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Old 04-15-2019, 05:53 AM   #1
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Finally Bought A Bus!!!!!

Well not just any bus, but a 1980 Crown Supercoach, Turbo 6-71 and a 5 speed Fuller. I am flying out to Oregon in the morning to pick it up.

Its been over a year in the making and and it finally came to a head last night. I have been dealing with this seller for a while now, probably 2 months at least, he had another Crown that I wanted but he sold to a local buyer before I could get out there. I have been trying to get info about this one for weeks. He finally came through with some pictures and info, and we agreed on a price and away I go.

I am super nervous right now. Haven't been on a plane in over 30 years, and the last time I flew, both my eardrums exploded.

I have less than 24hrs to pack and plan for this trip, got to deal with insurance co, probably going to get a commercial policy just for the drive home. I think he has it registered as a commercial truck right now so I will be doing the VT swap ASAP.

Already found his local DMV for a trip permit, they are about 20 mins from his town so I got lucky there.

I am still trying to get 1 day off from work, I was scheduled for Fri-Sat day and Sun-Mon night. Got Friday and Monday no problem, and it looks like Saturday will be covered too, but finding someone to do a swap on Easter isn't easy.

Haven't really even thought about the route home, probably going to just start heading east and see where it takes me.

Wish me luck, I will try to keep you all posted on the trip and get some pictures loaded when I get some time.

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Old 04-15-2019, 06:17 AM   #2
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Not too many Crowns east of the Mississippi.
Good luck, man!

I HATE flying. Its not the actual flying I hate, its the confinement with all the other passengers. I wish there were cannabis-friendly flights. Then I'd probably travel a whole lot lol.
Post lots of pics and be safe out there on the road.
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Old 04-15-2019, 10:04 AM   #3
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Thanks CB! Only 2 or 3 Crowns that I know of east of the Mississippi, soon to be another.

Just got the insurance all set for the ride home, my regular agent (Allstate) that I use for auto and home said no, so I ended up getting a commercial policy for my side business (Plumbing & Heating) through progressive commercial. $913 for the year, I made a $83 payment to get it active and I will cancel and reinsure as RV once I get it home.

Already have the VT registration paperwork filled out, going to make copies of the bill of sale and old title tomorrow when I get them and mail it out from Oregon. Get that ball rolling ASAP.

Talked to the seller about the drive home, I guess there is still a lot of snow falling in UT & WY & ID and he told me it comes with a set of chains, and the factory sanders are full of sand and ready to go! I had no idea it had sanders!! Maybe there will be a factory Jake brake too
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Old 04-15-2019, 11:27 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Willie_McCoy View Post
Thanks CB! Only 2 or 3 Crowns that I know of east of the Mississippi, soon to be another.

Just got the insurance all set for the ride home, my regular agent (Allstate) that I use for auto and home said no, so I ended up getting a commercial policy for my side business (Plumbing & Heating) through progressive commercial. $913 for the year, I made a $83 payment to get it active and I will cancel and reinsure as RV once I get it home.

Already have the VT registration paperwork filled out, going to make copies of the bill of sale and old title tomorrow when I get them and mail it out from Oregon. Get that ball rolling ASAP.

Talked to the seller about the drive home, I guess there is still a lot of snow falling in UT & WY & ID and he told me it comes with a set of chains, and the factory sanders are full of sand and ready to go! I had no idea it had sanders!! Maybe there will be a factory Jake brake too
You realize you may not be able to insure it as an RV until the conversion is complete. If you tell them on the phone it's an RV and they give you a policy, when it's time for a claim you will have no valid insurance. I had trouble getting insurance on the new bus. Kelly directed me to Allstate and they had no problem writing a policy.
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Old 04-15-2019, 01:39 PM   #5
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Where in Oregon is the bus? That'll be a fun drive home. Best start to the trip is I84 east. the passes are all clear. There is a large long pass outside of Pendelton, OR as you head to La Grande. It is called cabbage hill. it is clear (no snow) but a long grade.
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Old 04-15-2019, 04:48 PM   #6
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Where in Oregon is the bus? That'll be a fun drive home. Best start to the trip is I84 east. the passes are all clear. There is a large long pass outside of Pendelton, OR as you head to La Grande. It is called cabbage hill. it is clear (no snow) but a long grade.
Its just outside of Salem, which is about an hour south of Portland.

I think Portland is the furthest city away from me (in highway miles) in the continental US and this a a bit west of there.

