Truck camper makeover: My new, simpler road-life rig

I bought a $60 shell for my tacoma to replace the bus - but the new truck camper was in desperate need of a makeover. I spent three days cleaning up, painting, and getting the truck camper ready to be my new road-life rig.
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[@patriciaharkin1571]

Bye bye Birbie 😭😭 Hello mini Birbie 😊😊The confidence and skills you acquired on your first project have stood you in good stead, You're amazing!

[@Bawkr]

sitting here watching you tackle this in no time makes me feel crusty sitting here watching it xD

[@_JoyceArt]

Your reaction to stuff actually working is so relatable. We’ve all been disappointed by products, not doing what they’re supposed to.

[@numnumnum6743]

You've come a long way in just a few short years. You're beautiful and talented. The shell looks great, good job.

[@FranklinHicks-qs4gs]

simp much

[@darrenammons5004]

Normally the paint will wrinkle when the coats haven’t had enough time to drive and cure, but good job nonetheless. Also use a sting level to make it a little easier line up paint lines for masking.

[@NomadicHooker]

Hey, just a tip, so glad the shell made it home. You should never put the shell to where it can catch wind while traveling. Even strapped or tied down, especially fiberglass, it'll rip, tear and break. You'd have been better off turning it around putting the front of the shell to the back of the cab. Also, even when you get the shell mounted, don't even let a tow guy pull it backwards, or load it on a rollback backwards, unless it has a good door and it's latched and secured very well. Reason being, all that air will come over the tow truck and go right into the shell like a tunnel and rip the mounting bolts right through the shell mounts. I've seen it happen several times and they're pretty much destroyed when and if that happens. Tow guys should know this, but many newbies don't cuz they haven't tore one up yet. Same also goes for convertible top cars. Air can pop and tear the rear plastic window, air goes into the car and tears the convertible top off the car. Also seen that happen a couple times.

[@davebauer7429]

There is a handle you can get that goes on top of the paint can and is like a pistol grip which makes painting a whole lot easier and your finger wont get sore or tired. Home depot sells two different types and they are less that 10 dollars each . It slides unto the spray nozzle and also the new cans had adjustable spray patterns they are rustoleum paints.

[@tbacon2784]

At 65, I am always afraid to try new things, but you made it look so easy! Thank you... What did you use to help you with that 1st window? I use to be so brave when I was younger, not afraid to try new things, until I got married to this husband, he believes I am incapable of doing anything, I am leaving and living on a low income, so will need to fix my old van up and live in it... Thank you for reminding me that I am capable of so much!

[@dougintothesunset]

Wholly smoke, that sold fast . . . YAAY!! When I was 21 I lived for all of November and most of December in the back of a 3/4 ton truck with a tall canopy on it in Edmonton. There was plywood resting on top of the box sides that spanned the width at the front, that's where Evan slept (his truck), Ray was small too he slept underneath across the front and I slept down the centre. We had all our stuff in milk crates so they would stack easily and a little electric heater for warmth. At bedtime we would pull into a parking lot at a big apartment complex or a restaurant somewhere, move some things out of the middle of the box into the front of the truck, plug the extension cord into the power that people use to keep their cars warm at night and then pile in. It was cold and stinky but an amazing adventure. That canopy had no door either so we fit plywood into the hole, attached it to the canopy with nuts and bolts and to a cleat on the plywood floor and then cut a door and added hinges and a hasp so it could be locked. Nice canopy Emma! You're way better at this stuff now for sure. Thanks for sharing.

[@forumicebreaker]

Fantastic work!

[@user-kf9fv1qj9u]

Great job Emma

[@chadmutchler5062]

You’ve definitely become way more comfy tackling projects.

[@trippontwowheels]

Yay! Birbie Junior!

[@bryans8656]

Birbie Junior is perfect!

[@josephcusick1111]

Nice job Emma, very smart girl. If I was 50 years younger I’d ask you out.

[@user-kf9fv1qj9u]

Great video Emma

[@JordanWorkshop]

Looks great! Just a ride and somewhere to sleep. I love the bus build but I bet this will be so much less stress!

