| [GMCnet] The Engine of Mischief: Progress Report 1 [message #298502] |
Sat, 02 April 2016 13:17  |
Sara Robinson
Messages: 17
Registered: March 2016
Karma:
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Junior Member |
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We’re in Portland, in Day 2 of our working weekend on the Engine. Here’s what we found, and where we are.
The rig is actually in incredible shape, given the level of neglect she’s suffered. The biggest surprise is how tight she is. The headliner looks like it did the day Jim installed it in 2002 — no stains or signs of water at all. The carpet and flooring are also perfect, as is the upholstery and the fuzzy stuff we put on the walls below the beltline.
There is some sign of water inside, all of it around the windows, because most of the window and door seals failed. And there was some condensation, too. But it doesn’t show signs of going deep — just dribbles by the corners here and there, and bigger one back in the bedroom. (We did have to ditch the mattress.)
The big thing, as we’d feared, was the mice! We suited up in bunny suits, masks, and gloves, and removed most of the nests and droppings yesterday. Today, we’re cleaning out everything with bleach. There was only one wasp nest, and it was in the outside shower compartment by the door. That’s fixed now, too.
The outside decals are faded and decaying, as we expected the would be. (The next owner will probably want to do their own thing here, anyway.) They’re easy and cheap to remove and replace — any sign shop can do it. The two-tone Audi-gray-and-white paint, which Jim did, mostly appears to be in very good shape, but we’ll take a closer look at that once we’ve got the exterior cleaned up.
We’re now waiting for the tow truck that will take her over to a nearby garage, which will oversee the restart of the 455 and the Honda. (We found a full set of hoses and belts, along with hose clamp!) Further decisions are pending our check out of the house systems once we’ve got the lights and power back on.
What we need now is information from Portland locals, including:
— What’s the best shop if you want to drop and service the black tank and macerator?
— Best source of GMC tires in the neighborhood?
— Best GMC brake shop?
We’d also like to buy a bunch more of the “fuzzy stuff” that we were all using to cover interior surfaces in our GMCs back in the early 2002s. It’s sort of nylon/poly plush fabric that’s thin, lightweight, and easy to clean. Does anybody remember the name of this stuff, and where we got it, and if they’re still in business? (We used it to line the metal overhead cabinets we got from Darren, and ripped it out because it was the easiest way to get rid of the mouse nests.)
She’s a brave old girl. Working on her this weekend is reminding us all over again how much we loved her, how many amazing memories we made in her when our kids (now in their 20s) were still not yet teenagers, and how well she suited us. If this keeps up, we may talk ourselves into just fixing her up again and keeping her. With the price of gas down, she’s a lot harder to let go of now.
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