Took it out of the garage today..

I needed to get the camper moved over about a foot so that I had clearance to finish the curb side paint job. (Big beam in the garage was right up against the roofs edge)

I hitched it up and VERY carefully pulled it out praying I wouldn't scuff one of the sides.. it is a tight fit.

While it was out I snapped a few pictures to show how the $50 paint job is coming out. I think it's looking great. (you have to imagine it with the door and some chrome baby moon hubcaps)

Before:

After:

Notice the wings?  They are the black ones that came on the little 1400 I bought a couple months ago and sold a week later. They were pretty dingy (and spray-painted black for that matter) so I cleaned them up, sprayed them with bright aluminium and pinstriped them with 1/8 inch bright red automotive striping..

Still trying to decide if they look good with the red accent, or if they just look tacky~ I kinda like them so far.

Here's how they look a little closer and from the 'other side' ~

I hope to get the paint finished up this week.. I need to get going on the 2 roof vents that will be removed and sealed up tight. The remaining vent will get a Fan-Tastic fan, then once thats all sealed I can paint the roof white as well. Not that anyone would notie it, but having it bright white will hopefully reflect heat better than the darkened surface that is up there now.

That's all for now~

A video demo...

I had quite a few people tell me they enjoyed the Kreg Jig demo video I did this winter and that it was helpful so I decided to make another one demonstrating how I'm painting the camper for under $50 dollars.

After I made the video I touched up my Shasta emblem with a red paint pen and installed that too..

Thats it for today..
Its over 90 degrees in the garage and the AC in the house here feels REAL nice right now~

Picking away..

Had another good week of getting things done on the camper..

Last update I mentioned some changes to the color scheme. After trying to find (the now discontinued) retro laminate we wanted and being shocked by the price, we gave some thought to going with a less expensive route. We'll be using materials that are a little easier to find, and easier on the pocket book, so white with red accents it is~  :)

Even the Ford green I wanted to use for the accent color is almost $20 dollars for a 12 oz. spray can. The Rustoluem red comes in 16 oz cans for $3.87 at WalMart.. same thing for the gloss white I'm using on the main body panels. Using less expensive materials will certainly help to get the camper finished this summer.

Here's what I've done since the last update:

Painted the rest of the front
Painted the rest of the rear
Painted the rest of the red accents
Painted and installed the wheels
Painted half the curb side body
Painted the main entry door
Painted the rear bumper
Painted the door stopper
Installed the rear cargo door
Installed front and rear running lights
Refurbished and installed the tail lights
Installed the rock guard mount
Installed the rear window
Installed a repro Shasta decal (in red)

Here's the latest batch of pictures~

-The tail lights all cleaned up and ready for installation.

-This is the off white butyl tape I bought in bulk.. 480 feet for $34 dollars. Easy to work with.

-The rear paint is done in this picture..

-I taped off and saved the vintage 'Good Sam Club' sticker, I like it~!

-Here's the rear window installed and you can see the wiring coming in from the LED running lights.

-Here are the original wheels painted in red. I painted them without removing the tires by coating the rubber and valve stem with dishwashing detergent prior to painting. Once the paint was dry I just sprayed off the detergent which rinsed away easily taking the overspray with it. The right tire below is still drying in this picture. I'll be adding chrome 'baby moon' caps and trim rings to them to complete the look.

-Front end is all painted, Rock guard mount installed, and the running lights are in.

-What a difference the paint is making. Less than $50 for paint and supplies, easily the best "Bang for the buck"

-Found reproduction Shasta decals on ebay. Great quality, love how it looks in red.

-Here's our garage where I'm doing all this, I'm thankful to have a covered place to do the work.

The other camper in the above picture is the 1968 Airflyte we started with in December.
Its on Craigslist right now as I've used everything I could off it and it is time to let it go.

Here's a recap of what the 68 donated to the 71's refurb project:

2 new tires
2 new propane tanks and regulator
4 new stabalizing jacks
2 tail light backing plates
Rear cargo door and drip brow
Rock guard
Sink cover
Wheel bearings still new in box

I also sold a few things off it to raise funds for the 71

Shasta emblem
Airflyte emblem
Assembly plant tag
Grab handle
L-66 entry latch (broken)
Sink vent

Those things brought $177.83 on ebay after fees etc.
Hopefully the 68 will sell quickly and someone will get some use out of it.

That's it for now.. hope to paint more white today~