[@marvmitchinmarv9153]

Spray paint cans have a trigger you can buy that will make it more like a gun. They are cheep and so worth it. When and if you get one, your arm will be oh so glad you did. Also the wrinkles in the paint is from some kind of oil or silicone. clean area with alcohol.

[@Maxid1]

I've pulled up miles of stuff and have found that the "hive tool" you have one now, the little blue pry bar, if you have 2 of those you can pry up just about anything without damaging it. small bites and constant pressure with both bars at the same time does the trick. You don't pry it high up, you pray longer sections up just a little. The 3 bar set the big orange store and more than likely the blue one made by Dasco is really useful. I like two of the 9in ones. seem to be useful for just about every thing. But I can't tell you how many times I've used the even smaller tiny 2 inch one. Setting door hardware, prying up stuff that's just too small to get to with anything else. Invaluable. But I'm very impressed by the spray bottle of magic juice you used.

[@oliverjantz1108]

I’m so impressed with how confidently u just said goodbye to ur bus; . . . . . Just wow!!!

[@G58]

I’m playing catch-up here 6 months later (due to KZbin wrongly believing I don’t care about your builds), and at 13:52 I’m thinking that a length of string would have solved your stripes issues very simply. But I’m hampered by logic and economics - which can occasionally manifest as laziness. Fun to follow as always. Thank you for sharing. Peace 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@TheLemonAndBeanBus]

You’re such a badass! I love this! Happy you haven’t left us yet.

[@brain-gz6ue]

For big paint jobs like that you should totally look into a HVLP spray gun, the $20 harbor freight purple gun works great. I painted my Tacoma roof with rattles cans last year and it was insane the cost for such a small amount of paint...never again I'm doing a bigger paint job now and after thinning the pain with acetone and adding hardener I could paint a whole car with less than a quart of paint. It does require a decent air compressor though. PS, please wear a respirator when spraying!

[@eyesears113]

Highly irresponsible of her not to wear a respirator and having her kid there.

[@joianne7511]

Congratulations on selling the bus and your truck top came out beautiful I like the colors 😊😍🥰❤

[@fberger54]

We've been following you since day one and enjoyed every adventure. Looking forward to sharing the future ones with you. Thank you for all the hard work you put into each episode.

[@user-kf9fv1qj9u]

Good luck Emma with your build

[@jamescorfield534]

Friggin’ Rad! I just right now picked up a freebie from Craigslist as I was watching this vid. Pretty fun. Maybe I’ll post the redo too.

[@kraftystuff]

Looking forward to your new adventures. Great job on the mini build. There is nothing you can't do if you are willing to try, and you have the courage to try. Well done Emma!

[@scottm15067]

Everything you do turns out so well, good job on the bed cap!!

[@arnoldsnodgrass2953]

I love it! Excellent project and it looks great.

[@MSWcryptoworker]

Adorable son. Spend quality time and enjoy his childhood please

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

lol I don’t have children but thanks for the parenting advice

[@lvmtb]

Truck shell turned out nice. Congratulations on selling your bus. It was very cool watching the bus build I watched it from the start.

[@bryans8656]

I'm happy to see you're back!

[@danyello2200]

Love the colors!

[@michaelirizarry5037]

Happy emma day.💖 nice job emma!

[@patrickbudrionis1491]

Thank You Very Much For Sharing 🌹🇯🇲

[@brockvagis1657]

Awesome job 🥰

[@mummyof5babies]

Well done 🙌🙌 you have some skills , love watching you're projects

[@stevenpeck5949]

WOW! wow! WOW! I love the colors!

[@sammack633]

Great 'go faster' stripes, and your assistant was both helpful and very funny 😂

[@justanotherthought]

I love watching your story unfold! I read one of comments on one of your videos that your content is perfect for adventurers and couch potatoes alike. I so agree. Emma, your talents are abundant. You're a great story teller. Have you considered making documentaries? Cuz this is amazing videography. Be safe too. Thanks for the fun ride.

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

that's so nice, thank you!!