I haven't had a chance yet to check the highway reports, so im glad to hear its clear.
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Old 04-15-2019, 04:51 PM   #7
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You realize you may not be able to insure it as an RV until the conversion is complete. If you tell them on the phone it's an RV and they give you a policy, when it's time for a claim you will have no valid insurance. I had trouble getting insurance on the new bus. Kelly directed me to Allstate and they had no problem writing a policy.
If its registered as an RV in VT then they should have no issues writing the policy for an RV regardless of conversion status right?

I will probably keep the commercial coverage until I get the plates and reg from VT so there is no lapse in coverage.

I'm sure I will want to drive it this summer while the conversion is in progress.

What kind of policy did you get from Allstate? Commercial? Commercial for private use? I couldn't get my agent on the phone today due to a power outage from some bad thunderstorms so I had to deal with one from a few towns away and she said Allstate wouldn't cover anything with a GVWR over 12k
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Old 04-15-2019, 04:54 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I HATE flying. Its not the actual flying I hate, its the confinement with all the other passengers. I wish there were cannabis-friendly flights. Then I'd probably travel a whole lot lol.
Warning...THREAD HIJACK:
Think edibles!!!
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Old 04-15-2019, 04:58 PM   #9
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Warning...THREAD HIJACK:
Think edibles!!!
I have heard they work wonders for that sort of anxiety.

maybe I'll pick some up out there and put them in with the fireworks the guys at work want me to get
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Old 04-15-2019, 05:20 PM   #10
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You realize you may not be able to insure it as an RV until the conversion is complete. If you tell them on the phone it's an RV and they give you a policy, when it's time for a claim you will have no valid insurance. I had trouble getting insurance on the new bus. Kelly directed me to Allstate and they had no problem writing a policy.
You've really got me thinking here, what makes it an RV in the eyes of an insurance company? If it is registered/titled as an RV then that should be the end of it right, regardless of the status of the interior?

What if you had a sticks and staples RV and you were rehabbing it and stripped it down to a shell, is it still an RV?

I know I need to get all the rest of the seats out of mine ASAP so I don't have any issues with insurance or DOT and my lack of a chauffeurs endorsement on my CDL.
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Old 04-15-2019, 06:10 PM   #11
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Looking forward to seeing pictures of that Crown and would love to see video of the engine running. These old 2 strokes are the bees knees.
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Old 04-15-2019, 07:30 PM   #12
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Warning...THREAD HIJACK:
Think edibles!!!
I have transdermal patches and I eat lots of edibles.

Still would be cool to have smokers-only flights!
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Old 04-15-2019, 07:40 PM   #13
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You've really got me thinking here, what makes it an RV in the eyes of an insurance company? If it is registered/titled as an RV then that should be the end of it right, regardless of the status of the interior?

What if you had a sticks and staples RV and you were rehabbing it and stripped it down to a shell, is it still an RV?

I know I need to get all the rest of the seats out of mine ASAP so I don't have any issues with insurance or DOT and my lack of a chauffeurs endorsement on my CDL.
Would it still be an RV, yes it would , because it was always an RV. In most states there are 6 requirements for converting to an RV, only 4 of the 6 are required.
See if I can remember them all.
Sleeping quarters
potable water source
toilet facility
Cooking/kitchen
a bed of some sort
heat or AC

The insurance company will likely want pics or an inspection before writing a policy as an RV. Without 4 of the 6 you won't get written. If your insurance company writes an RV policy without inspection, I can guarantee if you have an accident and the conversion is not complete you will find you've been paying for useless insurance.
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Old 04-15-2019, 08:27 PM   #14
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For the eardrum thing: close your mouth and pinch your nose and force air into your sinuses (like you're trying to blow your nose). You'll feel your ears pop a little bit and this will equalize the pressure and relieve the discomfort. Do this every few minutes during the flight (especially while climbing to altitude and descending to land) and you'll be fine. My first flight as an adult I was in excruciating pain until I figured this out.

Chewing gum also apparently kind of works, although I can only vouch for the pinched nose thing.
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Old 04-15-2019, 08:56 PM   #15
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For the eardrum thing: close your mouth and pinch your nose and force air into your sinuses (like you're trying to blow your nose). You'll feel your ears pop a little bit and this will equalize the pressure and relieve the discomfort. Do this every few minutes during the flight (especially while climbing to altitude and descending to land) and you'll be fine. My first flight as an adult I was in excruciating pain until I figured this out.

