New Exterior Siding

[Piker]

Originally Posted by Piker

Does that work with aluminum? The hinges are aluminum.

-cheers

I suppose that was kind of a silly question... the real issue is getting the paint off the aluminum. The oxidation (what little there is on the hinges... surprisingly) actually comes off quite easily with just a wire brush.

I took the rest of the storage compartment doors off the passenger side tonight. Maybe over the weekend I can get the framing around the storage doors cleaned up and painted. To be honest, I'm running out of steam, and finishing seems like a long way away.

-cheers

[TQ60]

No it does not work on aluminum.

Lye will attack it.

Works on steels

[Piker]

Just a quick shot of the RV with the storage compartments and wheel wells removed. I should at least be able to get the framing cleaned up a bit and painted over the weekend... and maybe have some time to work on cleaning up the hinges. I might as well see about removing the Zep floor finish from the doors themselves... Not sure if the Zep stripper will harm the paint or not...

Part of me wants to repaint everything and make it really nice... but most of me wants to conserve funds and make use of what I can, so I think doing what I can to preserve the doors in their current state is the way to go.

-cheers

[ronspradley]

Looking good. I think I agree with not worrying about painting just yet. Get it all back together and get the new side put back in place. And get to use it for camping. Then you can evaluate where you are and what you want to do. I am putting some paint on my old MH and it is a lot of work. That is why we are going camping starting tomorrow for a week to 10 days. Just to get use out of it. Then when back I will finish up the new paint. Then another trip towards the end of Aug to run for the mountains and find some relief from this Texas heat. Just hang in there. You will get this done and be able to use your MH again. Then you can see where your trail leads next.

ronspradley

[ShapeShifter]

Good progress!

Originally Posted by Piker

Part of me wants to repaint everything and make it really nice... but most of me wants to conserve funds and make use of what I can, so I think doing what I can to preserve the doors in their current state is the way to go.

If you preserve the doors as they are now, you can always repaint them later if the desire to do so takes hold. But if you strip them now, you HAVE to do the painting now.

Seems like an easy decision to me...

[Piker]

Spent a few hours yesterday... quite a few hours actually... grinding the rust off of the storage compartment framing that is exposed behind the doors. I ended up getting a new gun for my sandblaster in order to reach the places I couldn't get with the grinder. It wasn't really possible or practical to remove ALL the rust, so I picked up a can of rubberized undercoating to spray through a paint gun that says can be applied over "solid rust." The stuff was pretty thick and didn't want to go through the gun very easily, but i made do. It looks decent...

Now all I need is a new set of Alcoa wheels and I'm all set...

Oh ya... the walls... probably should do them first.

First pic is a "before" just for reference. definitely an improvement.

-cheers

[Pabell90]

Piker

I think you are your own worst critic. The work you are doing looks Great I'm dealing with a major job too and with everything else going too it's hard to have the time and energy for such a major job. Thanks for the post, I always enjoy seeing your progress,

Projects like yours (and mine)seem overwhelming at times but if someone had done it for you they wouldn't have went into as much detail. At least you have been able to use your MH enough to know its problems, the one I'm working on test out pretty good as far as engine, gen.,ect but the only trip I've made in it was to drive it home approx. 30 miles.

Sometimes to make me feel better I look at MH for sale and realize what it would cost to replace what I will have when I do finish refurbishing it. And it's paid for.

Keep going dude, your doing great - pabell

[Piker]

Originally Posted by Pabell90

Piker

I think you are your own worst critic. The work you are doing looks Great I'm dealing with a major job too and with everything else going too it's hard to have the time and energy for such a major job. Thanks for the post, I always enjoy seeing your progress,

Projects like yours (and mine)seem overwhelming at times but if someone had done it for you they wouldn't have went into as much detail. At least you have been able to use your MH enough to know its problems, the one I'm working on test out pretty good as far as engine, gen.,ect but the only trip I've made in it was to drive it home approx. 30 miles.