[@Victor.McCann]

Congratulations on the quick sale of barbie. Love how the topper came out congrats on the new life Emma

[@jeffreycraig4493]

You did a great job on the camper shell

[@theemeraldfox7779]

Thats a bloody awesome build luv,totally impressed!❤

[@alexballard3120]

The "cracking" or "spider web" looking things in the stripes is called "lifting". It can happen from a contaminate on the surface, a reaction to the different paint brand or type used on an already cured painted surface, or lack of a good chemical or mechanical bond of the paint to the underlying surface. you can scuff already painted surfaces with a red scotch-brite pad and buff or polish the scratches when finished.

[@pnwusa]

congrats on refurbishing your camper shell. it' looks good. and for selling birbie. hoping and praying the best for ye emma. continued travel mercies and blessings. 🕊

[@derekdal5185]

you asked about the paint wrinkles, that is often called crazing and its because of two incompatible paint types being used. This might seem wasteful but if you run the tape from end to end, even across the window, you get much better lines with less effort. there is a bunch of tape over the windows that is excess though.

[@infinitepower1449]

Haven’t been subbed long but at least since before the truck. Love watching your abilities at work. Seriously amazing 💯💯

[@sweetdefenderlife]

Love the DIY skills there. Keep it up

[@jasonjones5213]

Love the paint job, good choice in a truck too.

[@landslave]

The rate at which children learn language like a sponge is amazing. He learned 4 words on that day. AND THAT IS AN AVERAGE day for a socialized 3 year-old.

[@johnjamerson1759]

Nice job Emma !!! Can't wait for the next vid..

[@russellfrancis826]

nice job Emma looks grate

[@norm5785]

I knew it was going to be this type of vehicle. This is going to be wonderful. Great start, looking good thus far. Everyone stay safe, happy 😊 and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia

[@aswewonder8805]

Love the paint job. Same colors as my shuttle bus.

[@betomendez4304]

Emma Soo handy and such a hard worker you rock 👍👏

[@stephennowicki7158]

Good luck with your new adventure!

[@JohnSaxon-vw5vi]

You are absolutely amazing what fantastic and brilliant work you are doing keep up your amazing work on your fantastic channel love it 🥰 prayers and blessings for you and your family love your Aussie family friend John 🧡🧡🧡looking forward to seeing you on the road

[@suepeterson5675]

Emma , so happy for you. “Live Your Life”. Take Care 👍👍😊

[@lilivicordero8077]

Good job...great project❤

[@michaelmetcalf9916]

One seriously cute video well done and good luck going smaller ❤

[@keithburkett9448]

Great Video Emma 👍 Good Luck with your new adventure looking forward to watching more of your videos.

[@michaelorona3760]

Whenever I paint I've learned that the more attention to the prep work the better results I have. That being said contamination such as even a fresh hand print may cause defects such as that wrinkled or spider web looking result. Oils and waxes will cause "fish eyes" or small bubbles. Maybe some latex gloves might be on your shopping list next time and thanks for the can do video, good luck!

[@r8edrv4fun65]

It's so cute, Bobby corrected your "yeah" to Yes 😊

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

Well done 👏

[@kannieschrijfnie2042]

Emma, you still make me smile because seeing you spraying the back side thingy reminded me of the many times I sprayed my motorcycle back in the days, bicycles, the hood of a car etc. All with these type of cans. Same issues you had and also here you can say “practice makes perfect”. Well sort of perfect. The whole garage must be covered in the excess spray which flies through the air. In the end the result counts 😀. Thanks for this wonderful start of my weekend. Succes with the next steps. Greetings from 🇳🇱👋.

[@grantbooth7255]

You are my hero! You just dive in and start doing stuff! That is so awesome!

[@lauriewalker843]

Look at you. I have watched you since you started building the bus. You rocked this new project like a pro.

[@scruffyhightops]

New Project!! This is going to be rad.

[@jamesbeaman5944]

Lovely!!!

[@Richdsils]

the boat will thank you for it

[@charlesegrahamii4702]

I'm actually looking for a topper for my tundra. Good job on your work.

[@nunyabiznitz5608]

Godspeed! ❤

[@jaymianderson9665]

You'll be so glad you bought a shell with a higher top! I have a nearly identical one on my 2006 Ford Ranger. I've been sleeping in it (and slowly working on it) for just under a year. Well worth the effort and money. Enjoy!

[@yannvasse7033]

Nice job and video 👍 Friendly from France.

