Skin, windows, etc.

Hello again. Faith the vintage Serro Scotty travel trailer here to pick up where we left off. I am going to tell you about my exterior. Here are some before and after photos to get us started.

Getting to this point was a lot of work and required a lot of elbow grease. When I arrived, my skin was painted in two layers in some places. It was banged up. It was covered in tar. All of my skin was removed on the first day here. Here are some photos...

After being carefully removed the skin was laid out. First came the tar removal process, The tin knocker dude helped with that. The tar was heated using a torch and then gently scraped off with a putty knife. The remaining tar was removed using gasoline.

 The pieces of skin with paint on them were stripped using airplane stripper. It works pretty good but with old paint it takes a lot of work to get it all off!

 After being stripped and cleaned my skin was laid out to dry.

 The panels that would receive paint did have some paint residue on them. This is okay because they were all wet sanded until smooth and the new primer and paint will cover the old.

99 used acid etching primer, A test area was created on the roof panel around where the vent would go. First primer was applied, followed by the paint. It was allowed to dry to see how well the paint would hold. It did great!

 The skin was cleaned using Dawn dish soap. It was wet sanded. Then polished using fine grade Perko and then polished using Mother's. It was a long process but 99 says it is a good start for whoever decides to take me as their own and I look good. My new owners can bring me to a mirror finish or leave me as is.

 So many dents had to be pounded out using the auto body finishers tools.

 Once the pieces had all the staples and nails removed the ones to be painted were laid out and primed with the acid etching primer.

After this, my skin was attached to the primed exterior walls.

Curb and streetsides put up and more polishing! Followed by painting.

Once this was done the window and the door were put in. The door was in good condition with no rot so there was no need to rebuild it. 99 was so thankful for that. 

There are lots of details and specifics to add. Bent pieces were pounded out. Butyl rubber putty tape was put on all edges of the skin before putting them up. Weather sealant was put in the seams. Side windows received new weather seals, screens were replaced as were a few window panes. A lot of work and time and most of all love was put into me. Lots of 16 hour days. I think 99 is a bit obsessed with me. She says she wants me last a long time to come. And that is just fine by me. I am looking forward to getting a new family. 99 says I am going to turn some heads going down the road by the time she is done with me. That is a dream come true! There were those who said to 99... "I hope you know what you are doing" and those who said "You CAN do this". This has been a mission of love not only by 99 but by those who followed along on her journey. She has loved these tin cans since she was a kid and would like nothing more than to do this for a living. And so, she is giving it her best shot. She has had people loan tools, donate supplies, bring dinner, share words of encouragement, pitch in some extra hands, offer advice. It's not just me and 99 out here. It is us and a bunch of people believing in this process and watching ME turn into a thing of beauty and return to my old glory. So, whoever ends up getting to enjoy me....they are also getting a lot of love packed inside of me. When all is said and done there is nothing better than love!

Next blog, I will show you my insides. For now, I will leave you with this...

Faith allows things to happen. It is the power that comes from a fearless heart. And when a fearless heart believes, miracles happen. (unknown)

Never stop believing in miracles and never ever give up on your dreams. When you feel like you can't hold on anymore, sometimes miraculous people come along and refill your faith in yourself. Look at me and what a mess I was when we started this journey. It is because of faith that I am being renewed. So, have faith in yourself and in others and never give up!