I'm going to look at a Prevost bus tomorrow. It is currently owned by a Church :o.. I know what they say about Church buses... So far I have only had email contact with one of the Church members and they knows very little about the bus other than it is suppose to be in good condition. I'm planning on meeting someone there tomorrow that knows the bus well and has all the info on it. All I know now is that is a 1983 Prevost with approximately 450K total miles. I have not seen the bus in person yet since it is about an hour away. I don't know the engine size nor engine miles yet but should find that out tomorrow when I go to look at it. I have a few questions for the people that know Prevost buses. What body model is this 1983 Prevost bus? What do I need to look for such as areas that usually have problems...rust, etc? Does anyone know the approximate inside height? And...is this model a good choice for a conversion platform without doing a roof raise? I already own one bus and sorta know what to look for such as smoke, strange noises, large puddles of oil, tire date stamps, etc, but have no clue as to what to look for in a Prevost. Any help from the Prevost people would be great..
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I have a 89..it is condisered a 102wide..has a full 98 inches of floor space inside wall to wall... Prevost have a frame more so that mci..should not be a problem there..ck jacking points on rear frame rails that engine cradle sits on if they are pushed up that is a problem and indicates rust...is nornal for outside bottom of engine bay passanger side door where air compressor is located to have rust damage..easy repair...ck for shoddy wires or burnt wires in the front left hand side under drivers window ouside control junction box also above engine inside is another box.. .fyi windshiwld are cheap less than 200$ delivered to you from prevost...on the other hand the little upper ones are 450$ why ????soft floor above rear wheel area inside bus not a deal breaker easy repair maybe 100$ plywood and some sheet metal .good bargining chip though::other is reg bus stuff...any other questions..pm me and I'll try to answer.Bob
I have a 85 Prevost XL and I believe the first year for the XL model was 1984.Prior models were 96" wide.I have a 8" roof raise on mine,but I believe mine 7around 75" prior to the roof raise.I bought mine from a small tour company and had virtually no rust. I have an 8v92 and came with a 6 speed stick,but now has a 748 Allison.
Don
I like Bob's estimates for repair...... ;D. The LeMirage is probably the most expensive bus frame to convert! Hands down! I know this will probably stir up the "BCCS", depending on your skills and the length to how far you want to take the conversion. Depending on the location of most of its commercial life should tell what to look for.........east coast rust............southwest dry locations best area to find a conversion. I'd look at a MCI, they seem to be the most cost efficient conversions........and yes you can over spend!
Back to the Prevost, 83 was the first year of the 102 wide. Look along the rear walls for major problems, then check over the baggage compartments for rust, also the chassis structure along the floors in the baggage compartments! Tires don't really matter either they are out dated, worn out or recaps, odds are if they aren't new it's replacement time! Look down the sides for bubbles or damage (bubbles could be rust growing under the stainless) drive it if you get the chance or insist that you do.......preferrable in a large parking lot at first then a short highway run........this should give you an idea of exactly what you are up against!
Good luck, don't worry about hurting their feelings when it comes to either saying no, or making another offer!
If you need to check out what I'm saying look at the link at the bottom of this page!
I have a 1990 Prevost LeMirage XL.
I'm sure everyone is going to have their different opinions on this, and that's fine, but here's mine:
First of all: point #1: trouble spots. Look back at my post:http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=15133.0 from when I bought the bus. Squishy floors! I am not sure when they started putting that thin piece of steel under the wooden floors, but chances are you may want to replace the floors anyways. You may also have to replace some rusted frame pieces as well. Not a huge deal.
See, now, the topic of "converting" ... because everyone does their conversions in a similar way, you get certain types of expectations for different models when it comes to difficulty and cost. I haven't been in the "scene" long enough to have these expectations turn into solid beliefs yet, so I will tell you that it just takes creativity, thoughtful planning, innovation, and organized hard work. And of course, passion, enthusiasm, and desire. Whatever you truly want, you can make happen. It pays to DIY.
So, that's point #2.
Point #3: any replacement parts for my coach have been reasonably priced, and easy to find and order thanks to suggestions from fellow Prevost owners on this site.
#4: Roof raise isn't necessary. I removed the storage units that hung from the ceiling, and have more than enough headroom. (I'm also a 5'4" little girl, so you can take that however you choose)
-DRT :)
Quote from: robertglines1 on July 23, 2010, 04:46:42 AMfyi windshiwld are cheap less than 200$ delivered to you from prevost...on the other hand the little upper ones are 450$ why ????
The little windows are a custom item and don't often need to be replaced. The big lower windows are probably standard to a number of coaches and are more subject to damage, so they make a lot of them and the price comes down.
Heading out now to go see the bus... I'll let you know what I find out when I get back.. Thanks for all the tips and info.. Keep them coming!!!!
