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School Bus RV Conversion Chapter 2 - Animals Be Gone

by Tegan Strautmann on May 04, 2014

As much as we adored the jungle creatures that encased our new Thomas school bus, we knew in our hearts they had to go. It wasn’t the stares we received driving down the interstate that lead us to this decision. We just envisioned something greater for her.

To make quick work of a grueling task, we bought some beer and called some friends. First chore on the list was a quick wash-down. After her cleanliness was categorized as “good enough”, we started the paint-removal process. Absolutely nothing about this was enjoyable.

We sanded the entire body & scraped the windows with straight razors to remove the thick paint. The lettering was mounted with an adhesive that was literally caked onto the body after years of baking in the Florida sun. Paint thinner, Xylene & more sanding was our solution to that.

Lucky for us, our friends are amazing. With their help, all in a day’s work we removed 95% of the animals and lettering. I say 95% because (as awkward as it sounds) Joey became quite attached to the giraffe during this process. Because of this, the giraffe head still remains above the front window on the driver’s side. The remainder of the bus is currently white. I see it as a beautiful 300 square-foot blank canvas where we will eventually display one of our right-brained masterpieces. I’m contemplating channeling my inner-hippy when the time comes.

 

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