Starting on the inside of the 1979 International

I had 5 days off in a row this week due to vacation, comp and furlough time (will be the same for the next 4 weeks). We are hoping to get a good bit done before winter hits.

First thing we did was replace the antennae with a Winegard Stellar III (I believe that was the name). The controller and cable fit perfectly in the holes for the old one and the base was the same size so only had to drill a few holes. We didn't have any corrosion under the old base but we did find alot of beach sand?!?



We ran the coax down the wall toward the curbside and out of the wall near the base where the new cabinets will be.

We couldn't find 4 ohm speakers that fit the shallow walls so we covered the holes in the wall where the speakers were with aluminum sheet. We will probably put a pair of speakers in the back of a custom built couch and then in small shelves for the rear.

Next, we cutout the rotten floor in the rear of the camper. With the horror stories so many of you have had, I figured I would find animal carcasses, mass bugs, droppings, etc. I was pleased to see we didn't have any of that. There was some rust and rotten wood that fell off as I pulled the old flooring out.



We sealed the rest of the bumper of from the floor by putting the bathroom mirror into the trunk to see the roof of the trunk and sealing the aluminum flashing to the steel frame.



After we were sure we had the leaks stopped (crosses fingers) we wire-brushed the rust and re-painted the exposed frame. After cutting, chipping, chiseling and nawing the new plywood to fit back under the wall, we epoxied the edges and re-installed them.

We broke out the 2 remaining roadside Vista View windows which went really quick this time.

Next we started prepping the bathroom plastics for painting. Sherman Williams recommended using XIM (or Tile Doc) on the bathroom plastics. The box says it paints on a layer like porceline but flexible. To prep, we sanded the plastics with 220 grit and cleaned with Xylene (thinner for XIM). We made a makeshift paint booth in the yard hanging everything from ladders with wire.



I had a cheap spray painter that came with out compressor I figured I would try out. It worked well except bugs like XIM. Between each coat, I was picking stuck bugs from the paint

Here is the medicine cabinet after prepping but before painting:


Here it is during painting:


And here is after 4 coats of XIM:


Here is the sink (still needs a coat or 2 in the basin part):


The shower basin:


While cleaning the floor to prepare for finishing it with epoxy, we pulled the toilet out and, because I have a weak constitution Beth reached into the black tank and pulled out what she could. Luckily, there was only toilet paper (mostly). We flushed it until there was pretty clear water coming out.

To cover the plywood floor, we bought an epoxy called Tile Clad (1 gallon part A and 1 set gallon B which did 2 coats) from SW and had it tinted in a tan color. I used this on my plywood shop floor after building it. It covers really well and dries creating a hard shell which will not let water penetrate. Here is the finished floor:




Next week we hope to get the walls and endcap painted.