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Old 03-31-2011, 01:14 PM   #1
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The Window Licker comes home

New short-bus owner here - I got home from work on Tuesday to discover that my SO gave a verbal handshake to a friend on a '93 GMC/Thomas 30 HD Class A-2 short bus. We intend to convert it into a dirtbike hauler/RV and the info here has been really helpful as we gather ideas and look into the technical details. We're both DIY-types (he's a welder, I've built a house, we're both mechanics) so it's going to be a fun project for the two of us.

Our $500 shortie, "The Window Licker", complete with solid floor and impeccably-maintained drivetrain:


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Old 03-31-2011, 06:30 PM   #2
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

Welcome
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Old 04-01-2011, 12:36 PM   #3
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

Looks like a good size for a couple. Is that a high ceiling? Normally when Thomas bus roofs slope up like that they have 6'6" headroom. That's how mine is and I love it!
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Old 04-01-2011, 09:56 PM   #4
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

It's pretty close to 6'6", which is nice because my SO is 6'4" tall - he's thrilled to be able to stand upright inside.

I spent a couple hours after work yesterday removing seat bottoms and seatbelts. We're tackling seat frame removal as soon as I psych myself up for lying underneath it for a few hours with the PB Blaster and an impact wrench...

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Old 04-01-2011, 10:06 PM   #5
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

fun fun .. i like that the windows are already tinted sweet bus, what are you thinken bout colors??
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Old 04-01-2011, 10:22 PM   #6
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

Don't know yet - a light tan desert camo kind of thing could be cool, especially since we spend a lot of time riding and camping in the desert. Short-term will probably be white roof/solid sides of some sort...probably whatever I can find on sale.

A friend of ours is checking out some solar panels this weekend and if he finds a good array, I'll be adding four panels and about 80 watts of charging power for just a couple hundred bucks.
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Old 04-02-2011, 06:56 PM   #7
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Re: The Window Licker comes home



A friend wanted a couple of seats for his cabin so we told him, "you pull 'em, and they're yours."
Only ten more to go...

Removal is going more smoothly than anticipated - Someone still has to hold the nuts from the bottom but using the air gun up top makes it easy.
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Old 04-04-2011, 12:01 AM   #8
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

the position of the front axle looks weird for some reason. seems really far back...

other then that looks cool!
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Old 04-04-2011, 08:42 AM   #9
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

Dude just get a wheel grinder & a metal disc and slice them off. So much easier. You're bus is my size, might be helpful to look at my conversion.
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Old 04-04-2011, 10:57 AM   #10
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuff
the position of the front axle looks weird for some reason. seems really far back...

other then that looks cool!
On some Chevys + GMCs for work applications, they had a flip nose rather than the same front sheetmetal as a regular van. I never got used to the look-but was envious of the ease of maintiance it must of provided over the regular body. (of which i had 2)
The axle is in the same place--just the grill + fenders stick out farther forward.
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Old 04-04-2011, 12:14 PM   #11
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

Quote:
Originally Posted by RUskoolietailgater
Dude just get a wheel grinder & a metal disc and slice them off. So much easier. You're bus is my size, might be helpful to look at my conversion.

What - and destroy all of that Grade-5 hardware?

I'm not a dude, BTW...


I love the flip-nose up front even though it look a bit bulky/goofy. There's tons of room around the engine so everything is easily accessible.
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Old 04-04-2011, 03:07 PM   #12
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

I just put my daughter inside the bus with a hammer, rachet and a breaker bar while I sat under the bus holding on to the nuts with a wrench. We got all out but a couple and had to have hubby work on them. It was amazing how little rust there was on the frame.
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Old 04-08-2011, 01:35 PM   #13
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Re: The Window Licker comes home





Seats are out; the rattle-gun-up-top/wrench-from-the-bottom approach easily handled all but three bolts around the gas tank, but the grinder took 'em out fast.

Let the floor planning begin!
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Old 06-17-2011, 08:22 PM   #14
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Re: The Window Licker comes home

It took several weeks of hunting down accurate information and the better part of a day with the CSP, but the Window Licker is now ready to be registered and reclassified as a van on the title, which saves us a bunch of dosh on several fronts.

We acquired a propane furnace and kitchen items from an older pop-up that we dismantled - we sold the rolling frame for what we paid for the whole camper so a day of labor provided a good propane furnace, sink, ice box, water tank, and a small inverter with battery box, along with some misc. hardware. I also built a 170-watt solar kit and found a really nice 3-way Dometic fridge, so we're *finally* ready to build in all the comforts of home.
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