[@johnbanks8065]

Sure, the truck is a lot smaller than the bus, but your confidence in your abilities is so much bigger than it was before, and rightly so. Good luck on the next stage of your journey.

[@nesbitttom]

have fun Ive been watching your vidieos since the begining and your skill have greatly inproved

[@dawnagrey149]

I was fortunate that my (used) Tacoma came with a matching topper, as I know it is very hard to find one. I love, love, love what you did to your topper. I also made mine into a camper. Looking forward to see what you do with yours.

[@roberttraylor1392]

awesome video enjoyed you did a great job on the shell new subscriber

[@lauriesmith5807]

The striping reminds me of those wool Pendleton blankets. Love it

[@SirWilliamGoes]

Oh dang, I was camped next to u at Skoolie!!

[@76Scutter]

I LOVE the outfit you were wearing😍😍

[@nealmurphy647]

Definitely doesn't look like a grandpa shell anymore!! Can't wait to see the next video!!!

[@MelissaMalzahn]

You did good you have more confidence in yourself. Have fun stay safe. Congratulations to you and Birbies new owners.

[@kenhull1245]

Thank you for taking us along on your incredible journey. Out with the old, in with the new. Outstanding and beautiful job. You may want to look into a solar shower and a portable composting toilet for your journeys too. Sunshine does a wonderful job of heating up the water for a shower :).

[@kevindunn590]

I remodeled a motor yacht and I used 3M spray glue with a thin carpet for the walls. You can probably do that inside your camper. The weather did not have any effect and stuck to the walls for 10 years till I sold the boat.

[@SpatchcockRat]

The paint reacted because the White was Enamel and I guess the colors were Acrylic or Cellulose. You can put Enamel on top of any paint without reaction, but not the other way around. Cellulose will also react if sprayed on top of Acrylic, but Acrylic can be put on top of Cellulose without problems, but they both react on top of Enamel.

[@jimbooth3]

You should have a spray can trigger grip. Makes spray painting with cans much easier. They are very inexpensive.

[@eyesears113]

Forget the spray can trigger grip…she was not wearing a respirator. Plus having her kid there was highly irresponsible. Those fumes were toxic as heck.

[@MexicanTeTe]

So awesome! You really got that truck camper looking beautiful so quickly! Having a reliable vehicle you can camp in, but also easily run chores with is really really important. I drive my short skoolie everywhere and I get a lot of bewildered looks from people. Sometimes I wish I could fly under the radar a bit more like truck campers do. 😂

[@EmmaBuildsBirbie]

flying under the radar was something I definitely overlooked when I bought a giant bus and painted it bright blue 😅

[@krataiandbrett]

Nice transformation!

[@inkrider95]

Light coats is the key, to no runs and a over all good paint job.

[@TheExperiencefla]

Great work ethic that was a great video

[@Timberbeartrail]

Great job

[@jimbruneau6769]

The wrinkles in the color paint are from paint incompatibility, OR the base coat didn't harden up enough. Rustoleum paint is known for taking multiple days to dry good and hard, and will wrinkle up if you spray color on it too soon. Krylon paint is the best to work with, it dries within hours instead of days like Rustoleum. So, if you're going to mix paint types, use Krylon for the base, let it dry good then spray Rustoleum over the Krylon, Not the opposite way...

[@warrenscorner]

After I almost lost my topper I got rid of the clamps and bolted it to the truck. Good luck with your new project.

[@jadasworld2440]

Bye ✌🏽 Birbie!!! Happy journey girl 😂

[@stevenbutler2824]

Is that your little brother helping you, I think it's cute seeing him help you

[@ribbleslipscomb5171]

Emma, how are you doing? Have a good, safe trip. Must be rewarding to know that you have the creativity and ability to tackle things, yourself. ❤❤❤❤❤

[@r8edrv4fun65]

I had gym socks back in the 80's that had those stripes!!

[@realamerican6101]

I am happy you gave that bus a new life and others to love it too. And have Tacoma too and I have one of those Eagle that people put it over their garage door and paint it sliver and put it over the emblem on the grill .And I hope you make or find a good door for the back. 🌹

[@alvinmousseau1100]

Great video