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More homebuilt H3 photos
Kevin,
I don’t have the detailed photos you’re probably looking for. With the fancy ceiling, granite flooring and cabinetry all still waiting to be done, the interior is not ready for photographs yet. Like most folks, I thought you finished the work on a coach, then had it painted. I’m glad I got it painted first, because every nook and cranny is now filled with sanding dust and blasting sand. The early paint job was necessary because the coach paint was falling off, the vinyl artwork on the trailer was turning brown and I was embarrassed about the looks of the entire rig. I would have enjoyed doing the painting myself, but could never have achieved the quality the professionals are capable of.
The fact that Prevost refuses to update coaches older than 2003 models using genuine Prevost parts drives folks like you and I into the open arms of the aftermarketers. There must be a good logical reason for their decision, but I don’t know what it is.
‘No 365’s yet… they’re way down on the priority list.
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21 Replies
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Not much else that one can say! Bob
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Holy Crap, WOW, is the only word. Beautiful!! you need to change your signature, your coach is NOT ?Bling impaired” Now! Wonderful
Who did the paint work?
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OMG! You must be very proud of how the paint work turned out. It’s gorgeous!
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I’m pretty sure Ron did not get Maaco.
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Thank you for all your kind words. The painting was done by Precision Painting in Bremen, Indiana. They are the prime painter for several RV manufacturers and have the capability of turning out as many as 20 big coaches per day. They do custom smaller jobs as well. Paul Conley, their service manager, can answer your questions at 574-546-2406.
Yes, I’m pleased with the finish. The five coats of clear give it a deep shine. The fades on the trailer are a little off, but not enough to warrant taking them up on their offer to repaint it.
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20 coaches a day??????
That boggles my mind because to do a finish such as on your H3 and trailer involves many hours of striping, prep work, etc. I can only imagine how many they have in progress at any one time.
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Jon, you’re right, painting is a very labor-intensive process. I would estimate there are about 30 coaches being prepped at all times. This state-of-the-art facility has seven large spray booths operating simultaneously. There is a large crew of gals on scaffolding doing all the striping work. It seems the females are more meticulous on the fine details. Of course, the paint masks are all computer-generated. Watching six painters in one booth simultaneously spraying the clear coat on my trailer was fascinating. It’s quite an operation.
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Ron,
It is beautiful. How do they charge? Per color, per foot, per customer’s ability to pay… 🙂 Seriously, can you give us a rough idea of what a bus repaint costs at this shop?
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David,
The biggest issue is the number of colors, but I’m sure size is a factor also. With no stainless to simply mask off and using six colors, mine was probably near the high end of their scale at around $25K. The trailer was $11K. Of course, your experience may vary. No business wants to be held to what they charged another customer. I did not see their full range of prices. Overall, I found them to be very competitive with others in the business. ‘Hope this helped.
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Ron, Thanks for posting.. But hey, we need some more pics “sir”… All in jest.. Top notch job on the conversion!
I have been buying a few parts for my upgrade, I have the newer round 4 light on my 2003, I want to update mine to the new front and rear.. Who made your rear engine cover? I’m also looking for a baggage door…
With regards to the your tires, are you running 24.5″ rims??
Awesome job!
Edit >> a few more questions.. You removed your side windows, and bonded in aftermarket side panels? What do you have cut in to your curbside upper panel? It’s mounted forward from your rear curbside window?? Sorry for all the questions!
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Ron,
Awesome Paint!!!…. We worked with Paul and team on the interior remodel of our previous coach a Newmar Dutchstar. They did an amazing job on the interior remodels as well. They were just finishing up a total remodel of a Prevost when we were dropping ours off. So we would second your recomendation of them as well!
Bill
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Very nice coach and trailer.
What kind of paint did they use?
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Zero, photos refuse to load tonight, but I have little left to share anyhow. I’m really surprised at the number of responses this thread has generated. Like you, I was looking for parts I could use to do the update myself, but came up empty-handed. The aftermarketers refuse to sell their parts, opting instead to reel you into their shop where they can do the job and charge big bucks. I bit the bullet and paid dearly. Don’t ask. They didn’t have baggage doors.
My rims are 22.5 x 90.
No, I didn’t remove my side windows or bondo in fiberglass panels. I tried to get a price from Prevost Parts for the panels, but couldn’t get one either online or by calling the specialists. I probably couldn’t afford the Prevost blank panel prices anyhow. Paul at Precision Painting offered to replace the windows with fiberglass, but I didn’t feel his thin sheets would withstand the OTR pressurization stress without cracking or coming loose. Instead, I chose to leave all the glass in place and simply cover 2 1/2 windows on each side with 1/4″ fiberglass sheets, gluing them in place with Sikaflex cement. The half window behind the bedroom window and two windows ahead of it are covered on both sides of my coach. The large curbside panel has a small bathroom window cutout.
Bill, I agree, Paul’s shop does a great job on interiors as well. I just couldn’t begin to afford the cost of letting them do mine. I’ve got a LOT to do.
Dick, they use Sikkens Auto Base Plus Retail Custom paint.
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Please don’t let my remark about sanding dust and blasting sand in my rig discourage anyone from having painting done. Paul’s guys at Precision Painting make every effort to keep the inside of your coach as clean as they found it. Mine had lots of body work that involved removing windows and bay doors.
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Fantastic Ron, Thanks for the pic. I really like your idea of sheet fiberglass over the windows.
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