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Old 04-23-2020, 06:43 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 38
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown
Walker Crown Build```

Back in Mid March I went to Virginia to pick up my 1990 Crown Supercoach II flying down was almost like having a private jet. There was only one other passenger on the plane. I made my way to the sellers house, checked out the bus and I was on my way.
About 600 miles and 10 hours later I was home with the bus parked in it's spot for the near future. My plan is to raise the roof 20" so one of the first things to be done was to level the bus. I got myself a couple of 20 ton Jacks, slide underneath along with about 30 4x4x18" pressure treated posts to use for cribbing and got her leveled.
The seats and interior roof had already been removed by the P.O. so I went about removing all of the stainless steel interior walls in order to expose the steel structure.
Interesting fact is that on the Crown the hat channel structure is reversed from what I have seen on all the other buses.The flanges face the interior rather than the outside.
The next day I started removing the windows and the external sheeting. I got one side done and that brings the project to today. I'll add to this thread as I progress.
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Old 04-23-2020, 07:07 PM   #2
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Chassis: Freightliner FS-65
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Rated Cap: 71 passenger 30,000 gvwr
Big ol' bus.
What are the other major specs. eng, tran. ?

Interesting about the hat channel. That means the new outer skins will have less meat to attach to -- doubt that matters though...

Where are you thinking about for the cut line? Above or below the windows?

Grew up around Saratoga Springs -- still love and visit the area and points north...
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The Murder Bus
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Old 04-23-2020, 07:15 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by banman View Post
Big ol' bus.
What are the other major specs. eng, tran. ?

Interesting about the hat channel. That means the new outer skins will have less meat to attach to -- doubt that matters though...

Where are you thinking about for the cut line? Above or below the windows?

Grew up around Saratoga Springs -- still love and visit the area and points north...
Those have DD6v92's if I'm not mistaken!
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Old 04-23-2020, 07:21 PM   #4
Mini-Skoolie
 
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The engine is a 6V92 Detroit Diesel. The tranny is an Allison MTB-600.
David, my plan is to cut the hat channels just above the lower horizontal piece.
It's at this point that the hat channels go inward at a 3.5 degree angle from vertical. I'll bend the 1" rectangular tube to match that angle so there will be no change to the angle of the side taper.
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Old 04-23-2020, 07:57 PM   #5
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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
Quote:
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The engine is a 6V92 Detroit Diesel. The tranny is an Allison MTB-600.
Most Super IIs have MT64x transmissions, especially flat-land buses such as those from Central Valley districts like Fresno or Clovis. Isn't this one of my friend Al's Super IIs that he sold a year or two ago? I drove one of his in Phelan, but I can't remember if it was this one or another one.

How are you going to integrate the raised roof with the front and rear caps? A stepped raise, like on Atomics and Buffalos, could look strange on a Super II, and you may not want the high-forehead Munster look either!

John
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:02 PM   #6
Mini-Skoolie
 
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John, yes this is a bus that came from Al a couple of years ago. You may have driven it.I got it from the person he sold it to. I plan to make my cut just aft of the fiberglass cut in the front and then do a tapered transition forward. I may do it in fiberglass or metal. I haven't made a decision yet.
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:03 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadie View Post
The engine is a 6V92 Detroit Diesel. The tranny is an Allison MTB-600.
David, my plan is to cut the hat channels just above the lower horizontal piece.
It's at this point that the hat channels go inward at a 3.5 degree angle from vertical. I'll bend the 1" rectangular tube to match that angle so there will be no change to the angle of the side taper.
Are you cutting below or above the bend? Trying to picture this in my head
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:04 PM   #8
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I plan to make the cut just below the bend.
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:06 PM   #9
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Oh. as long as you're raising a vertical surface it will look fine. If you try to extend an angle you'll have a bow to the sides that will look a bit off.
What are you using to bend rectube?
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:09 PM   #10
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That's correct. the increased height will be done on the vertical. I plan to use 1"X 1/8" wall rectangular stock. I will make a 3.5 degree template and then heat the spot and bend it to the 3.5 degrees.
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:11 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadie View Post
That's correct. the increased height will be done on the vertical. I plan to use 1"X 1/8" wall rectangular stock. I will make a 3.5 degree template and then heat the spot and bend it to the 3.5 degrees.
If you're raising a vertical why the bending? sorry- just trying to understand
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:15 PM   #12
Mini-Skoolie
 
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The bend needs to be there to make it match up with the upper hat channel, the square tubing will be fitted to the inside of the upper hat channel and will need to be parallel to it for welding. I'll make a drawing later and post.
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:29 PM   #13
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Join Date: Jun 2016
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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
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadie View Post
John, yes this is a bus that came from Al a couple of years ago. You may have driven it.I got it from the person he sold it to.
Was that Brady? He and I were emailing a lot about his Super II.

