10-19-2014, 07:22 AM
I spent a lot of time on the Luxury Coach Lifestyle and I see a few familiar names here too. LCL really hasn't had much activity lately so I went searching for another site and ran across this one. Looks like a nice site.
I guess it's a matter of public record what we paid for the coach, I feel we got a great deal since the Imron paint is still beautiful and we all know what a paint job costs. We named the coach after my mother, Carole Ann. We purchased her in Julian California in March 2013, drove her to San Diego to change the oil and coolant and then parked her for a couple months till I could drive her home. The previous owners had lived in the coach for the last 11 years and the only maintenance I could see was that they replaced the front tires right before putting her up for sale. This was the FIRST vehicle that had a full tank of gas when I bought it but.......not so fast!......the diesel mechanic in San Diego recommended that I drain ALL 80 gallons and start over. The fuel smelled like a mix of syrup and paint thinner and I'm guessing it was 11 years old too. Due to an infestation of black widow spiders, we bombed the interior several times to ensure that we had no uninvited guests. The PO demonstrated the generator running but I didn't ask him to demonstrate that it actually generated, soooo when it was time to take it home I started it up and NO power!
May 8th my brother in law (a diesel mechanic) and I flew to San Diego to drive her home, 10 miles east of San Diego the chassis electrical system caught on fire and melted under the dash, apparently a result of rodents eating the insulation off of the wiring. We disconnected the battery and ran a wire from the battery to the fuel shut-off valve to keep the engine running. Made the whole trip on flat air bags with no lights or turn signals......shhhh......don't tell anyone! Aside from that, Carole Ann performed well. She climbed the hills like a sports car (slight exaggeration) and braked well on the descents. We tried the retarder but ugly noises (due to shredded motor mounts we would later come to find out) discouraged its use. We pulled in to our Massillon OH driveway May 10 (our 15th anniversary).
The coach was ordered by Guy Scroggins in 1971 and was delivered in 1972. Apparently Mr. Scroggins was a southern California attorney who didn't like to drive and had chauffeur's quarters and a 2nd bathroom built in the back for a driver. He sold the coach in 1981 to Don Bucy and Mr. Bucy ordered a repower to the Detroit 8.2, Allison transmission and 2 speed differential. Sold again in 1991 to Don McDougal Jr., Mr. McDougal ordered the interior remodeled and a custom trailer hitch. Paul Nelson purchased the coach in 2002 and I purchased in March 2013. According to Newell, Carole Ann is the 96th coach built by their company with serial number 3F30 S5196. I do not know if there have been any other Newell's built with chauffeur's quarters, but the uniqueness of this coach was also a motivator to buy......and our teenage daughter loves having her own room.
The coach was really in worse condition than first appeared. It took me a month to rewire the chassis electrical system including a new alternator and voltage regulator. The water pump compartment was falling apart and the pump was seized, furnace was inop, black water valves shot, radiator leaking....but we got her livable for a trip to Geneva OH in October. As we pulled into the RV park the brake pedal went to the floor thanks to a blown seal in a wheel cylinder. We got her home but a rebuild of the brake system was now in order. When we got the brakes apart I can't believe they kept us safe on the drive home, all I can say is we have an overworked guardian angel! Sooooo, last winter we basically replaced the brake system. Since the rear axles have to come out of the differential to service the brakes we replaced seals, bearings, races and refilled with synthetic gear oil.
Although I got the generac generator working I'm not a big fan of all of its circuit boards so we decided to replace it with a good 'ol Onan (since that's what Carole Ann originally had).
This summer we took her to Virginia Beach and back towing our 1981 Honda Accord. Our only hiccup was a blown transmission cooler line. Later we restored a 1968 Cushman golf cart and painted it the same color as the coach. If we're not towing the Honda, we'll probably bring the cart.
Just last month we found some Newell emblems on ebay and Carole Ann is now properly labeled!
I've still got the restoration of the rear bathroom to do....new tank, toilet, sink and faucets. I've got to replace the window shades and window surrounds and about a thousand more things, but I plan on driving well into retirement (19 short years to go) so we should have plenty of time to take each project at our own pace.
One thing I'm still looking for is the proper felt for the windows....if anyone has a lead????
Thanks for all of the kind words of support.
I now have extensive experience with hydrovac brake systems and Detroit fuel pincher engines, feel free to contact me if anyone has a problem.
