ShredMastaFlex

New Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2025
Posts
5
Location
Greewood
I'm actively looking for a 30-35ft Crown or Bluebird Pusher. Other busses are an option if they have the right engine and transmission. Preferably less than 150k miles. Must have little to no rust. I'm not looking for anything with previous conversion done. Thanks!
 
Get on the Crown Coach Junkies facebook group. I see listings there whenever I log into Facebook (granted, that's <10 times per year).
 
There was a very new member looking to sell a 40ft Crown II with 185K miles
and a Detroit 6V-92 located near Fresno CA. This would make an excellent
conversion vehicle to start from. This user may or may not still be around
but if you keep posting and asking for a Crown Someone will pop up with
one that might suit your needs. They're out there but getting harder to find
ones in good condition and they are definitely going up in value.
 
I appreciate it guys.

Thanks @Tejon7. I hopped on to Crown Coach Junkies a couple weeks ago. I probably just need to make a post.

I actually messaged the gentleman with teh Crown II @Crown_Guy. He sent me some more photos and said he would send me more information. I haven't heard from him since. It also had some rust in a doorway I wasn't happy with, but other than that seemed to be a great bus. I really need something as close to 30ft as possible, but no less than that.

I'm keeping an eye on all the auctions with GovDeals and PublicSurplus. I've also been keeping an eye on facebook marketplace and even hitting up craigslists around California to try and find one. I'm not necessarily in a rush, but I'm actively looking every day or two.
 
If this is something you plan on keeping a while get a Crown, they are the best bus out there.
 
@shortbus4x4 Definitely planning on keeping it. What makes crowns desirable? I've heard everyone say they're the best. Also I've messaged a few people selling crowns, but when I ask for more pictures and details they just leave me hanging.
 
@shortbus4x4 Definitely planning on keeping it. What makes crowns desirable? I've heard everyone say they're the best. Also I've messaged a few people selling crowns, but when I ask for more pictures and details they just leave me hanging.
Looks really. Cab build quality is great. However, they are mostly built to California standards and engines are limited in horse power slightly compared to other states to meet emissions, but most were made in California. It's king of looks but average in the rest, likely worst in tuned engines.

It's not to say the engines cannot be unlocked in some cases though and fix the tuning problem.
 
Looks really. Cab build quality is great. However, they are mostly built to California standards and engines are limited in horse power slightly compared to other states to meet emissions, but most were made in California. It's king of looks but average in the rest, likely worst in tuned engines.
Cue @Crown_Guy to come to the defense of his babys...

It's not just the looks. They were all made by hand, by craftsmen, using class-8 truck parts. They had an unheard-of 20 year warranty. There are many things that set them apart (including their initial cost, which may have ultimately killed the company), but someone will be along shortly to say it all more eloquently than I can...

Edit: Oh, as as for horsepower, I have the "base model" Crown engine, a Detroit 6-71 TAC. It came from the factory with 270 HP and 786 ft-lb of Torque. That's pretty decent, especially for the era. Guys in the marine world tuned these things up to 550+ HP fairly simply (all mechancal... more air + more fuel=more noise). I don't know the specs on the "upgrade" engine, a Cummins 855 big cam, but it's a beast. Neither engine is a hotrod, either. They were over-built for the purpose of hard work, for long hours, forever.
 
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Cue @Crown_Guy to come to the defense of his babys...

It's not just the looks. They were all made by hand, by craftsmen, using class-8 truck parts. They had an unheard-of 20 year warranty. There are many things that set them apart (including their initial cost, which may have ultimately killed the company), but someone will be along shortly to say it all more eloquently than I can...

Edit: Oh, as as for horsepower, I have the "base model" Crown engine, a Detroit 6-71 TAC. It came from the factory with 270 HP and 786 ft-lb of Torque. That's pretty decent, especially for the era. Guys in the marine world tuned these things up to 550+ HP fairly simply (all mechancal... more air + more fuel=more noise). I don't know the specs on the "upgrade" engine, a Cummins 855 big cam, but it's a beast. Neither engine is a hotrod, either. They were over-built for the purpose of hard work, for long hours, forever.

OK, I got this. Thanks.

You just can't compare a Crown to anything except a Gillig which were 95% the same thing. As Tejon7 says, Crowns were made for the VERY long haul, and that's like 50+ years of heavy usage and miles. Crown's are over engineered and overbuilt using materials that were completely beyond any normal standards, even today, actually, especially today. If taken care of they will easily last 100 years and still be running fine.

Crown went under in 1991 so every single Crown left standing today is at least 34 years young. Most are much older in the 1970 to 1990 time-frame of manufacturing. That's pretty much most of 50years already. All Crowns were only made in Los Angeles, or later Chino CA. Yes, they were literally handmade by craftsmen and why they are so well regarded. For example just try taking a ride in a typical school bus today, any of them, and listen to the noise the body and windows and everything makes as it rattles down the road. Then try that with a Crown and you'll notice a 50 year old Crown is super quiet with no body squeaks, window rattles or other grunts and groans you'd expect from such an older vehicle, and that's a fact.

