4x4 Winnebago Lesharo......Hideous Awesomeness

[G35Vortec454]

I love what the owner did to it. If it were 10 years ago I'd buy it for that price. I've had a love affair with 4x4 van motorhomes and after 10 years they got too small for me. Now I have a full Class A 4x4. But this really caught my eye. Wow! It's a great deal for someone to buy.

 

[flyingkilt]

Howdy all! Well, I couldn't resist it: I actually bought the "Hideous Awesomeness" itself -- the (ahem) YELLOW! All-Wheel-Drive Winnebago LeSharo (sitting on a lifted GMC AWD Safari chassis converted to 350 Chevy V8 power). I couldn't believe it was STILL for sale out in Pennsylvania last month after all this time! The former owner said lots of guys looked at it and test drove it, but their WIVES stepped-in and said "NO WAY!" Lol. Luckily, I have a really cool wife -- an Alaskan Eskimo who LOVES to camp and fish, so she thinks it's GREAT! So do I!

I finally got it home to Southern Oregon last week, after having to get the transmission rebuilt out in Eastern Oregon where it broke down. But, it ran pretty good all the way out West, until the transmission overheated and stuck in 1st gear. It overheated because a transmission shop out in Pennsylvania put a NON-locking torque converter in a 700R4 transmission, which doomed it to fail after only 3,800 overheated miles (there was no transmission temperature gauge installed at the time). It NOW has a locking torque converter and a BIG transmission fluid cooler, and it presently runs barely 150 degrees Fahrenheit as indicated on the temp gauge (with sending unit in the pan), because most people know: HEAT kills automatic transmissions.

It is going into town tomorrow to get a new dual exhaust system with headers -- 'cause it just about carbon-monoxide-poisoned me during the entire trip out west from Pennsylvania to Southern Oregon!

Anyway, here it is in our driveway, sitting next to our other, green, Winnebago LeSharo that's been converted to a complete front wheel drive 3800 V6 Buick drivetrain with a 440T4 automatic with overdrive (the original Renault mechanical gear was pretty darn weak in these things). We have nicknamed the YELLOW! one "The Happy Bumblebee," and -- as is quite evident in the photos -- it is WAAAYY taller, and beefier looking, than the 2-wheel-drive LeSharo:

 

[sourdough]

wow! that is cool.
got any detailed photos of the conversion....

 

[mhiscox]

Many congratulations, both on the acquisition and the courage to buy it. And for maintaining the good attitude as you got it back home.

Nice to see that you have another LeSharo and the experience that came with that. This new one would seem to have amazing potential for a lot of fun. Good luck with it

 

[axehead]

Flyingkilt, you may have seen this thread already, some (limited) built info down the page:

http://www.lesharorv.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1356

 

[flyingkilt]

I'm learning about this conversion right along with everybody else, sourdough, 'cause there was NO information available about who did the conversion, or what year(s) the chassis and engine were built, etc., etc. -- I'll be posting more pictures as I go. There is more discussion and more pics at this link: http://lesharorv.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1635&p=7013#p7013

Thanks for the link, axehead -- yes, I had seen it, and it helped in my decision to buy it. I consider myself VERY fortunate to be able to buy it, as it is REALLY unique in the world. There is one other 4x4 LeSharo that I know of, called a "LeComa" (I think), which sits on a Toyota Tacoma chassis. There is info. and pics at this link: http://lesharorv.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1569&p=6577&hilit=toyota#p6577

As far as maintaining a good attitude, mhiscox, my wife and I are used to encountering "forced repair$$$" with these rigs, LOL -- we just figure we'll eventually get them up to snuff where we want them. They're DEFINITELY worth it! These LeSharos are a good size for the two of us and our little Jack Russell Terrier, "Mini," and we all have a TON OF FUN in them! The AWD is gonna' open up a whole new ballgame for us!

 

[Overland Hadley]

Howdy all! Well, I couldn't resist it: I actually bought the "Hideous Awesomeness" itself --

That is so great!

Keep us posted as you work on it and use it.

 

[flyingkilt]

I shall! I had smoke in the cockpit this afternoon and thought I had an engine fire, so I pulled-over and grabbed one of my 2 fire extinguishers before I opened the hood. The air conditioner compressor blew its front seal. No biggie, but just some o' the things we've come to expect when getting used to a "strange" rig . . . and THIS one really fits the definition of "STRANGE," huh??? Yup!

 

[McZippie]

Nice looking Rig...
FWIW When you get around to working on the interior, here's a few pictures from inside our small Limo-Bus conversion.
We really like the two opposing sofa/beds that fold down to almost a King size bed.
Rather than having a booth dinette/large kitchen/large bathroom we wanted to keep those areas small and simple and instead make the seating/bed very comfortable.

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[Mc Taco]

http://www.lesharorv.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1356

So from the pics in this link it looks to have a quad cab seating set up. As in four front facing seats. I like that!

Good luck with the build.

 

[CLynn85]

NO WAI!!!! That's awesome!!!! I actually went looking for this thing again a few months ago to see if it was still for sale and couldn't track it down. Awesome that it went to another ExPo member anyway!

Can't wait to see more details as you build it up, I'm sooo jealous!

Oh and no offense on the "Hideous Awesomeness" I actually would take it as a compliment as I love quirky stuff like this.

 

[Alpentalic]

Rad, no doubt about it. unk03:

 

[flyingkilt]

So you're the one who coined the phrase, "Hideous Awesomeness," Carl! That's an awesome term. My wife likes your wording, and so do I -- it definitely fits the subject it intends to describe!

We're REALLY glad we bought it. Two days ago, my 24 year-old son and I took it up in the mountains on a road that our family has intentionally kept really ROUGH for more than a century, as it leads into the land my Oregon pioneer great-grandfather homesteaded. Because it's kept so rough and rutted, people don't drive on it much; but the large YELLOW Happy Bumblebee AWD LeSharo rolled along with a decently-smooth ride akin to a Cadillac Escalade -- those big ol' 33-inch balloon tires help a lot, of course -- not to mention the 6,820-pound weight. After riding along in it, we stopped beside a merrily-flowing creek that's a traditional and peaceful stop for us, and my son commented, "You'll never regret buying this rig." I agreed, wholeheartedly -- I've driven A LOT of rigs on that rough, volcanic cinder road over the decades of my life, and the "Hideous Awesomeness" of the YELLOW LeSharo is THE BEST RIG I've ever driven up there! Nope, I'll NEVER regret buying it . . .

 

[Czechsix]

Very nice find! Keep us posted on your improvements!

 

[flyingkilt]

It is going to take a LOT of refinements to bring this beastie up to speed, because -- like ALL rigs, it has its perplexing challenges. For instance: I've got the engine-driven air conditioning all charged up with R-134 and it is blowing cold air . . . however, there is ALSO a TON of HOT BTUs coming off the engine, which cancels out the cool air of the AC.

And then, last night, my wife, Jackie, and I camped along the Rogue River in it and spend our first night out in it -- smelling gas fumes all night long.

YUP, it's gonna' take A LOT of improvements to civilize it.