Sometimes to make me feel better I look at MH for sale and realize what it would cost to replace what I will have when I do finish refurbishing it. And it's paid for.

Keep going dude, your doing great - pabell

I appreciate the encouragement Pabell... it's much needed at times during this project. As of July, we've owned this RV for 3 years... and have spent 2 of those years down fixing and repairing... with another year or more of fixing ahead of us. Not to mention... I could have purchased a much nicer rig for what I'll have into this one when I'm all done... When I think about those things, it's easy to get discouraged...

That said, I know enough to know that dwelling in the past is no place to live... and that whining is pointless. Despite the setbacks, we have been blessed. Actually, in many ways, the setbacks themselves have been the biggest blessings, as they have revealed ( and continue to reveal) who I really am and what I really care about... something I think you don't come to grips with except through difficulty.

So, yes... we'll keep going... we'll keep pushing forward with this as long as the good Lord permits... with the hope that perhaps better days are ahead.

Next up... storage compartment hinges... they need cleaned up and painted so I can get the doors hung back on.

-cheers

[Piker]

After what seems like forever trying to get the caulk off of the hinges, I finally figured out that cutting it off with a knife, and then brushing the leftovers off with a wire wheel in a drill works pretty good.

The hinges have some corrosion on them, and of course the paint looks kinda bad. I've been wanting to sandblast them so I can repaint, but we don't have a blast cabinet big enough at work to fit them in. (some of the hinges are 5' long)

Soooooo. What you see below is my solution the problem. You might be a redneck if.....

Believe it or not... it works kinda good... although... since I don't have any rubber gloves to keep my little hoofies safe, it stings just a little.

FYI... there is a piece of plexiglass that goes over the top, but you can't really see it in the first picture.

-cheers

[TQ60]

Clever!

Being a pack rat having assorted "stuff" around allows for creative solutions...

[WILDEBILL308]

Good leather gloves will help protect your hands. Stop doing your nails with the sand blaster.
Bill

[Piker]

Progress is slow. Very very slow. I've got a couple hinges sandblasted... one of them with a good etching primer on it, which looks pretty good actually... and that's about it. The work schedule is a little challenging right now, so finding energy in the evenings to tackle this is tough. I had hoped to have this side of the RV skinned before winter... I don't know now...

Lately, I find myself feeling anxious about how long the future is taking to get here... I mean really... I just want to go camping. But this is yet another good moment to pause and reconsider this course I'm on. Time and again I hear folks older than myself reiterate how "time has just flown by..." and I can't help but wonder if that's what happens when you try looking too far forward for too long a time...

I have been doing my best to keep from dwelling too much on the past and all the struggle we've been through as we've pursued this little RV dream of ours... I've tried to keep looking forward... but perhaps there is a hidden danger in that as well. I think perhaps if you're eyes are focused only on the future (or the past), you miss what's happening in the present, only to someday wake up and realize that life has passed you by. And so I have to ask myself... do I have a grip on this pursuit... this rv dream? Or does it have a grip on me?

I don't know the answer to that I guess. The truth is that the only way I'll ever actually enjoy the RVing dream is if I can first let go of it. Sounds contrary, but I think it's true with everything in life. You either own your earthly desires, or they own you... To be owned by a passion that was never intended to satisfy your soul is simply a measure in futility... but I digress...

So, I guess I need to find balance... balance in what I can learn from the past... what I might hope for in the future... and what I can be content with today. Seems easy for some people to find this balance... maybe someday I'll get there.

All for now.

-cheers

[Daveinet]

Rent an RV and get away for a couple of days. You need the reminder.

[Piker]

Originally Posted by Daveinet

Rent an RV and get away for a couple of days. You need the reminder.

We camped in the driveway last night. This RVing stuff is my favorite thing ever, but just because it's my favorite thing ever doesn't mean that somehow life owes it to me...

It's all good... One day at a time... Today I'll be thankful that we have a driveway camper and a little family to enjoy it.

Still making memories...

-cheers