What kind of bus is this and what is it's MPG?

[Owen Lucas]

Appears to have solar panels and rock climbing holds on the side. I presume it's been converted into an RV though I couldn't take a good look as it was going 55 in a 70+ stretch of highway.

Don't you think it would have been cheaper to buy a new RV rather than deal with the mechanical issues of this vintage bus? Unless it's been repowered didn't these beasts have 2 stroke diesels? There wasn't any visible smoke coming out the exhaust though. I would say 15 MPG.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

My rough guess is it is a 1950's "Old Look" GM transit bus. I rode in quite of few of them, in various towns, in the 1960's. No idea on original mpg.

 

[ripcord]

Pretty sure that's what you'd call a New England Hippy Bus. Vermont plates if I'm not mistaken.

I'd guess it probably has a 671 Detroit diesel and would get around 8 miles to the gallon.

 

[atikovi]

Don't you think it would have been cheaper to buy a new RV rather than deal with the mechanical issues of this vintage bus?

A new diesel pusher is $150K and up. Money saved will buy a whole lot of parts.....and weed.

2023 Coachmen Sportscoach SRS 376ES Bunk House W/ W/D, Satellite, Power Theater Seating, Ext. Kitchen & More

mhsrv.com

 

[Torrid]

That looks so cool. I just love '50s automotive styling. Like we're seeing even the busses look cool. I would think it was an RV too with the solar panels to supply power in camping situations where power connections weren't available. I love the weathered look, whether it was painted to look this way or the existing paint was preserved.

 

[CT Rob]

single digit mpg

 

[Torrid]

single digit mpg

I think this is more likely. I'd still rock it. The cool factor is high with this one.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I new diesel pusher is $150K and up. Money saved will buy a whole lot of parts.....and weed.

Yikes, that one is over $200k, I'll remember that when I drive by a nice one on the highway. Either loaded or in debt up to their eye balls. I guess parts can't be so bad if they made a lot of these busses and especially if the same parts were used on trucks as well.

 

[skyactiv]

2-stroke Detroits have a very distinct sound.

 

[walterjay]

It is a GM bus as previously stated. Used them as a youngster. Horrible polluters.

 

[nascarnation]

Rode those to and from high school. They were city operated buses in Cleveland, Oh. Had a 2 cycle diesel and a 2-speed transmission. No A/C but the heater was good in winter time.

 

[dishdude]

Gallons per mile is more like it.

 

[Opelman]

It is most certainly not a GM. It is a Crown Coach made in Chino, CA. That is an oddball, they didn't make very many old bodies with the rear engine. That one is most likely 1988-1989. Rear engine Cummins C8.3 with an Allison MT 647. Air suspension was available on both ends. We had one in the fleet where I worked. We also had real Crowns with Cummins or Detroits mounted horizontally under the middle. Stick and auto. You will never find a better built school bus.

 

[Chris142]

Looks like a crown bus. If it's got a 2 stroke Detroit green leaker you might see 6 mpg.. a 4 cycle Cummins may get 8.

Never going to see 15 mpg

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

It is a GM bus as previously stated. Used them as a youngster. Horrible polluters.

That bus has likely done more work than a thousand EVs, and likely has about the same total “pollution”.

Throw some of the dimpled pistons I linked a whitepaper to in a different thread, and it would likely be cleaner per unit of work.

 

[Torrid]

It is most certainly not a GM. It is a Crown Coach made in Chino, CA. That is an oddball, they didn't make very many old bodies with the rear engine. That one is most likely 1988-1989. Rear engine Cummins C8.3 with an Allison MT 647. Air suspension was available on both ends. We had one in the fleet where I worked. We also had real Crowns with Cummins or Detroits mounted horizontally under the middle. Stick and auto. You will never find a better built school bus.

It's definitely pretty. Engineering and styling has changed a lot since this came out.

 

[Chris142]

I rode in a 1955 crown bus every day to school and home from 1975 to about 1984..

Had a 250 HP 6-71 Detroit pancake engine. It sat flat under the bus and the whole engine was on a cradle that could be slid out for repairs .

Had a 5 speed spicer transmission and 5th gear was direct, not overdrive.

No power steering!

No ac and the windows only went down about 4 inches so is kids could jump out. That thing was an oven in summer.

 

[Opelman]

I never paid attention to the fuel economy on the rear engine. We had a 1976 two axle with a non turbo 6-71 and 5 speed that touched 8mpg. Remember, this was in serious stop and go duty in mountainous terrain. It was still in regular service at over 400,000 miles when all pre 1977 school busses were legislated off the road in CA. We had 2 other 1978 non turbo units which were just as reliable. 2 later 80s had turbo aftercooled Detroits tha just didn't drive well in stop and go duty with clueless drivers but they would run on the freeway. The 3 axle had an NHH 855 300/350 Cummins with a big Allison HT behind. Serious power with 90 passenger capacity. That bus was 13 years old when it joined our fleet and in the 20 years with me after that it never came back on the hook. Actually none of the Crowns came back on the hook for mechanical failures. Can't say that for Blue Bird or International.

 

[PimTac]

Looks like a Fageol but the side trim has been removed or covered. The local transit had dozens of those.

 

[AITG]

Yes, it's a cool looking old Crown coach. DON'T be tempted unless time and money are no object. Oh, and carry a lot of tools and be prepared to fix a lot of stuff yourself. Very few shops will touch it due to it's age and lack of familiarity for techs. Time is money in a truck shop: you'll spend lots of both.