Updates abound.
Insurances: A bit off topic but my parents were victim of a house fire last October and still aren't back in the house . Their insurance (
The Personal) did a real crappy job and getting information from them was like pulling teeth. I was insured with the same one as them for Trish (my dependable 1998 Dodge Stratus). Avoid like them like the plague. I made a few calls and settled on a local broker who fixed me up with
Gore Mutual instead. I'm not sure it will be any better but a lot of companies were kinda iffy about insurance a 1971 Volks Camper appraised at 10 000$ (by
Grampa's Garage) and they weren't so I went with them. Funny story...I sent the appraisal report to the broker by mail, which was complete with pictures of the interior/exterior and when she received it she called me on my cel all excited to tell me Lucy was adorable..haha.
For those interested, it's costing me 492$ a year to have Lucy insured. This, however, is with full collision coverage for the whole year. I can call and cancel collision when she is sitting in the shop and save some cash.
Halloween Frenzy: October 31st was the day everything came into place. We went down to the garage where Lucy had spent the night waiting for her new tires. We had a bit of a hard time finding a decent pair for her in Canada. We could of ordered online or looked more extensively but she needed tires to pass safety so we were a it rushed to decide. Lucy needs 185R14 - 8 ply reinforced tires because of her weight. Not exactly available at your local Canadian Tire.
This is what we ended up getting.
So Lucy passed safety and I had everything I needed to go to the MTO office. 15 minutes and 450 dollars later (you have to pay tax on the worth of the vehicle - we cheated and said we paid 5000$), I had license plates in hand and Lucy was ready to go. They also gave me a Used Vehicle Information report which lists all her previous owners and it seems that Lucy has been an Ottawa citizen her whole life!
One small trip before the work begins: After attending Francis' Grandmother's funeral, we drove to the St-Albert Cheese Factory with Pat and Annie as they had never been in a Bay window before. They liked her I think...especially the nice back firing. Later in the afternoon, we also visited my parents (they had only seen Lucy briefly in the dark) and went to see my sister to show her off to Felix. He had never seen it before and he was very excited to touch and prod everything in there. We took him for a little tour of Vars in it and he was a happy camper. I think he liked the purple fluff though and that won't stay. Oh well.
Strip-tease: Lucy's not bad in the nude. We worked all afternoon to remove layers after layers of mothball smelling fabric. The purple fluff and the nice pink shag is 90% gone . We just have a little piece at the front driver side to do. All seats, seat belts, benches, cabinets and storage compartments were also removed so that we can start working on her.
A couple of owners ago, Lucy had a V8 engine. To fit it in the engine compartment, a hole had to be done in the rear cargo area. It was repaired well and patched back up when they put in the rebuilt engine she currently has. Francis removed the patch because he plans to make a built-in tool box in that same spot. He's very excited about that little project and started to buy all the tools that we'll need to bring with us on the trip. I don't think he'll be as excited about planning for plates and cutlery. Heh heh.
What's next? Well, with Lucy stripped we need to think about soundproofing and insulation layers before putting down the floor and panels in. If anybody has ideas, share! We found a liquid that you can spray on that is supposed to do wonders (like
this one) As for floor coverings, we were thinking of putting in cork tiles.
Updates abound.
Insurances: A bit off topic but my parents were victim of a house fire last October and still aren't back in the house . Their insurance (The Personal) did a real crappy job and getting information from them was like pulling teeth. I was insured with the same one as them for Trish (my dependable 1998 Dodge Stratus). Avoid like them like the plague. I made a few calls and settled on a local broker who fixed me up with Gore Mutual instead. I'm not sure it will be any better but a lot of companies were kinda iffy about insurance a 1971 Volks Camper appraised at 10 000$ (by Grampa's Garage) and they weren't so I went with them. Funny story...I sent the appraisal report to the broker by mail, which was complete with pictures of the interior/exterior and when she received it she called me on my cel all excited to tell me Lucy was adorable..haha.
For those interested, it's costing me 492$ a year to have Lucy insured. This, however, is with full collision coverage for the whole year. I can call and cancel collision when she is sitting in the shop and save some cash.
Halloween Frenzy: October 31st was the day everything came into place. We went down to the garage where Lucy had spent the night waiting for her new tires. We had a bit of a hard time finding a decent pair for her in Canada. We could of ordered online or looked more extensively but she needed tires to pass safety so we were a it rushed to decide. Lucy needs 185R14 - 8 ply reinforced tires because of her weight. Not exactly available at your local Canadian Tire. This is what we ended up getting.
So Lucy passed safety and I had everything I needed to go to the MTO office. 15 minutes and 450 dollars later (you have to pay tax on the worth of the vehicle - we cheated and said we paid 5000$), I had license plates in hand and Lucy was ready to go. They also gave me a Used Vehicle Information report which lists all her previous owners and it seems that Lucy has been an Ottawa citizen her whole life!
One small trip before the work begins: After attending Francis' Grandmother's funeral, we drove to the St-Albert Cheese Factory with Pat and Annie as they had never been in a Bay window before. They liked her I think...especially the nice back firing. Later in the afternoon, we also visited my parents (they had only seen Lucy briefly in the dark) and went to see my sister to show her off to Felix. He had never seen it before and he was very excited to touch and prod everything in there. We took him for a little tour of Vars in it and he was a happy camper. I think he liked the purple fluff though and that won't stay. Oh well.
Strip-tease: Lucy's not bad in the nude. We worked all afternoon to remove layers after layers of mothball smelling fabric. The purple fluff and the nice pink shag is 90% gone . We just have a little piece at the front driver side to do. All seats, seat belts, benches, cabinets and storage compartments were also removed so that we can start working on her.
A couple of owners ago, Lucy had a V8 engine. To fit it in the engine compartment, a hole had to be done in the rear cargo area. It was repaired well and patched back up when they put in the rebuilt engine she currently has. Francis removed the patch because he plans to make a built-in tool box in that same spot. He's very excited about that little project and started to buy all the tools that we'll need to bring with us on the trip. I don't think he'll be as excited about planning for plates and cutlery. Heh heh.
What's next? Well, with Lucy stripped we need to think about soundproofing and insulation layers before putting down the floor and panels in. If anybody has ideas, share! We found a liquid that you can spray on that is supposed to do wonders (like this one) As for floor coverings, we were thinking of putting in cork tiles.
