mhiscox
Expedition Leader
NEW HOME FOUND FOR IT 3/29/11: Details at the bottom.
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Some people rescue stray dogs. James Lombardo and I have rescued a stray motorhome. :sombrero:
It's a bit of a story, but I temporarily own a unique 1992 AeroCruiser Class A motorhome. Reimburse me the $4,900 I've invested so far in reconditioning it and it'll be yours.
It's listed on Portland Craigslist and it'll probably get sold to someone looking for a cheap motorhome. But given that many of the inmates here at the Portal have outrageous amounts of mechanical and fabrication talent, it seemed like I should at least mention the coach here to see if someone gets inspired.
The big appeal is that AeroCruisers are dimensionally about the smallest Class A motorhome made since the 70s. It’s 23 feet long and only 99 inches tall (in spite of having something like 6’2” headroom), and it weighs a remarkably light 7,900 pounds. It rides on SUV-sized LT235/85R16 tires with single rear wheels. It’s all fiberglass, including a one-piece roof, over a steel cage frame. Just 350 were ever made before the company, Gardner Pacific, which also made the Toyota-based SunRayder camper, went out of business in ‘92; this was one of the very last units built.
This AeroCruiser could be whatever you want. The interior was never built out, and the vehicle was used as a mobile office rather than an RV. There were no cutouts for windows made (nor other holes in the fiberglass exterior), no plumbing, and no interior (aside from an easily removed partitioning wall, and a set of overhead cabinets on either side). This is sort of a blank canvas that might appeal for to a talented builder. Cut off the rear portion, hinge it, and create a mobile toy-hauler or workshop. Turn it into the ultimate support vehicle. Whatev.
A major advantage over other small coaches like the GMC motorhomes is that the driveline and chassis components are from a Dodge D350 one-ton pickup and there are no issues with parts availability or finding competent mechanics. And, more to the point for this group, it seems to me (though I am not an expert) that it's a good candidate for a 4WD conversion using standard components. Maybe take a look at the nifty conversion G35Vortec454 did:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=966138
and think along those lines.
The 'Cruiser's powered by a strong-running fuel injected Dodge 360 V8 that runs on regular-grade gas from a 40 gallon fuel tank. In getting it reconditioned, I bought brand new Michelin LTX tires, brand new batteries, and James gave it a top-to-bottom comprehensive tuneup. Very clean in and out, passed DEQ first try, and has new license tags. This is a great coach, and a unique opportunity for someone with a bit of creativity. And with only 31k miles on it, it's got a lot of life left.
This link has a lot of info on Aero Cruisers:
http://aero-cruiser.fl-ink.com/
Please check it out and see if this coach might work for you. If you are interested, send me a PM and I'll reply with a comprehensive description that provides all the detailed information you'll need to decide if this is anything you want to look into further.
EDIT of 3/23 . . . About 5 dozen more pictures can be had at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/mhiscox01/1992AeroCruiserMotorhome
Mike
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Some people rescue stray dogs. James Lombardo and I have rescued a stray motorhome. :sombrero:
It's a bit of a story, but I temporarily own a unique 1992 AeroCruiser Class A motorhome. Reimburse me the $4,900 I've invested so far in reconditioning it and it'll be yours.
It's listed on Portland Craigslist and it'll probably get sold to someone looking for a cheap motorhome. But given that many of the inmates here at the Portal have outrageous amounts of mechanical and fabrication talent, it seemed like I should at least mention the coach here to see if someone gets inspired.
The big appeal is that AeroCruisers are dimensionally about the smallest Class A motorhome made since the 70s. It’s 23 feet long and only 99 inches tall (in spite of having something like 6’2” headroom), and it weighs a remarkably light 7,900 pounds. It rides on SUV-sized LT235/85R16 tires with single rear wheels. It’s all fiberglass, including a one-piece roof, over a steel cage frame. Just 350 were ever made before the company, Gardner Pacific, which also made the Toyota-based SunRayder camper, went out of business in ‘92; this was one of the very last units built.
This AeroCruiser could be whatever you want. The interior was never built out, and the vehicle was used as a mobile office rather than an RV. There were no cutouts for windows made (nor other holes in the fiberglass exterior), no plumbing, and no interior (aside from an easily removed partitioning wall, and a set of overhead cabinets on either side). This is sort of a blank canvas that might appeal for to a talented builder. Cut off the rear portion, hinge it, and create a mobile toy-hauler or workshop. Turn it into the ultimate support vehicle. Whatev.
A major advantage over other small coaches like the GMC motorhomes is that the driveline and chassis components are from a Dodge D350 one-ton pickup and there are no issues with parts availability or finding competent mechanics. And, more to the point for this group, it seems to me (though I am not an expert) that it's a good candidate for a 4WD conversion using standard components. Maybe take a look at the nifty conversion G35Vortec454 did:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=966138
and think along those lines.
The 'Cruiser's powered by a strong-running fuel injected Dodge 360 V8 that runs on regular-grade gas from a 40 gallon fuel tank. In getting it reconditioned, I bought brand new Michelin LTX tires, brand new batteries, and James gave it a top-to-bottom comprehensive tuneup. Very clean in and out, passed DEQ first try, and has new license tags. This is a great coach, and a unique opportunity for someone with a bit of creativity. And with only 31k miles on it, it's got a lot of life left.
This link has a lot of info on Aero Cruisers:
http://aero-cruiser.fl-ink.com/
Please check it out and see if this coach might work for you. If you are interested, send me a PM and I'll reply with a comprehensive description that provides all the detailed information you'll need to decide if this is anything you want to look into further.
EDIT of 3/23 . . . About 5 dozen more pictures can be had at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/mhiscox01/1992AeroCruiserMotorhome
Mike
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