1989 2-axle Crown for sale

[Crown_Guy]

1989 2-axle 35+ft (stretched Classic Supercoach body) Detroit Diesel 6-71 turbocharged, Automatic Transmission, Good body condition. It's sitting at a scrap yard who got it from a recent District auction, and he intends to part it out (soon)unless somebody comes forward and gives him the $5k he can get for the parts if he pulls it apart. I started it but it runs rough and sounds like there may be a bad injector and needs a tuneup. If you're looking for a solid foundation to build with you can't go wrong, and whatever is going on with the engine can be fixed and you'll have a very good runner. I'm not involved at all and merely raising the alarm for anybody looking for a seriously worth it Crown to acquire. They are most definitely getting scarcer and prices are going up, and conditions for those still available are going down, the perfect ones have been snatched up. Be serious and willing to move right now and you can do a deal with him. Contact: Josh Zacker 310-704-4067.

[DWJoyce]

Minimum costs:
Rebuilt engine $5000
Engine rebuild kit $1500
Injectors $50 each
...

[Crown_Guy]

It's being parted out and scrapped as we speak. Too bad because it was in great condition except for some engine work. Which could be expensive but would likely be the last time you ever needed to touch the engine....if done correctly. RV mileage is nothing compared to what commercial or district operators put on a Crown. In fact you would not have even fully broke it back in after a major engine rebuild, or in-frame, for the next 30 years. And so another one bites the dust. Have I said lately how much I hate the Kalifornia eco-nazi's and their gov't hacks for what they're doing to these excellent examples of vehicular engineering and design. spit.

[EastCoastCB]

Find a way of getting them out here to the east coast, maybe?
Seems silly to crush something like that.

[Robin97396]

I know the price offered on that bus was spectacular for that model of bus, but how much can they possibly get out of it if the crush it? If they sold it at half of their asking price they'd still make more money than they made from the scrapping it. Unless they're parting it out.

[cascade crown]

That's too bad. I was really hoping someone would step in and save this one. $5000 wasn't a bad price for this bus at all considering that it was a desirable automatic Crown and it had a straight, clean body.

I know it's not possible to save them all, but I was really happy when I heard that the final eight Anaheim Crowns were being sold rather than scrapped. I didn't see it coming that a scrapper was going to buy one of them out of the district auction.

Dave

[gmarvel]

They are getting rare. I just picked up this 1988 Crown tandem. 855 turbo Cummins with a 10 speed. Took it over the mountains from Southern California to Northern California (the Grapevine) the whole way in 10th gear. Passed the trucks in the steepest sections doing 30 mph and I was doing 67 and dogging it. It was one of the Anaheim High Crowns. This was their show and parade bus. I was very lucky to get it.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by gmarvel

They are getting rare. I just picked up this 1988 Crown tandem. 855 turbo Cummins with a 10 speed. Took it over the mountains from Southern California to Northern California (the Grapevine) the whole way in 10th gear. Passed the trucks in the steepest sections doing 30 mph and I was doing 67 and dogging it. It was one of the Anaheim High Crowns. This was their show and parade bus. I was very lucky to get it.

You are not going to make many friends that way..... Kidding!


Crown tandem.... 855 Cummins and a 10 speed RR..... My dream bus.

How did you manage to snag it?

[Tango]

Super Sweet! But I thought Kaliphate of Kaliphornia was crushing all those evil planet killers (?).

[gmarvel]

This Anaheim bus I got for $7,500, plus a whole bunch of parts. Was previously a Detroit. District about a year ago put a totally rebuilt Cummins 855 turbo in it. I am keeping it a school bus with historical plates. Not covered by CARB. Also, if registered as an RV, not covered by CARB.

[Iceni John]

Originally Posted by gmarvel

This Anaheim bus I got for $7,500, plus a whole bunch of parts. Was previously a Detroit. District about a year ago put a totally rebuilt Cummins 855 turbo in it. I am keeping it a school bus with historical plates. Not covered by CARB. Also, if registered as an RV, not covered by CARB.