And there just isn't any comparison to the exceptional ride quality of the Crowns. When in control of a Crown you absolutely feel the massive confidence it has in negotiating any road condition and any speed. It's sure footed and nimble all at the same time that it's being solid and predictable in it's overall handling. Most people think I'm crazy for saying this but a Crown on the open road at 75mph is easier and more joyful to drive than a lot of cars. I drive like that all the time if the Crown is geared and will let me. This is something an owner can upgrade to get higher road speeds for instance. Several ways to accomplish this.

This brings up the most important aspect of Crowns in general. They were built to a Customers' specifications with all kinds of Custom features and equipment. This means that they are all unique to a degree with their own slight differences. For owners today of Crowns what this really means is that we can change, upgrade, enhance, modify to a great degree as long as we don't compromise the basic body/chassis safety and structural elements. That means that we can make them into what we want for whatever use we expect to put them to. They are unsurpassed on the highway at highway speeds, off pavement in really rough situations and roads, have good clearances generally and can get into surprising places. I like to say if I can drive a Crown into a location and it goes to crap, I can get it turned around and drive it out. So far that's always worked out for me and believe me I've taken Crowns into some really unbelievable situations.

Trying to compare a Crown and it's engine/transmission performance to a hot rod engine in some of the things today is a complete misunderstanding of the design goals of the Crown. As Tejon7 notes Crowns were built for heavy duty Commercial service literally forever. They used off the self standard heavy duty truck components that are STILL available today so the parts, being standard and in use industry wide, are available, and even the harder to find body parts aren't all that hard to locate.

Crowns are in a Class of their own and it's really not possible to compare them to any other school bus. It's the kind of thing that if you KNOW you KNOW, and if you don't you might want to find out, but don't feel you have to denigrate Crowns just because you don't understand them. But beware of that, because if you ever do get a chance to check out and even drive a Crown it's something you will most likely never forget or get over, and you'll be smitten, like we Crown owners are, by the desire to get your hands on one. It's a fever for some of us with only one cure.
 
Yep, Crowns just didn't have good looks, they had probably the best chassis ever on a school bus.
 
I'm actively looking for a 30-35ft Crown or Bluebird Pusher. Other busses are an option if they have the right engine and transmission. Preferably less than 150k miles. Must have little to no rust. I'm not looking for anything with previous conversion done. Thanks!
We've got a 35' Bluebird, activity bus. We bought it from an elementary school in Phoenix two Februarys ago. Our plan was to do one more build, probably our last build. Then I got sick. I was a bit more than a year recovering the strength to work on the bus.

About time that we were ready to get back to work, we found a beautiful 1995 Eagle Coach. We got an amazing deal.

The Bluebird is still being driven to haul materials and get groceries.

The bus is 2001 Bluebird, RE with the 8.3L Cummins and I believe, Allison 3060 transmission. Seats are out and the floor is covered with 2" XPS insulation, topped with 1/4" OSB underlayment.
It has high ceilings and pass through under storage. New 8D batteries in Nov 2023.

Air horns and city horn.

Paid 7200 at auction. Would like to recoup most of that.
Rock and Ruth
 
If the OP doesn't go for this, I may be interested. Would want to see pictures etc but it's the package we have been looking for.
How many times have you been browsing craigslist looking at cars and wondered why, "if people want to sell their car, don't they gather up all the garbage and run a vacuum cleaner through it before they take pictures?"
That's the place we are in right now. We actually use the bus like a work shed/pickup truck. It gets about the same if not better fuel mileage than our pickup, and its got more capacity and is more fun to drive.
We want to wait until we have the time to get all of our stuff out and dust it off before we make a real effort to sell it, you know, putting our best foot forward. However, if you will forgive the mess and try to look past the building supplies, tools, assorted this and thats, I will go out tomorrow and try to shoot a walk around, cold start and run video for you. I will post it on youtube and provide you a link if you contact us through a PM.
Tomorrow is going to be really windy here at Freedom Field, and I don't do youtube productions, so the sound quality will probably be rough. But, you can view it and let us know if there are other aspects you would like to see.
 
If you're really serious about getting a Crown then you should contact Al Jennings who currently has two 35ft Crowns available. Both are in exceptionally good condition with one having it's engine recently rebuilt by J & R which means it was done by the master and done correctly. They are both Detroit 6-71 2-strokes which is the most common engine used and definitely the one to have. Both are 5-speed manuals which again is standard Crown and to be embraced. Don't be put off by the manual transmission as some tend to be, the Real fun is learning to drive and get the most out of the Crown experience with a 5 or even a 10 speed Fuller stick shift. Anyone can learn to do it and the confidence and other benefits that flow from making the effort to learn are beyond description, and quite frankly the main reason for even getting a Crown. They are the ultimate Drivers Bus.

Allison automatic transmissions are to be found in Crowns for sure but in almost all cases they were installed after manufacture and as modifications done by the fleet or district operators that owned the Crowns, and much less common to find today.

Al's cel is 310-500-6574. His reputation precedes him and you won't find a more honest or knowledgeable guy to deal with for a good Crown. He can answer your questions much more than I can, or should, since they're his Crowns. He can put you in touch with me if you want any more help regarding driver training or delivery assistance and such if you feel the need.
 

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