Bye Bye Birdie!!

Well, today was a big day for our little camper! We made a big step and tore out the middle vanity thing between the two beds. When we took off the top counter part, we discovered that there were originally two spots for a stove and a sink, along with the water and propane lines. (Forgot to take pictures!) We ripped out that entire cabinet, and we will either find a nice bathroom type vanity to put there, or my handy-dad will construct one from fresh. :D I am still trying to decide if I want to keep at least a small sink in there for fresh water. I am fairly certain that I will decide against a stove because I would like the extra space.

We also discovered that the camper has electric brakes! That's a pretty big thing for such an old trailer! (or so says my dad, lol) My dad also got to looking at the fuse box that is located inside the cabinet above the now-extinct sink/stove cabinet and discovered that the electricity was not properly grounded! :-o We even spied some carbon marks where there were a couple close encounters with fire. That's not good! So, the trailer will have to be re-wired for electricity. No biggie though -- my dad can do it, our neighbor is REAL electrician and Husby has a cool friend who has already offered to help out with wiring.

Next step .. most likely ... floor replacement!

My middle name is MESS

That's what my mom always told me anyway. Today I took a hammer and just started pounding away. I got really burned up yesterday attending of couple festivals so it was a little painful, but I managed somehow! Once I started hitting and making holes here and there I found fiberglass insulation between the aluminum and the paneling. It was getting everywhere! It was so hot in there .. at least 100 degrees! The sweat was pouring off of me and getting in my eyes and it just wasn't pleasant. Husband says he can't help me because of his sinus issues, so whatever... As long as he gets some good tunes on my iPod to blast, I think I can handle it. My mom and dad will help me when I need it.

I priced some materials today! I am so excited! Check it:

HUGE (4x12?) Sheets of Paneling - $14 a piece! 1 and half pieces should be enough to do the whole thing. We found this nice beige paneling that would brighten the place up and maybe not retain so much heat. ?

Base Cabinet for between the beds - about $80. Not bad - going to see what Ikea has first.

Sticky Vinyl Flooring Tiles - like $20 a box (1 should be enough!)

Hopefully I will have the rest of the insides taken down in the next 3 or 4 days. Then we can start putting in new insides! :D :D :D

Intergalactic Yard Sale

We have put some things on eBay to raise money for our camper project! Check out the link on the right hand side to see the auctions. In addition to the things we'll be adding to eBay, we have beautiful Yorkshire Terrer Puppies for sale! They were born March 7th so they are about 14 weeks old. AKC registered, TINY boys and a couple girls (about 3.5-4 lbs full grown). So adorable. If you are interested in them, just email me at srlove07@gmail.com for more pictures and information. Thanks everyone!

Going thrifting tomorrow with a friend to see what I can score cheap to replace on the inside. Wish me luck!

Structural Problems?

Well, we took the remaining junk out of the camper today (the other mattress, miscellaneous junktastic items that were left in there for storage and forgotten about) and started poking around. I came across another NEAT feature about the camper. The larger bed on the left side slides onto itself to create a bench and more leg room when needed. This totally rocks my face! My mom and dad and I really took a look at the paneling inside and determined that some of it will defintely need to be replaced. Not all of it though, which is a relief. The cabinets will be removed and replaced with a new cabinets (or recycled from Craigslist or Freecycle if I can find them!)

We ripped up a little piece of carpet at the entrance and discovered the plywood floor underneath has some bad/rotten spots. My handy dad says it will be a cinch to replace the floor, so we will most likely work on that this weekend. We decided to restore from the inside out. So the painting of the outside and sandblasting of the current horrid paint job will be one of the last things.

I am going to set a budget now and see how close I can stay to it : $550. Lets pray and cross fingers!

These are pictures of the afore mentioned items.

Have an idea? Use my coloring worksheet to show us!

My husband this KICK-ASS coloring worksheet on the computer for all to download to help me decide what colors to use. Please feel free to use this image to color on, but please be considerate and do not claim the rights to this image. We don't want to watermark it to mess up potential neat artwork. You understand what I'm trying to say. We're cool people, but my husband is a hard-working freelance artist. ANYWAYS.. below is a blank camper, and then a colored mock-up of turquoise/banana that several people back at the Craftster forums suggested. We are also thinking of candy apple red. What do you think?

The Necessary Before Pics

The first thing we did to the camper was move it out from underneath the massive oak tree it was hiding under and into the driveway. Then we gave it a good pressure wash. Please tell me you see the potential here! Here are some pictures of that process:

In The Beginning...

What a classic title. It means so many things .. the beginning of this blog, the beginning of the restoration of my camper for my Craftster friends, and most likely the beginning of a long, arduous, expensive project that I know will turn out amazingly in the end!

I am starting this blog in which to keep my friends informed of the progress of our 1960's Camper Trailer Restoration Project. I started the original conversation here and the thread grew so fast in popularity that someone suggested it's own blog. Great idea! So here we are now.

What It Is: Camper trailer branded Play-Mor, made in 1962.
Where It Came From: Parents bought it from our neighbors in Florida for the specific purpose of moving from our house in FL to our now house in TN. Has effectively been a yard decoration for the past 12+ years. Parents gave it to husband and I because its too-cool-for-school!
What We Plan To Do With It: It doesn't look like much now, but in the end, we plan to have it very nicely painted in a nice color scheme, new innards, new tires and electrical, new seating inside, and just plain awesome-sauce! Our goal is to use it for actual camping! :D I know its going to be expensive, but will be totally worth it! :D

Please join us for the ride. I will really appreciate all of those we keep track of the project and supporting our effort! IF YOU EVER HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST THEM IN A COMMENT! I always appreciate the input and consideration to respond!