At this rate there will be one fully-converted Super II on the left coast and one on the right! We're an exclusive little group, with buses rarer than any exotic car you can name. (Heck, I've seen two different Veyrons in Newport Beach alone, so for A LOT less money I've got something even rarer than a Bugatti here!) There are a handful of sort-of-ish converted Super IIs, but very few of them are what I consider a serious full conversion. I'll be curious to see your progress. Building interior divider walls is a royal PIA because of their angles, and you'll find that nothing is precisely straight or square, but that just adds to the fun . . .

Good luck.

John
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:42 PM   #14
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Chassis: 40ft 3-axle 10spd O/D, Factory A/C
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadie View Post
John, yes this is a bus that came from Al a couple of years ago. You may have driven it.I got it from the person he sold it to. I plan to make my cut just aft of the fiberglass cut in the front and then do a tapered transition forward. I may do it in fiberglass or metal. I haven't made a decision yet.
Here's #25 in Riverside CA. as Al received it and before he sold it. I may have more but so far this is all I've found. This is July 2018.

FYI so you can see it before any mods were made on it. By the way you should be very aware of Crowns' superior method of sealing the sidewalls and windows to keep all water out of the sidewalls and thus preventing rust issues.

They had a metal (soldered for longevity) inner pocket that routed ALL exterior water from the windows down and out behind the bottom (black painted) rib. This was a patented Crown innovation and another reason they don't accumulate rust like so many others do.

With this feature so obviously physically removed (and thus defeated), you will need to apply some ingenuity to re-establishing some water removal/sealing feature or you will be having internal leaks when it rains down through the sidewalls, especially if you plan on keeping any of the original drop down windows.

Don't forget internal condensation either, internal water condensate was captured and sent overboard as well by way of the internal wall pockets.

Unless you've ever driven a charter and had 50 heated/sweaty passengers all breathing etc. get on your bus with the outside temp below about 50 degrees you can't relate to how fast and how much all the interior windows fog up so much you can't see out the front to drive the bus. The side windows are just as bad if not worse due to lack of any kind of defroster airflow to blow/clear them up. ALL this moisture ran down the glass and into the inter-wall water trap pockets and outside under the bottom exterior rib. If you look close at Crowns in general you'll easily spot the streaks caused by the water carrying debris and drying on the outer paint right under the bottom rib.

You will have to deal with all these issues, maybe on a lesser scale but moisture control will be a fundamental design criteria to keep in mind.

Fully replacing the windows and sealing the sidewalls completely is about the only way I can see to prevent water infiltration. Attention to details and full and complete sealing everywhere will be the way to go.

John is correct in the engine transmission combo.
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:46 PM   #15
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
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John, I agree. I will post as I progress.
East coast, this pic might help understand what I plan.
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Old 04-23-2020, 08:52 PM   #16
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2020
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Year: 1990
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Crown Guy thanks for the pics. I did examine there rain diverting system. Very innovative. all of the windows have been removed and I will re sheet the sides from just under the top rain gutter to an over lap st the bottom.
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Old 04-29-2020, 05:03 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by banman View Post

Grew up around Saratoga Springs -- still love and visit the area and points north...
My father is from Saratoga, Aunt and Uncle still live there. Grew up going there every summer. Beautiful little city and surrounding area, it’s to bad it’s in NY 😆 I love all of upstate.
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Old 05-01-2020, 08:53 AM   #18
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
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Another converted Crown owner.

Good luck with your build. Love my bus!Click image for larger version

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Old 05-01-2020, 11:07 AM   #19
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Nothing new under the sun. Don't get me wrong, the Crowns are elegant representatives of bus manufacturing and worthy of their praises. I discovered when I removed the inverted cookie pan center section of the roof on my 1935 Superior skoolie that it has a similar water diverting system to that on a Crown. The cookie pan rested in an upward facing channel with drain holes at each body side rib as well as a trough across the front which carried water out the bottom of the body. You'll see some surface rust in the picture but for having spent its first 75 years in northern Utah the drain system worked pretty well.
Jack

..
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Old 05-02-2020, 01:40 AM   #20
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Good luck with your build. Love my bus!Attachment 43957
Purdy bus!
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