1963 Crown

(Click Photos to Enlarge)

I am building a new house truck, this one on the frame of a 91 passenger 1963 Crown school bus. It is a heavy-duty machine, with a 262 horsepower turbocharged diesel, air brakes and tandem-dual rear axles (8-wheel drive in the back!). The bus is 40 feet in overall length.

I purchased the bus from a private party in Portland who had bought it at auction from the Victor Valley School District in Southern California. It came with complete maintenance records showing that it had a recent engine rebuild, new axle bearings, power steering parts, brakes, etc. Mechanically it is in top condition.

To begin the project, I had eighteen dump truck loads of fill dirt and gravel brought in to level the area alongside my driveway to provide a place to park the bus. I wore out the hydraulics on my tractor blading the fill level. There were a few nasty surprises in the loads of fill, including a slab of concrete the size of the tractor, complete with large rebar jutting out all over.

After getting the bus parked on the new level area, I began removing the interior of the bus, taking out the aluminum headliner, wall panels, cove base and other trim and accessories. The master plan for this rig includes a split-level, two story loft in the rear. I removed the last four feet of flooring and the bench seat in the rear. This opened the back up into a rear "trunk" area behind the rear axles, allowing the floor to drop two feet in the back. A set of stairs are constructed on the drivers side to allow entry to this lower area. I had to completely rebuild and reroute the exhaust system to clear this area for the stairs, moving the muffler to the engine compartment, and routing the exhaust pipe out the side of the bus.

In order to get underway on this project, I went on a tool-buying spree, purchasing a 6hp air compressor, air grinder, air hammer, as well as an electric grinder and a new wire-feed welder. A new 60-amp electrical sub panel by the bus powers the tools.

August 1995, I began the project of raising the roof. I had decided early on that I wanted a higher ceiling than the 6'3" bus roof would allow. In addition, the construction of the bus body resulted in curved, barrel-shaped walls, which would make raising the existing roof difficult. I opted instead to completely remove the roof, discarding the framework, and constructing an all-new metal frame. This turned out to be quite an ordeal, and although it was a lot of hard work in the broiling sun, the results are very gratifying. I now have an 8 foot ceiling, with vertical walls. A new set of custom fabricated roof rafters curve smoothly from side to side. A three-foot overhang in the rear of the bus will provide a roof for the small deck I plan on building behind the French door that will lead out the back of the coach.

Winter closed in much too soon in '95, and I had no time to get the new roof finished before the rains set in. I constructed a temporary framework covered by sheet plastic and blue tarps, held down by string and rubber bungee cords. Although I had little faith that this would survive the season, the inside of the bus stayed perfectly dry, better than before the roof was removed, as there are no leaky bus windows. It was doubly surprising that this arrangement of plastic and tarps made it through the winds we had that winter. As the tarps would need to come off to continue working on the roof, there was little opportunity for me to do anything on the bus over the winter.

With the coming of spring, I began the necessary steps to prepare the steel framework for the aluminum roofing and wall sheathing. This included welding up many spreaders between the roof rafters, and the intricate assembly of the compound arches at the front and rear of the roof line. All framing which would contact the aluminum skin was primed and then a .063" aluminum shim was applied as necessary to make the framework "level" in one plane so that there would be no "steps" in the surface to distort the sheathing.

The roof was applied in one piece, 102" wide by 41 feet long, no seams. Over 2,000 pop rivets (and the holes they go in) went into finishing the top. (Next time, I'm using mail-order holes, making them myself was too much work.)

Walls went up next, three 5'x12' sheets on each side, also riveted en masse. Thank heavens for the pneumatic riveter. Also thanks to my friend Mark, who came down from Portland two week-ends to assist in the wall and roof projects. Woodley supplied three complete scaffold frames, and Greg came up with a source of free 2x12 lumber for the scaffold planks. I couldn't have done it without you all!

Due to a failure of a roll of film in my camera, there are no photos of this phase of the project.

In December 1996, I managed to get a temporary rear wall and windows up to protect the interior over the winter, it will come down next summer, to be replaced by the permanent rear wall and door. The short and rainy days allowed for the installation of rigid, foil-backed insulation.

During summer of 1997, I realized that the original air filter, which was mounted under the floor, was obstructing an area that would be perfect for a fresh water holding tank. This resulted in another project, the fabrication and mounting of a canister-type air filter alongside the engine, freeing up 16 cubic feet of space just in front of the rear wheels on the left side.

Work continued on the conversion, although it seemed as though I was getting little done. Much of the last of 1997 was spent restoring the weather proofing and rain gutters on the remnants of the original cab roof, and around the windshields. I repaired damaged areas in the sheet metal of the cab. This required the purchase of supplies to convert my wire-feed welder, as all of the original sheet metal is aluminum. Of course, this required me to learn to weld aluminum, which is quite different from steel. At this point, the hole for the two-way radio antenna, extraneous screw holes, and a stress fracture have all been repaired, smoothed over with body filler and painted with primer. I also constructed some custom aluminum brackets for mirror mounts, which eliminated some unwanted and ugly screw holes.

With the last of the weather proofing done, I settled into the inside, fitting insulation into the cab roof and reinstalled the headliner in that area. Spring of 1998, I constructed the sub-floor framing and sheathing. A drawing of the rear door and windows is at the left, these fixtures are about to be installed after having been custom made in Portland. Most of the late summer and early fall of '98 were consumed with the construction of the permanent rear wall into which these pieces of fine millwork will be mounted.

Most people would go out and buy signal lamp holders and just screw them to the rear sheet metal, but I wanted a more custom look. About two months of Spring 1999 was spent fabricating frenched-in tail lights that look like a factory installation. Just to prove to myself that nothing is easy, I decided to do a complete sanding on the millwork before applying the finish varnish. Of course, the more I sanded the 'rough' raw wood, the more small imperfections and splinters I found. So far, the sanding is nearly done, after twelve months of part-time work. I have managed to complete the lower windows and door, and have the top frames finished and installed. Custom aluminum trim blends the frames into the bus body, and I'm working out designs for trim at the top of the door that will compliment the roof line. A few more days of warm-and-sunny are needed so that I can completely enclose the rear before winter weather starts. The windows for the upper part of the back still need to be sanded and varnished, but this can be done as time permits over the coming winter.

Here is an early concept for the paint scheme, showing the bus accurately to scale. Not included
are the windows, graphics which will be painted in, or the metal supports for the rear overhang.
This design should evolve as time goes on.

Many months have passed since any meaningful progress was made on the coach, but as Winter 2003 approaches, I have finally gotten some windows installed in the sides of the bus, and a new Pella patio door opens on the road side. It's time to get back to work on the project. My 1962 Housetruck is not getting any better, the rust is beginning to take over the body. I'd like to move into the Crown before Winter of 2004. The interior need not be completed, and the undercarriage things like tanks and battery racks may not be completed, but with the addition of interior wiring and plumbing, a sleeping loft, hardwood floors and interior paneling, and some kitchen cabinets, I could be comfortable enough to inhabit the bus and finish up the rest of the living space when time permits. We'll see what the next twelve months brings.

See the 'Photo-of-the-Day' for details on the most recent construction progress