Friday, November 18, 2016

November 2016

Little and I got a coat of Killz on the majority of the interior. We used an entire gallon but all we have left is the inside of the cupboards. I figure the Killz will help mitigate any potential mildew. It sure looks different with everything white. I am excited to get the actual painting done but it's getting too cold so that'll have to wait for Spring. In the meantime over the winter I can work on curtains.

Friday, October 14, 2016

October 2016

Wow is time flying. I work on Ziggy when I can but with kiddo in Volleyball and Basketball along with Girl Scouts and of course school and homework my time is stretched to the max.

Anyhow, I've finished up several loose ends:
  • Attached the front piece on the shelf/bunk.
  • Drilled the bunk ply and rails for eyebolts to hold the ply in place.
  • Completed the paneling inside the street side dinette bench.
  • Filled all screw holes around the windows and door with tooth picks and gorilla glue so that the new screws will have something to bite into. I had to laugh because once all of the holes were filled and I was waiting for the glue to dry it I thought it looked like some kind of weird fortress

 
  • Installed the shelf below the front window, the l brackets I was using for bracing of the walls and other furniture were too big so I had to get different ones. I still have to secure the shelf with those but it's cut and ready. I did get a better quality wood for that shelf since it won't be painted, I'll polyurethane it instead. I think it will look neat with my butcher block style table top that will sit just below it.
 
I mentioned back in September that I had decided to forgo replacing the street side bench back cupboard and to build a removable cupboard. Well that plan has changed, at least for the time being. I was at my favorite wine and beer store and noticed that a lot of their decorating was done with the wooden shipping boxes for wine. I asked the owner if he ever had any of the wooden boxes that he would part with. He asked what I was wanting them for and I told him that I was upcycling a vintage trailer and that I thought they would work quite well on the shelf to hold camping gear. He thought it was such a cool idea he looked around to see what he had. He had 2 quite large ones that he said he gave me for free!! I was ecstatic!! I went home that night and set them on the shelf and they looked so cool. Then it hit me, these are just about as deep as the space I need to fill up front. I set them on end with the opening against the wall and sure enough they are gonna work slick. The only thing was that 2 didn't fill the entire width, I was going to need exactly one more. So back to the store (Of course I bought beer each time I went!) and asked if they had just one more box. He had one and was happy to give it up to such a great cause. These boxes will work at least temporarily so I can focus on other things to get Ziggy camping ready. I'm thinking they'll be perfect for the bedding for the dinette bed and when it is a bed they will slide under the table nicely.



 
 

Friday, September 16, 2016

Been working hard!

Over the past couple weeks I've gotten quite a bit done on Ziggy.

I started the work on the back bunk. My screws to attached the front piece were too long. Thank GOD I double checked before I used them. Any kiddo sleeping up there would have hated me FOREVER... I picked up good ones yesterday and look forward to finishing out the bunk the next time I get to work on her. Originally the back bunk was awkward and unusable when not folded down for sleeping. Since it will only rarely be used for sleeping I have built it much like the gaucho. It will be an open shelf when not being used for sleeping or the front piece will pull forward and another piece of ply wood will fall in behind to create a 32 inch wide bunk.  Just need to attach the front piece that will keep things on the bunk and shelf! Don't want any little bodies falling off!!

 


During my research and decision making process I found this roll-up guest bed. It cost half what it would have cost to get 2" foam to fit the bink. I ordered and received it this week. (It will be great to have around the house for kiddo's friends too.)


I made the bunk to fit the width and realized in the process that when folded up as a shelf my aluminum gun case will fit perfectly! Priorities...

Last night I also finished reinstalling and securing the front upper cabinets. They are super solid and ready for lots of fun camping gear!

 
Once those were in place I worked a little on finishing the paneling on the inside of the street side bench seat. One more piece and that will be done.

I also picked up a tension curtain rod to place in front of the back bed to create a bit of a privacy screen. Brown chicken, brown cow....

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Dinette

I got my bench lids sanded and placed and built the new framework for the back part of the street-side bench where the small cabinet used to be. I finally decided to go ahead and forgo reinstalling that cabinet so that when the dinette is folded down as a bed it will actually be a full-length bed rather than about 4 inches short. I will be building a removable cabinet that will act as a spacer so the back cushion will fit in the proper position when set up as a table and benches.

