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The Ice Box

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So I spent most of yesterday going to different stores looking for stainless steel screws in the right size to replace all of the rusty screws that I have been removing from poor Junebug’s skin.  Everything I have removed is rusty it seems.  Not to mention the dry rot.  And the water damage.  And some weird white powder all over the wall after I removed the old insulation (what is that stuff??).   Anyway, I didn’t make a lot of progress, and I ran out of time in the evening to write a post since I had to get ready to go to a party at a friend’s house.

After I got back from the store, my neighbor, always curious, came over to see what I had been up to.  He was impressed that I had removed some of the skin myself and bought several new power tools.  We went inside the camper to look at the cabinets, and the next thing I knew, he was helping me remove the old ice box.  This wasn’t on my original agenda for the day, but hey, I’ll take the help when I can get it!  Actually, it has been pretty easy so far to get random help from my neighbors.  I think they are just as excited about this project as I am!  The ice box (and it’s literally an ice box, not a refrigerator), came loose pretty easily, and we thought we could just pull it right out.  But that turned out not to be the case (big surprise).  It was attached to the cabinet toward the front and we couldn’t figure out what in the world was holding it in.  We tugged and pried and pulled and pushed.  Nothing seemed to work, and I didn’t necessarily want to start removing the whole cabinet.  Finally after lots of maneuvering, we discovered the big nails hidden away right behind the cabinet face.  After cutting those with my wire cutters, the ice box slid right out!

Pretty gross behind there!

Pretty gross behind there!

That gaping hole will be the home for a new modern refrigerator at some point.   I can’t wait to rip out this nasty carpet too.  You can see all kinds of stains in it like the one in the picture above.   Gross.

Junebug gets naked

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Today, I have decided to take on the biggest project yet, removing some of Junebug’s skin in order to repair the open seam in the roof.

This is the worst seam, it's completely open and you can see the insulation when I press on the aluminum.  Definitely needs a repair pronto!

This is the worst seam, it’s completely open and you can see the insulation when I press on the aluminum. Definitely needs a repair pronto!

I just had a nice chat with my new friend, Susan, who restores vintage campers, and she walked me through each of the steps I needed to take in order to complete this repair.  I really hope it turns out like it’s supposed to!  I will be posting pictures of my progress and maybe even some video, depending on what kind of mood I am in.  Stay tuned…

Seven hours later…

So, I spent quite a bit of time initially going to a few stores to get the proper supplies for today’s project.  I discovered a pretty good RV supply and repair shop not too far from my house, RV Masters.  http://rvmastersinc.com/  They were pretty nice and one of the employees gave me some advice and asked that I bring Junebug by when I’m done so they can see her.  I told him I would probably be by  before that if I get in over my head. haha  At least I know an escape route if all of this gets to be too overwhelming.  He reminded me that vintage camper restoration was not a good investment and that it was a labor of love.  I know this already, there’s no way I’m getting back my investment on Junebug.  I don’t even really care since I don’t know if I’ll be able to part with her after all of the time and effort I’m planning to put into her!

So, rather than post pictures this time, I took some videos to show you my progress.  These videos show a lot more than photos can.

Shasta Restoration Part I:

I show all of my tools and the “before” shot of the front of Junebug before I take her apart.  I also take off the eyebrow and window in this clip.  At this point, I am happy and hopeful because everything is going smoothly.

 

Shasta Restoration Part II:

In this clip, I remove the first panel of aluminum siding.   You can hear and see the frustration and disappointment I am experiencing because not only was it more difficult to remove than expected, but I also am finding quite a bit of dry rot.

After this clip, I called up my friend Susan.  She gave me a pep talk and explained what I needed to do to replace the rotted wood before I could replace the aluminum.   She also said it helps to keep plenty of wine on hand. haha  On that note, I poured myself a glass of wine.   I felt better after that, although I’m still kind of thinking, what have I gotten myself into??  The good part is, I needed to discover the rotted wood in order to know I needed to replace it.  I would hate to fix up the interior of the camper, only to have it ruined because the framing and siding is in horrible condition which would only lead to leaks and structural damage and ultimately ruin all of my hard work.  The bad part is, this is going to take a lot longer than I planned.  This shouldn’t surprise me at all, because so far that has been the case with each little Junebug project.  Guess I’d better reset my expectations going forward!

So, the saga will resume tomorrow.  Tonight, I think I’m going to treat myself to a steak dinner because I worked so hard today.  🙂

New Year, New Junebug

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Happy New Year everyone!  I’m hoping that 2014 will bring love and happiness for my friends and family and that there will be many adventures in store for Junebug, Baxter, and me (and a little love and happiness for us would be nice too).  🙂  I stayed in last night because I just didn’t feel like dealing with the hassle of going out.  It seems like New Year’s Eve is always such an ordeal and usually doesn’t quite turn out to be the “epic” night that you dreamed of. I feel like an old lady because I didn’t even make it until midnight! haha  Oh well, I feel pretty good today unlike many of my friends, I’m sure.

My project for today will be sewing curtains for Junebug.  I already have the material, so I just need to do the measuring and get sewing!  I will post some pictures of my progress.

….Nine hours later…

So, I got started on the curtains by bringing the material inside from the camper.  I started measuring everything because I wanted to make two panels for each window so they can open from the middle.  I realized soon after measuring each window that I didn’t have any white thread.  I decided I needed to make a trip to Target.

And.. since Best Buy was open and next to Target,  I thought, why not pop into Best Buy to see if they have the iPhone 5S in gold just one more time?  (they’ve been out the last five times I checked) What do you know, they had ONE left in stock so of course I had to buy it!  Luckily it was on sale and when I traded in my iPhone 4S, I got a credit and the whole thing ended up costing me only $35!  Since I was saving so much on the phone, I thought, maybe I can also get a good deal on a new iPad Air…  Next thing I knew, I was purchasing a new iPhone and a new iPad (on which I did save $50).  AND I wasn’t any further along on my curtains.  Sometimes I can get so easily distracted!

So pretty and shiny!

So shiny and new!

After spending too much money at Best Buy, I made my way over to Target.  I got some white thread among other things and headed back home.  My neighbor came by shortly after and gave me some homemade black eyed peas (for good luck) and some cabbage with meat that was delicious!  I love my neighbors!

So, I finally started measuring and cutting the fabric.  I had to turn my kitchen into a curtain factory.

 

Kitchen

 

I cut up all the pieces, and I wanted the curtains to be double-sided so that everyone can see the pattern from the exterior of the camper too.  This means double the amount of fabric!  I thought I had enough but alas, I was short by one yard.

IMG_3929

 

So.. my curtain making project will extend into Thursday since I will have to make another trip to Joann Fabrics to buy one more yard.

In the meantime, I decided to take a break and eat some of my mom’s delicious homemade cherry pie (gluten free just for me).  Yummy distraction!

IMG_3932

Junebug is merry and bright!

Junebug is much more colorful with her Christmas decor and new seat cushions.