1957 Crown Atomic Energy Coach

[Granny]

Shh Chuck, don't let New Life know I said this: I like the shape and design of the outside of your Crown. I am excited waiting to see what you do with the bus. I see the outside painted with "character" instead of a "stock" paint job. I see the whole "face" painted in front. It just has the design in place for that on the the front. What ever you do, I am sure you will give it the "character" that it cries out for. You will have fun designing it to fit what you "see".

[Mark R. Obtinario]

That looks like a really nice coach without a lot of work to do on it.

In one of the pictures it looks like there is a Gillig Phantom school bus in the background. As rare as the classic Gillig is, the Phantom school bus is even more rare.

[Jones'n4chrome]

That is a nice bus, Chuck. What are your plans for it? You have been so secretive, we are all curious. Have you named the bus yet? You know it needs a name. But, I have a question, where are you putting your porch? Ok, I'm just harassing you. The bus is nice. I'll be looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Make sure and keep us posted with lots of pictures.

Ginger,
I plan on remodeling the inside of the bus a little bit. The layout is too crowded for my liking, ugly too. Most of what you see will change. I think I will be able to use some of the cabinets, but I will not keep the old formica on them.
The exterior will remain about the same, with exception of the paint and the AC unit on the back.

Another thing I want to do is move the air filter for the engine, Just like Sharkey did. I think I can fit my generator in that space if I do.

One of the ways this bus differs from a school bus is the side windows. These are horizonal sliders, I need to remove them and clean all the silt out of them, then replace the felt in them. I will check the price of new ones before I do all that work though. There is a place that will make windows any size or shape, even parallelogram. I don't mind doing the work, but if I get new ones I can get insolated glass, with screens. I did not get a quote from them yet, I bet they are not cheap though.
Here is a link of the window place.
http://www.motionwindows.com/

As for the name, I do have a few in mind, but I'm not sure yet.
Feel free to ask any questions, I'm not trying to be secretive.

Chuck

[Jones'n4chrome]

Does the upgraded 220 Cummins go like it should? I drove an old Diamond Reo for a friend of mine during beet harvest that had a 220 Cummins in it, and I decided after two seasons that the 220 was more of a boat anchor then a real engine.

Hi Dennis,
I'm not sure what a upgraded 220 should go like, but this one seems to go pretty good. Mark Obtinario might have a better answer to that question.
Do you know how much the Diamond Reo weighed? Was it a boat anchor even without a load?

Chuck

[Jones'n4chrome]

That looks like a really nice coach without a lot of work to do on it.

In one of the pictures it looks like there is a Gillig Phantom school bus in the background. As rare as the classic Gillig is, the Phantom school bus is even more rare.

Hi Mark,
I think those are Gillig Phantom school buses, I have seen them a few times in the neighborhood. I can't remember if they were private or LASD.

Chuck

[Jones'n4chrome]

Something to keep in mind is that putting a turbo on a 220 does not automatically make it into a 262, in fact, adding a turbo to any diesel engine will not by itself add any horsepower or torque.

The turbo-on-a-220 has a name, it's called the "California Smoke Kit" and was a popular "upgrade" to mitigate black, sooty smoke from naturally aspirated diesel engines in fleet service.

A true 262 will have oil squirters in the crankcase that direct a cooling spray of lubricant to the underside of the piston crowns to prevent overheating from the additional fuel which is supplied by the "button" which is changed in the fuel pump to deliver additional fuel during each injection window. Without the fuel pump modifications, the turbo simply supplies additional oxygen for more complete combustion, resulting in better exhaust opacity.

Hi Sharkey,
I know the previous owner said he changed the pistons when he turned it into a 262, but I'm not sure about the oil squirters. Is there any way to tell if it's a true 262 without looking inside the engine? Did you check your engine somehow?

Chuck

[Mark R. Obtinario]

The 220 was an upgrade to the Hall-Scott engines.

The H-S would blast past the Cummins on any hill but the Cummins would pass the H-S when the H-S had to stop and get fuel. The Cummins would go 2-3X times as far on a gallon of fuel.

As it has been noted, the 262 was an upgrade to eliminate a lot of the smoke on acceleration. The performance was not noticeably different until you got on a hill, particularly a hill with some elevation. The turbo really came into its own when pulling hard.

The DD 6-71 performed about the same as the 220 and the DD 6-71T was about the same as the 262. Which is why the 6-71 became the "standard" engine. Why pay an extra $3-5K for the same performance? To make the DD really work well the Road Ranger is a great addition. The shift points are really close and help to keep the 2-cycle in the power band.

In the '70's when the small cam Cummins was discontinued the big cam Cummins became the big gun. While the 270 was rated at only a few HP more than the 262 it would out pull the 262. You could uprate the big cam big time. The 290 and 335 were not uncommon upgrades. I have been told (but have never seen) you could get a Crown with the Big Cam 400. With half again as much torque and HP even a H-S couldn't keep up. I have also been told that if you have a Big Cam, even if it is the 270, you can upgrade to at least the 350 HP version without changing the block very much.

The biggest problem of the larger HP engines was heat. It was/is a particular problem with the 2-cycle engines. Even though the Crown cooling system is pretty good, upping the HP rating creates a lot of heat that becomes hard to dissipate.

[Jones'n4chrome]

Here are some pics of the switch panel in my bus. In most Crowns I have seen with the same panel, all the color is worn off this panel. They are dusty, but I will post more after I clean them.

[Sharkey]

Chuck, as you know, each of those switches has a glass dot in the center of the toggle handle. This dot has a phosphorus content so that it glows in the dark, making the switches easy to find when the lights are out.

I found an entire set of replacement switches in a surplus catalog for $0.69 each, and bought them to rebuild my switch panel. Too bad the surplus place is out of business...

[Jones'n4chrome]

Chuck, as you know, each of those switches has a glass dot in the center of the toggle handle. This dot has a phosphorus content so that it glows in the dark, making the switches easy to find when the lights are out.

I found an entire set of replacement switches in a surplus catalog for $0.69 each, and bought them to rebuild my switch panel. Too bad the surplus place is out of business...

Thanks for the info.
By any chance, did you get me a set?
Do you have any part numbers?
Were they used in airplanes also?

[Jones'n4chrome]

One of the main reasons Al decided to sell this bus was, because after 50 years at the same location he had to move.
I went by last May, to say hello, and see if the missing piece of the rear bumper had turned up anywhere. This is all that was left.


This is the same awning that my bus was parked under in the first photos.


It did not take long for the vandals to move in.

[splummer]

wow what happened there ?

[Jones'n4chrome]

Your Bus Looks Good.

Sorry I Toy With Your Emotions..??

Wont Happen Again

See Ya

MrBreeze,

I think you might not have known that Dburt was just joking with you, but he was. He just wanted to see your bus, that's all.

Anyway, I was wondering how the trip to Montana went? did you get your bus home OK?
I have family in Mt. what part of Mt. did you have get your bus from?

Chuck

[Jones'n4chrome]

wow what happened there ?

Those are the signs of evolution.

[MrBreeze]

I Made The Trip To Roundup Montana And Picked Up My 1954 Crown Coach This Sunday. Everything Went Smooth......

The Crown Is Here At My Place In Denver Now. I Got Home Last Night About 8:00 (3-15-2010)

Im Very Happy To Have Saved This Crown From Sure Death. Next Week It Would Have Been Crushed.

If I Can Get Them To Post ?? Here Are A Few Shots I Took On The Way Home.
The Bus Is The 779 Hall Scott 240.











After A Good Scrubing Im Sure It Will Shine A Little More.
Thanks For Asking.....
JOHN