1957 Crown Atomic Energy Coach

[Jones'n4chrome]

Here are a few photos of my Crown. This coach was never a school bus, It is a highway coach built by Crown. This coach was one of 9 coaches ordered in 1957 by the US Government. It was used by the Atomic Energy Commission.

It was briefly used in Nevada to transport high ranking military officials from base to base, on there quest to figure out the easiest way to blow up certain parts of the world. Their driver blew a connecting rod in the Crown instead.

I bought this Crown from a man named Alan Wheeler, a Mack truck dealer in Las Vegas. He bought this coach at a Government surplus action in 1965 (the same year I was born) to make an RV for his family. After a fierce bidding war between Mr Wheeler and one other man came to an end, the other man said to him "You asshole, that engine is junk, I hope you never get it running!" Alan towed it back to the shop to begin the engine overhaul.
The engine was a Cummins 220, he turned it into a 262, which is a 220 with a turbocharger on it.

One thing that made the decision to buy this bus easy, was that even though at first glance you can't tell, this coach has less than 11,000 original miles on it. The military had it from 57' to 65' then Alan had it from 65' to the October. 2008 when I bought it.

These pics were taken in Vegas a week before I decided to buy it.




The AC install is about the only thing I hate about this coach. I call it the rain funnel.




Now for a look inside. One of the employees left all the windows cracked open before it was parked at this location. The whole thing was filled with silt.

[Granny]

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.

[Rudy]

Chuck, I love the instrument panel. What's that thing in the middle of the rear where the sheet metal is cut out?

[Mark B]

Chuck, I love the instrument panel. What's that thing in the middle of the rear where the sheet metal is cut out?

My guess is propane tank.

Mark

[Sharkey]

What's that thing in the middle of the rear where the sheet metal is cut out?

It's a pintle hitch for towing a big-ass semi trailer. Someone had a hell of a toad hauler!

[Jones'n4chrome]

What's that thing in the middle of the rear where the sheet metal is cut out?

It's a pintle hitch for towing a big-ass semi trailer. Someone had a hell of a toad hauler!

Sharkey is correct. Being a Mack truck dealer, the previous owner always had large equipment trailers in his yard. He plumbed the bus for trailer brakes, then added the pintle hitch. He and all his buddies would load up the trailer with Jeeps and dirt bikes and go to the hills for a good time. He did confess that he and his buddies had more fun in this bus then his family did.

Below that hitch you can also see the propane tank that mark was referring too. That was one of the first things a yanked out of there. I'm not sure, but I think it against the law to have propane in the rear of a vehicle.
http://www.mrsharkey.com/forum/vwtp.php?p=5234#5234

Below that is a hitch with a 2" ball. the hitch assembly slides into 2 receivers and pins in place. I used that one to tow my work truck back when I bought the bus.
The square hole on the left side of the body is an access to fill a stainless steel water tank.

[Rudy]

I like the instrument panel. I am curious to know what gages you have. I see that you have the "Ross Cam And Lever" steering.

[Jones'n4chrome]

Rudy,
I will post some pics soon. I will be busy next week so I may not get any new pics until the following week. I have started to clean it up inside, so I will post as I go.

Chuck

[dburt]

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.

[Sharkey]

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.

I suspect that the 220 is fairly detuned from the factory, and that the 262 is set up very conservatively for added longevity over the road. If engine wear and reliability weren't much of an issue, it would be possible to get lots more power from these engines, particularly if they were supplied an intercooler.

In a diesel engine, fuel is heat, and heat is power, particularly if a turbo is fitted. Turbochargers are heat driven devices, it's not simply the pressure of exhaust gasses passing through the expressor, but the excess heat of the exhaust (caused by sufficient fueling) being transformed into mechanical power to run the compressor side of the turbo. It's one of the laws of thermodynamics that allows turbo chargers to be so efficient at what they do. The heat difference between the input and output side of the expressor is much more than can be accounted for by simple heat loss in the turbo body.

There, that's your physics lesson for tonight.

[dburt]

Well said Sharkey!

[Jones'n4chrome]

OK, now for a small detour in the saga of the 57' Crown. Here are a few pics I took of a housetruck on my way to south Lake Tahoe. I was chatting on SharkChat a few days prior to my trip to Tahoe, Stuart was saying he was thinking about building on a truck, rather then a bus. So here's a few picks for inspiration.





Lowrider tow hitch.

[MrBreeze]

Your Bus Looks Good.

Sorry I Toy With Your Emotions..??

Wont Happen Again

See Ya

[dburt]

Mr Breeze- you toy with our emotions when you talk about your buses with NO pictures to go with the story!

Is this the way to treat your compadres here on Mr. Sharkey's site

However, we will forgive you if you post some pictures SOON!

[Jones'n4chrome]

Now back to the saga of the 57' Crown.
After I went to Vegas to look at the bus, I did not buy it on the spot. I decided to drive back home and think about it some more. Sleeping on it, is a good way to clear my mind and review all the thoughts I had when I was checking it out. Even though I would risk losing the deal to another interested person, it was a risk I was willing to take.
The questions that coming to mind were, do, I want a classic vintage coach? or should I find a newer bus right out of the school district and forfeit the retro style?
I decided to go ahead and buy it.
Mr Wheeler told me he would get me a trip permit from his DMV. The trip permit would allow me to drive the bus home, then get the title transferred into my name. That turned out to be very helpful. After I brought it home I parked it in my back yard until I could I could take it to my local DMV for the required inspection of all out of state vehicles. Here are a few more pics at the corner near my house. These photos were taken when I came back from the DMV with the new licence plates.





Hey, look what is coming up the road.



Yup, a close relative.