The Scrappy Inspection that Didn't Happen

One of the last things that must be done to Scrappy before we embark on our Great Land voyage is to get inspected by the Louisiana State Police.

We started out this morning with spending a few hours on the phone calling the various phone numbers listed on the State Police website.  Between Hunny and I, I don't think we spoke to even one person who knew what we were supposed to do.

See, Hunny bought Scrappy off Salvagebid.com.  We learned Scrappy was at a salvage yard just south of Jackson, MS.  We spent a day going up there to get her and bring her home.  She operated fine.

We got her home and started working on her, buying bits and pieces, putting on a new rubber roof, installing appliances, and getting new tires.  We then went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get her registered and titled.  We hit a snag there.  The lady at the DMV handed us a packet of papers and tells us we have to list every little thing we've done to the vehicle.  We then contact the State Police to schedule an officer to come out to our house and inspect Scrappy before releasing her for road travel.

After spending all morning on the phone learning absolutely nothing, we decided to take a trip into Baton Rouge.  Having been instructed to go to Troop A on Highland Road, that's where we went.  We arrived, got out of the truck, and approached the door ... pulled on the handle and ... it was locked.  There was a sign taped next to the door that said, For Trailer Inspections, go to 7701 Independence Blvd, Inspections are done M-T, 9-4.  Well, Independence Blvd is another 20 minute ride.  We get over there and there are a whole commune of buildings.

So, we go to the main building (top and middle of the pic) and they directed us to the correct building (lower left of pic).  We were told that there's a sign at the back of the building that says "Physical Inspections".  So, we go over there and park the truck, get out of the truck and go to the door where we see yet ANOTHER sign.  This one says, "Closed, Will Be Back at 2:15 p.m."  We check the phone for the time and then get a tad confused when the phone tells us it is 2:33 p.m.  So, Um, now what?

We decided then to just leave and get something to eat, planning to come back before 4 p.m. and get the info we need.  We went to Cracker Barrel and while we were there, the bottom fell out of the sky.  Before we knew it, it was already 3:50 p.m. and raining cats and dogs.  There was no way we'd make it back to the DMV in 10 minutes with all the weather and traffic.  We decided to try again tomorrow.

At this rate, it'll be next summer before we get to go on this trip.

To Depart or Not To Depart

Today is the date we originally set for the big departure.  Sadly, the big departure did not happen.  There's still too much to do to Scrappy to get her ready.  Hopefully, we'll get to depart next week sometime.

Today, we made a visit up to Home Depot and Lowe's to purchase the refrigerator, microwave, and formica counter top.  Tomorrow, Hunny will be installing, gluing down, turning on, and hooking up all kinds of things. 

I think I'll spend the day cooking up a bunch of things "just in case" we actually get to start this adventure. 

Last week, we spent a whole day in New Orleans getting our passports because we were supposed to leave today for this big trip!

Here's the route we'll be taking ..... Hopefully .... someday.

Scrappy Gets a New Lid

When we got the rig home, the first thing we did was make a To-Do List.  Every time we stepped inside the rig, we'd add something to the list.  It got quite lengthy.  But the FIRST thing was to get a new roof on it.  There was obviously a little water damage and some black streaks on the ceiling.  I'm not sure that the streaks are from water.  They may just be from something else.  The ceiling is some sort of fabric/not fabric.  I sprayed diluted bleach on the black streaks and they faded to almost completely gone.  I can still see some discoloration but maybe that's because I was really looking for it.

The rig is covered with 2 large blue tarps to prevent anymore water damage.  Meanwhile, Hunny shops around for a roof kit.  We even drove out to the nearest Camper World and got a quote for a kit.  They wanted over $1000 for a 35 foot roll of rubber, 2 gallons glue, and whatever else comes with it!

We drove home and Hunny did some internet searching.

Evenutally, he found a Superflex Rubber Roof kit for only $460!!!  While he waited for the ordered roof kit to arrive via UPS, he got online again and started watching Youtube How To videos.  Within two days, the package arrived and he went to work.

The first thing he had to do was remove all the old stuff from the top.  

 That task revealed the thin wood foundation underneath the old stuff.  He saw a small 2 foot water damaged spot so he cut out the yucky stuff and replaced it with a fresh piece of wood foundation. 

