EndLisBliss
New Member
Hello!!!
Long time listener…first time..poster. I'll be documenting my 1980 Crown conversion here and on my instagram page @EndLineCreations.
First off thanks for all the kind people here who have dedicated their time and energy posting such valuable information. I've been on the site for about two years after considering the skoolie route instead of a trailer(I lived in a trailer for a couple years in the Cleveland Nation Forrest in Orange County before moving back up to Northern California). I've learned a good deal from the various threads but I know I'll be learning a lot more once things really start going. Before this website and others I had no knowledge of skoolies so I am very excited to learn from this build.
So far all I have done is got the Crown towed in front of my shop from the local school yard and began taking out the seats(I got the bus last year but have been busy with other projects-sawmill-that will come into play later). I grew up in the area(lot of small towns-my town is pop. 189) so I know a handful of the bus drivers when I road the bus and played sports growing up with the supervisor's son. I feel good about the information they gave me about the bus and got to meet the mechanics and talk with them a few times at length. There was 4 Crowns to choose from and this was the best of the bunch so I signed the papers and here we are.
Specs: Cummins 855ci turbo diesel, Allison transmission, 3 axles, 40' long, ~457k miles(240kish on the rebuild).
~The reason it got towed home was it was sitting for the past 6 years in need of a head gasket. That's number one on the fix list so I can have the bus mobile and see what else needs tuning and fixing before I start cutting and gutting. I have a friend that is a diesel mechanic that will be helping me with that aspect of the build.
Now onto the fun and interesting part.
Conversion Thoughts
1. Roof Raise-this is something that I want done right after the bus is running. I'm a little over 6'1" with my shoes on and won't have much space after insulation and flooring. I saw a 12" crown roof raise documented online so that is the plan. I'm not really afraid of this one bit. I'm a compentant metal fabricator and my father puts up skyscrapers for a living so a 12" roof raise isn't anything serious to him.
2. Take out 11' and the 3rd axle-this area I don't feel so sure about as this thought just came up in the last couple weeks. My real plan for this bus was to build it slow(I live in a tipi now so don't need housing) and make it real nice to sell to pay for a shorter bus with good ground clearance but after looking at how things could line up I think this could work. This also saves me the need to get a class B driving license. Please feel free to give me any warnings here but here are some of mine.
*I am concerned about the-air brakes, locking mechanism for the axles and suspension.
*I am not too worried about the muffler, emergency exit, or gas tank as they can be moved to new locations.
3. Custom Milled Interior-I built a bandsaw style sawmill specifically so I can mill up my own custom counters, table, bed frame, siding, floors, etc. on the bus. I have access to big oak trees, cedar, dug fir and blue stained pine at my disposal. My mill can cut up to 43" wide x 4" thick and unlimited length so sky is the limit.
4. Open Floor Plan-No walls will be had. I'll put in a shower that swings open when you open the emergency exit door and will serve as a composting toilet area as well.
5. When you first walk into the bus it will have a log cabin feel and as you exit the kitchen I'm going to have big windows to the floor so it feels as though you are stepping out into the forrest with carved logs serving as seats and log couch. Thinking of doing a wrap for the roof to get the outdoor feel flowing.
6. Undecided on what color to paint the bus but that is fine as it will be one of the last steps of the build. Could consider doing a wrap.
Long time listener…first time..poster. I'll be documenting my 1980 Crown conversion here and on my instagram page @EndLineCreations.
First off thanks for all the kind people here who have dedicated their time and energy posting such valuable information. I've been on the site for about two years after considering the skoolie route instead of a trailer(I lived in a trailer for a couple years in the Cleveland Nation Forrest in Orange County before moving back up to Northern California). I've learned a good deal from the various threads but I know I'll be learning a lot more once things really start going. Before this website and others I had no knowledge of skoolies so I am very excited to learn from this build.
So far all I have done is got the Crown towed in front of my shop from the local school yard and began taking out the seats(I got the bus last year but have been busy with other projects-sawmill-that will come into play later). I grew up in the area(lot of small towns-my town is pop. 189) so I know a handful of the bus drivers when I road the bus and played sports growing up with the supervisor's son. I feel good about the information they gave me about the bus and got to meet the mechanics and talk with them a few times at length. There was 4 Crowns to choose from and this was the best of the bunch so I signed the papers and here we are.
Specs: Cummins 855ci turbo diesel, Allison transmission, 3 axles, 40' long, ~457k miles(240kish on the rebuild).
~The reason it got towed home was it was sitting for the past 6 years in need of a head gasket. That's number one on the fix list so I can have the bus mobile and see what else needs tuning and fixing before I start cutting and gutting. I have a friend that is a diesel mechanic that will be helping me with that aspect of the build.
Now onto the fun and interesting part.
Conversion Thoughts
1. Roof Raise-this is something that I want done right after the bus is running. I'm a little over 6'1" with my shoes on and won't have much space after insulation and flooring. I saw a 12" crown roof raise documented online so that is the plan. I'm not really afraid of this one bit. I'm a compentant metal fabricator and my father puts up skyscrapers for a living so a 12" roof raise isn't anything serious to him.
2. Take out 11' and the 3rd axle-this area I don't feel so sure about as this thought just came up in the last couple weeks. My real plan for this bus was to build it slow(I live in a tipi now so don't need housing) and make it real nice to sell to pay for a shorter bus with good ground clearance but after looking at how things could line up I think this could work. This also saves me the need to get a class B driving license. Please feel free to give me any warnings here but here are some of mine.
*I am concerned about the-air brakes, locking mechanism for the axles and suspension.
*I am not too worried about the muffler, emergency exit, or gas tank as they can be moved to new locations.
3. Custom Milled Interior-I built a bandsaw style sawmill specifically so I can mill up my own custom counters, table, bed frame, siding, floors, etc. on the bus. I have access to big oak trees, cedar, dug fir and blue stained pine at my disposal. My mill can cut up to 43" wide x 4" thick and unlimited length so sky is the limit.
4. Open Floor Plan-No walls will be had. I'll put in a shower that swings open when you open the emergency exit door and will serve as a composting toilet area as well.
5. When you first walk into the bus it will have a log cabin feel and as you exit the kitchen I'm going to have big windows to the floor so it feels as though you are stepping out into the forrest with carved logs serving as seats and log couch. Thinking of doing a wrap for the roof to get the outdoor feel flowing.
6. Undecided on what color to paint the bus but that is fine as it will be one of the last steps of the build. Could consider doing a wrap.
