Hello, an introduction

[Lowblock]

Hello all,

My name is Dave and I have been bitten buy the bug. Although I am not new to the whole "motor coach" thing, I am to the whole bus conversion part. I am hoping to be able to learn from all of you as much as I possibly can. I have been a member for a few months however this will be my first post as I will be picking up my first shell in the next coming weeks. More about that later.

A little bit about me; I have been a master certified RV tech for over 25 years. I have had extensive factory training from company's such as Country Coach, Monaco, Newmar, Fleetwood, and Marathon. I have mostly worked on the "house" side of things with light mechanical work such as replacing turbos, radiators, Jakes, as well as electronics. I have extensive working knowledge of 12/120v systems including Inverter, Solar and APU's. My father was one of the founding owners or Safari Motor coaches as well as involved in production for Monaco, Beaver, Collins and Marathon. I guess its in my blood, I have always enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work and improving on the design and function if possible. I am hoping to be able to add value to this team of members who have seen and done it all.

I have always had an affinity for the Prevost shells, in my industry that is typically the platform the converters have used so I am most familiar with them. I have found reasonably locally a 1987 XL that was used as a church bus and then sold to a man who began the conversion. He pulled all the seats and stripped the interior and at that point had some unforeseen family events in which he had to sell the unit. He sold it to an older lady who wanted to complete the build but then decided at 75 years old that it probably wasn't a good idea, I have a feeling it was a impulse buy. I am acquiring it from the lady and the price is reasonable. I am not concerned about completing it nor the costs involved. I have quite a parts stash to choose from, however it is not bus specific. After my father retired from SMC we started building our own line of towable toyhaulers and still have all the tools nessicary to perform a build out. I am not needing to complete this in a short amount of time, just want it done correctly. I have already started assembling and building the systems to control lighting, heating, etc using SBC's and touch screens and have a slight idea on how I want to lay out the coach but I do have a few questions that I am hoping you all can answer. I will just list them off.

Are the shells all the same weather it was meant for a converter or for OTR use?
Is there a website to buy misc parts for the bus or does it all go through Prevost? Used parts?
Is/Are there user/operator manuals, schematics available for the coaches, ie electrical, air system, etc?

I am sure that there are more questions and what I am looking for is any advise that you all can give me and hope that I will be able to return the favor at some point. I look forward to years of enjoyment.

Thanks,
Dave

[chessie4905]

Welcome aboard! Forget the coach and go into business helping/fixing ours . With your extensive interest, we'll be picking your brain more than you us.

[Dave5Cs]

Welcome, the the land of Bus Conversions.....
shells can  or could have been ordered with special things in them or could be a stripped shell meaning the outside is the same unless it had a raised roof or was stretched in length etc. More coaches and small kitchen for an entertainer. Maybe a bigger engine or different transmission.
Maybe a generator and inverter or tanks. You could order a lot of different things in them as a shell.

A regular in-service bus would of course have seats and maybe overhead racking possibly tables.

Parts are where you can find them. I have an MCI but have never bought a thing from them. Have found them from Luke in NJ US coach, NAPA, Mohawk Industries etc.

You on the other hand and an actual Prevost owner can tell you where to look on the web at "PrevostCar" might have your parts, but remand or new and will have manuals etc there as well. HTH
Dave5Cs

[Lowblock]

Thanks guys,

One of the things that I noticed about this shell is that it was 2 levels. There's two steps up to the drivers seat and then 2 more steps into the cabin. I don't ever recall a conversion shell being like that. I do know that the front/rear caps are different. I've always liked the busses that kept the factory windows and not added the "rv style" windows. I know that people do it so they can open but I'm pretty sure I've seen the prevost style have opening type as well? In addition, what does everybody use to cover the holes where the windows were and typically what is the process? I have an idea but I want it done correctly. This bus has a Detroit diver 8v92 that was rebuilt 2 years ago, and a 7 speed? manual transmission, which is one of the things I liked about it. Am I crazy?

[lvmci]

Hi Dave, what part of the country are you in? Are you interested in a wood look or something else? Kids, bunks? Get to know a busnut nearby, take him to lunch and ask a lot more questions, lvmci...
Do you want to boondock? Do you want 5 ACs?

