Van reno - the quest for fabric

I have looked at literally thousands of fabrics online and in fabric and upholstery stores. Who knew it would be so difficult to find the right fabrics? We want to go with a palette of fifties kitchen colour - aqua, lime green, red with black and white accents.

Here are some fabrics I considered:

 

I can't seem to find just the right one. Actually, I can find it, I just can't order it. Here is the fabric we would love to use for the curtains:

It is a Michael Miller fabric, CX 3978 Multi Trailer Travel. Michael Miller Fabrics (actually a man and a woman) have some incredible designs. Although the green is not quite the right shade, this fabric is amazingly retro enough to change the colour scheme a little. We could choose a coordinating fabric for the upholstery. I have emailed Michael Miller and their wholesaler in Montreal (we are in Southern Ontario, Canada), and I am trying desperately to find a place I can buy this. I have searched eBay and Amazon.com, to no avail.

We also seem to live in a textile black hole here. There used to be 3 fabric stores in our town, but now there are none. Barrie, the closest city, has 1 Fabricland which is just abysmal. There are some upholstery shops, but I really don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on fabrics, even if I could find what we wanted. Any ideas?

Ready for the Road!

After a day and a half at the garage, she is certified and legal! 

Here is what was done to our 1987 van:
- new wiper blades and washer fluid pump
- new emergency brake cables
- right headlight adjuster
- 1 headlight bulb installed
- propane tank and lines removed, as the tank did not pass inspection

Not bad for a 25 year old vehicle. There is an oil leak, but our mechanic advised that we gauge how much is leaking before we decide if we want to have the transmission taken out to fix the leak. It would probably cost $500 - $600 dollars. 

I put $50 of gas in her on the way home, and the tank is about half full. Yikes! Then I cranked the rock and roll radio station as I cruised down the highway home. 

Costs thus far
$900 cost of van
$793 certification
$191 licensing
$70 gas
$60 paint 
Total: $2014
Feeling of freedom - priceless!

Van Test Run

Last night, we camped in the van for the first time! We camped in our backyard. (We live on 1.5 acres.) It was fantastic! 

Leaning on the back is our deluxe double camp chair we got as a wedding present 10 years ago. Plenty of drink holders, a little table, and pockets for books, sketch pads, etc. 

Backyard camping advantages:  

- it took us about 5 minutes to set up camp, once the van was loaded. Being at home made it easy for us to get things that we had forgotten (e.g, the headlamp, the camp chair), but it was still a mini-vacation and a break from routine.

- it was free, except for the few cents in gas to drive the back of the property

- we didn't have to find someone to look after the chickens and the cats

- no neighbouring campsites

The disadvantages: 

- we don't have a lake or pool, and it was hot! Although we were in a shaded area, we couldn't wait until the sun went down. We have been considering a natural swimming pool for a while. Now it seems like a definite plan. 

We read, sketched, talked, listened to music (love the electricity in the van!), and dozed in the hammock. Once the sun went down, we built a fire and roasted bannock dogs for dinner. We shape the bannock into a thin roll and spiral it around the hotdog, but you can also wrap the whole hot dog. Love bannock while camping! I always make it in a ziploc bag beforehand and store it in the cooler, ready for hot dogs, breakfast, or just a snack. (You can wash and reuse ziploc bags many, many time, especially if they are the sturdier freezer variety). No fuss, no muss, just mix it all in the bag and you are ready to roll. Forgot to make the Jiffy Pop. Don't you love the tinfoil dome? So seventies.

We even had a campfire sing-along. Good thing the neighbours aren't close! 

We didn't try the toilet yet. I want to understand how it works better before we actually put human waste into it. It seems to flush just fine, but where does it go, and how do we empty it?

Things to remember for future camping:

- the van gets really hot in the sun, although the roof fan does a good job of sucking out the hot air (too bad this method doesn't work on people). Always camp in shade!

- have to figure out the water situation. Right now it seems like when we fill the water, it drains out of a hose onto the ground. We looked at it, but couldn't figure it out yet. It seems like there is one way to hook up the water so it is just coming from a hose attached to the van, and one way to fill up the tank, but the tank seems to just drain, and does not seem to be connected to any of the 3 (?!?) taps.

The plumbing aspect of the camper van is totally new to us. There is a bit of a learning curve. Any experienced campers with tips?

Van Reno Part 2

While I was figuring out that I had to take down the darn shelves, we came up with the brilliant idea of putting in a folding table beside the sink. I bought 2 folding shelf brackets. They are supposed to hold up to 150 lbs. Then I got a piece of MDF and some vinyl trim for it. The hardest part of the whole project was putting the trim on the MDF. I did discover that using a level on a van in a driveway is not advisable - doh! Now we have a lovely little table that will make washing dishes in the sink much easier. 

 

 

Isn't that fantastic? I am not sure about the 150 lbs, since it is just anchored to the panel board. I used drywall anchors, and had to be careful to avoid the water reservoir under the sink. Love the folding aspect! The whole thing cost $25.

I have painted where the little shelves were, and touched up the paint on the parts of them that will go back up. I have also painted the new table top (without holes), and the board that goes in to make the bed. Will the painting ever end? Will I ever clean up all the paint drips in the van? Will we find the perfect fabric? Tune in next time to find out.

The birth of the van

I was in the salvage yard when I saw her. She was ugly on the outside...well, let's face it, on the inside, too. But underneath the ugly dark green paint and fake wood interior, I could see her potential.

The guy there (a somewhat creepy guy named Jergen, with few teeth) said he thought that she had nothing wrong with her. Isn't that what they always say? However, she had no rust and only 44 000 kms mileage.

 

How funky is that table? Not terribly practical for Yahtzee, but funky.

 

 I came home and told Jenny about her, cautiously optimistic that she could be a fun part of our future camping trips. Jenny, as is her wont, was more cautious than optimistic. We looked at some similar vans online, and decided that if she checked out, it was a really good deal. A few discussions and trips to the salvage yard later, we were $900 lighter in the wallet and driving her home.

Our trusted mechanic (what a find that is!) checked her out, and pronounced her "solid as a rock," and very well cared for. This is not a guy who says that lightly. He also remarked that she was "painted with a big, hairy brush." .

Next came the painting. First I had to remove all of the curtains and upholstered panels. Was powder blue with pink accents really ever attractive? I researched a bit about how to paint an RV, and there were lots of opinions. (Faux finishes? Really?) I decided on an oil-based Kilz primer and latex melamine paint in Natural White. I started priming. I primed and I primed. I should mention that I am not a very meticulous painter at the best of times, never mind cramped in little spaces. It was a disaster! What had I done? It looked terrible. I was quite disheartened. Still in love with the van, though.

Next came the latex paint. Wow, what a job! Three coats later, with loads of cutting in and using a tiny roller where I could, it looked passable.

I admit, it could probably have used a fourth coat, but that was just too much for me.