His next task was to get this 35 foot roll of rubber up to the top of the rig!  Well, I'm a weakling so, I'm not gonna be much help in that effort.  But he tossed that stuff over his shoulder and climbed the ladder like a CHAMP!  Whaddaman my man is!!  

He got up there and laid that rubber down to get it started.  Here he is double checking his work.

In the middle of this, it started to rain.  So, he covered it back up with the tarp and then enlisted some help the next day.  Here they are finishing up the glue down.

Here he is finishing up the trim.

  

Working on getting vents and A/C's put back in.

  

It looks great so far and best of all, no leaks!

Naming the Motorhome

We've been thinking about naming the rig.  So far, I've called it The Rig or Coach. But I'm looking for something a little more personal.  I've seen the following on a few websites:

Birt                                        Phoebe                                    Daisy

The Mothership                    The Elephant                           The Big Rolling Turd

Tin Can Ann                          Mrs. Patmore                          Lucy

Grumilda                               Vixen                                       Quackers

Rolling Thunder                    Beulah                                     Road Mobile

Cerberus                                Rita                                         Thundercat

Helga                                     Yoda                                        Murphy

Tesseract                                Mo Caislean                           Trailer Swift

Freebird                                 Harvey the RV                        Cocoa   

I'm leaning towards calling our new motorhome "Scrappy"  (as in short for "The Scrap Heap") or Hop-Along (because it's a Fleetwood Bounder).                                                                  

Edited to Add:  By 11 p.m. the day of this post, we settled on "Scrappy".

Repairing and Cleaning the Motorhome

Hunny has been all over and under the rig making a list of things to be done and repaired.  The main thing is the rubber roof needs replacing.  Also on the list are: Bathroom Skylight, Vents and covers, Air Conditioning Cowling, Step Linkage, Tires, etc.  Hunny discovered that there's a short in the battery connections somewhere as well as the leveling jacks will not go down.  While we wait for things to be ordered and arrive, we threw some tarps over the top of the rig.  Within 6 hours, there was a rainstorm. 

A day or two after the rain, I got into the rig again, checking for any other leaks.  I couldn't find any so I began a full wip- down with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and Murphy's Oil Soap.  The smell improved significantly!  I removed the privacy curtains.  Wow!  Those things were nasty!

The sun was out, so I took the curtains out to the front yard.  Two 10 foot pieces of fabric are sewn together and pleated at the top.  One fabric is Slate Blue and the other is white cotton or linen.  I took the panels out to the front yard, laying them white fabric up, and began spraying them down with Bleach.  About 1/2 hour later, I checked them.  Although it looked like the Bleach was doing it's job, it didn't look like it would really remove the mildew stains.

I decided then to throw the panels away and go online to find a new set.  After 30 minutes of shopping, I couldn't find what I was looking for that was within our budget.  Those things are expensive! So, I went to the garbage bin and dug the panels out.

This time, I tossed them into the washing machine with another cup full of Bleach.  I set the controls to Soak (30 minutes) followed by a regular wash.  When I took them out of the dryer, Oh. My.  Lanta!, the panels are gorgeous!  The Slate Blue fabric was completely untouched by the Bleach.  It didn't bother the fabric color AT ALL!  The white part, was WHITE! and the Blue part Blue!  I don't know what this fabric is but it's amazing!

I promptly hung them back up in the motor-home and got to work on sweeping and mopping the wood floor.  I pulled the sofa bed out to look at the mattress which appears to be brand new!  That's a nice surprise!

Up in the kitchen cabinets, I discovered a full set of dishes and a Humphrey Bogart DVD collection! 

We still have a lot of work to do in order to see a departure date of May 29.

Getting the Motorhome

We got up early this morning and as soon as the girls were on the school bus, we loaded tools up in the Huzz's truck and headed up to Jackson, MS where our newly purchased 1999 Fleetwood Bounder was sitting on a salvage yard waiting for us to come get her.  We truly had no idea what was going to happen when we got there.

If you read my first post about the rig Hunny purchased from Salvagebid.com, you'll remember my reference to my bouncing anxiety levels.  At this point, the level is up a couple of notches.