[robertglines1]

prevostcar.com.  Your last letter in serial number is probably a I then last 4 numbers will give you a build sheet.example mine is W1026553.W=year 102 width 6553 = unit number.   If you like the windows just black them out or use high percentage tint. your otr ac return is located about mid ship drivers side. Big difference in entertainer and motor home shells is interior height. Do you have the aux air in the back?  Bob

[luvrbus]

Welcome, I have one of Mat Perlot and Curt Lawler creations a 1996 Trek 24 ft best little motorhome ever built all metal with teak wood cabinets and the bath across the rear lol push a button for the bedroom   

[Lowblock]

Hi Dave, what part of the country are you in? Are you interested in a wood look or something else? Kids, bunks? Get to know a busnut nearby, take him to lunch and ask a lot more questions, lvmci...
Do you want to boondock? Do you want 5 ACs?

I'm in the PNW, more specifically Oregon. I do not know what you mean by wood look. I am Single, no kids, only a year old Husky pup that will be joining me. I want to be able to use the coach both on and off shore power, I plan on having 3 at most 4 A/C's

prevostcar.com.  Your last letter in serial number is probably a I then last 4 numbers will give you a build sheet.example mine is W1026553.W=year 102 width 6553 = unit number.   If you like the windows just black them out or use high percentage tint. your otr ac return is located about mid ship drivers side. Big difference in entertainer and motor home shells is interior height. Do you have the aux air in the back?  Bob

I must not be looking in the correct place to put in the serial number. The coach is not with me right now and I don't recall what the interior height is and am not sure what aux air is. I do know that it has the great big compressor that I have seen Marathon and Country Coach use for an over the road air system. I am planning on pulling out the windows for the area's of the galley and bathroom, leave the windows for the Salon, I can call it that right?? and for the bed area and I assume sheet metal over the other area's

Welcome, I have one of Mat Perlot and Curt Lawler creations a 1996 Trek 24 ft best little motorhome ever built all metal with teak wood cabinets and the bath across the rear lol push a button for the bedroom   

Ah, the Trek, that was my uncle Bob's baby, he was so upset when they DC that line and mortified when Monaco butchered it up years later. He was at Marathon by then. I always liked the Trek, in fact I am always looking for the "unicorn" which was a 102 wide, front door, diesel pusher, rear bedroom. I have only ever seen 3 and they were all brown, but according to my Dad, they made them in a few different colors, but it was not a popular unit. When the whole Trek thing came up, he veto'd it as at the time they were only running one line and he didn't want to run 102's down the same line with 96's. I'm not sure what year they went to full width, but I believe yours would be one.

[luvrbus]

Ours is 102 wide ,not as comfortable as the bus but you can park it about anywhere and the fuel mileage with the 6.5 turbo engine is great, lol you do not want to buy many windshields for one     

[bigred]

Since you say your coach is on two levels,I guess it would be safe to assume that you are dealing with an H-3 which is a great conversion project as it has strait walls and it would be almost impossible to fill the bays.Notice I said almost as I can promise you my wife could do it .T he good thing is parts are readily available from Prevost ,Contrary to what we are sometimes told  parts for the Detroit engine and the Allison tranny are still available .Now is where it gets a little murkey.As to whether there are manuals for the house part of the build ,there are BUT they were furnished from the converters I E CC,Marathon and etc.To be honest with you ,I would  forget trying to go with any kind of Plans from these converters and hitch my star to the folks on these bus pages .I have a CC Prevost conversion and some of the things CC did was absolutely asinine .As to whether  the conversion shells were different from otr buses about the only difference I'm aware of is the fact that most conversion shells had raised roof's .Check these pages for post's entered by Scott and Heather .They converted a MCI in a very short amount of time .