Chewing gum also apparently kind of works, although I can only vouch for the pinched nose thing.
or open your mouth in a yawn and force your lower jaw forward a bit - that usually relieves the pressure in my ears
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Old 04-16-2019, 01:23 AM   #16
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I have transdermal patches and I eat lots of edibles.

Still would be cool to have smokers-only flights!

....and about an hour after take-off, nobody would have to light up again, especially with how fast airplane air systems recirculate the cabin air!
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Old 04-16-2019, 01:33 AM   #17
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Regarding ear pressure equalization, scuba divers practice it all the time. Here is an article from the Diver's Alert Network, an organization dedicated to diver safety:


https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/h...Ear/index.html


I use the techniques for diving, flying, and even elevators. After a little bit of practice you learn to equalize your ears without thinking.
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Old 04-20-2019, 12:14 AM   #18
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Update on the cross country trip, sorry if its a bit long, I haven't had wifi at night and don't know when I will again.....

Flew into Portland around 1:30pm on Tuesday, took an Uber about 1.5 hours south west to the area of Willamina OR to meet the seller. We ended up meeting at some Casino, as it was closer than the shop he had working on the bus.

He was a nice older guy, farmer of some sort, said his family had been working the same land since the late 1800's. He bought three Crowns from a ski school at Mt Hood, I might have already mentioned that, this was the last one left for sale. It looked good, ran good, drove good, so we headed off the the local DMV in Lincoln City to get the trip permit.

I drove it for the first time on the way there and it only took me a few tries to get the shifting down (unsynchronized 5 speed) but my first attempt at downshifting in traffic was abysmal.

Got the trip permit, and the title and bill of sale and he offered to bring me back to the shop to take out some seats to make room for me to sleep in the back on the way across the continent.

I said hell yeah, so off we went. Ended up taking out about half or more, and I pulled the cushions off all but 2 rows of those that are left so it can't be said to carry more than 8 people as I don't have a chauffeurs endorsement on my CDL.

Seats come out of these things with almost no effort. Thats not to say they aren't well fastened, they are, but the 4 bolts that hold them in come out with no trouble at all. Crowns have super thick (1.5") marine wood floors so no nuts below to rust.

Ended up hanging out there for a while, shop owner Jeff was a really interesting guy, an absolute wealth of knowledge about these Detroits, something that came in handy soon thereafter. He welded me up a hatch key out of some 5/16" square tube, and gave me 2 gallons of oil left over from the oil change he just did on her.

Then I was finally on my way.

It was about 7:30 by now, it was getting dark, raining lightly, and I had no idea where I was, or where I was going to spend the night.

I had planned to go to the coast, so I found a Walmart down the way (1.5 hours) in the town of Newport OR, funny cause am driving it to Newport RI on the other coast. On the way there I had to stop short coming around a sharp bend in the road because an old 50's Ford truck was dead in the road, shocking I know, and right after that I started seeing the "engine hot" light flickering on the dash, sometimes on steady, sometimes flickering.

The temp gauge was still low, around 145* where it had been as long as I had seen it, but now I'm worried the gauge is bad. I took it easy the rest of the way. I hit up the wallyworld for an air matteress, sleeping bag (needed a new one for my oldest son anyway), a cooler, cheap tool set, some food and some of the other essentials for life in the back of an unconverted bus.

Spent the night in their lot too.

The next morning I set off east. Not 15 minutes into the trip the light is back. Now I'm getting nervous. Is it really hot? Doesn't seem like it, it happened too fast, I'm thinking maybe the water pump, maybe the radiator, maybe I'm 3,200 miles from home, maybe I'm up the creek here. So I called Jeff, the guy with the shop who has 12 of my old seats laying in his yard. He tells me to come by on the way and we'll check it out.

I get to his shop and within 10 minutes he found the issue. The wire was off the sensor and hanging loose, every time it touched something metal it closed the circuit and lit the lamp. We confirmed the accuracy of the gauge with a temp gun and all was well again.

Ended up chatting with him for a while so it was like noon when I finally hit the road for real. This was Wednesday.

Made my way through Portland, into the Columbia River Gorge, absolutely breathtaking by the way, took scenic RT 30 and stopped to see the waterfalls, (you can check them out on the 'gram if you want, @nicholas_insana, still working on a page for the bus.....) hit up Hood River for dinner and a beer and headed out for Memaloose State Park to spend the night.

