Bed and Bolts!

We removed the back little shelf that was in the bed area. This gave us an extra long bed space, totaling about 86 inches. We got a custom built extra soft, with pillow top, foam mattress that fits the length and the curved side. It made the most sense for us! The bed is from Labbe Bedding.

Now for the bolts... bolts of energy! We bought the entire solar power system today including two solar panels, inverter, remote control and two six volt batteries.

We also found two 212 oscillating AM Equipment wiper motors from Traction Heavy Duty Parts We'll see how they install!

Couch and Cabinets

We installed the rad retro couch today. We built it into a custom built under cabinet with everything securely fastened into the coach. The great couch folds down into a terrific bed as well. Across from the couch we have a wood bench, with under storage, that will have a seat and back cushion on top. We have also put the shelves into the closet and made a custom pantry with 2 doors. The steps are also done and have nice shiny metal caps. Also shown is an older photo, earlier in the restoration, with the couch folded down.

The Inner Workings

I thought everyone would enjoy some pictures of the inner wiring under the dashboard. You can see a shot of the side air vents, surrounded by new wood, because of course the old stuff was rotted. Also there is a shot of her dials, which are pulled apart as we are getting ready to wire up her new stereo. Also, shots of the (currently) non-working heater, push button transmission, and under the driving column. Today we did manage to correct all of the exterior lighting; headlights, signals, reverse lights, brake lights and the roof top lights. One more thing off the list for the safety inspection!

New floor!

The major accomplishment of today was the installation of Armstrong vinyl floor tiles. Lots of cutting, gluing, rolling with the tile roller and cleaning up the sticky glue. Under the new tiles we have prepared the floor by ensuring the plywood (old section and new section) was screwed down well and level. We used floor leveler compound to fill in the areas as needed.

Other accomplishments include installation of a new Champion remanufactured starter (and she starts!) As well, we found a way to install new seat belts, complete with shoulder belts, by welding in a mounting point onto the steel motor home frame. We also put up the newly chromed Dodge Motor Home script.

And a painting we will go....

We cleaned up the outside steps with a coat of black Tremclad rust paint. And we painted the plastic wall covering in the back bedroom area, a "RV White" with plastic spray paint. We were not able to get this area clean with scrubbing but the paint went on very well. You will note in the photo that we also re-installed the wood grain colored aluminum trim on the interior side of the window.

We are still painting cupboards as well. In the closet area we have built an enclosed wood cabinet with lots of shelves, primarily for our food storage. (no more mice hitching a free ride and meal!) The the other 2 doors in the close will open to two large shelves, one at the top and one at the bottom, with room in between to add in additional shelves (perhaps wire ones) at a later date. By rebuilding the interior of the closet we are able to enclose the wheel well so it is not visible in the bottom and enclose in the furnace so we just access it from the exterior panel. It looks really awesome and very functional.

As mentioned in a previous post we scored a great couch that folds down into a bed that we will be using in Myrtle. We painted the new wood box that will go under it to a fix it to the floor and provide storage. We also painted the new wood box for the bench across from the couch (which will utilize her original couch cushions). Thankfully my father-in-law is an amazing carpenter and built of of the boxes, cupboards and so on!

New muffler & New Chrome!

So some of you may not be aware but when we bought our motorhome the muffler was not actually hooked up anymore. The muffler that was there was called "The Muzzler" by Sears. The ride home from Bozeman, Montana all the way to Calgary, Alberta, was rather loud! We installed the new muffler today. We picked up the Flowmaster 70 muffler and all the parts, including a long piece of custom bent pipe, from Unlimited Performance & Exhaust.

We also installed the bumpers that we had chromed (along with the Dodge Motor Home scripts) at Alberta Plating. They did a great job with the huge bumpers and intricate lettering. Previous to the chrome they were painted off white. I think Myrtle will be one of the only 1964 Travcos with shiny chrome bumpers! Check out the vintage 1964 license plate in her photo.

Finally we also bolted in the new seat posts for the driver and passenger seats. We will have shoulder and lap belts on our lovely golden thrones (check out previous posts for pictures of the gold vinyl seats!)

New blue paint

We painted the interior of the cupboards, drawers and closet a bright blue. With the dark brown it looks really good and will make searching for things easier.

Book resource

This book is a resource for Myrtle's 318 poly motor as well as the general dodge chassis information.

A resources for stereos/speakers

We plan on going with this company, Retro Sound, to replace Myrtle's broken stereo and speakers. They are affordable and have good style!

More pictures

These show where her bumpers have been removed (for chroming) and her newly varnished walls.

Varnish, varnish & more varnish

Today I varnished nearly every piece of wood panelling in Myrtle. All that is left is one wall in the back corner by the bed, one wall in the living room area and the kitchen lower cabinets/drawers. It really brought out the texture of the wood. Of course later I will be doing the walls I did not get to and then all over again with a light sand and a 2nd coat of varnish.... The stove is pulled out to allow better access to paint the interior of the lower cabinet. For a bit of fun and to more easily find stuff we are painting the interior of the cabinets, drawers and closet a blue color to match Myrtle's exterior. Speaking of closets, we are scrapping the existing doors and shelves and building new. We've kept the closet walls. The new build will allow for more functionality and storage.

We also pulled off the front and rear bumpers to get chromed (if it is a reasonable price), as well as the back "Dodge Motorhome" lettering. We painted the metal floor board under the driver and passenger seats with black rust paint. Additional metal floor boards were made for extra reinforcement and will be welded on top.

There is a rear exterior storage cabinet that now has a fresh coat of 'recreational white' rust paint to brighten it up. It previously held an old generator, and is sadly missing its' door. I imagine it will be impossible to find a replacement door so we will likely have one made. We lucked out and found some weather stripping at Home Depot for the front and back doors and that fits well. Myrtle is one of the few Travcos I have seen with a back door.

My better half is currently drawing up plans for a replacement muffler and exhaust system. We have also made a decision on the interior layout. Myrtle did not come with a dinette or couch (although she still had her original couch cushions which we have hung onto). After much deliberation and discussion we have decided to have two couches, one on either side of main living area, and use vintage TV trays as tables, when required. This gives us more usable space for entertaining. As noted in a previous post, we have the kick ass orange, vintage, vinyl couch that folds down into a bed. That will have a box built under it for storage. On the other side we will have a bench with storage and couch cushions on top.

Myrtle is actually really coming along. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it does not appear to be a train.... well let's wait and see what happens when we start her up after a year of sitting!

Walnut brown...

After much sanding, we've succeeded in staining Myrtle's interior wood veneer walls a light walnut brown. She has a lot of character and life long scars. The original walls came out a little lighter than the new ones that had to be replaced due to water damage. We may try another coat on the old walls but it actually looks quite good. We still need to stain the kitchen drawers and lower cabinets, as well as the wood panels on the inside of exterior doors and up by the front seats. We also need to make new closet doors and of course then stain them!

We also did an overall assessment of assets and liabilities. The tires also have lots of good rubber left. This is a great time and money saver. We are still looking for a spare 6 bolt rim for the spare tire. However if we get a front flat we can temporarily swap it out from the dually in the back. On the online travco sites Ricksons Tire is listed as a resource for new replacement rims and I am looking into that now.

After consultation at a glass shop, we have also determined that the remaining leaking windows can be fixed by being pulled apart and applying new caulk (no special trim needed). New front signal lights were also installed. We used Blazer C465A turn signal light, purchased at Parts Source.