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Old 09-19-2020, 12:04 PM   #1
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Lebanon, Indiana
Posts: 911
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Winnebago
Chassis: Ford F53
Engine: Ford Triton V-10
Rated Cap: currently 2
The Tin Winnie - I think this is my first project post

So I know it's not a skoolie but in July I bought a 2000 Winnebago Brave that was actually a mobile showroom and later a party bus. It has a company branded body wrap, no windows and completely paneled interior. I've been working on the weekends to gut it as well as fix a few mechanical issues (the catalytic converter had been cut off). It purrs now and the next step is inspect the wheels and brakes while swapping on new tires.

Because it's an RV it has fiberglass and luan exterior but because it's a Winnebago it has a steel cage structure. I'm planning to rip off the exterior and rewrap it in sheet metal (hence the name Tin Winnie) then install my interior. In the meantime, just doing as much as I can as I have time and right now it's not so much budget as time. I have no seats to discard but all this wood paneling is probably going to make one heckuva bonfire!

The pics are of my helper. He hangs out with me anytime I'm over here working on it.
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Old 09-19-2020, 02:04 PM   #2
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Location: Philadelphia
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Party bus? What did you do with the stripper pole?
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Old 09-19-2020, 02:37 PM   #3
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Party bus? What did you do with the stripper pole?
LOL they must have taken it out before I bought it but I did get the bar and beer tap
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Old 09-19-2020, 04:31 PM   #4
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I guess an exterior shot would be a good idea... unfortunately it wasn't on my phone so I had to wait until I got home to upload it from my PC.
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Old 09-19-2020, 10:29 PM   #5
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Nice-looking rig. Honorary skoolie!
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Old 11-08-2020, 06:22 PM   #6
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We got an unseasonably nice November weekend so I winter wrapped the Winnebago for the winter. It is accessible without having to completely remove the cover as it has zippered panels along the side so if the winter is mild and I get some weekends I can keep working on gutting the interior.
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Old 11-08-2020, 06:31 PM   #7
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Just needs a big bow.
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Old 11-09-2020, 08:14 AM   #8
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You better do some more research on how Winnebago walls are built. Only steel is up front. Only aluminum is used in the main part of the walls. And very little aluminum is used. Structural strength comes from the lamination of the foam, lauan, and fiberglass. Removing layers will destroy the structure.

Good news is Winnebago will send you pdf copies of the prints used to make the walls. You can see exactly what's in them on your unit without removing anything.
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Old 11-09-2020, 11:54 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by ennonne View Post
You better do some more research on how Winnebago walls are built. Only steel is up front. Only aluminum is used in the main part of the walls. And very little aluminum is used. Structural strength comes from the lamination of the foam, lauan, and fiberglass. Removing layers will destroy the structure.

Good news is Winnebago will send you pdf copies of the prints used to make the walls. You can see exactly what's in them on your unit without removing anything.
I appreciate that foresight. Indeed, back in 2000 the steel superstructure was the undercarriage and wall structure then the roof is a truss system of indeterminate material. (I haven't confirmed it's metal or wood). There is foam cut to fit but then the luan/fiberglass exterior panel is glued in it's entirety to the side. I've already begun the interior wall removal to confirm where my structural pieces reside before I commit to a floorplan. I think back in 2006 or so there was a new resin/fiberglass composite wall product introduced into the RV manufacturing industry and Winnebago was one of the first brands to adopt it because it allowed them to reduce the structural metal weight as the exterior wall material had better structural strength properties. Alas this was after mine was built so I am dealing with 20 year old luan which has basically dissolved and is collecting in love handles along the midsection of my RV!

My plan is to get the interior down to the wall structure, identity where my windows and doors can go with the minimal amount of modifications to the structural frame, then as mentioned in another topic I will shop around but probably end up at 360 Fleet Services in Lafayette where they can rip all the fiberglass and luan from the exterior and reskin it in Wabash DuraPlate which is another engineered product that adds structural rigidity to the finished product. If I'm fortunate maybe I can stumble into the same deal where they'll just give the materials away because they have so much of it sitting around!

BTW, in spite of my dislike of heights, I was up on the roof while we were installing the cover and it too is surprisingly resilient. No weak spots, no popping or sagging from the weight of two of us walking around on it. I think this is a testament to how ruggedly Winnebago builds it's RVs. I know we get into a lot of RV-bashing here when comparing them to school buses but not all RVs are sticks-and-staples which is how I ended up deciding to go with this instead of a bus. It got me a lot further along faster in the project without having to do nearly as much demolition. I'm pretty happy with it even if I'm making slow progress but fortunately I'm not in much of a hurry so long as I'm done by the time I'm ready to retire!
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Old 11-10-2020, 11:28 AM   #10
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Best of luck. I do recommend contacting Winnebago (or@winnebagoind.com) and getting drawings for your walls. They'll just need your Winnebago serial number. We have/had a '99, '01, two '04s, and a '20 in our family. They are all constructed alike. I have the wall drawings for the '01 and '04, neither have any structural steel past the cab in the walls. Have the roof drawings too, no trusses, just a vertical piece of sheet metal between the foam blocks every 4' or so.
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