MCI MC-8 1976 Front roof

asimoneau · January 07, 2021, 08:46:11 AM

Hi guys, i just bought an 1976 MCI MC-8.
All the pictures i see online have a roof bump on the front of the bus.
Mine doesnt have any bump, a bit like the MC-9.
Do you know if there is a site documenting the differences between the early MC-8 and late ones ?

lostagain · January 07, 2021, 11:54:35 AM

All MC8s had a stepped roof at the front. Somebody modified it for more space inside.

Glennman · January 07, 2021, 01:18:31 PM

Congratulations on the new bus. You should have a lot of fun with that!

peterbylt · January 08, 2021, 07:38:37 AM

As opposed to modifying for space, the Buses I have seen, MC7s and MC8s were modified for appearance.

A cap is placed over the original roof, and fastened in place.

I have also seen where the cap has been removed to expose the original roof.

Personally, I like the look of the original front roofline on the MC7s and MC8s.

Peter

chessie4905 · January 08, 2021, 01:33:13 PM

I'm not an MCI fan, but it gives them character, compared to the cheese boxes of later units.
My 4905 has an Eagle style cap on it, which I don't particularly care for, but they built in some nice storage compartments inside, so it will have to stay put.

Dave5Cs · January 08, 2021, 03:30:33 PM

Sometimes the original roof is removed to put a cap on. They do it to gain headroom.

buswarrior · January 09, 2021, 06:18:23 AM

The number one reason for capping an MC8, by a country mile, was to put lipstick on an old pig.

Hump in roof meant "old bus" which is death in the charter business.

Slap a smoothing kit on top, and you got 'em fooled.

Doing any more, the commercial operator is upside down on cost recovery, removing the hump requires rebuilding the birdcage to hold up the roof, and discovering the face of the bus is about to droop due to cracks up there. Full removal and replacement is an expensive job in bracing /jacking the front of the bus into place while tearing it apart and trying to get it refastened.

Now, if the bus is accident damaged anyway, the cost of messing around gets absorbed into the repair...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

lostagain · January 09, 2021, 07:08:03 AM

I remember driving MC1s and 2s to Winnipeg in the 70s to get fixed. The front ahead of the white line would sag from cracked and or rusty subframe. So much so that the door wouldn't close properly. Lots of fun in the winter at 20 below with a North wind! We would drive fixed ones home to Banff, or new MC5Bs or Cs. I think I do remember the same problem with the 8s... That is getting to be a long time ago...

lostagain · January 09, 2021, 07:09:57 AM

I don't remember that problem with the 5s. They were/are a good solid car.

RJ · January 10, 2021, 04:30:52 PM

Quote from: asimoneau on January 07, 2021, 08:46:11 AM
Do you know if there is a site documenting the differences between the early MC-8 and late ones?

The only real difference between an early MC-8 and a late MC-8 is the removal of the diagonal window post that was above the drive axle & rearmost baggage bay. Late models have vertical window posts except at the very front and very rear.

As others have pointed out, yours has been capped to make it look more like an MC-9, but the triangular window behind the door and driver will always ID the coach as an 8.

Wikipedia's "Motor Coach Industries" page has a lot of model identification info, mostly pretty generic.

FWIW & HTH. . .