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.