We arrived at the salvage yard and were directed to the back of the yard.  We slowly meandered our way through the maze of wrecked and burned out vehicles, including school buses, big rigs, travel trailers, and what not.  I had a thousand thoughts going through my head.    I knew what ours looked like according to the photographs on the internet, but I wasn't prepared for how BIG it was!  

We located our rig and parked the pick up in front of it.  I asked Hunny if the contact person at Salvagebid.com knew how long the rig had been at this particular lot.  We knew it was previously stolen and had been vandalized but we didn't know WHEN that happened.

Hunny came prepared to put fuel in it, crank it up, and drive it home.  We did a walk around, examining the tires for the potential 140 mile drive home.  The tread looked good and none were flat.  Then, we opened the door to climb up in it.

Oh. My. God.  The internet photos did not prepare me for the smell!  It stunk to high heaven!  There were dead wasps all throughout the rig but mostly in the cab area.  *anxiety level is steadily rising*   

Electronics had been yanked out.

Cab area with filthy water stained and mildewed privacy curtains.

The end pieces of the cabinetry were pressed wood that looked like it had gotten wet, swollen, and then dried hard but the cabinets and inside the cabinets look fine.

There were black streakson the ceiling running toward the outside of the coach.  Yellow fiberglass insulation was hanging out of the empty refrigerator space.

In the bathroom, the skylight had fallen in and the tub was full of leaves and dirt.

The bedroom looks okay even if the roman shades look water stained.  The end tables have peeling formica and are missing a drawer.  The beige carpet is dirty and stained.

But the dining area and sleeper sofa look promising.

We walked through it and then Hunny declared it was time to fuel her up and hit the road.  We exited the coach, got the gas cans, located the gas line, and began to pour the fuel in.  I leaned back on another travel trailer a few feet away just daydreaming and listening.  I started thinking about what I wanted to eat for lunch and where I could get it nearby.  Then I heard it.  The tell tale sound of liquid hitting the ground.

I looked up and saw Hunny dutifully pouring the gas into the gas pipe.  I still hear liquid hitting the ground, but where?  A few seconds later, I saw a little drip out of the corner of my eye, about 5 feet up under the motorhome.  The gas that Hunny is pouring in, is now pouring out!  I jumped up and hollered, "Stop pouring!"

He looked at me, puzzled, and sat the gas can down.  I pointed out the spot where the gas was coming out and he got down on all fours to investigate.  A coupling had been removed from the gas line, leaving a nice little 6 inch gap of air.  A few seconds, and lots of bad words later, he got up and went to the pick up truck where he retrieved a siphon hose.

He then spent 10 minutes or so, siphoning 10 gallons of gas INTO the gas line that leads to the tank.  Once he was satisfied with that task completion.  We move on to getting it started and ready to drive.

He attached his battery charger to the coach battery and instructed me to hold it up while he got in the cab.  He turned the key on and I heard all sorts of things start whirring and spinning.  I heard a couple of clicks as he attempted to start the engine.  He turned it off, got out and came to me holding the battery charger.  He tells me to get in the cab and turn the key.

I climb up in the cab to do as instructed.  Dead wasps and bumblebees were laying on the dash and in the passenger seat.  I reach to turn the key and two bumblebees come crawling out of the vents on the dash!  I have a self-diagnosed phobia about stinging insects.  I am NOT happy to be this close to a couple of live bumble bees!  Why are they in the dash!?!  *anxiety level rises about 10 notches* I'm feeling a mild panic attack coming on but I'm able to get it under control right when Hunny tells me to turn the key.

I turned it and heard more whirring and buzzing.  I was certain we stirred up a nest of stinging insects!  He tells me to stay put while he crawls underneath the rig. *yeah, right!*

I few very long minutes go by and I hear him holler to "Turn it again"!  We were rewarded with the sound of a roaring engine!  Yippee!!  It runs!!!  *anxiety level slightly nudges downward*

I exit the coach as he is disconnecting battery cables and stuff.  The engine is running, everything sounds fine to me.  I know nothing of how engines work, so in my opinion, if it's roaring then it must be working.

Hunny starts loading tools and gas cans into the back of the pick up truck.  Then he hands me the keys and tells me to "Move it out of the way."  I get in to the pick up and immediately feel a sense of relief *anxiety levels down* when I put it into gear and back it up.  I wait for the rig to move but nothing happens.  He puts it in gear, but again, nothing happens.  He got out of the coach and crawled underneath again.  He comes out looking for some little pieces (Bushings?) that I had previously seen on the dining table, telling me they go to the drive shaft of the rig.  They had been removed for some reason.