I just got back from a fun weekend with some fellow Crownaholics - there were three more of the ex-Anaheim Crown tandems there, plus a Needles Crown tandem (with factory A/C!), and a 1957, and a 1960s (don't know what year), and one of the rare Teton Lodge tour Crowns, and my Super II (the newest Crown there!), plus a 2-axle Eagle for good measure. Yesterday we made a trip to the Ralph Cantos collection - on the way there I rode in one of the Anaheim tandems, and coming back in the Needles tandem. The Anaheim was a single-axle drive with a tag axle, with air suspension at the back, while the Needles was a true dual-drive with the inter-axle differential. The major difference however was their gearing: the Anaheim has a 10-speed RT, but the Needles has the overdrive RTO where 9th is direct drive. The Anaheim pulled like a train in direct-drive 10th on the freeways but topped out at about 67 MPH, and the Needles was doing an easy 75 MPH on the flat with more speed in reserve. The Needles still had to slow for the cars when we climbed Cajon Pass, mostly in 9th, so I can well believe that Crowns like yours can max out at 67 MPH in 10th climbing other long 6% grades like the Grapevine. Which do I prefer? If driving across country the Needles is a true long-distance cruiser able to effortlessly maintain high speeds, but for the mountains a non-OD Crown may be better. Both of yesterday's Crowns had Big-Cam Cummins - there really is no substitute for 14 liters of unstoppable grunt and low-end torque, especially in a heavy bus like a Crown or Gillig tandem. So saying, my friend's Detroit Crown tandem with a non-OD 10-speed climbed Tehachapi in 9th and 8th, so even a smaller Detroit shouldn't be underestimated. The other Anaheim Cummins tandem that I did not ride in yesterday has its engine supposedly turned up to 400 HP, so it could be a monster if that's true: I can't wait to ride in that one. Didn't Anaheim buy their Crown tandems for mountain work?

And just for good measure there was also an 8-wheel HEMTT there as well! At least it had a Detroit 8V92, the big brother of my bus's engine. Its owner said it usually gets about 2 MPG, so when he gets 2.2 MPG he's happy with that 10% improvement. However, around town in stop-and-go heavy traffic it's down to less than 1 MPG. Even the Hall-Scott Crowns got better fuel mileage than that!

John

[dwsmitha]

Originally Posted by Iceni John

I just got back from a fun weekend with some fellow Crownaholics - there were three more of the ex-Anaheim Crown tandems there, plus a Needles Crown tandem (with factory A/C!), and a 1957, and a 1960s (don't know what year), and one of the rare Teton Lodge tour Crowns, and my Super II (the newest Crown there!), plus a 2-axle Eagle for good measure. Yesterday we made a trip to the Ralph Cantos collection - on the way there I rode in one of the Anaheim tandems, and coming back in the Needles tandem. The Anaheim was a single-axle drive with a tag axle, with air suspension at the back, while the Needles was a true dual-drive with the inter-axle differential. The major difference however was their gearing: the Anaheim has a 10-speed RT, but the Needles has the overdrive RTO where 9th is direct drive. The Anaheim pulled like a train in direct-drive 10th on the freeways but topped out at about 67 MPH, and the Needles was doing an easy 75 MPH on the flat with more speed in reserve. The Needles still had to slow for the cars when we climbed Cajon Pass, mostly in 9th, so I can well believe that Crowns like yours can max out at 67 MPH in 10th climbing other long 6% grades like the Grapevine. Which do I prefer? If driving across country the Needles is a true long-distance cruiser able to effortlessly maintain high speeds, but for the mountains a non-OD Crown may be better. Both of yesterday's Crowns had Big-Cam Cummins - there really is no substitute for 14 liters of unstoppable grunt and low-end torque, especially in a heavy bus like a Crown or Gillig tandem. So saying, my friend's Detroit Crown tandem with a non-OD 10-speed climbed Tehachapi in 9th and 8th, so even a smaller Detroit shouldn't be underestimated. The other Anaheim Cummins tandem that I did not ride in yesterday has its engine supposedly turned up to 400 HP, so it could be a monster if that's true: I can't wait to ride in that one. Didn't Anaheim buy their Crown tandems for mountain work?

