First, thanks for all your input on the MC-7. We finally went to see it...
The details were sketchy until today. It is indeed a confirmed McDonald's coach. "Big Mac #1". The first such coach ordered by Ray Kroc for 1970. He said it was featured in some magazine back in the 70's. The parts bus is also a McDonald's Coach.
This gentleman has owned over 30 coaches, using them for his business and parlaying a few. He bought these two because of their interesting history. He has owned them for 15 years and has put just 15K miles on this one. He was planning to restore the other bus, which he now considers a parts bus. The engine is missing from it, but in preparation for it's restoration, he bought a rebuilt zero mile 6 Speed Allison transmission for it is which is not installed. It is included in the deal.
The good bus has a nice body. No real rust that I can see at all. (I didn't realize the MC-7's body was all aluminum). Everything looks tight. It has some dings and scratches and a couple cracked side windows, and of course, the paints is shot. It looks like the vista windows were heavily gooped up, but he said they had not leaked on him. Looks like some water got through before, though, as the valance was water stained and the ceiling vinyl had peeled away right in front of the windows. There is also one spot on the laminate wall in the bathroom that is a little buckled. Probably water encroachment from the side window. The front 2 drive tires are low and dry, but he has 2 good ones in the cargo bays.
He said he stopped using the coach last year the day the main air distribution valve got hung, releasing all the air. He has a friend who owns a charter company in the town he lives in, and that is where the bus is sitting. He said all the scheduled maintenance was done by the charter company.
I got to talk with him for quite a while, and he says he has simply lost interest in it at this stage in his life. He is 70 years old and retired other than serving on boards of charitable organizations. He seems like a no-nonsense guy and seems to really care about the coach He said he could make a single phone call and have the buses gone in a day, but he doesn't want to see it parted out. I actually believe him.
The batteries were down, so I was not able to hear it run today, but he said he has never had any major trouble with it other than having to rebuild the coach air conditioning compressor. He also said that the engine has had a short block replacement sometime in it's history.
I wish I had known it wasn't running. I would have asked him to get the batteries charged. Since he stopped using it a year ago, whatever ill effects sitting for a year might cause could be an issue... old diesel?
The interesting thing about the coach is how the interior struck us. It is nice, but has a very utilitarian, industrial feel to it. And the gray and blue color scheme makes it seem cold.
With the dove gray laminate throughout the coach, you can forget incorporating any wood in a mild remodel. Anything but more light gray laminate would really clash. You are really tied to the existing floorplan and that gray color. The royal blue is pretty ugly in person, and as you might imagine, was a major turn off to the wife. She did, however, like all the cup holders. (Well, that's what's important)
EVERY SINGLE door, drawer and bin has a key lock. Again, makes for a very industrial, commercial look.
By my count, the coach will easily seat 19 passengers, maybe more. It was clearly a day coach. The layout and limiting color scheme really left us wondering if we would be able to come up with a remodel that we would be happy with... Didn't see that coming!
It is a nice bus with a low mileage chassis, and I have no reason to doubt it runs like he says. And again, if I got serious, my friend in Alabama would give it the once over. I would, of course, need for the distribution valve to be fixed and drive it if we got to that point, but right now, we are trying to decide if we even really like it enough to go that far...
We will be thinking, talking, and praying. We'll see.
