1990 GMC SHORT BUS

ARTICHOKE · 01-18-2011, 02:35 PM

Been looking around the site for awhile now and decided it is time to post something. A while back I started looking for campervans or something I could one day travel and live in. I ended up finding a bus and I could actually stand up inside of it being 6'2' and would have more room than a van. The people before me used it to tow their jet skis to the lake and started a conversion but not the same thing I was trying to do. Its a 1990 GMC Vandura 3500 unleaded gas 106,000 miles. Here are some photos...

Didn't want the yellow just sitting in front of my place getting attention, so I started with white primer but ended
up spraying on DupliColor Self Etching primer.

I've done some more since these photo's and will share those soon. I'll also show an idea of a floor plan.

dirtygoat · 01-19-2011, 01:31 PM

Nice little rig you got there...

Keep us updated with lots of pics... We love pics...

ARTICHOKE · 01-20-2011, 02:33 AM

will do! I'll have more photos in a few days and soon I'll start having some questions!

putterspitt · 01-20-2011, 10:06 AM

oh oh, smitty is on your radar now, lots of pics, or it didnt happen according to him.

sdwarf36 · 01-20-2011, 12:26 PM

Is it just me or are shorties getting---um--shorter?

Welcome! It looks like you got a good start on things already.

Stuff · 01-21-2011, 11:35 PM

wow thats awesome!!

I like how it had the fold down table and a couch that folded into a bed. I kinda want something like that for the front of mine.

ARTICHOKE · 01-25-2011, 06:18 PM

Thanks for the welcomes! I'm twenty and learning how to work on new stuff is fun. I hope to live in my bus when its finished and being able to live wherever I want to live when I want to live there! I'm still stuck on the floor right now though.. I don't have a lot of money right now to work on the bus so I've been trying to find all the free and cheap supplies I can off craigslist and freecycle. I've had trouble finding sheet metal or metal signs, free or at a price I can afford so closing up the holes is slowing me down. I do have some aluminum road signs and was wondering if anyone has every cut aluminum to fit around the rusted holes, then screw into the floor with sheet metal screws and then caulk around it inside and under the bus. Would this be something that will work long term or more of a short term fix? I want to do it right but also something that I am capable of doing. Here are some new pics of the inside. I've painted the floor with Rustoleum Rust paint and also used Hammer Tite, a product similar to POR15. Another thing I was curious about was if anyone had dealt with the floors being different levels and what is the best thing to do to get everything leveled out and the holes covered well. Thanks for reading all of this and thanks for any help.

Here is the back corner.. pretty rusted out on the floor and the wall.

Another rusted out part..

Inside showing the paint and work area..

The signs I have to work with right now..

baadpuppy · 01-26-2011, 09:22 AM

Any time you attach dissimilar metals to each other you need to be aware of the potential for galvanic reaction. So attaching aluminum to steel with steel screws will likely result in things falling apart after a while, unless you're very careful to keep the metals separated from each other.

What part of the country are you in? It's possible someone might live within a reasonable distance and have some metal available. I know this summer one of my busses will be donating metal to two other busses. If you happen to be near the delmarva peninsula, it might be worthwhile for us to talk more.

Good luck,
jim

cronk3420 · 01-28-2011, 03:13 PM

Nice bus, very similar to mine! Where's the floor plans?

Roadieman · 03-30-2011, 09:20 PM

Nice shorty, can you post pics of the trailer hitch? I have a 1983 GMC with a Wayne body I am needing to put a class 3 receiver hitch on. My wife and I compete in BBQ competitions which was the reason for the bus (over night cooks) We need to pull a 2800 pound smoker with the bus, any pics or post from others out there would be appreciated.

M1031 · 03-31-2011, 10:32 PM

Arti,

If you're in the Houston area, PM me. I have years of experience in metalwork. My painting may not be the best, but I know how to make floors solid and rustproof. I would not advise mixing metals without a bunch of prep work. That's just a temporary band aid that will need to be removed and a proper steel floor installed if the prep work is inadequate. Just my $2 (it was 2 cents - however inflation ate it up).

Stuff · 04-01-2011, 01:06 AM

nice progress!

bwilson · 07-31-2015, 08:28 PM

what size tires you running?

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