Newport, WA Vintage trailer rally

So hubby, little and I were on our way home from a day trip to Metaline Falls to ride the Ione train when we saw signs for a Trailer rally. I talked them into letting me drive the outskirts of the park to peak at the trailers. OMG was it exciting to see other trailers in really life. All I usually get to see are pictures online. We weren't even up close but man was it fun! I think it even got the 2 of them excited for what I'm up to in our garage! It really adds to the motivation to get Ziggy done!

Monday, August 22, 2016

Gaucho Complete!!

Super excited about how well my gaucho turned out! I had been thinking a lot about how I would create the front lip so that it would have a finished look rather than just using a plain 1x2 or 1x4. I was laying in bed a few nights ago and had an epiphany. I had kept the original pieces for reference so why not use the original front lip? If I could pull it off the original sliding piece without destroying it I could save wood, time and money and have a nice finished look.

Sunday I started by trimming down the cross pieces that I had cut 1/8" too long the prior weekend then attached them to the back of the sliding plywood. Next I pulled apart the original sliding piece to see if I would be able to salvage that front lip. Since a PO had attempted to strengthen the supports with several nails it took a little longer but I was able to get it taken apart. I sanded off the old glue and smoothed out some nicks and scratches then attached it to the ply using a few "L" brackets for added strength and support. I sanded the rough spots of the ply and set it in place. I also cut and sanded the piece that drops in behind when the sliding piece is pulled forward. I drilled 2 holes and inserted a strip of mule tape to use as a handle to lift it when pushing the sliding piece back. The gaucho is now complete and looks great!!


Building sliding piece

Gaucho finished

We have a place to sleep !

Fit test!!

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Furnace Cover

I totally should have taken a during process photo of this but at least I got the before and after!! This has been one of those tasks that, though small, was a big deal to me. My furnace cover was gross. The paint was ugly and there were spots of nasty rust that seemed really deep. I sat down with my cover and a wire brush on my cordless drill and got to work. Unfortunately the wire brush wasn't working as well as I'd hope so hubby suggested I use the angle grinder. That worked awesome and in no time I had stripped it to the bare metal and stripped down through the rust. I wiped it down with a rag, blew it off with the air hose, sprayed it down with brake cleaner and let it dry in the sun. Then I applied 2 coats of flame resistant aluminum color paint and let it "bake" in the sun for several days where the day time temps reached the 90s. The entire process took almost 2 weeks but the results are awesome!
                                  BEFORE                                       AFTER

Monday, August 15, 2016

Gaucho!

After weeks and months of procrastinating the gaucho rebuild, I'm finally working on it. Sunday morning, armed with my cut list, I started the work. I got all of my support pieces cut and the base framework together then hubby and I headed to town for supplies and the plywood. When we got back I got the sliding plywood cut and was getting ready to attach the supports to it when I realized all of my staples are either too long or too short. Back to Harbor Freight I go... I got crazy excited when I placed the plywood on the frame to check for fit and actually got to lay down in Ziggy!!!





Monday, July 25, 2016

Windows!!

Beautiful CLEAN windows!! I spent 3 hours scrubbing and scrubbing and when I thought it was over I scrubbed some more. The windows I cleaned had been resealed with the nasty silver sealant and it was slopped all over the frame, and that crap doesn't come off easily. ALOT of elbow grease... but now I am half way done with windows and I'm so very impressed with how they are turning out. I'm using a wheel cleaner from NAPA and green Scotch Bright scrubbing pads. Can't wait until it's time to reinstalled the windows, they look so good. I still have to install the glass retainer disks I ordered from VTS but that won't take much as long as I'm careful and don't break the glass...



 
Look at the SHINE!!!

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Plumbing is DONE

I finally (with the help of my little one) got the plumbing finished!! I also changed the back reading lamp fixture to an outlet. I believe this will provide us with great versatility when we're plugged into shore power. We can have a night light or a plug in reading lamp or any other electronic we chose and not be worried about someone smacking their head on the reading lamp when sitting on the gaucho.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Furnace cover

So I may have a lead on an aqua furnace cover that will match my stove/oven, sink and icebox!! I posted on a vintage trailer forum about the high heat paint I was thinking of using to paint over the rust and just so happens a fellow Kit owner replied that he may have one for me!! He would just charge me shipping!! I am sending him my furnace model number and measurements and a couple photos in hopes that what he has will fit!!! Super excited!!
 




