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I started on this post earlier today with the name, “Everything Must Go”, then I decided that the more accurate name for today should be the above. I’m feeling a little defeated at the moment. I know that oftentimes you must fail many times at something before you can succeed, but the failing part […]
I was at work all week, so that’s why you haven’t heard from me in a while. The week was actually pretty eventful. I got a lot done at work, made it to the gym a few times, managed to lose six pounds (healthy diet and exercise really does work wonders!), and I had two dates! 🙂 The dates were with the same guy, a musician I met on this dating app called Tinder (http://www.tinder.com/). I figured I might as well try it since my friend met her boyfriend on there. I normally hate internet dating, but you never know, and as busy as I have been, I hardly ever meet anyone the traditional way. Working on Junebug is fun, but I guess it does make me a little antisocial. haha The first date was great, but the second one last night was kind of a let down. I won’t go into the details, but let’s just say I will add that to my growing list of internet dating failures. Oh well, at least I had this weekend’s project to look forward to instead of dwelling on my failure to find Mr. Right. 🙂
So, now back to my progress today with Junebug. Today, I had intentions of removing the entire roof from Junebug. Unfortunately, things took a little longer than expected, so I was only able to remove one more piece of skin. I didn’t anticipate that it would take me over an hour to remove the stupid vent on the roof thanks to 50 years and several layers of sealant applied around it and over the screws. Have you ever tried to remove a Phillips head screw with sealant in all the cracks? Doesn’t work very well!
Shasta Restoration Part 3
In the video below, I show you a few clips of my long and arduous journey to remove the sealant around the vent and ultimately remove the vent.
Shasta Restoration, Part 4
And in this video clip, the next piece of skin is removed and a lovely surprise is revealed!
And last but not least, I wanted to share a few more photos of the interior. I removed the seat cushions and the carpet to reveal the original floor tiles! I have heard that they may contain asbestos, so I’m trying to decide what to do with them. I would love to remove the glue and add a wax finish so that I can keep them in Junebug. I think they are pretty cool. I’m going to do some research to see if that’s risky. I already tried removing the carpet glue, and it wasn’t easy. I may decide to give up on keeping them, we’ll see. I’ll keep everyone posted on what I decide of course.
I also removed the wings the other day since they were sharp on the corners, and I was afraid they were going to poke a hole in my new cover. I figured I would need to remove them anyway once I got to that point. You can see where they belong, and Junebug can’t fly without her wings, so I can’t wait until I can put them back on! I read somewhere that I could cover them with a pool noodle to protect my cover, so I will try that once I have everything put back together.
I’m thinking that at the rate I’m going, I may finish this project in time for my retirement! haha
P.S. In case you didn’t watch the video and want to skip to the surprise. Somebody at the Shasta factory was having a bad day…
So I’ve taken on a renovation project, and Junebug is her name. She is a 1961 Shasta Compact camper and I love her already, even with all of her imperfections! I should have started chronicling this adventure back in early December when I first got Junebug, but I wasn’t sure if I had the energy to write everything down. Today I decided it would be worth it, so I’m giving it a go.
I bought Junebug in Lordsburg, New Mexico on December 7th. I drove 14 hours to get her and managed to get exposed to bed bugs in a shady motel along the way. Perhaps that’s why I decided to name her JuneBUG, however I would rather forget that whole incident so as not to sour the experience completely. The son of my mother’s good friend from college volunteered to accompany me on my journey. I took him up on the offer, thinking it would be safer, especially since I was carrying a lot of cash and driving a long way by myself (Baxter was there too, but he doesn’t count since I’m pretty sure he would only be able to love someone to death).
After arriving back home with my new camper, I noticed she was leaning quite a bit to one side. Upon closer inspection (and advice from my friendly neighbors), I realized she had two different springs installed. I took her to the nearest trailer shop to be inspected and repaired. Luckily leaf springs were only about $30 each, so she got two new leaf springs as well as rewired tail lights. Apparently the previous owner had installed the wrong sized leaf spring on one side and wired the tail lights backwards. I’m not sure what he/she was thinking, but I’m glad someone here was able to set her straight. Next I set about trying to find the leak in the roof. I knew that vintage canned ham trailers such as Junebug were prone to leaks, and she was no exception. I could see the water damage to the interior wood and needed to find the source(s). In the meantime, I ordered a waterproof cover for her so that I could protect her from the frequent Houston downpours.
I only had two weeks until Christmas, and I planned to take Junebug to my grandma’s house near Austin, so I had to get moving to get her ready! The house was going to be full, and I wanted this to be Junebug’s first official excursion as well as my first experience not having to fight over the right to have my own bedroom at my grandma’s over the holidays. It’s funny how if you are married, you automatically get rights to your own bedroom just because there are two of you, even if there are others who are older and single who (in my humble opinion) should get first dibs. Oh the injustice!
It’s getting late, so I will continue catching everyone up to date on Junebug’s adventures tomorrow night when I have more time. A demain!
Junebug dressed up for the Christmas card photo!
My little Jetta pulled Junebug all 14 hours back to Texas. She really struggled on the hills, so I’ve now purchased an SUV to tow Junebug in the future. It was worth a try, but I can see why you don’t see more cars towing little campers on the highway. 🙂
This is the hotel we stayed in on our way back from Lordsburg. This is NOT the hotel with the bed bugs. I’m sure the bed bugs were in the Days Inn in Van Horn. The El Capitan was very nice and we actually secured the last room in the whole town thanks to the ice storm passing over the area.
This is a picture of Baxter and me right after we purchased Junebug. I am super excited that my dream of owning a vintage camper has finally come true!
The morning after the ice storm, the roads were clear and we set out to return to Texas with Junebug.
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