He got those pieces reinstalled on the rig and again attempts to drive it.   This time, we have success.  It drives!  It moves!  It sounds kinda rough.  With me following him in the pick up, he drives the rig out of the salvage yard into the main parking area.

Once we got to the main parking area, I am again instructed to a task.  This time, I need to drive into the nearest town for several quarts of oil and transmission fluid.  Oh, and lunch, bring back something to eat.

While I am gone, he's busy checking and replacing all the tail light bulbs and things.  I get back with the fluids and lunch and we take a break to eat.

We then start the journey home.  He gets the rig on the road and we head for the nearest gas station.  He attempts to pull up next to a gas pump in order to fuel up.  My thoughts are, "How are you gonna do that and the gas pours out on the ground?"  I discovered very shortly that while I had been away running the lunch errand, he had gotten a piece of radiator hose and duct-taped it to the gas line!

He pulled up too far past the pump and stepped out of the rig to request my assistance lining him up as he reversed into position.  He gets back in the captain's chair, puts the rig in Reverse, and .... nothing.  He put it in drive, moved forward a few inches, stops, and tries Reverse again....and....nothing.  Oh Joy!  It won't reverse!!!  Fortunately, the gas station had a drive through that went around the back of the building, so he's not blocked in with no way out.

I hear more bad words coming from inside the rig (he likes those bad words when he's frustrated) and then he makes another appearance, stepping out of the rig.

"Where'd you park the pick up?  Pull up over here.  I need to fill those gas cans."  He filled another 10 gallons of gas in the cans and carried them over to the rig to pour in.   Before he gets back in the coach, he tells me to take the pick up to the local auto parts store and purchase 7 quarts of transmission fluid.  He tells me to meet him on the shoulder of the interstate on ramp heading back home.

I got the requested transmission fluid and met him on the on ramp.  *anxiety level has risen and leveled out at this point*.  I haven't said much to him all day.  I just made it my job to be his extra hands and keep my thoughts to myself.  I have plenty of thoughts going round and round my noggin but this is not the time to share it with him.  I figured it's best to wait a day or so and then vent.  So, while he's pouring this transmission fluid into the rig, I just stand silently and think, awaiting my next instruction.

That task completed, we get back into the vehicles and start moving up the on ramp.  By the end of the ramp, merging onto the interstate, we're moving at about 35 mph.  I say aloud to myself, "Yeah, this is gonna be fun."  We gradually gain speed, moving along at a nice 60 mph for about 50 miles when he calls me on the phone and requests a stop at an upcoming truck service station.  He thinks the rig needs more gas.  (He's put 20 gallons in it so far with probably 5 or so hitting the ground back at the salvage yard.)

This time, the gas pumps are pull through with a large truck yard.  No reversing necessary!  He puts 40 gallons of gas into the rig and I see the fuel leaking from the make-shift rigged coupling.  I point it out and he shrugs it off saying, "It'll do until we get home and I can get a proper one."  *Oooo-kay.*  Then I asked him, "What are you gonna do about getting this thing in the yard at home?  It doesn't reverse, so how do you plan to back it into it's spot?"  He tells me that what his tractor is for. *Okidoki, then.*

We get back on the road and this time, the rig accelerates up the on ramp just like my suburban would do.  By the end of the ramp, we're doing 65 mph.  *anxiety level eases off a little more*  Now, I just have to stay right here behind him until we get home.

At this point, there is no registration papers or proof of insurance for the rig.  The license plate is expired in 2016 in Mississippi.  As we're moving at a nice clip down the interstate, I begin to relax.  Until I saw a state trooper assisting a motorist on the roadside.  About 10 minutes after we pass the trooper, I see him coming up behind me on the interstate.  I move over to let him pass but realize as I do so, that I just exposed Hunny to the trooper who has a perfect view of the aforementioned expired license plate!  *anxiety level goes up*  A few minutes later, Hunny changes lanes and the trooper passes by seemingly not to notice the expired tags.  *Whew!*  At that point, Hunny accelerates and got the rig to 80 mph for a few miles before slowing down and settling into a relaxed pace.