OH yeah we can always find you an Eagle, MCI or Mercedes emblem to put on the front of it too! ;)
;D BK ;D
Won't go there Bk! I like the prevost frame better for slides..that said most of our buses share similar engines Detroit ,similar trans Allison and similar axle's...just ask does this bus excite me? if not keep looking....I would think you are looking at a 6 to 10 thousand dollar bus hopefully less...good luck Bob
Quote from: robertglines1
Won't go there Bk! I like the prevost frame better for slides..that said most of our buses share similar engines Detroit ,similar trans Allison and similar axle's...just ask does this bus excite me? if not keep looking....I would think you are looking at a 6 to 10 thousand dollar bus hopefully less...good luck Bob
Now Bob, surely you don't think that I meant anything bad or deceptive by that do you? ;)
By the way you gonna be home this weekend? I maybe in town, if so maybe we can hook up. ;D
;D BK ;D
Ok... just got back from looking at the Prevost. It actually looked better than I thought it would. The body is very straight and the motor looks halfway clean. I would guess by the looks of the engine that it doesn't have an excess of miles. I know you can't go by looks alone. It does have some rust on the 2x2 rails over the rear tires but has not rusted through yet. I also noticed one bad steering tire that has sidewall cracks in it. Other than that I didn't notice anything else that stood out. One drawback is that it is a manual transmission. It has a low gear and 1 through 5. Does that mean it is a 6 speed??? Bad thing is I didn't get to see it run because the two 8D batteries are too weak to start it and I don't think the Church wants to spend money to install new batteries. Dealing with a Church, its hard to get a lot of info because no one person seems to know it all. I am planning on going back with my 2 Group 31 batteries and seeing if I can get it started.
Here is the info I got from the person I met with. He is on the committee to sell the bus but has never actually driven the bus but has ridden on it several times. He says that the bus runs good and he knows of no other problems except the freon needs to be recharged and that the Amp Guage doesn't work. I will put my amp meter on the batteries after I start it to make sure it is the Amp guage not working and not the Amp itself. He stated the Church has owned the bus for approx 4 years and before they bought it, it was owned by a tour company called "Nancy and Dwights Holiday Tours". He said the Church is selling it due to not using it much. I don't think the bus has been on a trip in 2 years by looking at the licence plate. Here are a couple more photos. Does this look like a 8V71??? Also what kind of mileage would an 8v71 with a 6 speed manual transmission get?
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That is a 8v71, those were dogs in the heavy Prevost 270 hp 4 to 5 mpg if your lucky
It looks like my 8v71. I have the 6 speed spicer and yes there is a low gear. With my genny running I get about 7.5mpg. I feel it has plenty of power but it is the only bus I have ever driven.
With it setting for so long did you look for big cracks in the airbags?
Since it is a church selling it, you know that it has had no maintenance done on it since the day they got it. If you are serious about this, you would be best off by getting a good bus mechanic to go over it thoroughly. It could cost many times there asking price to just get it into good mechanical order.
My prevost with 2 slides granite floor and counter tops and everything full to go is 36,100 lbs...I don't think it is any heavier than any other 40 ft conversion...I would imagine the mid 6mpg range is fairly close...looks good..Definitely hear it run...did you notice the aux air conditioner compressor on the engine...If you do away with big bus air;it would be easy to make a drivers air out of it for the road..probably a 2 ton unit
Outside looks pretty good! I would say its the Church's responsibility to fire this bus up to make sure it runs and to check it out, manual shift is a bummer! Two new battery's would only run about 250 bucks! They are trying to sell it.........why spend your time making it run.......? I'd have to agree with Bob, 6 to maybe 9K at the most if it runs and shifts and the clutch is good! Cracks in the air bags are normal for this age of bus........you would be surprised how thick these bags are! Best thing to do would be run for the door.........no just kidding! Crank this baby up, let it air up and test drive it before making an offer. Good luck!
Quote from: muddog16 on July 23, 2010, 02:32:21 PM
Outside looks pretty good! I would say its the Church's responsibility to fire this bus up to make sure it runs and to check it out, manual shift is a bummer! Two new battery's would only run about 250 bucks! They are trying to sell it.........why spend your time making it run.......? I'd have to agree with Bob, 6 to maybe 9K at the most if it runs and shifts and the clutch is good! Cracks in the air bags are normal for this age of bus........you would be surprised how thick these bags are! Best thing to do would be run for the door.........no just kidding! Crank this baby up, let it air up and test drive it before making an offer. Good luck!
Well my intentions are to make a low offer like it sits with the understanding that I will ONLY buy it after I crank the bus, let it air up, and then drive it. I feel like I might have more bargaining power with it having dead batteries than I would after they sent someone from the Church out to purchase batteries and install them. The batteries are not a big deal to me since I have 2 good batteries in my RTS that I could use. Maybe I could save $1000 by going this route. Even if the bus ran lousy or won't start, I'm only out a couple hours of my time and $10 in gas. If they won't accept my lower offer under the conditions that I can walk away if not satisfied after I do crank it, then I'll drop it where it is and forget about it.
??????
That doesn't look anything at all like the 8v71 in my 82 MC9
Yep that is a 8V71 non turbo charged engine...........270 to 300 hp
Good eye Bob, I missed that aux A/C compressor the first time. Had to go back and look again.
;D BK ;D
Is the Aux Air in anyway connected with the stock OTR coach air?.. They did mention that the OTR A/C was not cooling due to needing recharging. I was wondering if the OTR A/C was not cooling did that mean the Aux A/C wouldn't cool either.
