Doors and More

Bent Front Door '61 Mobile Scout

Whew! It's been a long, hard pull over the winter, trying to fit the camper refurb into real life.

Here's what's happened since our last post:

Hub's decision to pull the door off Sweet Melissa and repair it. We have a theory about how the door got bent so badly...we think a giant black bear tried to pull the door off our '61 Mobile Scout while in search of food. Lucky for us, the lock is a sturdy one and it only resulted in a badly bent door. Or, more likely, some hapless former owner/camper hooked a post pulling into a campsite. We like our theory better!

 

And then there was the great appliance controversy of 2016. We had decided to keep and restore the original Dometic propane stove and refrigerator, but after much discussion, opted instead to put in newer, safer appliances.

I know, I know, new ones won't have nearly the cool factor that vintage camper appliances would, but after seeing pics of trailer explosions caused by faulty propane fixtures, and having no idea when these were last used, we (I) chose safety over coolness. Sorry, stock rebuilder friends.

That choice created a bunch of new work for the Hubs, mainly having to tear apart the original closet and move things around so that we could install a small air conditioning unit near the old fridge vent. And run both 12V and 110v wiring to the new refrigerator cabinet where the 55-year-old propane heater once sat (opting for a small catalytic heater instead.)

He's also managed to install the last piece of birch paneling and run a header brace across the ceiling between kitchen/sleeping area. If it ever remains warm AND dry in Kansas for two days in a row again, my job is to get every inch of birch shellacked and gorgeous.

One more fun thing to share with our readers...thanks to our awesome friend, Michelle, princess of all things upholstery, we figured out how to make dinette seat cushions without having to sew a stitch! Here's a look at what my brilliant husband has made.

So, to finish, it's been a long, crazy time since we last updated our readers about trailer restoration efforts. Cold weather, big family birthday celebrations, negotiating and decision making, the Hubs working LOTS of hours and, oh, yes, a trio of precious grandbabies born have had us a bit distracted.

But we're back on track and raring to finish. Still to do...final decisions on paint scheme, actually painting Sweet Melissa, installing new lights all around, checking the underneath parts one more time for roadworthiness, installing the flooring and appliances and making a duvet to cover the foam we've located at the Yard Store for our mattress. At some point, we've got to get those curtains, finished, too, but we'll cut our daughter/seamstress some slack, since she's just given birth to twins *smile*.

And lest you think hubby's doing it all this other stuff himself, this was my contribution on a recent weekend, resealing a leaking J-Rail with putty tape and replacing the last of the old, rusting exterior screws with new, shiny ones.

Onward and upward!