...a little bit of fresh paint can do to the camper!
The last item on my "to do" list on the camper before hitting the road again (tomorrow - Friday) was to paint the under belly / exposed frame / black pipe - gas line / exposed fading and ugly foamy stuff plugging holes / and miss matched screw and bolt colors / and .... any rust.
So, the project took 2 days and 10 cans of Professional black Rust-o-lium. I used my power washer on the under side of the camper a few days ago and let everything dry very well. With our Indiana drought going on right now, it took only an hour for everything to dry out, but I waited a few days anyway.
So, I started simply. Actually, I started with the black gas line pipe that was exposed. That led to the underbelly chloroplast, all the foamy stuff and all the screws and bolts I've added over the last 4 years to hold the camper together. That led to the frame, supports, shackles, even the axles, the attached hitch, and even the spare tire carrier.
The end result of pretty amazing. The body of the camper has always been shiny. I've never put wax on the body. It was treated with Resist-All when we purchased the camper (4 years ago now), and a simply wash and it shines wonderful. But... just like cleaning up a bed room to motel room condition, if the bed is left unmade, the entire room looks messy.
The same is true with the camper. It just started looking dingy, although it was shiny. It was all the exposed black paint, frame and everything under the trailer that made it look ... well ... like that unmade bed in the middle of a motel room.
After I got done with the spray paint, I stepped back and took a look and WOW, the whole trailer looks great again! It's amazing how the exposed frame and structure of the camper can really affect it's looks. Everyone focuses on waxing the sides and keeping it shiny (which is good), but forget about the frame.
So, my encouragement of the day ... if you are one of those who are passionate about keeping your camper clean and shiny, don't overlook what's going on with the exposed portion of your trailer frame ... underneath the unit. Every now and then (like at least every 4 years ....
) it might need attention too.
Photos do not show the true picture. But here's a shot of one example of what I'm talking about. After finishing this section (I thought I got it all), I realized this morning I missed that glob of spray foamy stuff around the low point drains. Look at the difference between the before and after shot. I also repainted that sewer hose holder:
Here's some other shots (again, not the best and only one section of the trailer).
Considering I am having a section of that Draco pealing from under the kitchen slide, and the plywood is exposed, I also sprayed the dickens out of the exposed wood there too (until I can get a proper fix, probably this winter). Meanwhile, the spray paint should protect the wood (some) from water and rain dripping on it. So far, there is no wood damage at all. I think the rain water on mine drips off and misses the bare wood. It's never been wet, even in the most furious of rains:
I also touched up the Lippert Jacks. I only touched up the shaft part, not the motor part.
And don't forget those sewer pipes! They were looking really, really dingy, discolored, poor. What a difference!
