Putting up walls!

Hello Dahlings! Faith, the vintage Serro Scotty Travel Trailer back to fill you in on some more progress that has taken place over the last several weeks. This entry is about rebuilding my walls. Of course you remember that I was demolished right down to the floor. That scared the happy camper right outta me. But I held on faithfully to see what my restorer, 99, had in store for me next. She built some brandy spanking new walls for me!

Plywood was laid out. A pattern was drawn using the skin. After this each side was biscuited and glued together and pulled tight with come alongs. 99 was real nervous about this part. She researched and researched the proper way to do this. She was on the phone with a carpenter friend throwing around ideas. That friend stopped in one day when he was in town and brought her the come alongs. He checked up on her work and gave her a few more pointers. He even came back later and helped her out some. 99 sure is lucky to have some very good friends. 

So, here is the building of the walls in pictures,,,,,

 

 The cut outs from the wheel openings were saved just in case the new owners want to build some wings using the original new pieces. 99 would love to do it but she is just so busy focusing on the rest of me.

 After the glue dried both pieces were lain of top of each other in order to cut out exact matches for each side of the walls.

 99 loves these old clamps. She borrowed them from her carpenter friend for the afternoon. They are great when working with wood.

 99 threw some paint on me just for a bright spot of what was to come. It helped build my faith!

 Ceiling beams were fitted across the top. The bed framing back board was replaced and fitted. Walls were painted too! I was glad when this day was over. Not only was 99 a little more relaxed, but I didn't feel so naked anymore.

Next came the front/roof/back walls. These were more difficult due to the fact that they had to be bent and then attached on that tiny little space! Lots of time and careful work was spent on this part.Are you ready, Dahlings? Here it is....

 A strip of rubber was put all along the edges of the plywood that the luan will lay on top of when they are attached together. Oh, and see those strings hanging down? You will never guess what they are for....99 must have hit her head on those beams about 99 times. They were put there to catch the eye so she would remember to watch her head. She never got mad, but it was a funny thing. Right after she hit she would always say..."watch your head". I was thinking that was kind of backwards and would have saved her some pain if she said it before she hit. Putting the strings up helped.

 The center ceiling panel in the photo below was replaced with birch. 99 can be a little picky and she didn't like the way the luan layed there. She wants my ceiling to be strong. Something about snow being heavy. I forgot what that was I have been cooped up in a barn for so long, but I figure she knows best. So it was changed out.

I was left open like this while other things were done for easier access.

 It was a happy moment when my door was cut!

 The skins were put up temporarily to trace the holes for the doors and windows. Then taken down and the priming process began.

 Anyone who showed up was required to contribute in some way. It was a rule. There was no infringing on progress with 99. She was on a mission. Here is her daughter, Justine, happily painting walls in Scotty blue. A piece of skin that had the original blue on it was taken and an almost exact match in color was produced.

Even 99's grandson contributed. He provided the entertainment. He is a little goofball! Just look at that face!

 Some of the painting is being completed. The door for the cabinet at the entry door was changed from birch to Oak. 99 did not like the way the birch looked. Told you she was picky. I think she drove the tin knocker dude nuts with all of her nit pickiness!

 Here I am...looking better and better all the time. As long as we are here, let me tell you about the upper cabinet. It was really a mess. 99 cleaned it and sanded it and tightened it and painted it. The rubber molding was put around it where the top edges meet the ceiling for protection. Pictures say it best so here they are...

Here I am completely covered. It feels good. I was a little worried when that center piece of luan came of the ceiling part. Almost thought I was going to be ripped apart again. Felt better the next day when that piece of birch went in it's place.

 When putting up the side front wall cushions were used to keep the bench rails up and out of the way until they were ready to be fitted into place. A little ingenuity goes a long way!

That is pretty much it for the walls. Believe me, it wasn't easy. Everything has to be so precise, level, in line,,,,I am surprised 99 isn't completely gray at this point. Here I am getting wood surgery (as opposed to plastic) and she is just a mess. She keeps saying she can't wait to be clean for a whole day again! Her time will come. She is so busy with this labor of love and putting her heart and soul into me. I have a feeling when I am ready to be given to my next owners, she will have cause to get dressed up and celebrate. She keeps saying...one more from the fields and barns, one more for the road! I can't wait to hit it!

