Shelby Update: Shiny Silver Walls

Sunday, Matt and I spent the day working on Shelby. When I first got outside, my plan was to sand the interior, since it's almost ready for polish and fixtures, instead I got sidetracked, per usual, and started sanding the aluminum on the outside. Our Shasta Compact was originally white with a tan accent, but over the years, the paint oxidizes and has almost completely warn off. Our plan was to paint her completely, and this was initially the "prepping" for paint. 

I've washed her a few times, with a scrub brush and soap. The first time I washed her, I noticed my wrap looked like it was dipped in milk, and then I realized the paint was washing off with a little elbow grease. Slowly, the paint has come off more and more. Since it's so quick to wash off, we knew if we were going to paint her, we'd have to get ALL the paint off, or the new paint job would be in vain.

So I took a sanding sponge to the back right side, and I had the biggest epiphany since we started renovating Shelby. We're going to leave her silver! It was like a mirror when the silver was completely washed free of old paint, scrubbed, and polished with a fine sanding sponge. 

We got a little impatient, and headed to the store for Brillo pads and paint thinner. The Brillo pads ended up being a godsend, taking the paint off and polishing the aluminum at the same time. Good thing I didn't go to the gym Sunday morning, since it was an insane workout for my arms to run, polish, and sand for hours and hours.

It's great that she's silver. It matches the interior fixtures, hangers, clothing racks, and it looks so chic and sharp.  The center stripe will be a simple red, and a few red accents on the exterior, but otherwise, she'll be finished in no time. Last week, I was accepted into the Riverside Artist Market, so Shelby's debut is scheduled for July 6th. We'll present a special video for you all to meet here and feel like you've seen her in person. 

And my reward at the end of our workday, a nice spicy Bloody Mary. Ha Matt's still working in the background, trying to remove the rusty propane tank. We'll need to invest in more tools, and get some kind of bolt cutter, since the screws and nuts holding the tank to the tongue are rusted very badly. We don't want to mess with it too much, since propane tanks are still under pressure. 

This week's Shelby agenda:

• Sand the interior walls (wood filler was a bad idea and it's a pain in the rear to sand)
• Finish electrical, wire sconces to outlets
• Finish wood. We're using an oil rub instead of a stain or polyurethane
• Attach fixtures and curtain track
• Sew curtain for changing room

This weekend:

• Grind away rust on tongue and bumper
• Paint tongue, bumper, sides, sunroof, and hood vent
• Finish all odds and ends