site 110

[jsms264]

anyone know why it is open. Is it a good site or one to be avoided?

[264SRinPA]

It's a good site. It was reserved, but they had to cancel because of a change in plans.

[Sunline Fan]

...and close to the museum

[jsms264]

Thank you 264SRinPA, we booked it!

Sunline fan, what museum?

[PTHutch]

Originally Posted by jsms264

Sunline fan, what museum?

Sunline Fan always brings is Traveling Museum of Sunline stuff.

It's amazing what he's compiled. Not really sure where he finds the room for all of it when he brings it down.

[Sunline Fan]

I'm not really sure either. Last year I couldn't get everything out before dark and before everyone got there, but that was OK considering the circumstances.

This year I've made an executive decision. I sorted out over winter break all my logos and stuff and I now have a bin of stuff that just stays home. I'll bring a couple logos, but I'm not going to bring every single one and every duplicate. The large bin that they were in always sat right in the middle of the floor and I trip over it all weekend. Not to mention the logos took up so much table space that by the time I got half of them out, I was already out of table space.

So if anyone would like to see a particular logo, let me know by the M&G. I'd be glad to bring it...one logo is not a problem at all.

I've also begun to scan most of the logos and I'm working on retouching them as well as custom design some personal versions. Hopefully when the Sunline Registry goes online, reproduction logos will also be available.

Jon

[jsms264]

Now it all makes sense, i saw some pics from last years M&G and remember seeing all the Sunline stuff displayed. Very cool Jon, I cant wait to see it all.

Is there a post somewhere on here that explains everything you do? I see posts...people send you ID numbers and pictures, you have most of the manuals....Did you work for Sunline?

[Sunline Fan]

My Facebook says the following:

Employer: The Spirit of Sunline Coach Company
Position: You name it!
Time Period: November 2006 - Present

I did have an official title at Sunline, which was "Future Consultant", given to my by the one and only Dale Zimmerman. I even made up business cards. Unfortunately, I only held the position "officially" for about nine months...

I can't even begin to come up with a list of what all I do. Primarily:

- Maintain the Sunline Traveling Museum
- Attempt to document as many Sunline coaches as possible. This includes scanning eBay and Craigslist ads on a regular basis.
- Build a database of coach pictures, any and all I can get, to describe all models in all model years of each interior color, as well as by VIN number.
- Build a database of coach VIN's and production information, to attempt to conjecture an rough production total for each model year as well as figuring out percentages of particular floorplans in a model year.
- Maintain an active stance in the Sunline Owner's Club, helping where possible
- When possible, get out and visit campgrounds to see if any VIN's can be collected.
- Lastly, what should be at the top of the list but always finds its way to the bottom is GET OUT AND USE THE DARN THING!!!

As I said earlier, I would eventually like to get the listing of coaches up on the internet in the form of a website, much like classic car owners have created registries for their cars. I would hopefully like to have replacement logos and decals available on there too to help cover the cost of the site, but I need to really investigate if that would work out. I know a lot of people would like replacement decals, but they'll probably crap their pants when they see the price tag and it wouldn't work out so well. I'm not sure of an exact price since I haven't taken the graphic to my sign shop, but I suspect a large logo, such as the one on the front/rear of your coach, would be around $60-$70 or so, plus shipping, and maybe even more.

I've saved enough pictures (I think about 6 gigs worth at last check) to know what coaches have the best decals and which have the worst. 2000 and 2001 are by far the worst, since the large logos always fell off, followed closely by the sun step-up on '95-'98's. I'm hoping the '95-'98's would be cheaper since that decal is less involved, but maybe not.

If there's more interest, I could also come up with, at least for that step-up, a cheaper alternative that would only use like three colors of vinyl. There wouldn't be a gradient sun then, it would just be like an orange vinyl, and it probably would last longer too. But all that is to be decided later.

And on top of all this, I haven't contacted any of my former employee contacts to see about copyrights on these old logos. I should at least make an attempt to make sure I'm clear before reproducing them.

I also would like to have options of customizing the original logos. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm working on a custom logo for Hutch out of the side Solaris logo. It will have his last name in place of Solaris (and maybe a small "The" above it) and Fairport, NY in place of "By Sunline". The only reason I didn't do one for me is I'm not sure what to put in place of "By Sunline" because I'm not sure how long I'll be where I'm at. The idea came from the fact that my coach didn't originally come with the Solaris logos for some reason, so I have the space. I even have like three or four of that logo too, so I could put it on, but I thought I'd do something custom instead.

Oh yeah...about the manuals. Yes, I do have a little library built up. I have five, one from each of my coaches (except for the '08 and the '93 ). I also have a few random build sheets from coaches. When I sold my previous coaches, I photocopied every one of the manuals and kept the original...I never anticipated they'd be so valuable to me. I also have a few binders with all the build info (minus the appliance manuals) that I've accumulated over the years. All the manuals will be at the M&G and all will be out with the exception of the one for the '07. (If someone really want's to see the '07 one, I'd be glad to pull it out, but I just have all the tags from everything in there and don't want any of it blowing away) I do refer to owner's manuals often because about 95% of the information I track in the database of VIN's comes from that binder.

Jon

[Sunline Fan]

Hopefully someone else can sum all that up in a few less words...

[Sunline Fan]

It just occured to me that I always talk about these production records, but most of you have no idea what it is! I'd love to show it off at a meet & greet, which it'll probably happen at the Midwest one, but for those not attending, here's a sample:



On a continuation of the long post about how I try to visit campgrounds to find Sunline's. While on vacation here in the keys, I spotted one in a park along the Overseas highway, about MM 45. I think it's pretty safe to say I'll do anything to see a Sunline, and I couldn't even get a VIN off of this very faded '83 T-3350:

The view from Hwy 1, my mom thinks I have the ability to smell them...



This was the park:



I would really have wanted more pics and even attempted to talk to the owners, but since I was technically no where near qualified to be in there, I got out as fast as I could...



OK everyone, you can go ahead and laugh now...

Jon

[nasa42a]

Jon......

No laugh, but one heckuva big smile!

Frank

[PTHutch]

Originally Posted by jsms264

Is there a post somewhere on here that explains everything you do?

If I were to sum it up in simple terms,
Jon (aka Sunline Fan) is our official Sunline Historian.

[HappyCampers]

"Sunline Guru" sounds good.

The DW has accused me of "Sunline Sickness" more than a few times. Whenever we are out camping I carry my digital camera and take pictures of coaches and their VINS, if possible, which I have a few dozen of for Jon. Amanda often says that someone is going to get the wrong idea about a strange man taking pictures of their coach. If I spot people out I talk to them and mention the site. If I don't see anyone I "stalk them", as the DW states. I just enjoy sharing my fondness of the Sunline brand.

[Mooney]

Sunline Stig