Hello Fellow FGRV owners. Last month I was fortunate enough to purchase a 1983
Burro from a gentleman in Belen, New Mexico who had just inherited several items from his deceased father. The
Burro looked like it had seen a few miles. She was all faded and distressed looking. Rust stains were running down the dingy faded white walls, the
tires were rotten and old, the frame was rusty and needed some TLC. Inside, the floor had peel and stick tiles that had started to roll up at the corners, the
fridge was all rusted, the cushions were all dirty and moldy, the curtains were all sun faded and dirty. The
electrical system had been spliced and dangerously re-wired by someone who didn't understand safety and electricity. The
propane system was not working, there was no gas to the cooktop.
I pulled her into my driveway and started an Intensive Care campaign. (I am an ICU nurse by the way). First, I sanded down the frame and painted her with Rustoleum. Next, I took the wheels off and brought them to DISCOUNT TIRE and asked them to sell me the best RV Trailer
tires made. I purchased three of them and had them balanced. While the wheels were off the trailer I repacked the bearings and greased the
axle. Next I tackled the
electrical system and I corrected the spliced and incorrectly wired system. I replaced the wires inside and safely connected all of the wiring. Then I tackled the
propane system, and as many of you know, it took me some time to figure out that a mud wasp had plugged the copper pipe leading to the stove. I knocked out a mud plug the size of a peanut that was occluding the gas flow. Once I did that, the gas flowed like water down a creek!
Next I tore out the floor and replaced the plywood and then laid luxury vinyl planking that looks just like real wood. I took all of the cushions, spread them out on my driveway on a hot summer day, and used Fabreeze and WISK detergent and hosed them until all the water ran clear (the water was brown for the first two washings). I let them dry in the sun then I used the shop vac to get any remaining dust out of them. Now they are fresh and clean and ready for another 25 years of use.
Finally, I painted the exterior with RUSTOLEUM high gloss epoxy enamel. I contacted the company and found out it was OK to use this product over
fiberglass. It went on smoothly and the finish looks great. I hired my 15 year old neighbor who weighs about 90 pounds to climb up and do the roof
painting for me.
Then, I downloaded some images of the
BURRO logo and had my own decals printed. I'm still waiting for the home made larger logo that I made using block letters from a craft store to come in the mail. I used BUILD A SIGN for the decals. It's inexpensive and relatively easy to do. You can see some of the logo decals I made in the pictures I am posting.
So now I have a rebuilt BURRO! The inside still needs some TLC and some decorating but she's ready for her first trip. I guess I should mention, I tore out the
refrigerator, it was way too heavy for the value it returned. For the style of camping I do I can easily live off of an ice chest. (Besides I invested in the COOLEST COOLER invention that will be released in Feb 2015) It is an ice chest with a built in
battery, a blender for making iced drinks, a bluetooth compatible stereo system, and
LED lights. Way lighter and much easier to deal with than a
fridge. I put a
microwave in the spot where the
refrigerator used to be.
I'll post more pictures later but she's ready to go camping by the Colorado River right now. I live in Albuquerque so the Colorado border is only 2-3 hours away! For those of you who haven't been yet, CHAMA, New Mexico is INCREDIBLE in the
Fall, here's the link if you're interested:
Chama New Mexico