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**moosetags** · 03-09-2013, 06:39 PM

Well, we have made our decision. Lucy will not be replaced. She will be renovated and improved. After 1270 nights/100,000 miles, we couldn't bear to let her go.

We have Lucy out in the alley behind the house, and have begun her reincarnation. SuEllyn has found a recliner chair that she liked. We have remove all of Lucy's seating on SuEllyn's side of the dinette (curb side), and her new chair is in place.

SuEllyn has also built a new and improved microwave/printer cabinet which we are in the process of installing.

Lucy is a mess right now, but we have got things in process. I have included a few photos to show Lucy's progress. This will be a continuing process, so stay tuned for updates.

Brian

wbrownrr · 03-09-2013, 06:49 PM

Did something happen to Lucy? I certainly hope not! I'm hoping that you've just decided to freshen her up a bit. I've followed Lucy's adventures for many years now, and I hope that I didn't miss something important. It will be fun (as always) to follow this latest project.

**moosetags** · 03-09-2013, 07:53 PM

No, nothing happened to Lucy. She has just gotten a little weather-worn from our extensive use. She has a couple of leaks which SuEllyn is working on. We are reassessing Lucy, stem to stern, and making some improvements.

We are planning to have Lucy ready for several extensive trips this year.

Brian

HiHoAgRV · 03-09-2013, 08:31 PM

Cool, glad to hear y'all decided to spruce up the Lady. I'm looking forward to following the updates.

loudruff · 03-09-2013, 08:40 PM

Make sure and take lots of pictures. Can't wait to see Lucy's new decor! Go, SuEllyn!!!

**moosetags** · 03-10-2013, 07:09 AM

We plan to take photos at each step of Lucy's renovation.

SuEllyn is in the process of panting Lucy' new designed "super cabinet". She ran out of the silver paint yesterday, so we will have to head into town today to get some more.

SuEllyn's new recliner chair is actually a desk chair that reclines with a foot rest. As the chair has wheels, we are looking for suggestions for a simple tie-down method when Lucy is underway.

Brian

Melody Ranch · 03-10-2013, 08:05 AM

THIS is the way it should be! I follow your travels and this makes it even better.

Silver Otter · 03-10-2013, 11:20 AM

Nice work on the new casework, boss! Keep her rolling!

field & stream · 03-11-2013, 06:51 PM

Thanks for sharing this .... it will be fun to watch your progress. In all those miles and days of use, did you actually wear anything out, or is this more because you felt like it was time for a change?

Lily&Me · 03-12-2013, 06:08 AM

Awwww, Lucy's getting a makeover!

Maggie

**moosetags** · 03-12-2013, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by field & stream

Thanks for sharing this .... it will be fun to watch your progress. In all those miles and days of use, did you actually wear anything out, or is this more because you felt like it was time for a change?

Nothing in Lucy is actually worn out, although, we did have to replace her refrigerator about a year ago. Everything else (other than the tires) is original and still fully operational. The changes that we are making are more related to lifestyle issues.

Replacing Lucy's curb side dinette seating with SuEllyn's new reclining desk chair has caused us to rethink some other areas. We had a lot of stuff stored under that dinette seat that has to go somewhere. It's kind of a domino effect. One change causes others. This is why we decided to remove the old microwave/printer cabinet, and totally design and build a new one.

As we start this revamping process, it seems like one change causes two more changes.

Brian

RamblinManGa · 03-12-2013, 11:23 AM

Hi from AZ. . . We too have an 05 Safari, so we'll be following along. Thanks for posting, I'm wondering if you might consider renting out
SueEllen, she seems to have some excellent ideas & pretty serious skills.

Good luck with the re-do & regards, Craig

Gene · 03-12-2013, 01:12 PM

The supercabinet is impressive and I'm sure you'll fill it up almost immediately with the stuff that used to be under the dinette seat.

Now that we'll have another house to remodel in a few months, changes to our unnamed Safari will slow down, but in a few years, who knows? Maybe you can send SuEllyn out here in June to help us remodel another house. I've got a cool new miter saw she'll like.

Gene

**moosetags** · 03-15-2013, 08:15 AM

Lucy has her new cabinet in place, and we have started setting it up. The microwave and printer are back on their shelves. We now also have shelves for the vacuum and all of the tool battery chargers. We have covered the top work surface of the cabinet with a self-healing cutting mat.

We are still trying to come up with a method to secure SuEllyn's new chair while Lucy is underway.

Here are a few pictures of our progress.

Brian

worldinchaos · 03-15-2013, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

We are still trying to come up with a method to secure SuEllyn's new chair while Lucy is underway.

Bungee strap along the wall that lines up with the first notch in the cushion, right below the head/neck rest? You could just leave two eye screws in the wall and that would be the only visible thing when in use.

Just brainstorming...

Gene · 03-15-2013, 10:49 AM

Brian (actually SuEllyn), looks good. How do you keep things from walking off the shelves? Our microwave and printer have both bounced around at times. I did install strips of wood on the shelves to hold them back and that has worked well, even defeating the Alaska Hwy's effort to bounce everything onto the floor.

There are many ways to tie down the chair, but most of them are ugly or impractical. A couple of upside down hooks under the middle of the table (away from knees) could be used to tie something to the chair with some hooks screwed to the floor against the wall. I'd avoid bungie cords unless you can get them really tight—otherwise the chair may move around enough to keep hitting something. There may be something with a locking latch that can be sunk into the floor and has a way of tying down the chair legs. There are many, many unusual items that can be adapted if you spend time walking around hardware and tool stores looking for the answer.

We found a clear plastic magazine rack at the Container Store to mount on the side of the cabinet. Since tour books, maps, Airstream Life and lots of other stuff of traveling pile up, we need lots of places to put them.

Gene

Gene

**moosetags** · 03-16-2013, 07:56 AM

We have secured the microwave and printer the same was as we had in last last cabinet. The microwave is tied down to the shelf floor with those little appliance tie-down straps from Camping World. The printer is held in place with one of those little pressure rod retainers, also from Camping World. As this has worked in the past without fail, we decided not to reinvent the wheel. As for the new additional shelves, we were thinking about using pressure rods for the vacuum and charger shelves.

The three shelves along the bottom of the unit each contain two separate plastic bins that are holding all kinds of office supplies, tools, and other small junk. We are also thinking about using the little pressure rods for these shelves, also.

Brian

switz · 03-16-2013, 08:03 AM

While not too stylish, one can find recessed "D" rings that could be installed into the wood flooring to hold the chair in place. At a boat shop, they maybe made of brass and priced accordingly but at least they look nice.

**moosetags** · 03-17-2013, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by switz

While not too stylish, one can find recessed "D" rings that could be installed into the wood flooring to hold the chair in place. At a boat shop, they maybe made of brass and priced accordingly but at least they look nice.

The recessed floor ring is a good idea, thank you.

Brian

Gene · 03-17-2013, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosetags

The recessed floor ring is a good idea, thank you.

Brian

That's what I was trying to think of, but couldn't remember a name for it. I used them as handles for a trap door years ago in a house (the handle pulls up to use). Thanks switz for jogging my memory.

Gene