We received the following email from Sandy Oliver about her experience with the remodel of her coach. Nothing says it better - so here from Sandy, in her own words...

"Renovating the motorhome was a decision that Kenny and I made together. Having bought it in August of 2006, we used it to take many trips. In the past year it was so difficult for me to utilize it, so we made the decision to renovate it for full handicap access.

Now, with the time nearing for completion, I am getting anxious to see the final result and get to traveling. With the lift for my powerchair, Kenny will no longer have to lift and push me in. I know it will take a huge burden off of him. Then to be able to get in the shower with little assistance will be absolute heaven.

This renovation will allow us once again to hit the road and travel to places unseen - To take our grandsons on camping trips, our whole family on excursions - This is what life is about for us - To be able as a handicapped person to have some independence and mobility, to travel in comfort and safety is truly a dream come true.

Our first trip, to the Grand Canyon with friends, is June 5th! So, we will be busy re-stocking the motor home in the week that follows. Of course, I will be directing the action.

We just scheduled a trip with the family to Salinas for the air show featuring the Blue Angels - Can’t wait to see the expressions on the grandsons faces. After that, we want to travel the northern route of the US, ending on the southern east coast. Not sure of the date, but we are starting to map out the route.

Words cannot describe my excitement of seeing the finished product, getting to hit the road again. God has truly blessed me, family, friends, and now a handicap accessible motorhome. Life is good! Hold on for the next entry - the presentation of the 'rig'."

Sandy

Doing a major upgrade always presents some surprises. The first was when Mark tried to demolish the tile and the air hammer didn't work. (Nothing a good sledge hammer can't fix!)

Well, after getting all the flooring out - surprise - the subfloor had rotted. Some where along the life of this coach, a progressive leak added up to flooring that needed replaced, and rusted cross members to boot!

All that is now taken care of, and the work of transforming the coach for Sandy's needs is well under way. The interior spaces are widened, and a special door has been cut into the side with a lift.

All the cabinetry has been completed - including a new wide screen TV up front. Now the final touches on the interior are scheduled for April with the flooring, furniture and shades being installed.

There are some really custom features being included - but we'll save that for next time. In the next three weeks, the coach goes to paint to cover up for all that cutting on the passenger side. And if all goes well, Sandy will get her fully customized coach in early May. Keep your fingers crossed as the last minute details come together. Many more pictures to come. Isn't demolition fun?

It has been a hectic few weeks. I was supposed to get the smog certificate to the DMV by today, but alas they are closed on Saturdays. We're starting to shoot a special show on Monday (more news on that soon), and this week is hectic to say the least. So I have to hope the DMV will be understanding when I see them in two weeks.

In the meantime, I decided to take the GMC out for a drive last night, but all the house batteries were dead. It appears the converter part of the charger/converter works, but that's about it. I was upset so today, without the threat of impending darkness, I drove the coach around town and for lunch. That was fun. I have to work out some clearance issues in the remodel - I hate always hitting the drag wheels. It reminds me of when I used to own a sports car and had to be careful of the front spoiler. If this is going to be a good camper - I need to get this chassis to be a tad more functional.

Hopefully, I will get the pictures of the coach boiling over last week to show you. It's pathetic to think after all the work we've done to have over-heating be an issue, and at the same time - kind of funny. Today the drive was in range, even though traffic was stop and go. I won't tell you it was 84 degrees here today. Oh, sorry, I just did!

Part of me wants to get on the road with a simple restoration, and the other part of me is excited about a full rebuild. I think it will come down to costs. Either way, the labor should be about the same. We'll have to see what the material cost differences end up as... For now, I'm back to preparing for Monday's shoot. Have a great weekend.

Oh - here's a VERY IMPORTANT message from Jim Bounds of gmccoop:

"On the insurance people side of vintage motorhomes, take a read on my daily pose this morning about the difference in "full coverage" and "Agreed Value" coverage. An old motorhome has very little value in the book, the value comes in with all the stuff that is done to it, if there is no actual "agreed" price you will be screwed if something happens. This is a "soap box" issue that anyone with a vintage motorhome must understand - a vintage car or lawnmower too for that matter! Progressive writes agreed value policies, I do surveys for them and anyone else seeking such coverage - this is the #1 issue on insuring vintage iron."

I managed to mount the new bathroom door. The old laced wood was totally rotted and mis-sized. The new light fabric door looks great and fits perfectly. Then into the bathroom, with the original wall coverings! (Temporary for sure!) The new ceiling track mounted, and shower curtain installed. In keeping with our theme - I found the pineapple soap dispenser - a perfect addition to the coach! Up front, the only real damage was to the seats - both passenger and drivers' side. So, until we get new seats, or reupholster, I found these inexpensive seat covers. Nothing stock fits the old GMC. So with a few bungee cords and some safety pins, they are firmly in place and much more comfortable on the seat - uh, the coach seat, and mine

Next, given some uncertainty of parasitic loads, I found this trickle solar charger on sale and couldn't resist. It fits perfectly on the windshield behind the dash pod - so it's permanent. I have it connected in through the 12 volt outlet. If that is corroded, it came with clips to hardwire to the batteries. The hula dancer is comfortable on the dash courtesy of some double-stick tape. Some other arrangement will follow when that is redone. In the background - note the steering wheel cover. The old wheel was literally rotting and was gooey. Your hands would turn black after a drive around the block. Being odd-sized, stock steering wheel covers were too tight to fit. So some black duct tape solved the problem until I buy a new steering wheel - with a dependable horn button!

