Starting Phase 3, '73 Overlander: The gaucho goes and we finish up the front interior

vendredi 7 novembre 2014

For us the camping season is over and with that I'm starting what I hope is the final phase of rehab that I plan on doing with this trailer. I'm calling this phase three in that the first phase involved replacing the rotted floor in the bath along with a complete redo as documented here: http://ift.tt/1uIGD0q I also replaced the axles and cleaned up the rear frame and installed new foam board as insulation.



The second phase was started about this time last year and involved tearing out the kitchen sink base cabinet and replacing it along with removing the front belly pan and cleaning up the frame and new insulation there as well. That work is documented here: http://ift.tt/1uIGD0t



This last phase should not be as extensive as the first two. The goal is to improve the livability and bring the interior up to a more modern state. I plan to finish up the upper cabinets by removing the tambour doors and replacing them with cherry veneer ply doors and solid cherry trim. All the interior walls and ceiling will be cleaned again and will be painted. Probably the most expensive part will be replacing the gaucho with two recliners. I will also probably remove all the parquet floor all the way back to the bedroom area and put down some type of vinyl floor planking.



Not everything will be for show, the front window wings have had signs of leakage since I got the rig about 2 years ago. So I'm going to bit the bullet and try and pull them apart and reseal them properly. That job will surely take some research and online guidance since I know that there are not too many replacements hanging around and I have to work with what I've got. I'll also buy a good amount of door and window seal and do as much as I can, from what I can tell, most of what is on the trailer is original, and that is 40 years old. And there is a soft spot by the front door that will have to be cut out and patched in from a pesky leak by the side window.



I'm also going to put in more LED lighting, similar to what I did earlier. I want to replace one or two of the vents with fantastic fans and will probably upgrade the original speakers as well.



An old saying I've heard from an old Army colonel was that "No plan survives first contact" and so I'm fully aware that things may change as I get into it. I'm also starting back to a full time job from working part time so I won't have as much free time to do the work. But funds won't be as tight so that will be a help, especially with the new chairs and the fantastic fans. I hope to have it back on the road by April next year so we can get some good use out of her. Wish me luck.



And since I know folks like pictures, here are a few:



Where we are starting from, the front gaucho:















The bedroom area, that 70's dark wood has to go. The plan is to paint the walls and the cabinetry under the beds:















So the gaucho starts to come out:





















The tanbour rolls look to be fine, I'll put them on the classifieds free to a good home.







Gaucho gone, you can see the area by the side window on the right were the leak was:







The plastic trim came off the window in one piece, that will be finished in silver like the rest of the interior screen frames. Lot of old gunky sealant in there, my guess is that it has been leaking for years.









The roadside window has lots of evidence of water intrusion:







Enough fun for today:







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