Sunday, May 27, 2012

Progress Straight Ahead

The Saga continues.... 


           So we have worked on Carlos (1972 Jayco Jay Wren)  for about 1 week and half straight... and so far this is all the progress that has been made. It is pretty obvious that we are not very quick or efficient at getting this renovation completed and needless to say, the camper completion did not meet its deadline of being finished by Memorial Day weekend. But the world must of agreed that we shouldn't go camping this Memorial Day since it was 45-60mph winds and afternoon/evening severe thunderstorms all weekend. 

Nevertheless, here is what we have been working on this past week...

I went to town and ripped out the old, unstable cabinet with the rusted (non-functional) stove... I think it actually took me less than 2 minutes to rip this thing apart with my hammer and power drill! :) it was fun.

Ready for the new bench to be built....

Lola Mae hanging out in the shade being a good dog keeping me company while Ryan was a work...

Sadie Lou was being a little monster and not helping by chewing and destroying the lights of the camper...thus adding more work for my dearest husband. It took us almost a full day to figure out the weird lighting system and get it up and going properly. Ugh, that was annoying. Thanks Sadie... we really appreciate all of your help.

Ryan fixing the back brake/running lights... look at that look of determination on his face. Love it! :)

The Kansas sunset was pretty... if only the wind would have given up for the night.

What we think was the nasty sewer pipe that was hiding in the bumper that we didn't know was there... ewww.

I had Friday off from work, so I did some painting. I painted the overhead cabinets, the walls that were not being ripped out and the ceiling. The new coat of white paint really freshened up the place.

The yellow trim on the cabinet doors... that yellow circle is where the battery operated LED lights will be attached since the camper will no longer have electricity on the inside. Because let's face it, the best camping sites do not have electric hook-ups! :)


The "before"picture without the new back window. Note: The previous owners had put a window AC unit in that back window.
The "after" picture... our new back window.
Our new bench and wood supports, courtesy of Ryan's handy work. I cut all the insulation for the back corner... this picture actually makes it look like we have done something.

Another shot of the bench that will eventually fold out to make a bed.


YAY! It took some hard work, awkward position, arm pain, gloves and holding our breath. But finally the GROSS, smelly, and non-functioning Monomatic toilet is adiós. THANK GOD! We still need to built up the lower part and cover this with plywood to make it level, then add a shelf and this will become our new closet. We will not be replacing a toilet in this camper as we don't think we would ever use it.



Hope everyone enjoyed our latest update, keep an eye out for the next. Hopefully it will be the last and the camper will finally be finished and ready to be taken out for its maiden voyage!!!

16 comments:

  1. Hi there just seen your cute camper. we have one just like it, but our Jay Wren is a 1974, but the floor plan looks just like yours. we bought it last summer. Such nice little campers...Enjoy your cutie. Lisa Jo

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  2. i just bought a 76 jayco camper this morning and i am wondering exactly what kind of white paint did you use to cover the wood paneling and wood inside your camper? thanks bunches jo

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    1. It was the cheapest gallon of outdoor latex paint they had in the store. It has worked well.

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  3. We have a '73 Jay Wren which is now I'm questioning the year in ours this one is so similar. Of course we have the avacado green where you have the harvest gold shower stall. LOL. We are removing the dry rotten boards and putting the foam board in as you were showing in the photos. Not all the panels are bad thankfully, but looking forward to painting white as well inside!

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    1. I have also questioned the year on our camper as well. There was no paperwork on it and I was making an educated guess by floor plans I found online. I will probably never know for sure! I would love to see pictures of your camper and how you fix it up!

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  4. Can you point me to the floor plans you've found? I'm having a heck of a time finding some. I have a Jay Wren I'm saving from a sad existence. I will be ripping into it soon and yours is the only source I can find with details specific to a Jay Wren.

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    1. Of course it was years ago that I found those floor plans that I thought were pertinent and now I cannot find them. I was always somewhat guessing on the year. However, after looking all afternoon I am starting to think my Jayco is actually maybe a 1972 or 1973 Jay Wren based on the location of the kitchen/fridge setup.

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    2. Ok, thank you! I've been trying hard. Like I said, you seem to be the premier source on the internet for a 70s-era Jayco Jay Wren! :)

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    3. Lol... Well I am definitely not a reliable source as I am shooting in the dark, but I will try to help any answer any questions I can. 😋

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  5. Hi, you don't see too many Jayco wren sc's anywhere on the internet so I'm glad I found yours.
    I just bought one about a year-and-a-half ago 1977 Jayco Wren SC. Bought it for 600 and completely remodeled it. Had to do a lot of replacing of the wood frame that have been water damaged. It came out really nice. If you would like to get some pictures of it I would be more than glad to share them with

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  6. Not sure how to post pics on this blog.

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  7. Or i can send them to you and you can piblish them if you like

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