crown coach

[ol713]

   Hi all;
       passing by our local scrap yard fri and noticed 4 crown coached waiting
       to be scrapped out.  Sat I stopped by to check out their tires.  Most
       were too old. 
       My question is;
                              #1 -- -  Where are the spares tires kept?
                              #2 - - -  Where are the batteries located?
       I have heard that when a bus is scrapped out that spare tires and
       new batteries are left is place.
       Would like to stop by again for a look, but I need to know where to look.

                                                         Thanks,    Merle.

[Utahclaimjumper]

Are you a thief in the night??>>>D

[HB of CJ]

Sad.  The spares were normally carried right behind the front bumper.  Some were relocated to either the right front storage compartment just behind the right front tire or sometimes to the rear trunk inside the rear doors.  Usually just behind the front bumper.

The two 12 volt starting batteries were normally located just to the rear of the engine on the drivers side.  Sometimes located on the passengers side just aft of the engine.  Depended upon where the fuel tank(s) were located.  Clear as mud.  Optional places were specified.

Crowns forever.  Hope this helps.  HB of CJ (old coot) (37317)

[luvrbus]

Don just scraped out a Crown what shame there was 2 from the Needles School district that went to scrap yard,my understanding is they cannot be sold only for scrap 

[HB of CJ]

Or...it might be possible, (I dunno fur sures) that a out of state buyer could buy the condemned Crown Supercoach(s) and promise to remove the aforementioned coach out of state?  There would also be no sales tax?  The question is are the Crowns still in running condition?  Mine had less than 1000 miles on a brand new CHP school bus inspection certificate.  

Others may be in very rough shape fit only for....the crusher.  Oh well.  HB of CJ (old coot)    But...they would have to be about a 1984 to 1988 2 axle 35-36 footers with flat windshields and Cummins NTC engines with a manual tranny for me to be still interested.  Too long ago and far away.  I think the 2 stroke Detroit versions would have to be scrapped regardless?

[Iceni John]

The CARB air-Nazis are forcing all the remaining Crowns out of service in CA.   If a school district gets a grant to buy a new disposabus to replace an old Crown, the Crown has to be destroyed regardless of its condition, even if an out-of-state buyer wants to buy it.   The only Crowns being legally sold now in CA are from private fleets or individuals.   There's no political will to re-engine them with compliant diesels or CNG engines, otherwise suitable engines would have been made available  -  there's more money to be made by scrapping perfectly serviceable buses that have an essentially indefinite life, and replacing them with POS buses designed to last only ten years or so.   A thirty-years-old Crown is still a safer and better-built bus than anything being made now to transport school children.   Sad, sad, sad.

John

[boogiethecat]

Yeah it kinda sucks for the Crowns.  I hate seeing any of them going away.  When I first converted my bus, the carb rules had just been put in place, and I actually followed a perfectly running Crown for about 20 miles on the freeway, right to the scrapyard where two hours later I was removing parts from it for my crown!  The yard was really a sad site- here's a photo! Horrible.
That said, I just scrapped another one two days ago, but only because it had already been stripped of most of it's engine parts and stuff- by the time I bought it, it was already too far gone to ever run the roads again- but lots of it will live on.  I'm SUPER happy tho, 'cause I got an awesome power steering box and a new aluminum roof for my Crown (it was special ordered to be steel and was pretty rusted out) and a lot of other unobtainium parts that were sorely needed.

[luvrbus]

It not only schools buses it is sad to see late models 45 ft MCI and other buses used for commuter in City Transit systems sold off as scrap I saw some nice Blue Birds commuter buses being crushed and the public was not allowed to bid on,it's happening in Vegas,Houston,Dallas and Denver was the last place I heard was crushing all the older transit and commuter buses   

[HB of CJ]

Sometimes the rules or laws make no sense at all.  But....it is only tax dollars, so it does not really count.  Good to hear from you Gary.  Crowns Forever.  Long ago and far away.  HB of CJ (old coot) (VIN 37317)

[TomC]

Even though Crown bus still come up to roll over rules, the new seats with seat belts and convertible child seats would be too expensive to convert. Granted I'd like to see an engine that would be able to be layed over under the floor-maybe a Cummins 6.7 liter? But no one has gone through the engineering exercise.

