Well, today's the big day ... off to the garage to start her resto. Just waved goodby to her as she passed the bottom of the street and it's all a bit emotional :- Spent lots of Christmas stripping her out, ready for John to work his magic. Most of it came out ok and this time we bagged every screw and bolt up and labelled the bags! We'll probably still have left over crews but this time we might know where they've come from ;D essential tools pleased that the headliner is still in fantastic condition and the metal underneath is sound the brown stuff you can see is not rust but the remnants of adhesive and insulation! likewise the side panels we were a bit anxious as to what we would find when the insulation came off, but the panels are solid and not rusted (from the inside at least ) all the parts are packed and labelled and that's that! we'll update as the work is carried out, and then we'll bore people silly about upholstry and curtains :
Good luck girls. Just one thing.....please make the mesh grill behind the front air vent black. My pet hate is seeing them body colour. So how long before your super organisation puts it all back??
of course SMG! forgot about that, I thought that was for the vans that have never seen tarmac for at least 5 years (like dogs and poptops is there an initiation ceremony? something involving careful application of nitromors hahahahah
I think when you join you get a box of happy pills and a bottle of vodka for the ups and downs of restoration work, then you get a que jumping ticket for A&E just in case of those grinder, spark, eye, knuckle injuries.
you need to ask diddymen for membership, i was in then gloated a bit when i left so i daren't ask him if i'm allowed back, ironic really as this time bolls is off the road 3 months minimum where as last time it was a month and i was in. hope wilma gets done well and you get her back in good time.
"Most of it came out ok and this time we bagged every screw and bolt up and labelled the bags! " i got as far as putting them in bags but then it started to rain and i was hungry i ll just borrow new screws bolts nuts washers etc etc from work
i once put screws in the bags with a piece of paper inside saying what they were for, trouble is the oil and stuff smeared the writing so it was pointless, now i label the outside or take pictures.
I was originally going to do a full pinky restoration next year but it may have to wait a few years until my funds replenish
Great stuff girls i cant wait to see wilma after her rejuvination Julies t_atter is a little on the small side isnt it?
there's a good story behind that hammer As some of you may know, Julie is a bit of a wind up merchant and a few years ago persuaded a collegue that a small hammer like that was called a ... see above They were doing something in class but couldn't find the t_atter and the poor girl went to the local diy shop and asked for a replacement. ) When Julie left they had that engraved :
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to welcome the Wilma's into the SMG.......hang on wrong script ......hang on, I know its here some where ??? I'm sure I put it in one of these boxes ;D Ah, here we are, Cash's and cheques, rust to dust. in the hands of a good restorer you must place your trust We all wish our busses we're rust free ...........never mind, welcome to the SMG ;D I wish I had been as methodical as you during the stripping out of my bus :-[ that should save you a lot of work and time putting it all back together ........as long as you can remember where you stored all the bits! > ;D You're bus looks pretty tidy inside, whats the out side like and have you got much work to do? So, what plans have you got? are you going for a full on respray inside and out? - that glue takes a bit of shifting keeping the same colour? K+ for posting
Nuts in boxes,screws on the floor will i ever fix, that sliding door panels to cut rubber to warm paint flying around all in swarm Two months later out she rolls cos the engine is knackered being fitted by trolls Fiddle with this , fiddle with that why on earth did i buy such tat Spend more dosh, but not on tosh when shes finished she will be posh put back the woodwork and cookery too Ive always wondered should i fit a loo Spring camp is coming to get there you must by hell or high water don't come with rust. Thanks to John Betjam in
I was looking through old pictures and I came across these This was after a disastrous series of breakdowns, being stopped by the police (for bits hanging off!), a engine killing shot blasting and striping out the interior and having a box of unknown stuff left over. Julie's brother set to work and we helped get it down to bare metal. The poor camper didn't even have a name yet and if we knew then how long and how much it would cost to get Wilma up and running I don't really think we would have done it. But ignorance is bliss and looking at these first resto pictures makes me smile, Wilma will never look like that again.