We finally make it to the home stretch and pull into the yard, parking it directly in front of the house.  Just before turning it off, he put it in Reverse again and to our surprise, it worked!  I suppose all that transmission fluid needed to get worked through the phases.

 Now that we know it runs, the next step is repairs, cleaning, and the hunt for appliances.  There are a lot of little things that need doing.

Buying the Motorhome

For some time now, my husband and I have dreamt of taking a nice long roadtrip from the swamps of Louisiana to above the Arctic Circle near Fairbanks, Alaska.  Last year, we started attempting to make that dream a reality.  We began researching mostly by reading blogs and following Facebook groups.  We joined forums and asked tons of questions.  Then we planned a departure date of May 29.  We kept researching and test drove a couple of motor-homes.  We met with individuals selling their used motor-homes and consulted the bank for financing options.  We chose not to pursue financing, opting to pay cash instead.  Part of the problem with that choice is that we didn't have enough cash on hand for this kind of purchase.  Even a good used rig can run $30,000.  We don't have that kind of change just laying around.  By the time April 4, rolled around, it looked like this trip was still a dream.  We still hadn't purchased a motor-home and at this point, our planned departure is 8 weeks out!

On April 6, 2017, things changed.  Unbeknownst to me, while my girls and I were doing our usual after school activity road-running, my husband had been scoping out the auctions on Salvagebid.com.   This is an online auto auction marketplace that buyers (you pay a membership fee) the same advantages as a licensed dealer to buy used cars, trucks and other vehicles at online Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA).  Most of these vehicles have been wrecked, flooded, burned out, etc.  Usually, they are sold for parts, not to get back on the road.  But every once in a while, there is one little gem that wasn't so abused.  So while browsing this website, Hunny spied a rig that he thought looked decent enough in photos and placed a bid. 

When I got home from piano lessons that evening, the convo went something like this:

Him:  "Well, we got a Motor-home!"

Me:  "Wait, what? We did?"

Him:  "Yep!" *grinning like a kid who just won a jar full of candy because he guessed the correct number* "And you'll like this. It's only $3000."

Me:  *blank stare* then "What. The. Heck. Didyoudo!?!"

Him:  "It's a great deal! Really!  You'll be glad we got this!"

Me: *thinking* We? "Mmm Hmm. Well, okay, whatever you say." *the gauge on my anxiety meter goes up a couple of notches*

He then proceeds to tell me all the little details.  It's a 1999 Fleetwood Bounder, 36 feet long, Class A.  It has only 20,000 miles on it. (Okay, I guess that's impressive).  I continued to interrogate , grill, ask him about this motor-home and he patiently explains that this particular RV had been previously stolen.  The insurance company retrieved it and totaled it out.  Apparently, it was also vandalized and the appliances were yanked out of it.  No stove, fridge, microwave, tv's,radio, backup camera system, nothing.  NOTHING was left!  My eyebrows went up real high when I asked my husband, "So, the insurance company TOTALED this vehicle due to missing appliances?"  I have never heard of that.  Something doesn't smell right. Vehicles are totaled because they are no longer able to drive.  Not because stuff was stolen out of it.  Right?

When I asked about the details, I was told that Salvagebid.com is a company in Vancouver, WA and he needed to make a wire transfer to pay for this thing.  I start seeing red flags then.  Wire transfer?  What is the actual guarantee that this is not a scam?  Thoughts in my head include, "I can't believe he fell for this!" *anxiety level increases another notch*

The next morning finds us at the bank to process the wire transfer.  We talked to the lady there and she assured me this wire transfer is legit.  So, I began to feel a little better about that part of the experience.   Shortly after the transfer, the paperwork was emailed to him with  directions to the salvage yard where it was currently housed. *anxiety level drops a notch*

Once that fire was extinguished, the flame flared up again *anxiety level goes up again* when I realized that we don't know if this thing runs.  For all I know, he just bought a heap of scrap metal that we now have to figure out how to get home. *anxiety level rises again*

But the bottom line is, NOW we are the new owners of this thing .... that he plans to haul us across the countryside in.

I am feeling very bipolar about the possibility that we may be embarking on our dream road trip.  In this.  Here are photos from the Salvagebid.com site.