Until next time, when I focus on the skin and the interior, I will leave you with this...

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

We aren't seeing the whole picture at this point, but we've got the faith going strong and we believe. Keep the faith, never stop believing! 

Floor and cabinet work...

Hello vintage trailer fans. It's me, Faith! Sorry it seems like I deserted all of you, but 99 and I have been very busy. We have been hanging out pretty much non-stop for the last 5 weeks. I am about 90 percent done! Can you believe it? I knew you could...it just takes a little faith, that's all.

Oh Dahlings, I just don't even know where to begin showing you all that has been done to me so let me start where we left off and try to put the pieces together for you....just like 99 did for me. I guess we can start with the floor. The Plywood flooring was still in good shape and could be saved. The braces on the other hand were a different story. They were all removed and replaced. Once that was done it really sturdied me up and straightened me right out too.

Floor under bed did not have linoleum so it was painted rather than just leaving it with the old bare wood.

The wheel wells and water tank were painted with Rustoleum paint. Those zillions of staples were pulled from the wheel wells too.

 The same was done to the front of me.

My original linoleum floor was petty dirty but downright 60's. 99 decided to see how clean she could get it and perhaps it could still be saved. Here is what it did look like.

 After a good scrubbing...

The trim is all polished too! Love the way I shine in the sun!

In the above photo you can see that glue and braces were applied to hold the box floor. The floor underneath was repaired using angle iron along the edges. Nice and strong now!

Here are a few more before and afters...

At my threshold there was a hole in the floor covered by a piece of plywood and then carpeting. It used to look like this...

Here is the hole with the plywood removed...

From underneath a pattern was drawn on new plywood and it was cut and fitted in this hole. Braces were put in place on top of the iron frame underneath. At this point I was thinking someone could carry their new bride over my threshold when we go on our honeymoon vacation. What? I see you smirking. It could happen. I'm just an old romantic, but I have faith!

Subfloor was put over the fitted plywood and then VCT was put down and the trim work done. Tile was then washed and waxed. You could eat off of this floor if you were so inclined...

That just about does it for my floor! How about if I fill you in on my cabinets next? I am so proud of them now. Remember the old ones....

The curbside cabinet, boxes over the wheel wells, rear bed wall and cabinet door were all rebuilt. The kitchen cabinet received a new face and a new oak countertop that was coated with polyurethane. Original knobs and hinges were put back on and since the icebox was pretty much toast, a cabinet door was built. My new owners can take the door off and fit in an original ice box if they want to. The size of the opening wasn't changed for this reason. 

The face is birch.

Next came the painting. 99 says she has a hard time visualizing so she sent some pictures of what she said I should look like over to her friend. He is a great musician, but also a fantastic graphic artist. He altered the photos to show varying color combinations and after much consideration 99 chose blue on white for me. Dahlings I'm starting to feel beautiful and young again. Yippee! Sad thing is 99 feels about that old, 99. You should hear her whine all day about how her hands hurt, her knees hurt, her eyeballs hurt. Bet her eyeballs are feeling better now that that overdose of pink is gone, huh?

Drum roll please.....here is the new me!

 My original stove was stripped and cleaned. Inside and grates were sprayed with high heat black. Knobs were stripped and cleaned.

99 has a friend she calls the tin knocker. He rides a really loud motorcycle and I can hear him coming from a mile away. I like it when he comes to help with all the things that take two hands. He is fun and brings 99 cheesecake and stuff. That puts her in a much better mood. Anyway, 99 had a great idea for a backsplash and she got out all the supplies and explained it to the tin knocker. They set to work and had me a new one built in no time!

Dahlings...isn't it gorgeous?!

Here is my kitchen area in all it's glory!

I will have to show you the rest later. I should probably tell you about rebuilding the walls next. That was about the coolest thing ever. So check back on my next blog entry, Dahlings. Some big and exciting things coming up!! A real transformation if I do say so myself. Until next time, keep this in mind....

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

Martin Luther King, Jr.
.

 Never be afraid to take the first step, my friends. It could lead to the most wonderful of things. Just keep the faith and never let go of the dream. I didn't, and look at me! I'm turning back into a real beauty if I do say so myself. ;)