I've seen smaller school districts and small charter companies still using the Crown. When you consider Crown went out of business around 1992, that's rather amazing these buses are still used in commercial service.

If you don't mind the few short comings of Crown mid engine (Crown made a few rear engine), then you could have a bus conversion that would last longer then you. Good Luck, TomC

[Jon]

I have never understood the fascination with trying to hang on to things that have outlived their usefulness. Preservationists want to force people to restore old houses and I get a sense many on here think it is a sin to let any bus go to the recycler.

We really take care of our stuff and it is not unusual for our vehicles to be 25 years or older. But at some point the technology and standards, especially as relates to safety make restored or well maintained vehicles great for parades and not much else. I have a 50 Ford that I thought I would tow until I realized when restoring it what a piece of crap it is compared to today's vehicles. So now it is getting a brand new undercarriage with PS, PDB, AC, etc. To anyone it will be a 50 Ford. But in reality it will be a brand new car but with a 50 Ford body.

To do that to a bus is out of the question.

[luvrbus]

 Jon I am not into old bus restoring BTDT never again but some love to do it,Boomer is into it because he likes old buses,then the guy selling his Prevost to move into a old Flex that is what they like to do  

The buses I saw being crushed were late model some would have loved the MCI's I read some place were 13 years old was the limit would you crush a 13 year old Prevost Liberty ? I damn sure wouldn't

My self I would have loved to have one of the 45 ft Blue Bird commuter buses those are good looking buses and were not old crushed it was a shame

[Lin]

I guess this is a philosophical discussion now.  I personally, am not into restoration of old vehicles for its own sake.  One of my daughters has an ancient Valiant that she keeps up.  I told her that I thought it was junk when it was new, and now as backward, unsafe, and uncomfortable as it is, there is no reason to keep it going. 

Restoration of a house or building is something else entirely.  Some structures should be preserved for their architecture.  Others for their historical significance.  It might be efficient in the long run, for example, to tear down the White House and Capital for more modern steel and glass structures, but I do not think many would find that acceptable.

With regard to buses and Crowns in particular here.  I don't think the issue is that anyone is saying school districts should be forced to keep them, or these vehicles should be somehow enshrined.  It is more about being saddened by the fact that they are crushing by law vehicles that have not outlived their usefulness and are not inherently unsafe. 

[Jon]

Please don't misinterpret what I am saying. I think it is a sin to tear down an old house that has useful life left and which has woodwork and trim no longer possible because of the skills required to do it. I think it is a crime to scrap a Scenicruiser because they represent an era we will never see again.

But there is an apparent movement towards saving stuff just because it is old. I see posts to that effect on various forums.

Really?? I'm past the two stroke era. I loved mine, I loved the sound. But the Series 60 blew it out of the water. I want ABS brakes so I have every advantage possible to protect myself from the morons that are out to get me. I want good roll over protection. I want high quality lighting and I don't want the adventure that comes with a coach pieced together from salvaged parts.

I never hear anyone wishing for the good old days of rotary dials and bag phones. Everyone wants flat screen TVs. Nobody wants to go back to the days of cars that needed a choke or had plugs that needed replacement every 10,000 miles.

I believe there is a place for rebuilding and restoring and that is for parades and museums. Maybe occasionally get wild and crazy and go for a rally. But while it is sad buses and cars and houses go to the scrap pile I would rather see that happen than to see them with trees growing through them.

[TomC]

There has been a light blue Flx round back bus (I think about a 1952 since it has large slant windows, instead of many rectangular small ones) that has been totally reskined, painted. The best part, the owner pulled the bus off the old Flx chassis and mounted it on a new Freightliner chassis with Cummins ISL, Allison 3000MH, front independent air suspension with air discs, rear air suspension with air drum brakes, multiplexed wiring, all brought up to date. It is quite simply a bitchen looking bus. Good Luck, TomC