Interior Video!

This video walks you through the interior of Myrtle. You will notice that her windshields and side cab windows have been replaced. The original windows leaked a lot and the windshields were cracked. You can read about the replacement process here: New Glass. Myrtle did have her front cab seats but they were small, not well mounted and lacked shoulder belts. We put in new seats, that came from a wrecked modern motorhome, and had them recovered un funky gold and bronze vinyl. We also installed brand new seat belts, with shoulder belts.

 Another new addition is the orange couch. Myrtle was missing her dinette and original couch when we got her. The couch was found at a second hand store and actually folds down into a bed. We built it in so it is not movable. The brown cushions are the original cushions from her original couch which we have place on the newly built wood bench (with storage inside). The lower cabinets and drawers in the kitchen area were rebuilt (new drawers and new fronts on the cabinets). We painted the interiors blue in order to find things easier and it looks neat. The closet has new doors and the small cabinet area beside it was rebuilt with new shelves and doors. All the doors are outfitted in copper coloured vintage pulls (not original to Myrtle). Within the lower closet area, hidden from view, are Myrtle's two 6 volt, golf cart batteries, and her sine wave inverter, for her solar power system (2 panels on the roof). Luckily Myrtle has retained her lovely original light fixtures which now sport modern LED lightbulbs.

The bathroom remains untouched and original. The bed area used to have a small cabinet at the head with a sliding door. It was not needed so we removed it and but in a custom made mattress that fills the entire area. It's great to have some more leg room. Underneath the bed is a new water tank. Through out Myrtle you will notice vintage decorations, linen and kitchenware. Her front curtains are vintage and were found in brand new condition. Her rear curtains are also vintage but were in a little ore worn condition when found. All curtains have been back with new protective materials and cut and sewn to size. Myrtle even has matching curtains to cover her cab area at night. Myrtle is also outfitted with a variety of vintage touches; white and blue starburst pattern dishes, Catherine Holm pots, a turquoise electric mixer, assorted canisters etc.

Take a peek!

The way she was...

I had thought we'd lost the original photos of Myrtle as she appeared when we bought her, 5 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to re-discover them today! As you can see from the photos we have done a lot to improve the interior. She now has new coach chairs (complete with new re-inforced floor underneath and shoulder/lap seat-belts), new flooring, a new (vintage) fold down couch, built a bench and kept the original couch cushions, new fronts to the cabinets/closets (and some interior portions rebuilt), new bed area with new custom built mattress, replaced portions of the wall panels (an re-stained all to match) and on and on. We have kept the kitchen table but we no longer use it, we have a small vintage stand alone table that we pull out when needed. We do plan on re-installing the mini-table that was above the 'dog house' (engine compartment), with some modifications to hold cups.

Then and Now

I thought I'd post a few pictures comparing Myrtle's original condition to her condition now. In these photos you can see her back view and an interior ceiling view. In the back view photos you will see how much more vibrant her color is after washing and waxing. In the ceiling picture, where the ceiling tiles are missing you can note the new wiring that was in progress.

More interior shots

Here are a few more photos to show some of the interior features. The closet doors and shelves were completely rebuilt by my awesome father in law. We painted them blue inside for a little surprise and to see the contents more easily. In another photo you can see the orange couch across from the brown bench. The brown bench cushions are original but will eventually be replaced as the interior foam is quite degraded. The bench has storage underneath. The orange couch was a thrift store find that we installed right into Myrtle. It folds down to make and extra bed too! At the back of this photo you can see the vintage blue and white blanket covering the double bed. In the other photo you can see the kitchen, complete with vintage cookware. The lower drawers and the cabinets we rebuilt and the sliding up cabinet wood doors were replaced. We used the old damaged wood for patterns and keep the look the same as original.

The big reveal

These are photos from our trip to Waterton Lakes National Park in September 2010. (The USA side of the park is called Glacier National Park.) At this point in Myrtle's restoration, nearly everything is complete. Next season we will be installing the furnace and hooking up the stove and fridge.

Almost there!

Myrtle is getting very close to completion. The new exhaust manifold was installed today and works well. We also put in a new Victor Reinz exhaust manifold gasket that we purchased at Napa. We took her for a test drive and she she runs great! I also tried out the solar power system by using the the vacuum to clean out some accumulated debris. It had great power and barely made a dent in the stored battery power levels. The AC and DC power is working great.

We were also able to add in some nice decorative touches including a hanging a clock and a piece of metal art. The curtains were a great find from a vintage store called Populuxe. They are new old stock and in mint condition. We added in some extra security with new strike plates on the doors as well.

Tomorrow we are hoping to drop her off to get her new windshields put in as well as the back window resealed.

New Photos

Here are a few pictures taken of Myrtle today. It was rather crisp and cold out but we are looking forward to working on her soon. The main things lefts are; installing solar, checking out the plumbing & appliances (I hope they work!), getting the windshield installed, resealing the back window, replacing the cracked panes on the front door window, and tuning up the engine.

New seats installed

So much work was completed this weekend! For now I will just post a few pictures of the newly installed seats. Also the wood panels in the driver/passenger area have been installed.

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.