Magic Carpet Coach Inc.

[Hosefly]

I have a 1982 Prevost with a Magic Carpet Coach conversion. It is my understanding they are no longer around does anyone know where I might find some information on them and maybe obtain a manual. Any help out there? Thanks, HOESFLY

[jjrbus]

Never heard of Magic Carpet.  What kind of manual do you want? There are parts manuals, service manuals available for the bus. I doubt if there is or ever was a manual for the conversion. Post some questions here you may get some ansewers. Also where are you? somebody close may be able to help you out. 98% of bus nuts give the rest a good name!

[Hosefly]

I am in Albany, Ga. Surely all bus conversions have manuals explaining what everything does and where it is located. This one had them but cannot be found by last owner.

[Dallas]

Hosefly,

I've worked on a number of "professionally" converted coaches, including Marathon, Custom Coaches, and Newells, Not a single one of them ever had an owners manual, let alone a service manual.

One of the problems is that many of the high end coaches is built to the new owners spec and there is not really any way of anticipating what that owner is going to want.

Even with something as simple as awnings, there are many different manufacturers and as many ways to deal with one.

My bus is an ex-trailways, ex-custom coach from their early days, like clear back in the late sixties, and the closest it had to a service manual was a notebook that had a bunch of old warrantee cards in it.

Good Luck on your quest for Magic Carpet Coach.... It seems that converters come and converters go..... often.

One thing that does come to mind though, didn't Sam Walker call some of his coaches, "Magic"?

Dallas

[HighTechRedneck]

I am in Albany, Ga. Surely all bus conversions have manuals explaining what everything does and where it is located. This one had them but cannot be found by last owner.

My guess would be that the last owner had parts/service manuals for the engine and/or bus that it was built on.  You can get those manuals at http://www.coachinfo.com/index.html As for the interior, perhaps they had manuals that came with the appliances, generator, etc.  Using Google, you might be able to locate manuals for those parts.  But as Dallas said, most bus conversions are highly customized, and professional bus conversion shops just don't have the time or the writing staff to create manuals for each one.

[Stan]

I have worked on professionally converted coaches where it was obvious that the minimum wage man in the shop had worked without drawings. I have also worked on ones that had complete manuals. Probably the ultimate in custom building is Newell Coach, (where even the length is custom) and they supply complete detailed manuals and retain a copy at the factory to refer to if you phone about a problem. The conversion companies consisting of a man and wife may turn out excellent work or shoddy work. You pay your money and take your chances.

I really can't imagine any reputable conversion company parking a new shell in the shop and just telling a crew of men to build a motor home for Mr. Smith and this is what he wants.  Any converter that operated like that deserved to quickly go out of business.

[HighTechRedneck]

I can see Newell doing complete manuals on custom coaches.  With a $1.2 million price tag, they can work in the cost of a professional technical writer to do a set of manuals for each custom coach. 

Maybe I am wrong on this but I don't I see the lack of a manual as being the same as converting a bus without a plan.  To me a Operators Manual is a detailed description of how to use the features, nothing to do with building it.  A complete Parts Manual is more closely related to construction plans, but unless the shop designs each coach in a full version of AutoCad, exporting the construction plans to a meaningful Parts Manual would be a major endeavor.  No matter how it is planned out, a Service Manual would require a lot of professional grade technically knowledgeable writing to keep from looking amatuer.

[jjrbus]

There you go Hosefly, from a definate maybe to no way on earth. Those of us that have been at this for a while can belive that there is not a manual available. In the meantime, just ask questions here on the board . Everybody would be glad to help. Also If you can get to a bus gathering of some type it would help you a lot. 

[Stan]

Production coach manufacturers provide a big envelope containing all the operating and warranty books for each component they install. If the customer needs more detailed information than that, they can usually get it of the internet. They provide a minimum amount of information on the coach because they want you to take it to a dealer. I have been given that answer when I phoned for information.

Most custom coach converters don't have a dealer network so it is not really convenient to drive  across the country to the converter when you have a problem, so basic information should be provided with the coach. I assume that a wiring diagram was  sent to the production people  and these should show things like terminal strips, junction boxes and component location. With this information it is relatively easy to trouble shoot a problem. It is very time consuming when you have no idea what route a wire follows or what components are between the source and the fixture. This is a simple line drawing that does not require a high level of expertise to produce and is already required for the production people.

Similarily, a line drawing for the heating and A/C system to show control circuits and power circuits should be provided.

Few manufacturers would get away with providing a custom built piece of industrial equipment, that cost a fraction of the cost of a new shell bus conversion, without providing documentation.  BTDT for many years and frequently Item 2 on the purchase order was "Complete Documentation". The invoice doesn't get paid until the purchase order is complete.

[JerryH]

Hosefly,

I've worked on a number of "professionally" converted coaches, including Marathon, Custom Coaches, and Newells, Not a single one of them ever had an owners manual, let alone a service manual.

Dallas

Hosefly:
We purchased an older model Custom Coach -- to my knowledge ... they did provide "something" for the owner.  We have that "something".  It's a binder (as it were) containing a list of things to do for care and cleaning, preventative maintenance, etc.  It also lists most of the parts and components that went into the coach which has come in handy (ie:  name, model and SN's).  Engine, tranny, genset (backset & power plant), etc., etc., etc.  In my spare time, I'd like to convert it all to Pdf file and burn to a disk for myself and/or future owner of the bus (if and when we sell it).  As others have said, the factory manuals for electronics and other items was also included in the packet.  Even have the invoices from Custom Coach to Anheuser-Busch for the coach.

Fun reading it was.

Jerry H.

[bobofthenorth]

We didn't get a manual with our coach which was converted by a small family owned conversion company.  They did a good enough job of the conversion, no complaints there but all we got for a manual was a stack of documents and manuals relating to the components.  OTOH we didn't get any more than that on our last fifth wheel which we purchased new from Fleetwood.  I'd rather have the DD & Prevost manuals (which I have) than some bit of fluff that an assembler puts together to tell me how to light the furnace and dump the sewer.

YMMV

[Hosefly]

I would like to thank everyone for the feedback, this is our first Prevost. I am really happy with the coach ,there are some things I'm not familiar with as were on our previous RV's----Thanks, Hosefly

[normancasson]

Magic Carpet Coach was the original name for Marathon Coach. About the time your coach was produced they became Marathon. They still have one employee who has been with them from day 1 (I just can't seem to remember his name) and a list of evey coach owner but I simply don't know whether they include those first few coaches made under the Magic Carpet name. I happen to own Marathon coach #13 produced many years ago but when i'm visiting the factory you'd think I'd just purchased the coach a few months ago-they're simply great to deal with. You might call them to see if any of the Magic Carpet owners are or can be included on their ownership list and qualify for membership in the Marathon Coach club.