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01-24-2019, 03:53 PM
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#1
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 18
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And so it begins!
Ive been reading post on this site and watching Youtube videos of conversions for a couple months now. Found a 1992 Thomas 40 ft diesel pusher with a mechanical 8.3 Cummins, with 159,000 miles. Will start with a roof raise and entry door relocation to somewhere south of the front wheels as the wife wants a seat right up front like a traditional RV. The rest is a blank canvas and will unfold as we go. Wish me luck!
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01-24-2019, 06:43 PM
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#2
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,714
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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Whats the plan for the roof raise?
Seems LOTS of folks buy a Thomas to do a raise on. That's fine but they're a lot tougher to make look good due to the 6 degree slope.
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01-24-2019, 10:01 PM
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#3
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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Did they have the taper in '92? That one at least "looks" square.
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01-24-2019, 10:04 PM
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#4
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango
Did they have the taper in '92? That one at least "looks" square.
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Yup, the only taper is on the back.
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01-24-2019, 11:12 PM
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#5
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,714
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango
Did they have the taper in '92? That one at least "looks" square.
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Yeah its tapered.
This is a 92'
My friend's 91 is tapered.
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01-25-2019, 10:34 AM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Barrie ON
Posts: 440
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 72
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nice looking rig, love the ambition for fab
Also digging the name 
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01-25-2019, 12:17 PM
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#7
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB
Yeah its tapered.
This is a 92'
My friend's 91 is tapered. |
Is it a flat nose?
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01-25-2019, 12:25 PM
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#8
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,714
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc
Is it a flat nose?
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Yeah man.
Its a Thomas thing.
Blow up the pic of OP's bus and its there.
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01-28-2019, 12:17 PM
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#9
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 18
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Yes it is a flat nose
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01-28-2019, 12:31 PM
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#10
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 18
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If you follow Wes from Transcend Existance, he recently did a raise for someone in San Francisco that is almost exactly what I want. About 20 inch raise starting directly behind the front roof transition cone.
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01-28-2019, 12:34 PM
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#11
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,714
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
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I've chatted with him before.
Its not rocket science, I'm just saying it takes more finesse with a Thomas. Wes' exact method won't work without some tweaks as you've got different geometry at work.
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01-28-2019, 12:52 PM
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#12
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 18
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Yeah, I'm sure I have a learning curve ahead of me, to be sure! Not in a huge rush and am expecting about a 2 year build out.
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01-28-2019, 12:57 PM
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#13
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
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"Not in a huge rush and am expecting about a 2 year build out."
LOL! That's what I said. Six years ago!
Good news is you aren't totally rebuilding an antique...so rock on!
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01-28-2019, 03:17 PM
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#14
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tango
"Not in a huge rush and am expecting about a 2 year build out."
LOL! That's what I said. Six years ago!
Good news is you aren't totally rebuilding an antique...so rock on!
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Mee too....
I am at the two year mark and have made substantial progress on the roof raise. It's not quite "weathered in" yet.....
Life/health/family seem to interrupt our well laid plans...
My 2 year plan has turned into a 3-4 year plan...
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01-29-2019, 10:44 AM
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#15
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 18
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Hey
As long as your making progress and haven’t lost interest in it, it’s all good!
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01-29-2019, 12:13 PM
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#16
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Greenwood, Indiana
Posts: 669
Year: 1999
Coachwork: New Flyer
Chassis: D45HF "Viking"
Engine: 11.1L Detroit Diesel S60
Rated Cap: 51,600
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April will mark three years for me....
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01-30-2019, 03:26 AM
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#17
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
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If you start the raise below the windows you can achieve two benefits.
First, when you do the raise the windows become normal height for you to see out of while standing.
Second, by doing the raise below the windows you avoid most of the taper as most of the taper starts at the window line.
Understandably making a cut below the windows would require removing some, or most, of the exterior panels and all of the interior panels. Since you will most probably remove the interior panels in order to add more insulation that is an added job.
Make sure you take lots of photos. First, years down the road you will have a record of how you did things so if something needs fixing you will know how you put it together at the start. And second, documenting and sharing your project can educate and encourage others to do something similar.
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01-30-2019, 02:23 PM
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#18
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 18
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Good advice! However, I am removing all the windows and replacing with RV windows. The documentation part is excellent advice. Not sure yet if I will do photos exclusively or if I want to do videos with the end goal of a Vlog or YouTube channel. I have about a mont or so to decide as I am not starting the project till end of February or early March.
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01-30-2019, 02:59 PM
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#19
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Bus Geek
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach
Make sure you take lots of photos. First, years down the road you will have a record of how you did things so if something needs fixing you will know how you put it together at the start. And second, documenting and sharing your project can educate and encourage others to do something similar.
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Amen!
I found my photo library to be invaluable when I converted my first bus.
It was not quite finished when we went on the road and found myself working on projects a year later and wondering "what is behind this panel?" or "how in the world did I do this?".
Out came the photo albums to refresh my memory.
Also, some of us get a lot more detail out of still pictures than videos.
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02-02-2019, 09:03 PM
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#20
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Mini-Skoolie
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Central Mississippi
Posts: 10
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If you haven’t already, check out “ the bus life “ on YouTube. They did a roof raise on a Thomas re and installed rv windows. Her a link : https://youtu.be/PYAFtz3_wqo
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