Public Surplus Crown

[mokibrabrant]

They are Stout Buses...............and for a Brick they can also be very very Beautiful.............A lot of questions need to be asked. I have participated via the PS Web just as a bystander. However, the school district just informed me they will be downloading more photo's.......I specifically asked to see some under chassis shots and specifically asked for some shots of the engine...................These are really cool buses..........As well I might add that typically the Gilligs School Buses were clad in Steel/galvinized they also, even back in the day would make some clad in Aluminum: These Phantoms may also be aluminum clad...............They are turbo charged and it would be interesting to know if they are air shift and if they are the HT series Allison as opposed to the MT series. I suspect HT740 just like the Crown. I can't believe they would put an MT in front of that engine.

[mjh2901]

I can see the storage now, one of those doors is battery. I wish they would just scan in the maintenance file folder and post it. Would make this much easier.

[Polarweasel]

Such great info. Thanks! And I'd love to see some way better pictures of these things.

As far as I've been able to figure out, the Phantom school buses came only with HT740s attached to the Detroits. The MT643 was not rated for enough input torque.

If I could get one for a reasonable price, they really seem like pretty ideal platforms for our build. Two adults, two kids, a cat, and another dog down the road (we just put down the German Shorthaired Pointer who was going to travel with us), on extended working trips, really says 40-footer to me. And living in Colorado says mo power and lockup torque converter, too.

Alex

[EastCoastCB]

Yes, THIS would be the kind of bus I'd look for if lots of travel and grades are involved.

[Kubla]

the 6V92 is a fuel hog, never understood why because an 8V71 with the same HP rating will always do better mileage

[mokibrabrant]

Don't know that that's true.................depends on each individual application........I personally know a guy with an 8V71 in an MCI who gets about 6 or 7...........and I met a guy at Buses gone Wild with an 6V92TA at 350HP and his MCI is Heavy it's like a Log Cabin inside with all the attendant waste, fresh and grey water tanks.............And he claims to get 10+.........I don't know. I only had one Coach with a 6V92TA with bad gearing a 5.56 Rear end in an 87 Orion and it was a 30 ft. Unladen Coach and got about 9 mpg..................So I do agree neither engine is known for fuel efficiency. I'm more of an inline 6 guy............I've seen 13 mpg from my 671T and gotten as much as 14 with my Big Cam Cummins....... But that's with being aware and that's with staying close to the HP/TQ curve.....

It's just really hard to say. There's so much variation in running gear, weight and application....................but basically I'm in agreement they are not fuel pinchers.............

[mjh2901]

So I asked them a few questions, transmission, highway lower storage and got a response

the lower storage is steel,It's air ride with air brakes, Alison transmission, they have been used in town as well as highway trips so they are not geared for low speed only
(Answered: Jun 19, 2015 8:58:50 AM PDT )

[EastCoastCB]

I figured they were air ride based on how they were sitting.
I won't have "bus investment" money for a while, or I'd be plotting out how to get one of these.

[mokibrabrant]

I may pick up one of these Gilligs...........I see Gillig transits every day..........they are a box but they are also pretty in a boxy kind of way. And these Gillig School Phantoms are built even sturdier than a transit...........and a Gillig transit is a well constructed Coach..............as long as they can avoid the salt saturated roads of the midwest and east coast...........where they WILL rot away to the point of frames cracking and bulkheads rotting through.......................these are proud buses.........

[mjh2901]

I am looking at those Gilligs, have problem with spousal acceptance factor, mainly because I have to dump it into storage which over months costs mola. I was hoping to pull the seats at a friends place in stockton then start screwing with DMV re-registration. but I have to park it somewhere. But Something really bothers me with them the low milage. I sent in a question why do they have 25 year old busses with sub 100,000 miles on them. I have to purchase totally unseen, as I am stuck in San Diego this week and a family event for the weekend I just had no way to go down and inspect. The other sings, public surplus has a 14% buyers premium on those things. So every grand you spend 210 bucks in taxes and fees.

[EastCoastCB]

They answered the questions, I'd thought.
I could swear the mileage was corrected somewhere on the auction. I just looked, I guess not.

How much is the storage? And would you mind driving a second one over there for me? ;)

[mjh2901]

I am going back through all the posting but there is nothing on the mileage accept the mileage.

[EastCoastCB]

the auction company is the one who did the posting and took the pictures. not trying to be misleading but we are not the ones who posted the buses, all busses posted have between 200,000 to 300,000 miles on them

we bought these buses used so we don't really know actual mileage, but we can guess them to be 250000 plus mileage

Its getting pretty heated in the questions section...

To the person who posted question #3. Are you dense??? Look at the first picture. It clearly shows the engine model. And yes, it is a 2 stroke Detroit, just like a dozen other Detroits. Quit trying to show how smart you aren't.

[EastCoastCB]

now, about that storage...

[mokibrabrant]

If you read the question and and answers you will find that the District states they have between 200k and 300K.............

You don't want to re-register you want to re-title...........

You said you were close. You should go look at them. If you don't know what you're looking for: Bring someone with you who does. You claimed early on that they don't appear to have ground clearance. They are all air ride............they will rise up to provide good ground clearance.

These are a vanishing Breed............these are not Thomas or Bluebirds.........these are machines with heavy duty drive trains and extremely well built.............I was going to buy one. But something came up I bought this instead...........

[mokibrabrant]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Its getting pretty heated in the questions section...

Yeah but did you catch the rebuttal to that post...............I'm going with the guy in 7................it appears he posted the questions that shed the most light........

and chose to pick up on that question though the guy in three asked about 6 questions not asked before...............I'm thinking the guy who capped on the guy who asked the question in 3........is the guy who needs a reality check.

[EastCoastCB]

Probably.
Its been entertaining reading through the q and a on a few buses lately, not jsut these Gilligs.
I may bid on one if the prices stay low!

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by mokibrabrant

If you read the question and and answers you will find that the District states they have between 200k and 300K.............

You don't want to re-register you want to re-title...........

You said you were close. You should go look at them. If you don't know what you're looking for: Bring someone with you who does. You claimed early on that they don't appear to have ground clearance. They are all air ride............they will rise up to provide good ground clearance.

These are a vanishing Breed............these are not Thomas or Bluebirds.........these are machines with heavy duty drive trains and extremely well built.............I was going to buy one. But something came up I bought this instead...........

Wow. just WOW

[mokibrabrant]

Those things are REAL.............Seriously was considering buying one: A bus with the drive train of an MCI........And Gillig did a good job on these Buses. They are orderly and easy to understand...............A nice Phantom can make a damn cool statement...................but can they make a statement like a 55 VL100.........Hmmnnnn I don't think so.............

[EastCoastCB]

I can't afford to make such a statement...
But the Gilligs may be very doable if I play my cards right.