Newb General Question -- Prevost vs. MCI

[Jim Blackwood]

Does look like the jungle is trying to take it. Sort of reminds me of the guy I knew who quartered an Opel GT and planned to make it fit a Corvette chassis. Very creative, sort of artistic, never was finished. But he was having a great time with it, sorting out all the little details. Probably was biPolar.

I think you are much better off with the articulated bus as a starting point and letting Prevost do the heavy lifting.

Jim

[luvrbus]

Regarding bus frames, I would like to point out that a Prevost H3 is all stainless steel unibody with fiberglass/gel coat panels.  That removes almost all the rust problems associated with older coaches.  The H3 has all disc brakes.  If you would prefer fiberglass repair over metal working, that could be a consideration.  BTW,  if you want a ground up project, I was attempting to make my own version of an H5-60 before I found the real thing.  I took two Prevost leMirage bus to bare steel, raised roof 12", engineered both walls to hydraulically slide open two feet each, cut the back of one bus off and turned it around to connect to the rear of the other bus.  Since I now have a real H5, I'm willing to pass my leMirage-60 to another ambitious person with thoughts of wanting a "one off" showpiece.

The H3 is not all stainless all the high stress points like the engine compartment are made of steel,and they have a few rust problems areas

[Geoff]

No connection with me but this is a local bus conversion:

https://prescott.craigslist.org/rvs/d/cottonwood-tiny-house-fully-converted/6793983891.html

[buswarrior]

All H3 have disc brakes?

Today, yes, but between the beginning and now...?

I'm not so sure?

It is always neat to see the bare skeleton.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[bandsaw]

Hello, I have an early 1998 H3-41 and it has drum brakes on the drive axle. The front and tag axles are disc. A bit of bus trivia- the early 1998 H3's have framed windows and the late 1998 H3's have "frame-less" windows.  They also upgraded the the rear suspension frame in 1998.   

As far as MCI versus Prevost-  I started to convert a 1989 MCI 102C3, then I went to a rally and saw H3-Jim's bus and Ron Walkers bus.  After the rally I found an H3 that was in service and I talked the company into selling it. It was the opposite of the recommendations given here. The body, engine and transmission were in nice shape but there were many maintenance issues.  Coolant leaks, air leaks, oil leaks, bad wheel bearings etc.  I am extremely happy I switched from the 102C3 to the H3.  The tall bays make it comfortable while working on conversion systems and the Series 60-B500 combination is fun to drive. I have a huge amount of time and money in the project and as the years go by I still enjoy working on it.

Bandsaw

[luvrbus]

I owned a H-41 with the bonded windows for awhile nice bus the IFS (independent front suspension) was a nightmare and very pricey to maintain,I would prefer the straight axle on the front on a Prevost even giving up a little ride