Redos and Yahoos

Another update on Ol' Mabel. 

The roof vent had to go. It was old. It was rusty. It was crusty. But perhaps its worst offense was that it leaked real bad. Because of this leaking, the boards around it had warped into a bow shape allowing water to pool on the top and only make the leaking worse. 

I filled the extra holes (there were like two sets of screw holes) with metal filler. I then sanded the area down and cleaned it up. I then installed the new vent with fresh putty to seal and adhere it and RV "goop" to further weather proof the screws.

We've had plenty of rain since then and not a leak yet! 

This is the underside. I replaced the shorter side boards that frame the vent. I doubled the wood and added a layer of wood to the bowed boards also. Now water runs off and away from the vent instead of pooling at the top and seeping in. 

Still gotta replace the paneling.....soon! 

 We removed the eye sore of the newer lights above the original lights - we'll be patching those left over holes soon. We then took out the original lights, removed as much rust as we had patience for, checked the bulbs, replaced the gasket rings and put in new plastic. Eric spent a whole Saturday getting these things wired - and we're now road ready! 

Eric has also been diligently working on cleaning up the backsplash in the interior. I love how it ISN'T shiny. It gives it a little bit of that industrial look. 

He's also been cleaning the windows! 

 Almost like new! 

Our big task this last weekend was getting the back paneling replaced. We had some issues, and it's not perfect, but it feels so good to get that done! One big step closer to what I'm really excited about....painting the interior! 

Before

After

Remember when I took out, reframed and reinstalled that window? Well, after some rain storms it came to my attention that it was still leaking! What's the point of putting up new framing and paneling if it's going to just leak. After all the research we've done I determined I had to take that thing out AGAIN, remove the silicone I had previously used and install it again using the same putty I used around the roof vent. So that's exactly what I did. It was super annoying, but I feel 100 times better about it. 

And that's about it for now. 

I've been working on the ice box - so I hope to have some pics for you soon. 

My next goal for Mabel is to get the ceiling paneling installed and ready to paint! 

Miss Mabel Update

Not sure why I spelled Miss Mabel like table in my last post. I think my husband did and then it just go imprinted on my brain. For the record she is Mabel. 

I thought inquiring minds might be looking for an update. 

I ended up taking out the rear window and replacing all of the screws.
I then used silicone caulk to seal all the edges. 

The linoleum flooring has all been taken out.
Very happy to see solid wood in GREAT shape underneath.

Cut new wood and reframed the rear window. 

Patching up corners that have wear and tear and slight water damage.
This means using bondo and then sanding down after it hardens.
Bondo is usually used to fill and repair dents in cars. Saw this trick here.

More bondo and sanding in the front. As the guy at the my favorite DIY trailer rehab site says, "These tricks are not inferior. Using bondo to fill holes is as solid as the original wood."

One small piece of paneling wasn't worth trying to fix.
I think the leaking has been stopped and we'll replace this when we cut paneling for the back and ceiling. 

The vent is in bad shape. After much discussion the husband and I had decided to just take that whole paneling down (assuming the wood was all rotted). As I began demolition, it became very clear that two of the small framing boards needed replaced, but most of the paneling and the long frame boards were still in good shape. I've made the executive decision to just replace a small portion of paneling and frame off the edges with some kind of simple molding. It's going to be far less work than getting that panel off and taking out the upper cupboards.
By the way, a new vent has been ordered, so this sub-project is on hold until that gets here. 

During ceiling demo I damaged the top veneer of the paneling.
After sanding down and once there's new paint up there, I think it will be very had to notice. 

She needs an exterior wipe down a paint job! But that won't come for awhile. 

I've also been sanding and stripping the interior of the door. It could probably be replaced, but remember, I'm working on a poor girls' budget. New paint, the handle fixed and a door protector at the bottom will do me just fine. 

I look good! Protective eyewear on my head, no make up on, it's hot. 

My work bench. Notice the Diet Pepsi?

We've also been working on cleaning and shining up the aluminum back splash a bit.
Mainly that's been the husby's little project. 

I took the original lights out and we'll be working on electrical this weekend.
Fingers crossed that these two amateurs can hack it! Once that is done, we can put in the new rear paneling! 

Another sub-project I will be working on soon is the original ice box.
It's got a bad case of rust on the lower shelf. 

As we've been working on this, it's become pretty apparent that the current layout was not the original layout. I'd even venture to guess that all the cupboards (but definitely the top ones) have been built more recently than the trailer itself.

Stay tuned for more progress!

Mable, Mable Set the Table

Well, here's a look at our newest venture in vintage campers.

Eric first saw it on craigslist and mentioned it nonchalantly thinking I wouldn't be interested. At the price listed and the canned ham shape, I was totally interested! While I love my "Carolina" she wasn't really my dream shape. I did all the work on her quick and dirty without really finding out how to do things and without worrying about wiring, etc. I've been wanting to try again!

Prime opportunity. We were in email discussions with the seller and then he sent us an email saying he had a "sale pending." We were bummed and a bit irritated, but we moved on.

The next day, my mother came over and asked me to print the picture accompanied with the listing. I thought it was weird, but I've done weirder for my mom, so I just did it. She wrote on the picture and handed it back to me. It said "Happy Early Birthday!"

That sneaky lady had bought it out from under us! Saturday late afternoon, Eric, Mom and I headed over to Pendleton to pick her up. I drove it over the mountain all by myself! It was a fun trip. And I'm so excited to get working!

It's a 1957.....Westerner? From what we can tell in our research - though it's smaller than any we've seen online. The paperwork from the title says 1957 Sport RT. The metal step says "glider." You know anything about it that you can share?

The back wall was a lot a little rougher than we'd anticipated. So I've been demoing it and getting it ready to replace the back board and do some waterproofing!

Next Steps:

1. Finish removing back paneling. 
2. Waterproof window.
3. Patch holes in back metal.
4. Re-wire tail lights. 
5. Install new wood paneling.