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Old 03-18-2019, 07:41 AM   #1
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 260
Year: 1980
Coachwork: Crown Coach
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Detroit 671T
Searching for a Crown

Hi all,

I have been searching for a Crown Coach for several months now, and I am having trouble finding any that aren't either driven into the ground, or $$$$$$ or both. I figured I would reach out to the "hive mind" on here to see if anyone can help. If you see or know of any Crown buses listed for sale post a link up here for me or anyone else who may be interested in picking one up.

Thanks!!!

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Old 03-18-2019, 07:48 AM   #2
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 260
Year: 1980
Coachwork: Crown Coach
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Detroit 671T
I'll start this off with a few that I have found and ruled out for various reasons

https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/c...842566962.html

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/r...814561469.html

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/...831932134.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/b...840189661.html

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/...835949896.html

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/...817339695.html
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Old 03-18-2019, 08:34 AM   #3
Bus Crazy
 
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Andrews,Indiana
Posts: 2,430
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: AARE
Engine: 3116 Cat 250hp
Rated Cap: Just the two of us.
The second one seems like the best deal of the ones you listed. Conversion may not be to your liking but, could be remodled. It has what my choice would be for engine, drivetrain.

There was one in Michigan about a month ago that was much cheaper but looked like it had be rode hard and put away wet too many times.
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Old 03-18-2019, 05:48 PM   #4
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 260
Year: 1980
Coachwork: Crown Coach
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Detroit 671T
From what iv'e read and what iv'e heard the Cummins 220 NHH, and the turbo version in this coach are EXTREMELY hard to get parts for. Awesome engines, but really starting to show their age.

They went out of production in like 1973 and although the traditional versions are still kicking around, the parts that are specific to the "pancake" or horizontal versions are getting scarcer and scarcer every year. Cummins no longer supports them.

Like literally no place at all has a water pump, only 1 shop that I know of will rebuild these water pumps and its in San Diego. Same for the fuel pumps, only 1 shop iv'e found to do that and its in Seattle. Im sure there are others but they are few and far between. I was strongly considering another Crown in AZ and that led me to do a bunch of research into these engines, and my search was pretty fruitless.

Not something I want to try dealing with while my wife and kids look on disapprovingly from the shoulder of some backroad in the middle of nowhere. I know that can happen with any engine, but the rarity of parts and support really gives me pause when i'm depending on a 50+ year old engine with many hundreds of thousands of miles on it, for weeks at a time. Maybe i'm overthinking it, but it makes me pretty nervous.

The Detroit 671's in most Crowns are still well supported and parts are readily available throughout the country.

Now if it had an 855 it would be a different story
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Old 03-18-2019, 11:34 PM   #5
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 1,358
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown, integral. (With 2kW of tiltable solar)
Chassis: Crown Supercoach II (rear engine)
Engine: Detroit 6V92TAC, DDEC 2, Jake brake, Allison HT740
Rated Cap: 37,400 lbs GVWR
Have you asked the folk on the Crown Coach Junkies forum? Unfortunately the group is now active only on Facebook and their Yahoo forum is now dead, so if you can bear to feed Zuckerberg's monster you can tap into the CCJ's collective wisdom and knowledge of which Crowns are for sale now. Besides, they're some of the nicest busnuts you'll ever meet. Unfortunately my involvement with the group is effectively over because I will never do FB, ever. Too bad.

John
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Old 03-19-2019, 01:49 PM   #6
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 260
Year: 1980
Coachwork: Crown Coach
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: Detroit 671T
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceni John View Post
Have you asked the folk on the Crown Coach Junkies forum? Unfortunately the group is now active only on Facebook and their Yahoo forum is now dead, so if you can bear to feed Zuckerberg's monster you can tap into the CCJ's collective wisdom and knowledge of which Crowns are for sale now. Besides, they're some of the nicest busnuts you'll ever meet. Unfortunately my involvement with the group is effectively over because I will never do FB, ever. Too bad.

John
Despite my disgust with FB, I have been a member of CCJ for a little while now, also joined some other Crown Groups on there as well. A few promising leads have come from there over the last few weeks, but I haven't been able to nail anything down yet.

I am at a distinct disadvantage being 3000 miles away. Many sellers are rightfully weary of out of state buyers and hesitant to accept a deposit to hold a bus till I can set up travel arrangements. Usually a local buyer will swoop in and snipe them from me before I can get myself out to the west coast. Just happened on Saturday, I had a tentative deal in place for an '86 Crown and a local guy showed up with cash before I could fly out.
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Old 03-19-2019, 06:57 PM   #7
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Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Olathe, Kansas
Posts: 220
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown
Chassis: Supercoach
Engine: 6-71TA
Rated Cap: 90
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie_McCoy View Post
Despite my disgust with FB, I have been a member of CCJ for a little while now, also joined some other Crown Groups on there as well. A few promising leads have come from there over the last few weeks, but I haven't been able to nail anything down yet.

I am at a distinct disadvantage being 3000 miles away. Many sellers are rightfully weary of out of state buyers and hesitant to accept a deposit to hold a bus till I can set up travel arrangements. Usually a local buyer will swoop in and snipe them from me before I can get myself out to the west coast. Just happened on Saturday, I had a tentative deal in place for an '86 Crown and a local guy showed up with cash before I could fly out.
Sounds familiar. I had a Crown SCII slip away like that in CA. A couple months later a CA dealer backed out of a transaction on a Thomas. I guess third times a charm as I found my 1990 Crown at a small rural school district in CA. We drove it back 1800 miles this past January. Yes, definitely at a disadvantage from that distance. Unfortunately, you don't have much choice if you want a decent Crown. You could try contacting some of the rural school districts out there to see if they have a Crown about to be retired. I was fortunate to be checking Craigslist (which I hardly use anymore) the Friday before winter break when the school posted the ad. I called them about 20+ minutes after posting and wanted to buy it. I almost did not get the Bus because the transportation supervisor tried to get me into a bidding war with others who had called about the bus. He did not realize the demand for them. After some discussion with him and him with the Superintendent, they sold it to me for the listing price.
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