The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre 1954 Prevost Bus

I know, I know. Have I taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque? But I swear I belong here. My son and I are starting the restoration and modification of a 1954 Prevost intercity bus. Built in Quebec, Canada and sold out into British Columbia in 1954.

I was losing hope of finding any sort of mechanical documentation or any information at all on this thing until I realized that this thing is just an aluminum body sat down on top of a 1-1/2 Chevy/GM chassis and drivetrain. Then all the pieces started to fall into place. 235 engine, the 10-7.25 wheels, etc. I think the steering and linkage is like one of the COE trucks.

I've already found so much info on these forums and site that I'm feeling a lot more confident in our "little" project. I'll post a picture here but I'll put more in the other threads as we go.

Currently we've had to free up a seized front hub and drum. But that's done and we've got the engine firing and running a bit but fuel supply is an issue so I am going to attempt a carb rebuild of the Rochester BC 1bbl this weekend.

Anyways, hope you all don't mind a Big Bolt with a disguise on. I look forward to being a part of this community.

At least Albuquerque was spelled correctly, so you’re likely on the right path!🍺

Bienvenu Tony! What an interesting bus! We'll want to see more pictures, naturally, as you are able to share.

I'm particularly interested in the mechanical layout of the bus. Is it built on a COE chassis, then? Is the carburetor down draft or updraft? The bolt on hub covers on the front axle tell us that its a 2-ton axle.

I'm in the middle (sort of ...) of a bus "restoration" myself, although mine is slightly newer and not even remotely a Stovebolt. My bus isn't from Quebec, either (but I am ...). How badly is your floor rusted? The body looks great.

Again, welcome aboard. We'll be happy have have you here and help you sort out your mechanical issues.

John

Hy FatTony and guys, the transit system that I spent my career maintaining had a fleet of five Prevost buses. These buses had huge Spicer aluminum case four speed manual transmissions and Detroit Diesel 8V 71 engines. The engine/transmission was mounted so that the drive came into the differential from the rear, this made the transmission shift pattern backward, hard for some drivers to get used to. These buses were used to deliver students and staff to a university on top of a mountain, Simon Fraser University. These buses were kept on the road well past their "best by date" but we patched them up as best we could, their construction was primitive at best, we figured out that their rear exit door was an afterthought, just cut a hole in the structure and install some steps and hang on a door. They did their jobs in severe conditions for over twenty years!

Pretty cool. Why does your picture look like a toy bus in a diorama?

So it seems to be a bit of an anomaly even among Prevost buses of the era. The Prevost Citadin that seems to have been common was a rear engine. This is a front engine, under a doghouse. The driver is right up front even with the center line perpendicular to what I believe is a 235. I got some casting numbers off the head which according to devestechnet matches to the 235 in 1954.

I am only guessing that it is similar to the COE because of the way the pedal linkage and steering gear are located.

It is a downdraft Rochester carb. I am interested to know more about the axles and brakes. I thought it was the 1-1/2T as the rear end looks like the housing for the Eaton H110. I got some casting numbers off of it but haven't been able to make them work anywhere yet. When I had the hub and drum off of the front it looked exactly like the ones shown in this post:

1-1/2 T drum brakes

As far as rust goes, it is in remarkable condition from having sat mostly unprotected on the side of a mountain in the Rockies for the last 15-20 years. We are likely replacing most or all of the floor, but it all feels very solid. The frame and supports for the body are good with only surface rust as far as I can see so far. And the body except the frames of the windows, is aluminum and only has some small patches of corrosion near the bottom.

The really perplexing thing is that is has air. There is a compressor, tanks, air control switch beside the driver. But no air brakes. I am thinking it is the air assisted hydraulic brakes that some of the military trucks used. (And possibly still do??) But I haven't dug too deep into the system yet. Just concentrating on getting a somewhat reliably running engine and having it slowly mobile to move it around the yard a little etc.

@3B I miss Burnaby Mountain. My wife and I would go up there at night to look at the lights of the city. Usually after going to Anton's for fettuccine.

So far in my research I have found that this particular bus was sold to B.C. Coach Lines, Ltd. which operated in and around Kamloops and Merit. I even found a timetable for that year so possibly the one this bus would have run.

Bus Schedule

I guess it does look like a toy. Just the blur effect I put around the picture.

Welcome to the 'bolt. We definitely need more pictures!!

Please don't get too far in to the weeds in this thread, as this forum is meant for "howdy's".

Please start a new thread when you are ready to discuss specifics.

Can you send a picture ?

Couple more pics before I move to some of the other forums. I have two of the interior, looking fore and aft. Don't mind the good boy in one. The previous owners had converted it to a RV in the 60s or early 70s and just before it got parked the daughter had started a reno of it. So we have a nearly blank slate to work with inside.

The third pic is the front, head on. It has such a unique looking profile. I love it. That pic is taken in the place where it has sat for the last 15-20 years before we dug it out of the pine needles and clay. And I included a picture of the engine as we found it in March. You can see the drivers pedals are up nearly even with the radiator and the gear shift actually behind the driver.

Hope you enjoy. I'm off to start posting tech questions.

Beautiful project, there!
That shift lever like that, I wonder if there was an assistant to the driver who did the shifting?😂
Ive seen the Prevost name here in BC. We have an adjacent island here, called Prevost.
Also, I've heard Kamloops called the name of an automotive breakfast cereal! 🤣
Sorry. Hope we will get to watch this project come to fruition.
C

FatTony - Welcome to the 'Bolt! What a super cool project. Doing a little zooming in on some of your later pics, there are some very interesting oddities, like the Rochester carb having a side inlet for the fuel line VS a forward facing port that we see in the usual Rochester carbs. It is surprisingly intact and I can even see the engine cover still hanging out in the back of the bus.

Looking forward to seeing more and following along with your project. Being that it's a "Bus" on an apparent "Big Bolt" chassis, it may be a good idea to post your further questions in the Big Bolts Forum. In there, you can pose questions and requests for help on any of the technical aspects on the bus since it involves all things "Big Bolt" related. It may be easier to keep track of your questions and answers in a single forum, then more folks acquainted with "Big Bolt" issues and solutions can focus attention on helping you out.

Let me join in on welcoming you to the ‘bolt. That bus really does look like a cool project, and I’m also looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
I grew up in Kamloops, and spent many days and nights getting driven back and forth between home and the rink in Merritt. We may even have passed or followed your bus.