 

Monday, June 13, 2016

Plumbing

My intentions for getting the plumbing all done yesterday were dashed when I realized my new replacement water fill cap requires a larger fill hose than I thought. I had originally purchased a new style fill cap but it was going to require me to cut a larger hole for the cap. So instead of using that cap I decided to take the loss and purchase a new one of the same style as the original I was replacing. I believed I had everything I needed to redo all the plumbing in one work session... I was wrong. I actually blistered my hand trying to pry and twist the new fill hose onto the cap. Finally, with the new cap in-hand I went into town to find new hose that would fit better. The listing for the fill cap didn't include the necessary hose size so I assumed it took the same size as the original, 1 1/4" which is also the inlet fitting size on my tank. Nope, 1 1/4" ID was too small,  1 1/2" ID was too big and the 1 3/8" ID was too small and the thick walls wouldn't let it be manipulated onto the cap. What a pain and 2 hours of wasted time. I ended going home and taking a heat gun to the fill hose I had and was able, with gloves on and hubby's help, to manipulate it onto the cap.

Funny how those little tasks can take up your time so quickly.

I also spent a couple hours working around all of the windows and baggage door flattening all of the screw holes. I think I'll use something in each hole to refill it so I have something for the new screws to grab. I'm pretty sure the windows were removed in the past to reseal them so I'm unsure how much wood is left in the holes...now to find what product will work best.

I had been planning on a light tan color for the interior but I found a mis-tinted gallon of egg shell at Ace for $10.00 and couldn't pass it up. I think it will brighten up the inside and look awesome with the curtains. I also found a high heat header paint in aluminum color for the furnace face. I think that will look really good and I can use it for the outside vent as well. Should look really nice.

Hopefully, I'll have a little time to get out to work on Ziggy this week and get that plumbing wrapped up. It SHOULD go pretty smoothly now that I have the fill cap, fill hose and drain installed.

I keep procrastinating the furniture builds but I'm running out of other tasks and will have to bite that bullet and get it started soon.

Monday, May 23, 2016

WINDOWS!!

I took some pictures this weekend of my windows so I could order new gaskets and seals for them. I easily found the model number stamped on some of them but the front jalousie windows had me stumped. I asked around on a forum that I frequent and got a couple helpful hints. It was suggested that I try a couple different vendors for the correct profile.

Lordy look what I found! I found this amazing resource at Vintage Trailer Shop for finding the right seals. This shows the history of the Hehr windows that are used in trailers. This is perfect, I already knew I had 3 of the 2700 series (kitchen and gaucho windows) But I was also able to match up the profiles from the pictures of the old seals in place with the seals they offer!! I'm not sure if my windows are in fact the Hall-Mark Multi-Tork Series or not but the 3 seals they show are the exact ones I needed. Thanks Tailertrasher for the lead!!!


I just LOVE the Vintage trailer community, everyone is so friendly and helpful.

Monday, May 16, 2016

May 16th

Ziggy's hand pump is now water tight and ready for reinstallation. I found the inside replacement kit on Amazon and ordered it even though I wasn't exactly sure it would work for my faucet. With so many moving parts it was a little complicated getting all of the pieces aligned in the correct position before I placed the screw and tightened it but I did it and it works perfect!



 I have also finally finished the paneling. I had to use 3 narrow pieces for the front ceiling-to-wall curve because the paneling I'm using is 3/8" compared to the original 1/8" paneling and would not bend to fit the trailer's profile. The new paneling pieces angle rather than curve. Not a big deal as it will be hidden by the upper front cupboards. The great thing is that I have noticed quite a difference in Ziggy's strength and sturdiness with all of the paneling installed!

