It's ok to hire a professional. It's even better if they listen. Oh well. Moving on in the name of progress.

So, we decided to turn to a professional when we realized the sweet little vintage camper had a brake system that had been "jimmy rigged" and looked a little dangerous. We thought we'd take our camper to a local company that has many years under their belts to get an inspection. Hubby was pleased when they said it seemed to be in "pretty good shape" for its age and that we should be relatively happy with the little amount of work that needed to be done.

Bonus.

They gave us an estimate that seemed "reasonable" (in terms of vintage camper restoration, we're not really sure what to expect) but we were able to pay outright for the work estimate (pushing the likelihood of granite countertops further and further way) and decided to go for it.

Hubby was pretty excited that they were "open" to the idea of refurbing the gaping hole in the roof of the camper. As we met for lunch the day he got the call with the estimate he excitedly told me that the 25 year veteran of camper restoration that would be working on the hole would come up with solutions and would give him a call to address some ideas. His clear directive, "that sounds great, I'd like to explore some options because I really don't like the look of a square patch on the roof." No problem. Until the next day. When they invited sweet hubby in to look at the progress. And, they had replaced the gaping hole in the roof with this. Without checking with him first. Yep, they replaced the square patch that he really didn't like with a larger more rectangle-like shaped patch. Huh. Not what we were expecting.

My husband is pretty chill about most things. Like, typically tends to let things go. Doesn't really ruffle many feathers or get his feathers ruffled on a regular basis. But, he did call the company out. Asked why they did exactly what he asked them not to. I was proud of him. It was a big step. It didn't really matter too much. But, I can guarantee that we won't be back there.

So, in the end. We do have a top of the line new brake system. Check. We have the gaping hole fixed recovered and sealed. We are done with that local business. So, I guess we've made progress.

We called another place in town that will take a look at rewiring the inside (something the last place didn't pay much attention to) to upgrade the system and make things a little more safe/attach the lights and refrigerator to the battery pack that was installed last week.  We've officially doubled the investment but if the price that these canned hams are selling for on ebay/craigslist are any indication of resale value, with a little more TLC I'm sure I think that we could still get our $ back if we ever tire of this project and want to sell it.

But, how could I consider selling this thing? It's going to be awesome, right?

Over the past few weeks, we've continued to make some additional changes to the interior and exterior. Probably the most significant change in the last few days occurred when I removed the metal hood from the back window.

I scraped away at the disgustingly dirty, silicone (?) grime and sealant. 

Tried a little Goo Be Gone but I think there is just too much goo that needs to be gone.

So, I tried another power tool to take away some of the grime and residue and remaining stickiness from a previous owners' name decal. A little more sanding and it should cover up just fine with a new coat of paint.

It's a little blurry because that thing was shaking me like a leaf. But, I felt like a rock star. If a rock star actually used power tools. On vintage campers. Ok, you get the point. It was a big step for me.

And, I think it looks a little better already. Can't wait to start painting it!

Until next time!