Page 4 - Summer 21 Edition of Travelore

Page 4 - DRVC Travelore
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Refurbishing Our House-on-Wheels
had to put the bed up every day, it was great for us at the time. A big plus was that we liked the lifestyle of traveling and sleeping in our own bed every night.
In 2014 we decided to become full- timers and leave
The original paint scheme of the ’02 Newmar Dutch Star is shown in this photo. The clearcoat had begun to lift, especially around the edges of the roof. The finish had suffered scratches from the previous owner’s lack of good care.
me an indication that the folks at Mike’s knew what they were doing. Plus, it didn’t hurt that they clearly stated things in detail on their website.
Now, mind you, I already had a good understanding of what is involved in a full-body paint job on an RV. One
of the things I’ve been successful at is designing paint schemes for owners of those classic GMC’s. That required having a basic understanding of what was and was not possible in with the process because techniques have changed over the years. You see, it was not just the designs developed in coordination with the client but also the finished product that made me look good. A poor paint job can be felt as well as seen. What might look good at 30 feet may look terrible up close. In other words, a nice design can easily be ruined by poor implementation.
It is at this phase that the people at Mike’s have great expertise. They have great expertise in preparing the coach (sanding, removal of certain parts, and masking of what can’t), the actual process of application, as well as cor- rectly dealing with compound curves (when a stripe wraps around from a flat surface to an angled surface across a curve). Their success in working with the RV industry around Elkhart is proof. They are under contract to do the final painting and finishing for some builders of new units. Trusting them with a used rig is not an issue.
A composite of the drawing submitted for the new scheme. The drwaings, in vector format, were used for cutting paint masks.
In conjunction with another design firm, one can choose from a broad range of designs while sitting in the office at Mike’s. Since I developed my own, this step was bypassed.
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our “sticks and bricks” behind. By then we had moved into a 2002 Newmar Dutch Star built on a Freightliner chassis which was powered by the venerable 3126e from Caterpil- lar.
After having reupholstered the couch and chairs, replaced the carpet, and removed the gas cooktop to install an induction unit, it was time for us to get the exterior updated with a new paint job. The clearcoat had lifted in several areas and the finish had suffered at the hands of a previous owner who liked the dry wash system. As a result, scratches in the finish were quite obvious.
In the pursuit of finding a paint shop, two locations near Nappanee, the Indiana community where Newmar is located, were recommended. What follows are some details of getting our motorhome repainted.
When I first contacted Mike’s Custom Painting in Bremen, Indiana I had developed a good feeling about what was to transpire. All of my questions were answered directly with- out any sense of hesitancy. For instance, when I enquired about the total price the return question was: “What are the dimensions of your unit?” After providing the answer
I was quoted a price based on those dimensions. My next question had to do with scheduling. Again, I received a prompt response by being told at that time I’d need to reserve an appointment at least 10 months in advance (note that the lead time may vary). My third question also received a direct answer; we’d need to be out of the coach for five weeks. The way these questions were handled gave