And as you can see, the boys are right at home in the new RV. Alex has claimed his bunk, and Toby looks out the window wondering when we get to go on the first trip... Oddly it was 80 degrees in Southern California today, and the dash A/C is a joke. I went to start the generator to run the roof A/C and it wouldn't during the trip, but fired right up after I got home. How's that for luck! I hooked up the power and water lines to test all the plumbing and flush out the system. Good thing, the holding tank valves leak. Gotta change those out before the first trip for sure! More soon... The project continues! Oh, here's a special picture under the full moon. What a pretty night...

I spent all of December 24th, Christmas Eve, going over page after page of punch list items on the GMC. If you think it's hard taking delivery of a new coach, it's even more important to check the details on a used or restoration. A friend of mine volunteered, reluctantly, to join me for the day - knowing full-well what he was getting into. A nice breakfast of fresh waffles and good coffee always makes for a good bribe. Being in Southern California, I won't complain to you about the weather. Our day began in the high 30's with drizzle - so that's nothing compared with what many friends endured across the country.

When we got to the coach, all looked complete. Windshield and mirrors installed. New bathroom vent (recent rains revealed a leak - so better change it out now). Then the daunting task of going down a three page spread sheet checking every switch, valve, line, socket and switch - port to starboard, stem to stern. When you're in the middle of a long-term remodel, you don't care about some things. A leak in an old coach isn't the end of the world like a new one. But propane or electrical issues are always scary. We found one leaky ground and repaired that. Strangley, the punch list was very, very short - which was a good thing.

One funny thing, the passenger wall armrest has an ash tray - a remnant of society past. It was full of rusty water. I found it comical. I'm sure others would have been beside themselves. But to me, it's just part of this evolving story. I think our coach knows she's being cared for and is responding in kind.

All systems go, it was time for a test drive. The generator fired right up - albeit a tad rich smelling. (Not very camp-ground friendly at the moment!) The engine also fired right up - strong and sure. We dropped it in gear, and oddly, the coach didn't want to move. Well, months of work later, we discovered, very quickly thankfully, that the transmission was lacking - fluid (not filled after an extensive servicing). Ooops! Having corrected that, we were on our way. The ride was amazing - GMC's suspension was decades ahead of its' time. Steering was true, although reminiscent of the over-assisted power steering of the era. The power band was awesome. Amazing what new gas can do for an engine! The brakes felt a bit odd. Too much pressure was required and the peddle was going too far to the floor.

So after many hours of inspection, we had a few incidentals on the punch list, but added a thorough inspection of the brake system - pads, rotors, drums, master cylinder, lines and vacuum system. During the test drive, some of the 12 volt lights also flickered. There's a gremlin in the fuse panel - so that's getting changed out.

So that's about it really. No RV under my Christmas tree, but things are looking great. It looks like we will have accomplished a great first phase in the upgrade of this coach. I can't wait to pick her up in the next few weeks. I've got the sofa-bed screen here by my desk just waiting to join her new mistress.

As we wait for a big truck to deliver the new NORCOLD refigerator, SPINFLO range and THETFORD toilet, we continue to knock away at little jobs. Joe is amazing. I dropped by today, and he had the temporary kitchen counter top installed. It looked great. Finally, something I could touch inside the coach without feeling like I had to go wash my hands. (Honestly, I think I'll let Joe house sit for me next time I go out of town - By the time I get back, he'll remodel everything!) Joe tells me that this was no 'little job'. He scribed the stock counter top and customized the back splash for the coach. The sink is in place with a new faucet on order to tie us over until the complete interior remodel.

In the meantime, the suspension test shook out a bad part. That's on order now which avoids a glitch in our shake-down cruise - luckily!

Below are some shots of the new counter top, the slick Custom GMC license plate frame installed up front, and a profile showing the new wheels. Joe is passionate for detail. I can't talk to him for too long as he always has some new ideas - some of which we added to the list today! So much for my budget. Oh well, you only live once, and this IS a GMC!

It became painfully clear during our pilot that living and shooting in the same vehicle was more than adventurous and good-spirited. It was naïve. No, it was stupid. One day into our shoot and we rented several hotel rooms so that every time the group took a deep breath the walls didn't bow inward on the coach!

Besides the close quarters, it's really hard to shoot the space you are occupying. There's no room for anyone or anything – production wise. It's like digging a hole then filling it up – then starting all over again. So we decided there and then that we needed a support vehicle.

I called Newell, and they said that they could meet with me in a year, but the likelihood of them giving RV BUDDIES a coach would still be no. Heck, it doesn’t hurt to ask, right?

So then what would the answer be? Given we want to appear fair and objective, how could we take a coach from a manufacturer and expect you to believe our reviews? I can tell you there are a handful of Class C coaches and the same number of 35-ish footer Class A's that I'd love to own. Oddly, one of my favorites is a discontinued floor plan for a Class C from 2004.

So the plot thickens. I love new coaches. I admit it. Finding a three to five year coach, optimally depreciated, would be easy to do, but then choosing one brand over another poses problems with our reviews. What's the answer? Get funky.

We decided to look for a coach that could serve as a support vehicle, while being the subject of a remodel or restoration on the show. Over the course of a year, we'll take you on our journey from picking it up to unveiling our final RV BUDDIES coach.

I started the task of looking at all the used RV websites. Gee, there's a gazillion available. But so many are over-priced, or falling apart. How do you make a choice? Well, we needed a coach where everything worked to start. It had to have "good bones" that justified a rebuild. The price had to be right. AND it had to be uber cool!