1965 gmc spa5

[richard5933]

...Someone suggested calling custom coach for info. They are no longer in business, i thought...

Custom Coach is still around - it's now part of Farber. https://www.farberspecialty.com/

They have a guy there that was connected with CC back in the day, and he's the one that sent me copies of the original design layout for mine. Send me a PM if you want his contact information. I'm sure that he'll be tickled to know that one of their original conversions is still around. He will be able to provide lots more information.

There is also a guy at Luxury Coach in Ohio that used to work for CC. He is also a wealth of information. I've got his contact information as well if you want.

[luvrbus]

Has that ID tag been nailed on? Something looks wonky about the rivets. May be OK but generally that sort of thing tends to raise suspicions.

Jim

pop rivets are not used for the plates ,I think it is a model 223 FlxLiner because of the roof,back and the front with the taller windsheilds  ,what type suspension is under the bus Torsion,airbags or leaf springs or a combination ?

[richard5933]

I agree - something doesn't look correct about those plates. Looks like they've been removed and reinstalled. No telling where they came from. Interesting that they don't appear to show a model number. Anyone have resources to see what the GM serial number syntax is from?

[luvrbus]

My Flx guru said it is a model 223 Flx they had the option of a 401 GM or the 534 Ford for gasoline engines instead of diesel if you wanted gasoline that was the last Flx built for inter city passenger transportation , gasoline was cheap then you could not afford to run a 401 or 534 nowadays

[DoubleEagle]

This bus is sure providing a lot of entertainment as it sits, a real mystery. It looks like the oval plaque on the front is a FMCA one with a very low number of 1211. Contacting FMCA in Cincinnati might provide more info. Maybe the GM plate is the result of accident repairs to get the coach registered again after splicing in parts from donor buses. Lot's of Flxible fans in Ohio. It's worth something to the right person.

[luvrbus]

The FMCA oval belongs to a member in Payson AZ and is from a Newell (1966)

[DoubleEagle]

Well, it looks like the previous owner or owners felt free to borrow parts from other coaches.

[luvrbus]

Well, it looks like the previous owner or owners felt free to borrow parts from other coaches.

All the rust I don't think that bus is a native to AZ

[richard5933]

I'm guessing that the GM plates came with the drivetrain, and that somewhere there is a Flxible plate (or remnants of it) for the chassis/body.

[Geoff]

I'm thinking the SPA5 on the registration means "special" construction.

[Oonrahnjay]

This bus is sure providing a lot of entertainment as it sits, a real mystery. ... 

     And if I didn't have one h**l of a lot more bus than I know what to do with already, I'd be offering good money for that shell.

[bronson]

Gave her a bath today with a little help from my son. She does have leaf spring suspension all around. Havent crawled under it yet.

[Jim Blackwood]

I like the porthole windows, those are cool!

Jim

[luvrbus]

Still not a GM that one has a shady past for some reason that is a Flx  lol nothing else

[6805eagleguy]

Still not a GM that one has a shady past for some reason that is a Flx  lol nothing else

Front end looks flx all the way through to me...