Pallet for Home: vintage camper

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Vintage Camper mid project looksy

Been so busy with working at the Farm & playing with the old camper, I once again have neglected you.. Hopefully these progress shots make up for it a little...

I moved the camper from the sheltered backyard to the hill garage area- Now THAT was a 25 minute job with potential of a cartoon ending. But I got there. By myself... just not straight. Thankfully these small campers can be lifted in the front with some help & maneuvered a bit.

This is the front side where I began using rubbing compound on the top before playing with the few coating of roofing elastomeric. If you remember from the first set of viewing, the oxidation was much harsher. That boat cleaner lightened it but did not get all the way through. Rubbing compound & a rotary buffer to the rescue! This is also the window I had to make my own glass holder framing. Hence that shiny aluminum trim on the big window.

Remember the roof at last viewing? I FINALLY got to a point of sealing. That back rectangle vent? yeah. Thats gotta go. All this work to seal it up & I discover that vent with windy rain make for a very wet interior. Searching out a small bit of sheet metal before I finish up there.

For removing the last bit of oxidation, I am using Rubbing compound with the buffer tool. Cuts through but it still takes some time & skill on a ladder...

Ahh, the back side. I have yet to do much here. The trim is not even back on. I did put new rubber gasket on the small window and replace window screws, rain drips.

Lots of work still to be done before the chill of Fall takes over & my non insulated self takes refuge inside... with that electric fireplace that came with it of course!

Hopefully I get the sealing all done so I can get the wood walls up & have the top half of the skins polished for their waxing. The bottom half will be painted in the Spring.

Now I must bid you adieu being the Farm will not sleep in for lil ol' me. and of course I wish you...

Sweet dreams,

~Tammie

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Filed Under: Camper, projects, vintage camper

Pears and Vintage camper roof yuck

Everyday, I have done some kind of work on the Camper. It's going slowly more due to supplies needed not so easily found locally. In particular, I have a window I removed the shrunken old rubber seal and have yet to find another that fits. Keep in mind, all this work is done 100% by myself. So while I search out the rubber window seals, I have turned my attention to the roof. WOW, I am NOT enjoying this stage. That old rubber tar gook they put on there is a royal pain to get off. The middle roof is galvanized steel which is why you see some surface rust. That is where the roof sealant had worn away. Not to mention, it's obviously a previous owners horrible handy work (or a pathetic pro job}. I am removing all 4 vents, replacing the middle one with a vent fan, and sealing the rest up. There simply is no need to have 4 vents on a 13ft long camper. 1 was for the closet Loo, 1 is the fan vent, 1 is from once upon a time there was a heater and the other? I'm not sure what that was.

I have managed to break down the oxidation from it's shell, hence a lighter grey color I have yet to sand the "dust" off. plus many other little things such as replacing the Butyl putty which sealed the window frames to the aluminum body as well as a few glass inserts and rain drip guards. I have also managed to de rust the door frame & paint with primer. That was a 2 day job.

In between all the work over the last few days, I have taken time out to harvest some of our Pears.

We have a worker friend of The Captain's coming out this weekend to have his hand at picking some for his family. The tree is dripping with pears this year.
I am just finishing up what i refer to as the Camper quilt. I found a decent amount of Upholstery fabric sample squares at the Thrift store which were perfect for the making of a patchwork Bohemian quilt. Something to keep in the camper not just as a backup blanket but also for incorporating into it's decor.
I promise to share as soon as I have finished the last bits up.
I begin working at a local U Pick farm in their farm market on & off site locations this Saturday. I'm really looking forward to get out of the house and be in an environment I enjoy. Besides, I have 3 kids to buy school supplies & clothing for on top of all this Vintage Camper work. A paycheck will speed things up a bit.
This summer has been rather bland within my blogging mostly due to the lack of road trips & creativity as well as time devoted to my project. I truly must find a way to get a little escape before the warmth starts to fade.
Until next time,
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie

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Filed Under: pears, vintage camper

Duct Tape secured Rose colored glasses * Canned ham update

Sometimes the greatest adventure brings more then you anticipated. In this case, my canned ham has turned into a Can of worms...or in my case, Ants... But let's start from the beginning.

I traveled an hour to pick up my camper early. All by myself. How Independent of me, or so I intended.
That morning I grabbed some magnetic tail lights for it's towing as well as the hitch ball. You'd think I could just hitch what Panda has dubbed "The Baked Potato" to my truck & off we'd go. Nope. Let's just shorten this a bit to say the seller spent 5 HOURS trying to connect the wiring for the magnetic lights to The Captains truck being we discovered there was not a Plug set up for the job.

{taken with a cell phone so it's great}

One thing lead to another and combined with being in 95 F degree sun on asphalt the entire time, I ended up calling The Captain to drive the hour out to follow me back home. Major NO NO but I could not leave the camper where it was due to being unsecured in a Reception Party hall parking lot.

Instant flashes of drunk wedding reception guests getting the bright idea to

1. Force their way inside to sleep off a night of celebration. {what a surprise that would have been for both parties if I came the next morn & just hooked her up & drove away... }

2. decide how fun it would be to push her over the hill just off the parking lot& watch her crash

or 3. Hey look! Free camper! Help me hook it up to the car!

I was in tears when the Captain pulled in, apologizing in between deep breaths. Did I mention WE were to attend a wedding reception back home and were already 3 hours late? He was frustrated but ever so patient seeing how upset I was over the whole mess.I white knuckled the entire way home following close behind as he drove the truck towing the camper. Every tiny sway had visions of disaster popping in my head the entire hour. I did not feel relief until we were 15 minutes from home.

The next morning I inspected her more closely and found an invasion of ants. One thing led to another trying to find the nest for eradication & well.... she now looks like this after finding the rotten wood of their enjoyment:

We still have some pieces to remove as well as replace. I truly do not mind gutting her down to the floor and bones. It will ensure a much stronger restoration as well as giving the pleasure of rearranging for an ideal layout.

Oh my, what plans The Captain & I have been discussing! I even have Little brother Army involved {and his sweet offer of lending me his air gun nailer setup!}. So I have duct taped my rose colored glasses on should any doubts start creeping in as they had that first day. I can do this! WE can do this! With a little help from a connection of Panda's friends father whom is an electrician as well as The Captains friend who does Carpentry work, It will be done right from the beginning. Plus, I'll learn some new skills along the way. What? Did you actually think I would just hire someone to do it and not be involved? I'll be there every step of the way. Even if it means just handing them wire cutters & connectors or lugging wood to the band saw.

A grand Adventure has begun.