1946 Spartan coach in Spokane

[shelled]

Does anybody here know anything about the 1946 Spartan motorcoach conversion currently being sold on eBay ?  It's located in Spokane, WA.

edward

[Mex-Busnut]

I am thinking Spartan did not make the bus, but rather did the conversion. Am I correct?

Here is the link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1946-SPARTAN-MOTOR-COACH-BUS-Original-RECREATION-VEHICLE-Wonderful-FEATURES-WOW-/141344675245?forcerrptr=true&hash=item20e8cc95ad&item=141344675245&pt=Buses

[Mex-Busnut]

Now imagine it fully restored and painted like this Flxible.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr38/4237256165/in/photostream/

[shelled]

I am thinking Spartan did not make the bus, but rather did the conversion. Am I correct?

you are confusing today's Spartan which makes chassis with the short-lived Spartan Coach & Manufacturing Co. which built small intercity coaches from 1946-1948 when it went bankrupt.

A similar 1948 model belonging to the Moyes made it's modern debut at the Frog City Follies in 2011 and was seen at GLAMARAMA 2013 as pictured in the January issue of BCM (p. 9 ff.) and was announced to be at Blytheville in 2013 also.

edward

[luvrbus]

There is several of the Spartans around you see from time to time they do blend in well with the Flx's but the cooling setup is different is the way I tell

[Emcemv]

There was a beautiful one of these at the Blytheville rally last year. Small block Chevy V 8 I believe.  Heard stories that these are very light in the front, making them a handful on the highway. I think they originally had a straight 8 in them.

[bigred]

Saw a picture of the '46 ! Look's like Spartan used parts from other bus manufacturers to make their buses.Front end looks like Period correct Flex and the back looks like an older model Aero Coach.If these had in line eight cylinder engines i.e Buick,they probably used the Flex running gear also.Would make an interesting motor home if you wanted to go small.These things were I believe only like 32ft ,then when you deducted another 3 or 4 ft for the baggage compartment-----Well you can see where I'm going with this.Don't really know what kind of engine a person could put in this that would stand up to the heat.That has always been a problem with rear mounted gas engines.Towards the end ,Flex started using V-6 G M C engines but from what I understand,they didn't tend to last very long .

[luvrbus]

The 401 and 432 were not bad GM gasoline engines the 301 and 351 V6 with the 1 barrel carb were not much. My dad had a GM I believe in was a 64 tandem oil field truck with the 478 V6 it was horse but like the feed it was 1-1/2- 2 miles the gal loaded or empty made no difference to it he finally converted it over to diesel using the same block it became a Toro Flow then

[HB of CJ]

Yosemite Park And Curry Company had a small fleet of Flexies back in 1970.  About 6 or 7 total.  We got to drive them all.  The later models had synkro 5 speed trannies, power steering and some sort of big gas V6.  The earlier ones had extra windows above the normal window line and a crash box 5 speed also with some sort of V6 gas engine.

One actually had a functioning A/C system running through a gas pony engine.  Worked very well, if memory serves. The Flexies did not handle all that well and were absolutely powerless the higher up you got.  I think management tried ONCE to run one up to Tioga Pass at near 10,000 feet.  Barely made it.  The brakes were lousy also FWIW.

But, all the hippies loved them.  I sometimes had the graveyard, free Shuttle Bus route from Yosemite Village to Yosemite Lodge.  Back and forth.  A bunch of stoned hippies would ride that free shuttle bus all night long.  The driver was known, (who?) to sometimes shut off the main switch, then turn it back on.  Amazing loud backfire! 

They also got the worlds cheapest paint job done some where in Fresno, Ca.  Kinda a orange midsection with a cheap yuckie yellow elsewhere.  Or was it the other way around?  Too long ago.  They were NOT Crown Supercoach Buses, fur sures.  But they did run sorta and they did provide a free shuttle service--kinda.  HB of CJ (old coot)  

[shelled]

Saw a picture of the '46 ! Look's like Spartan used parts from other bus manufacturers to make their buses.Front end looks like Period correct Flex and the back looks like an older model Aero Coach.If these had in line eight cylinder engines i.e Buick,they probably used the Flex running gear also. 

No known relationship to Flxible.  Engine said to be 1400 lb. IH of some sort and when weight of seats was removed one sat down on its rear end and waved its paws in the air.  :-)

BTW, the action reserve was met and now the bidders are in the home stretch.

edward

[luvrbus]

I think they all had a IH 450 red diamond inline 6 cylinder engines the one I saw did anyway

[eagle19952]

here's a morphodite for ya !!

[HB of CJ]

Mary and I saw something very close to that morphodite coach at Smoky Mountain National Park in the early fall of 1981.  The owner said he was a retired engineer from Cadillac.  Claims it was made using mostly factory fancy parts with a lot of motors and stuff.  Looked very cool.  FWIW.  HB 

[TomC]

It'd be fun to have a shorty bus conversion for those quicky weekend get aways where you don't need the big bus-or where it isn't allowed-like in many state and national parks. Good Luck, TomC

[eagle19952]

HB of CJ,  THE GOLD MORPH IS BUILT on a Toranado ( Oldsmobile) chassis, I thought it was kind of neat myself....