And just for good measure there was also an 8-wheel HEMTT there as well! At least it had a Detroit 8V92, the big brother of my bus's engine. Its owner said it usually gets about 2 MPG, so when he gets 2.2 MPG he's happy with that 10% improvement. However, around town in stop-and-go heavy traffic it's down to less than 1 MPG. Even the Hall-Scott Crowns got better fuel mileage than that!

John

Hi John--it's Deanna.. Greg's bus is the twin to mine, only a year newer. With a very new, unbroken-in engine and hauling a half load of household stuff last Sunday, our Crown did 8-plus MPG, going over two 8000+foot passes and two over 7000+footers, with an almost 6k thrown in at the end for good measure. It would be nice in some ways to have a bit longer legs in 10th like Mikey's Needles tandem, but ours is a beast, climbs like a scalded mountain goat, is fun as heck and the mileage will only get better (with less than 30k on this engine, it has to loosen up a bit... love what you're doing on your Super II. Hope to see you again soon. [emoji2][emoji106]


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[Iceni John]

Originally Posted by dwsmitha

Hi John--it's Deanna.. Greg's bus is the twin to mine, only a year newer. With a very new, unbroken-in engine and hauling a half load of household stuff last Sunday, our Crown did 8-plus MPG, going over two 8000+foot passes and two over 7000+footers, with an almost 6k thrown in at the end for good measure. It would be nice in some ways to have a bit longer legs in 10th like Mikey's Needles tandem, but ours is a beast, climbs like a scalded mountain goat, is fun as heck and the mileage will only get better (with less than 30k on this engine, it has to loosen up a bit... love what you're doing on your Super II. Hope to see you again soon. [emoji2][emoji106]


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Hi Deanna,

Sorry for this belated reply! Yes, what so few folk understand is that these Crowns and Gilligs simply are in a league of their own. In terms of sheer performance they are comparable to many much newer OTR buses, and it's all the more remarkable for some of them being thirty or more years old. A few years ago Paul took us in his Big-Cam Gillig tandem up to Wrightwood ski resort, and we were having to slow for the curves on the climb. Nothing beats having over a thousand ft/lb of torque! My bus's relatively puny 850 ft/lb is still good enough for me (he says while casting lascivious glances at the 14-liter engine in yours!).

Our Buses Gone Wild weekend was the most fun I think anyone can have while keeping both feet on the ground. I'm already looking forward to BGW X next year.

Best wishes, John

[1jimo]

Wow, missed this by 6 months. And it was local enough, and storage was available, and funds too. I will keep my eye balls open for opportunities like this missed one. This would have been a save. oh well.

[Crown_Guy]

Originally Posted by 1jimo

Wow, missed this by 6 months. And it was local enough, and storage was available, and funds too. I will keep my eye balls open for opportunities like this missed one. This would have been a save. oh well.

If you're really serious and ready to move right away, I know of three two axle Crowns that just last night got announced as available. I don't know what he's asking for them, But he's a Charter/School Company and I've helped another person buy from him. If you have the funds and can move on one of them let me know. Send me your email address and I'll forward his email directly to you and you can deal with him. I'm not interested in being a middle man and muddying the water. My only concern is to get all Crowns away from scrappers and into good homes.

[jayster]

Hey Mike, I assume its you. This is Jay, and Im still out here looking. Dont sell the next one out from under me. LOL
Jay Putnam

[tyndrgn]

Keep me in mind if a new one to comes across your path,

[Crown_Guy]

Originally Posted by tyndrgn

Keep me in mind if a new one to comes across your path,

I know of only one Crown belonging to a friend right now. Please contact me direct via email for details and pics. Thanks. mikemcc2k@yahoo.com