses, but a few things, like raising the roof, are going to be a challenge, and the tamper-proof screws are no fun.
Does it have the rainbow interior?
Email me and we can share info.
Steve |
R.C.Bishop (128.123.88.22)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 14, 2001 - 10:28 pm: | |
I've attempted twice to thank you RJ and Steve for the information on the Crowns. (Norton Antivirus, and who knows what else). I won't go further than to say It is a GREAT coach. I'm well pleased with my 1964 Crown Highway Coach. Like you say RJ. "built like a tank"...Little rust,(window and door seals) 1.5" marine plywood floor, .065 Aluminum top to wheels, .083 steel channel and tube. Amazing!
Thanx again!
RCB |
Steve 80 Crown Atomic (152.163.195.186)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2001 - 2:23 am: | |
Hi R.C.
I'll bet AOL was the problem. I suspect their anti-virus efforts simply delete some emails sent my way. You're not the first person to send me email that never arrived. I wonder how many other folks simply thought I was just ignoring them.
After two years of searching, it is nice to finally find someone else who is converting an identical coach. BTW, the Crown community refers to it as an Atomic because it was built for the Atomic Energy Commission, and this helps differentiate it from the other customized Crowns.
Steve |
R.C.Bishop (128.123.88.44)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 15, 2001 - 7:29 pm: | |
Steve, attempted again to direct send you an email over the board....won't work. send me a separate note at my emaill address, off the board and we'll correspond. I'll send you some pics.
RCBishop
aaaprintingbrokers@juno.com |
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