Got super lost following the stupid GPS which took me to some guys barn, nat a park at all, finally found it around 9:30 and bedded down for night 2

Next morning I caught the sunrise in the gorge and started heading east on 84. Headed for I90 so I went through Spokane, and into the mountains of Idaho and into Montana. This is the first time I have ever been west of the Mississippi, and I was blown away by the size of the Rockies, of which I saw only a small portion. She climbed the steep grades fairly well, dropped to 4th for most, and 3rd for a few. Trying to keep the rpms up above 1600ish and avoid lugging at all costs. 40mph was the norm. Combine that with a top speed of 60 and it makes for a loooooong ride.

Made it to Georgetown Lake off Montana Scenic RT1 about 570ish miles for the day.

The lake was breathtaking, still iced over and 2' of snow on the ground. The spot I found was a boat ramp that was mostly plowed out, gave me a chance to try out the sanders, and they worked just fine. Not sure how long the sand will last, the tanks are about the size of big jerry cans, but handy in a pinch I guess.

Woke up this morning at 5:30 to catch the sunrise over the Rockies and get an early start on the day. Got about an hour into the ride and realized I crossed the time zone at some point and lost an hour

Montana is big. I mean real big. I felt like I was in groundhog day. Driving forever and never getting any closer to home.

Finally made it to SD with a little bit of WY mixed in there as well, I took hwy 212, the warrior road I think its called, and it seemed utterly endless at 60mph.

Just past Sturgis I had my second issue with the bus. I was tooling along down the freeway and I noticed that the pedal was stuck down, throttle was pinned. I thought at first it was the hand throttle (mechanical cruise control) linkage but it seemed free. I clutched out and let her ride on the governor, 2100rpm where she has been riding for the last 3 days, and took a well timed exit. Pulled onto a side road and shut it down on the rack. Checked the linkage at the pedal and all was good, worked my way back to the rack and found the tip of the return spring broke. Borrowed some pliers from a rando in a parking lot (turns out the tool set from wally world didnt have pliers ) Bent a new end on the old spring, and we were back in business.

I am currently parked outside the visitors center at Badlands National Park, using their wifi. I will be up and out at 5:30ish again, and plan to spend a little time here in the park before I move out. First stop will be a hardware store for some spare springs and an assortment of pliers.

My buddy is going to fly into Chicago on Sunday and finish the trip with me so that should help with the boredom, although I have been having a great time, a co-pilot would really be nice.

Ill keep you all posted.....
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Old 04-20-2019, 12:27 AM   #19
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Sorry none of these replies loaded before I wrote that last novel-er post..


Quote:
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Looking forward to seeing pictures of that Crown and would love to see video of the engine running. These old 2 strokes are the bees knees.
I have been taking a lot of pictures and video, posting some on IG @nicholas_insana, going to make a skoolie page too. I will get some up on here when I get home, someday.


Quote:
Originally Posted by musigenesis View Post
For the eardrum thing: close your mouth and pinch your nose and force air into your sinuses (like you're trying to blow your nose). You'll feel your ears pop a little bit and this will equalize the pressure and relieve the discomfort. Do this every few minutes during the flight (especially while climbing to altitude and descending to land) and you'll be fine. My first flight as an adult I was in excruciating pain until I figured this out.

Chewing gum also apparently kind of works, although I can only vouch for the pinched nose thing.
Turns out it was all for nothing. My mother insists I have the story all wrong, and I had no issues on the flights. I did chew gum and it did help.

On a side note, I was in awe of the engineering and logistics that go into air travel, first of all, it may be commonplace now, and old hat to pretty much everyone but me and children, but the fact that 160+ people just went from 0-500mph in like 15 seconds, and are flying at 36,000 feet was unreal!!! So cool.

Then theres the massive movement of people and goods all over the world, I watched them unload, refuel, reload an airline with food, people and baggage in no time at all. There is a ton of waste and single use plastic from it all however, and I think the airlines could do a lot better about that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
Would it still be an RV, yes it would , because it was always an RV. In most states there are 6 requirements for converting to an RV, only 4 of the 6 are required.
See if I can remember them all.
Sleeping quarters
potable water source
toilet facility
Cooking/kitchen
a bed of some sort
heat or AC

The insurance company will likely want pics or an inspection before writing a policy as an RV. Without 4 of the 6 you won't get written. If your insurance company writes an RV policy without inspection, I can guarantee if you have an accident and the conversion is not complete you will find you've been paying for useless insurance.
I see what your saying, I will keep my commercial policy until I can get the RV title, and have checked most of those boxes.
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Old 04-20-2019, 05:03 AM   #20
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Man that's great to hear! Keep up updated and stay safe out there on the road!
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