Bob
Massillon OH
I guess it's a matter of public record what we paid for the coach, I feel we got a great deal since the Imron paint is still beautiful and we all know what a paint job costs. We named the coach after my mother, Carole Ann. We purchased her in Julian California in March 2013, drove her to San Diego to change the oil and coolant and then parked her for a couple months till I could drive her home. The previous owners had lived in the coach for the last 11 years and the only maintenance I could see was that they replaced the front tires right before putting her up for sale. This was the FIRST vehicle that had a full tank of gas when I bought it but.......not so fast!......the diesel mechanic in San Diego recommended that I drain ALL 80 gallons and start over. The fuel smelled like a mix of syrup and paint thinner and I'm guessing it was 11 years old too. Due to an infestation of black widow spiders, we bombed the interior several times to ensure that we had no uninvited guests. The PO demonstrated the generator running but I didn't ask him to demonstrate that it actually generated, soooo when it was time to take it home I started it up and NO power!
May 8th my brother in law (a diesel mechanic) and I flew to San Diego to drive her home, 10 miles east of San Diego the chassis electrical system caught on fire and melted under the dash, apparently a result of rodents eating the insulation off of the wiring. We disconnected the battery and ran a wire from the battery to the fuel shut-off valve to keep the engine running. Made the whole trip on flat air bags with no lights or turn signals......shhhh......don't tell anyone! Aside from that, Carole Ann performed well. She climbed the hills like a sports car (slight exaggeration) and braked well on the descents. We tried the retarder but ugly noises (due to shredded motor mounts we would later come to find out) discouraged its use. We pulled in to our Massillon OH driveway May 10 (our 15th anniversary).
The coach was ordered by Guy Scroggins in 1971 and was delivered in 1972. Apparently Mr. Scroggins was a southern California attorney who didn't like to drive and had chauffeur's quarters and a 2nd bathroom built in the back for a driver. He sold the coach in 1981 to Don Bucy and Mr. Bucy ordered a repower to the Detroit 8.2, Allison transmission and 2 speed differential. Sold again in 1991 to Don McDougal Jr., Mr. McDougal ordered the interior remodeled and a custom trailer hitch. Paul Nelson purchased the coach in 2002 and I purchased in March 2013. According to Newell, Carole Ann is the 96th coach built by their company with serial number 3F30 S5196. I do not know if there have been any other Newell's built with chauffeur's quarters, but the uniqueness of this coach was also a motivator to buy......and our teenage daughter loves having her own room.
The coach was really in worse condition than first appeared. It took me a month to rewire the chassis electrical system including a new alternator and voltage regulator. The water pump compartment was falling apart and the pump was seized, furnace was inop, black water valves shot, radiator leaking....but we got her livable for a trip to Geneva OH in October. As we pulled into the RV park the brake pedal went to the floor thanks to a blown seal in a wheel cylinder. We got her home but a rebuild of the brake system was now in order. When we got the brakes apart I can't believe they kept us safe on the drive home, all I can say is we have an overworked guardian angel! Sooooo, last winter we basically replaced the brake system. Since the rear axles have to come out of the differential to service the brakes we replaced seals, bearings, races and refilled with synthetic gear oil.
Although I got the generac generator working I'm not a big fan of all of its circuit boards so we decided to replace it with a good 'ol Onan (since that's what Carole Ann originally had).
This summer we took her to Virginia Beach and back towing our 1981 Honda Accord. Our only hiccup was a blown transmission cooler line. Later we restored a 1968 Cushman golf cart and painted it the same color as the coach. If we're not towing the Honda, we'll probably bring the cart.
Just last month we found some Newell emblems on ebay and Carole Ann is now properly labeled!
I've still got the restoration of the rear bathroom to do....new tank, toilet, sink and faucets. I've got to replace the window shades and window surrounds and about a thousand more things, but I plan on driving well into retirement (19 short years to go) so we should have plenty of time to take each project at our own pace.
One thing I'm still looking for is the proper felt for the windows....if anyone has a lead????
Thanks for all of the kind words of support.
I now have extensive experience with hydrovac brake systems and Detroit fuel pincher engines, feel free to contact me if anyone has a problem.
Bob
Massillon OH
Bob Kopicki
1972 Newell Chauffeur
1964 Land Rover 88 Series IIa TOAD