Restoration
Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Welcome to our latest restoration project :) Its super exciting this one because its going to hopefully enable the Big Adventure we have planned in May. A road trip from home to the Scottish highlands and up along the west coast. This is to celebrate and mark our combined 50th birthdays (10 months apart). Ive only ever got so far as the Lake District so its practically a Moon trip for me. Its also my Faerysteps van because my leather merchants are all 'up country' so obviously I cant go past and not buy leather ;)
Finding the right van has been a right slog though. Poor Mr F has spent so much time trawling through junk online. We even visited a few heaps to have a look. One such notable heap looked perfect in the pictures, but on arrival the entire base, thats everything from 2 foot down, was rusty as an anchor. The chap offered us £500 off the asking price for 'a spot of paint' to 'put things right'. The only thing that van needed to put it right was a last trip to the scrap yard... needless to say we didnt buy it.
Please take note at this point of the number plate. You can see where the name came from now. Number plate = WW + Trip to Scotland, land of distilleries, well it had to be the Whisky Wagon didnt it. I'd have preferred something tea related to be honest, but didnt feel it prudent to mention this minor point to Mr F after all his efforts....
There is rust on this one. It came from the Welsh mountains where it was being used as a mini bus for disabled passengers, hence it has lots of seats and a wheelchair lift in the back. All of which will be removed during the big strip down. It is a factory fitted minibus though so professionally lined with grey carpet, etc. Very swish if you look aside from the mould all over the seats and floor... Floor carpets are being removed for certain.
The rust can be treated and Mr F intends adding a charcoal strip along the bottom there in line with the lights. I might try to get some tree silhouettes to pop along the top. Want to keep it all very low key though. Just chuffed as punch its a dark silver body and not white. I was anticipating an instant migraine every time I approached it when the sun shone else.
Someone very thoughtfully tried removing the stickers. With a scotch pad and stanley knife... What were they thinking? So that's got to be sorted too.
Wheel rims are rusted and look awful so these need removing and wire brushing, undercoat and top coat. Same dark charcoal paint. It shows less dirt than white.
So then. Thats the outside at the very start of it all. So far Mr F has had a run around day yesterday getting the speed restrictor removed. That was a real worry, because if that had to stay we were relisting it for sale and starting the search all over again. Its such a relief that has gone :) Next its into the barn to dry off ready for stripping out the seats, floor, wheel chair lift and a myriad of other bits. Then a thorough internal clean of all whats left before the refit.
We have 8 weeks at the most to get it ready to roll. Watch this space ;)
Ren x
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
I like ‘Wander’ (our minniewinnie camper) being parked up down the woods. It means we can congregate at the end of a hard days work, cook tea on the fire, and catch up with stories and jokes. Bliss…
We are having stunning weather here in Devon, the last days of Summer are golden and balmy. Do hope everyone is enjoying their Autumn too (or Spring depending on where you are in the world).
What do you like to do best to celebrate a new season when the year turns I wonder?
Friday, 8 August 2014
I am going to sell my Morris Traveller and invest the money from the sale in getting my old 1959 (I know he’s ancient) Morris 1000 back on the road. Sadly we parked him down the woods for several years before moving him into one of the barns Poor Morris, He has not faired well. Interior is now ruined so new carpets and reupholstered seats will be needed. Body work looks bad, because it is bad. Lots of rot pretty much everywhere. But, Mr F reconditioned the gutsy engine on him shortly before I took him off the road, which was about 17 years ago now, and the super boosted brakes meant I could stop on a sixpence instead of having to give 2 weeks notice before stopping.
I cant tell you how excited I am. I love this car, I mean, I truly love this car. I bought it when I was 17 years old and when the prams and babies wouldnt fit in him I couldnt bear to sell him, so Ive been declaring SORN each year to keep the registration number.
New colours I think instead of the old dark blue. I fancy something really quite bright, like turquoisey teal with red leather interior. Ooooo. Or failing that its going to be Cadbury’s purple. I may not be able to eat chocolate anymore but I can jolly well drive it
What was your first car I wonder?
Saturday, 21 June 2014
Wander our 1970s Winnebago camper project is nearing the end of phase one and all but ready for the road next week. Got my wooden giant buttons on my cupboard doors! Mr Fairysteps recycled our old copper hot water tank for the cooker splash back.
Table back in.
Hope you are enjoying the van updates!
Friday, 13 June 2014
Plaster pink undercoat going on the camper van cab today. Woo hoo! Getting the cab ready was no mean feat. It was covered in carbon fibre effect sticky back plastic sheet... classy ;)
Early finish today in the workshop and onto the kitchen table to make curtains for the camper van. Mr Fairysteps has started the undercoat on the cab after a couple of days of rubbing down and preparing :) Seaside is imminent x
Poor Wanda! She’s had her front stripped ready for cab painting. We’ve chosen Farrow & Ball, colour Charlottes Locks. Deep orange heaven. Paint Mr Fairysteps, paint!
Hello undercoat and topcoat :)
The cab is complete and looks edible. Mr Fairysteps rebuilt the front corners because they were rotted out. Thats age I suppose. I was built in the 70s and I’m showing signs of rust too…
Hope you are enjoying the van updates!
Friday evenings sat in the car with lots to keep occupied while I wait for ballet class to finish… I do this on Mondays too, probably like many other mother’s! Have a great weekend everyone x
Sunday, 8 June 2014
New step repaired and painted.
Cab stripped ready for the new damson wool carpet
Grey fablon stripped from cab, to be repainted later. Who covers a van with carbonfibre print plastic fablon? Come on, who? I want their name and address please :)
Time to sand and paint the little van stool / tea tray table. Using farrow and ball mahogany for this :)
Camper kitchen drawers painted with undercoat.
Spot of lunch to help with shoe cutting for me and painting for Mr. Got to feed the troops x
Monday, 26 May 2014
No sewing or shoemaking today! Doing a bit to help Mr Fairysteps with the camper (Wander). Cooker is now sparkly after being v sticky. Yuk… cab cleaned. Fridge cleaned. Working on our bed area next. New carpet and lino are being professionally fitted next weekend. Damson wool in the cab and sky blue sparkly glitter lino in the back. I see a trip to the seaside coming up very soon. Back to scrubbing for me… Last image shows finished cooker area, minus new door handles and lino :)
Sunday, 27 April 2014
O my goodness… and about time too!
Time to share the restoration of ‘Wander’, our 1979 Mini Winnebago campervan. How on earth Mr Fairysteps has managed this far is anyones guess. As per all of the restoration projects, (and I’m guessing this happens to everyone) the more he did, the more there was to do!
Its been a long process, mainly with him peeling off the roof (it looked like a giant sardine tin for a while) and needing to replace the whole thing with new sheets of aluminium. Luckily, he is an engineer and a handy chap so he has been able to do it himself. I'm not sure he would choose the word lucky though :)
No roof at all in this picture...
Ive done very little apart from a bit of painting of the top coat inside (Farrow & Ball, Hay, eggshell) because of my operation. I have been making blankets though! plus I am recovering the cushions throughout as they are currently a floral patterned, dralon polyester pink… nice! Im going to cheat and use cotton jersey and sew it on the overlocker. Stretchy covers will be so much quicker to make.
WHY did they always make the interiors of these things in dark brown wood with beige or gold fittings????? Not only is it really dark and dreary, but, well, just but. Hideous. I am always in awe of what several coats of cheerful paint can do.
There is still much to do, but we hope to have her finished for seaside trips this Summer. Watch this space for more pictures as she reaches completion.
What fun!
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