[PP]

Welcome Lowblock, Prevost is great when it comes to manuals on the actual coach. I have downloaded a lot of PDF's from them for free. As you build, you will want to make your own personal manuals on what you do. Trust me, when you get to my age, you forget half of what you did and every day is a new experience. As for the windows that open, there are a couple of places in the PNW that will take your existing window and cut the bottom off and add a piece that opens. One in Vancouver and one in Eugene. It's not a cheap process. My conversion was done by Marathon and we have since remodeled around the basics. Still haven't added the kitchen window that my DW wants, but one of these days. They're a never ending project, trust me. But as most on this board will tell you, they are addictive. Good luck and keep posting,
Will

[PP]

Since you say your coach is on two levels,I guess it would be safe to assume that you are dealing with an H-3 which is a great conversion project as it has strait walls and it would be almost impossible to fill the bays.Notice I said almost as I can promise you my wife could do it .T he good thing is parts are readily available from Prevost ,Contrary to what we are sometimes told  parts for the Detroit engine and the Allison tranny are still available .Now is where it gets a little murkey.As to whether there are manuals for the house part of the build ,there are BUT they were furnished from the converters I E CC,Marathon and etc.To be honest with you ,I would  forget trying to go with any kind of Plans from these converters and hitch my star to the folks on these bus pages .I have a CC Prevost conversion and some of the things CC did was absolutely asinine .As to whether  the conversion shells were different from otr buses about the only difference I'm aware of is the fact that most conversion shells had raised roof's .Check these pages for post's entered by Scott and Heather .They converted a MCI in a very short amount of time .

Did they offer an H-3 that early? 1987

[RJ]

Rhet -

Dave said in his first post that he has an XL, not an H series.

He also said that the two levels are up front in the vestibule area, not further back.  Two steps into the bus by the driver, then two steps up into the main cabin.  Typical for a seated, revenue service, XL configuration, not a shell built for entertainer or conversion from the factory.

Dave -

Welcome aboard!  Sounds like your background of house systems will not only benefit you as you build out your XL, but will also be able to assist other busnuts as they work on their rigs, too.

The OEM OTR A/C is expensive to maintain, but also gives the very best comfort rolling down the highway, especially in the SW USA.  OTOH, because of this maintenance expense, it's also the reason why you see entertainer cars with five 15,000 BTU roof A/C units and a 15kW diesel genset providing the juice to keep them running.

Whatever you do, keep the OTR heater!  Especially since you're in the PNW, like me.  I use my coach year-round, and traveling up thru Bend and Yakima to Kelowna, BC at Christmas, it sure was nice to have the coach heat running to keep the interior nice and toasty when it was 28^o outside!

Peninsula Glass, aka Motion Windows in Vancouver, WA, is the place to go for opening windows for your XL.  Not cheap, but totally custom.

Chassis shop manuals and parts books are available from Prevost, or keep an eye on eBay, as they pop up there every now and then.

Definitely contact Prevost directly with the VIN of your coach.  It's my understanding that they can provide all kinds of schematics specific to your particular coach, as well as a "Final Vehicle Record" that will give you info as to what was included in the build (engine serial #, trans serial #, etc.)

Altho you've got a manual gearbox, keep the idea in the back of your head to changeover to an Allison automatic (HT-740 or HT-754).  Far easier to drive, a huge advantage when wiggling into campsites, and the obvious - should you ever decide - resale.

As a couple others have mentioned, entertainer and RV shells generally have a taller roofline, but that may, or may not, be an issue for you.

Do you use Facebook?  There are several very popular bus related pages on FB that you might want to check out.  (Biggest problem, compared to this and the BNO forum, is that posts get lost and the search function isn't as helpful, but the banter itself is quite entertaining - especially if you ask about "what oil do I use in my 8V92 engine!")  Check it out.

Finally, please take a couple minutes to update your forum profile with a signature line similar to mine below.  At least your first name, your home base city/state, and the year, make, model and powertrain configuration will go a long way in helping us help you.  In addition, you might discover that there's another busnut nearby!  Simply click on the "Profile" tab above, and when the next page opens, choose the "Forum Profile Info" option and follow the various options.  TIA.

FWIW & HTH. . .



   

[Lowblock]

Did they offer an H-3 that early? 1987

No, I'm familiar with both X and H series Prevost shells and can say that this is indeed a LeMirage.

And in response to Country Coach doing something asinine, they were the finest fiberglass motor coaches ever produced.

[luvrbus]

I have a set of bay doors for the XL rv chassis if anyone is needing some, came from a 2005 Country Coach Prevost so the bay doors won't fit the passenger model