Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster
Most of us here do the work on our buses ourselves. Many of us here were looking forward to the pics of you doing the engine swap.
If sub 30 ft crowns are so rare, than why not have a body shop cut a few feet out of a crown longer than 30 ft?
I don't understand the big deal of a few feet. Most of us, longer = more room inside. More room inside is better for everything.
Is the shorter length needed due to where you desire to park this crown?
Or just personal preference?
Nat
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I too do most the work on my Crowns.
I live in Hawaii. And have a "real job". Therefore I don't get more than 6 weeks a year to enjoy my Crowns. That enjoyment extends to maintaining them.
Longer may be better for your purposes. It's obvious, though you claim "most" people see things as you do, that the very nature of "buses" is at the root an individual thing.
I can have any bus that I want. I could have a 60 foot articulating bus if I subscribed tot he belief that "more room inside is better for everything".
Which of course I don't. More room inside means more room outside which mean navigating enormous machines through suburban streets. And the accompanying "turning points".
Why a 30 ft Crown? Firstly it's a Crown. Secondly it's mid-engined. Thirdly one of a kind. Lastly, for ME it is the Holy Grail of Crowns. And fits into the mythology of the 30 ft Porsche. Primary to me beyond all things is performance and the driving experience. The only thing a Crown has in Common with a School Bus is color. Crowns are Heavy Duty Over the Road Machines designed from the Ground up as custom builds: The same drive lines of Over the Road Semi Tractor Trucks of the Era. In other words they are Not a Medium duty truck chassis with a medium duty engine and transmission assembly with a galvanized shell built on them.
Buses are an off-shoot of personality:
Although on its face it may appear we are in the same "game". We are not. These machines, especially those who have hands on come to express us individually. At least that's how I see it.
The 30 foot Crown for me is the ultimate driving Machine in the Bus World. What happens on the inside for the time being holds little importance. Platform first....... But I like to have the availability of speed when I want it: I like handling, steering, cornering, braking and balance. I find that the Crown Coach embodies what I value. A sub 30 foot Crown exemplifies what is for me the ultimate 30 foot Sports Car. Some like Porsche's........Some like BMW's. Some like Audi, Ferrari, etc.
I happen to like Crowns.................Form. Function. Reliability. Unique Performance..........maneuverability and deft handling.