Whenever someone sells a vehicle in which the AC does not work they say it needs a recharge. It is seldom the case that that is the only problem. Assume the the OTR AC does not work and is likely not worth fixing. That alone is not a huge deal. Most conversions just use their house air while traveling.
The OTR air won't work very good until you put a drive belt to the compressor. I had to replace all of the metal above the drives. I have the 6 speed and I like it, but an Allison would be nice if I could get the wife behind the wheel. Good looking straight bus. Good Busin' Wilbur
If the AC "just needs recharging", at the least it has a leak. Could be anything from a loose fitting to a bad compressor, condensor, or evaporator. When we purchased our bus, we were told "AC needs recharging". Since I had already planned to remove the OEM AC, it made no difference. Jack
you really should be ashamed of yourself ,trying to get a better deal from a church, you could burn in hell for that. remember god is watching.
The OTR air did not work on my bus when purchased. I was able to determine before I bought the bus that all of the R134A was gone because a plug had blown out. I decided not to fix the OTR air and I removed it all. It was a good thing because I determined that the the condenser fans were almost all siezed up. If it had been refilled the same thing would have happened again.
Quote from: belfert on July 24, 2010, 05:58:17 AM
The OTR air did not work on my bus when purchased. I was able to determine before I bought the bus that all of the R134A was gone because a plug had blown out. I decided not to fix the OTR air and I removed it all. It was a good thing because I determined that the the condenser fans were almost all siezed up. If it had been refilled the same thing would have happened again.
Brian those fans are easy to replace! I still think you screwed up removing yours, Dina's are known for having an awesome A/C system! (why ya think so many companies that run into Mexico love them? Well the ground clearance also!)
FWIW ;D BK ;D
the aux air is a seperate system...if you moved it to the front(evaporator) it is 2 ton of ac THATS 24,000 BTU...GOOD FOR GOING DOWN ROAD sorry about caps keep hitting wrong key...the run to the front would require a additional 6oz of oil...to lube lines....Detroit keeps good records by s eral # of work they do. They can give you a print out of how the engine was originaly configured..for some reason I think the prevost spec was 318 hp..
Well...it makes no difference now.. The Bus has been SOLD!!!!! Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions... Maybe I can locate one that has already had a partial conversion that I can just finish.. Thanks Again.
The way things are now, there are a lot of great deals on converted coaches.
The 1983 Prevost was puchased at the end of July 2010 for $4,500.00.
I started the conversion in August with me and a naibor.
I took it on the maiden voyage in January 2011.
The bus now features two 15/5 roof top heat and a/c units, self tracking satilite system, Onan 15kva three phase diesel generator, 100 amp main panel, PLC control with touch screen, fold away flat screen tv with soround sound, 25 gal hot water heater, 75 gallon fresh water tank, king size bed, two bunk beds (for the kiddies), four swivel reclining captians chairs, small kitchenett, full size shower, all new rims and tires.
Haha! Welcome foxmachine! I always wonder how many people find their way here after buying a bus that has been hashed around by the guys here ;D Good to have you!
I could not beleve it when I saw the posting with pictures of my bus taken day's befor I bought it from the previous owner , I had to join up.
Quote from: foxmachine on March 16, 2011, 10:07:36 AM
I could not beleve it when I saw the posting with pictures of my bus taken day's befor I bought it from the previous owner , I had to join up.
Welcome aboard, Fox. Glad you found us. Thanks for the story. Do you have pics?
God bless,
John
Welcome! What part of the country you from? Bob
Congratz on the purchase.. Sure would love to see what it looks like now.. Have any new pictures since you converted it?? I ended up buying a turbo charged MCI with an automatic after I looked at that bus.. Here is what it looked like the day I drove it home.. I've since started skinning the sides and installed RV windows..
Jimmy
When purchased
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Quote from: robertglines1 on March 16, 2011, 11:28:06 AM
Welcome! What part of the country you from? Bob
South carolina close to Charlotte nc
Quote from: foxmachine on March 16, 2011, 01:24:34 PM
Quote from: robertglines1 on March 16, 2011, 11:28:06 AM
Welcome! What part of the country you from? Bob
South Carolina close to Charlotte NC
Nice bus, it's allot of work fixen up one of these almost had two strokes and a heart attack not to mention the bankruptcy but for some sick reason I think I would do it again.
Bus rally at Palmeto cove (Cleavland NC) end of April. Will be several board members there.
Quote from: John316 on March 16, 2011, 11:24:01 AM
Quote from: foxmachine on March 16, 2011, 10:07:36 AM
I could not beleve it when I saw the posting with pictures of my bus taken day's befor I bought it from the previous owner , I had to join up.
Welcome aboard, Fox. Glad you found us. Thanks for the story. Do you have pics?
God bless,
John
Yes I have pics but they are to large to post and can't figure out how to shrink them.
Quote from: robertglines1 on March 16, 2011, 01:32:31 PM
Bus rally at Palmeto cove (Cleavland NC) end of April. Will be several board members there.
I will try and be there about one hour from me.