|
03-31-2011, 01:14 PM
|
#1
|
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 9
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy G30 HD
Engine: Chevy 5.7L
Rated Cap: 34
|
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:
|
|
|
03-31-2011, 06:30 PM
|
#2
|
Bus Crazy
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Andrews,Indiana
Posts: 2,436
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: AARE
Engine: 3116 Cat 250hp
Rated Cap: Just the two of us.
|
Re: The Window Licker comes home
Welcome
|
|
|
04-01-2011, 12:36 PM
|
#3
|
Bus Crazy
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,489
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/AT545
|
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!
|
|
|
04-01-2011, 09:56 PM
|
#4
|
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 9
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy G30 HD
Engine: Chevy 5.7L
Rated Cap: 34
|
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...
|
|
|
04-01-2011, 10:06 PM
|
#5
|
Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: southern oregon
Posts: 39
Year: 1969
Coachwork: superior coach
Chassis: international harvester
Engine: 345
Rated Cap: 48
|
Re: The Window Licker comes home
fun fun .. i like that the windows are already tinted sweet bus, what are you thinken bout colors??
|
|
|
04-01-2011, 10:22 PM
|
#6
|
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 9
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy G30 HD
Engine: Chevy 5.7L
Rated Cap: 34
|
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.
|
|
|
04-02-2011, 06:56 PM
|
#7
|
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 9
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy G30 HD
Engine: Chevy 5.7L
Rated Cap: 34
|
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.
|
|
|
04-04-2011, 12:01 AM
|
#8
|
Bus Crazy
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,485
|
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!
|
|
|
04-04-2011, 08:42 AM
|
#9
|
Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: Bluebird
Rated Cap: 16
|
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.
|
|
|
04-04-2011, 10:57 AM
|
#10
|
Bus Crazy
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Moodus, Ct.
Posts: 1,062
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Champion
Chassis: Ford e-450
Engine: 7.3 Powerstroke
Rated Cap: 14
|
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.
|
|
|
04-04-2011, 12:14 PM
|
#11
|
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 9
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy G30 HD
Engine: Chevy 5.7L
Rated Cap: 34
|
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.
|
|
|
04-04-2011, 03:07 PM
|
#12
|
Bus Geek
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Roswell, NM
Posts: 3,588
Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
|
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.
|
|
|
04-08-2011, 01:35 PM
|
#13
|
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 9
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy G30 HD
Engine: Chevy 5.7L
Rated Cap: 34
|
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!
|
|
|
06-17-2011, 08:22 PM
|
#14
|
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 9
Year: 1993
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Chevy G30 HD
Engine: Chevy 5.7L
Rated Cap: 34
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|