I'm excited yet a little apprehensive about starting the repair/replacement of the "furniture". Each piece has it's positives and negatives.
  • The front upper cabinets will be reinstalled, but first the bottom needs a new skin and the face has a piece of the paneling laminate that is a little lifted and peeled from pulling it out during demo. I should be able to just glue that back down before I paint. 
  • The dinette bench boxes are in good shape as are the lids. I will just replace the hinges that were bent and reinstall the lids. I will be rebuilding the streetside bench-back cupboard that was severely water damaged.
  • The gaucho is the part I'm most concerned about as it seems the most complex. The good part is that the face with the cupboard doors is in good shape and can be reused, the bad is that many of the supports are bowed and will need replaced. The P.O. had screwed a support to the floor to keep the middle of the front of the bed from sagging. As this may have served it's purpose, I will NOT be doing the same thing. I would like to come up with an effective solution to keep the bed from sagging in the middle but I don't want it permanently fixed to the middle of the floor. I was actually thinking of building a wooden box that could be used to store items (maybe shoes) but slid under the bed for added support when in use. It could also be used as a ottoman when the gaucho is in use as a couch.
Funny, once I have it broken down like that it doesn't seem so bad. Just one piece at a time. Once I have the furniture rebuilt I will be working on the upholstery and painting the interior.

Monday, April 25, 2016

April 25

This weekend allowed for quite a bit of work on Ziggy. I started on Saturday by cleaning and scrubbing the entire interior. I cleaned every drawer and cupboard. I pulled the knobs off the oven to soak and removed the front panel off the heater. The heater front has a little rust so I'd like to repaint it but I can't seem to find beige heat resistant paint. I can only find it in black.

On another note, after looking at these pictures over and over I finally feel like there is some serious progress going on. Yes, there is a lot yet to do but there is evidence of a lot of work to this point.

Looking in doorway
Front wall with just a little paneling to go!

Back wall paneling complete!
Clean Kitchenette!!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Spring 2016

Lots going on, I have almost all of Ziggy's paneling done!! (Pictures coming soon) I have a couple more pieces, then I can start working on the Gaucho and Dinette. I decided to switch out the reading light on the back wall and replace it with an outlet. I have all the supplies necessary for the new plumbing, including the new water tank. I've repaired the hand pump faucet. I've also decided on a new table top. The old one was so warped that it was really unusable. Rather than using the original brackets to secure the table to the wall and yet allow it to fold down for the bed I will be putting it on folding table legs (the same kind my tent trailer had). This will also allow me to use the table outside if desired, I think this will also reduce the weight to the front wall of the trailer.



New table top

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Trim or Moulding?

Whatever you call it, I call it purchased!! Actually I call it either, depending on the day ;-)  I finally found an inexpensive product by Gossen called Deep Dimension Ranch Cellular Vinyl. I can't wait to actually see what it looks like. From what I read I imagine it's very similar to what was on my outside corners. All of my inside corners used to have the vinyl bead stuff between the panels, I pulled out all of that long ago. This particular product comes in several profiles and is wood grain but is also paintable. I just ordered a case of batten strips, inside corner and outside corner mouldings! I can't believe I got what I'm pretty sure will be enough for my entire project with shipping for under $200.00!!

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Spring is coming!

I've worked on Ziggy several times over the Winter but not near as much as I had hoped. Before starting on the paneling I tested the wiring to the rear tail lights and realized that when I put the outer metal back on I hit the taillight wiring with a staple. Dang it, I felt stupid. I remember being very careful and leaving a space between staples to ensure that I didn't hit the wire I knew was going around that corner... Pretty sure that I when I was very tired from working on the framework and securing the outer metal I went back to make sure there were no gaps in my work. I probably saw a space between staples and threw a staple into it without considering why I had intentionally left the gap, doh. Since I was rewiring the taillights, I went ahead and added a terminal block at the floor where the wires come into the trailer, from there I rewired the entire back end. Boy are those LEDs bright! They look great too!

Now back to the paneling. I now have the entire back end rewired and repaneled, save for a 10 inch strip of the ceiling. I ran out of juice and didn't want to make any more stupid mistakes. :-)

Since I had rewired all of the back lights I went ahead and rewired the front clearance lights and the interior 12 Volt line. I added a terminal block to the front end where those wires come into the trailer. This will provide me with the ability to add a 12 volt outlet should I decide to later without having to pull out any paneling.

I have my new water tank! I'm working on the hand pump. I have the insides of it replaced, now I have to pick up some gasket material to seal it back together and reinstall it. I have my new fill port but I still need to pick up all of the tubing for the fill, outlet, drain and vent.

Once I have all of the plumbing done I  will be ready to work on the front paneling, then I'll be onto the furniture. Actually, I could work on the back gaucho once I have that last strip of ceiling paneling in. Which is good if I need to order anything and wait for it to come in.

Terminal block half-way through installation