The time has come. All the designs are complete, and I'm anxious to get started. So RV Buddies went on a road trip - to Applied GMC in Fremont, California.

Anyone familiar with the cult of GMC motorhomes knows that there are few high end shops that cater to this amazing futuristic marvel. One of course is in Florida, known as the GMC Coop. That facility is run by a man by the name of Jim Bounds. If you are on the Eastern portion of the United States, you will be familiar with his mad scientist-like obsession with these coaches. But it doesn't stop there, do visit his website and check out the CRUZ project. If that doesn't push boundaries, very little does. Jim also has an affinity for sound - and pretty much any machine coming out of his facility will have, as a requirement, a state-of-the-art audio and video system. (Or as close as the new owners budget will allow Jim's vision to design in!)

But we're on the West coast. So RV Buddies visited the other top shop of the land - Applied GMC. This shop is also run by a Jim, Jim Kanomata. This shop is located in Fremont, California - just a bit inland of the San Francisco Bay area.

After an uneventful 350-mile drive up from LA through the California Central Valley to the Bay Area - on a holiday weekend, no less, I arrived at Applied GMC – which was tucked away in the back of a non-descript industrial complex.

Rounding the corner to the building you see a parking lot full of old GMC coaches owned by customers - some showing their age, others in great condition for their age. In the back corner, a classic Cortez rests in dissaray, rusty, aching for some TLC.

Jim and I sat down and discussed the overall plan for the coach (video is being edited), and got to specific details for the chassis.

Before we sat down to cover the project coach, Jim gave me a tour of the facility. First off, it's huge. Second, it's like my desk. I know where everything is if no one moves anything on me! Applied GMC is the same - Jim knows where everything is. And there's a lot of everything. He has large quantities of the hardest to find GMC parts. And when an odd request comes up, he goes as far as coordinating a large buy with the other GMC gurus around the country to make sure the community is taken care of.

Wandering around the building was like touring a museum of old and new. There were several pallets of air bags, hundreds of feet of stainless tubing ready for custom exhaust systems, rare body parts, a complete wet bath compartment, gear sets, engines, and the list goes on and on.

It became clear that Applied GMC is seriously in this business. Several coaches were in the shop - one getting a much-needed upgrade to its air conditioning system courtesy of Vintage Air.  The bottom line here - RV Buddies appears to be in good hands with Applied GMC!

Before the coach arrives at Applied GMC, it will be stripped down to its original "Transmode" origins. Getting it there should be interesting. The suspension is leaking severly on the left, and the engine overheats. It's tempting to attempt the drive up in the cool of night - then if need be, a tow might come into play - but hopefully not.

Upon arrival, the drive train is to be pulled and some frame work can be done.  New positions for the black and grey tanks have been engineered, and the frame will be modified in the rear to increase the departure angle. Also, over the years there have been a few tugs at the under-carriage, and those will be repaired.

Starting with the rear end, the plan is for all discs, the quadra bag suspension, and the new anti-dive rear suspension. That one sentance sounds simple, but the price tag - well, nevermind that!

On the front end, the tranny needs a rebuild, new gear ratio, heavy duty control arms with new disc brakes, variable ratio power steering and... While we're at it - how about a new crate engine! So essentially, the coach will be brand new with 2009 technology. A new dash and gauges only seem appropriate. So that will be done during this phase, along with a new steering column and steering wheel.

Jim had submitted a bid to us a few months ago, and after meeting and revising a few things, he is reviewing the numbers. His quote is due to RV Buddies within the week. So it looks like a go. Cross your fingers, this should be a fun project!