Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
I'm Bret Michaels.
I've been on the road my whole life, and I know RVs.
♪ Got a few miles, a whole lot of rust ♪
♪ Got her dinged up good, got her stuck in the mud ♪
So if you want a rig that's rock-star-worthy,
I'm the man to help you get it.
Today on "Rock My RV"...
the Peluce family are artistic world travelers
who fell in love in an instant
with their retro '73 Dodge Cabana.
But no matter how much they love this rig,
they know it needs a little push into the modern age.
So we're giving them an updated kitchen, eco-friendly floors,
and a one-of-a-kind, fold-down outdoor lounge area
that will take this artistic family's RV to the next level.
Yay!
♪ Gonna make this old thing look like a million bucks ♪
I've rocked the world, and now I'm about to rock your RV.
♪ I'm gonna fix your old RV ♪
-- Captions by VITAC --
Photographer Meeno Peluce, along with his artistic wife, Ilse,
are gypsies at heart.
They want their '73 Dodge Cabana
to help them and their two daughters live that lifestyle.
My dream RV
is just a personification of all our adventures.
It's got to be as unique as the world we've created.
And it'll be a guest house when it's not being driven.
They dream of using their RV
to travel the country -- actually, the world.
I would love to put this motor home on a ship
and take it India.
So our goal is to bring their RV into the new millennium
while maintaining its vintage, bohemian vibe.
When this pulled up, besides the fact that its brakes didn't work
and I almost died...
You got brakes? Whoa! Whoa!
Other than that, I thought this was a pretty good machine.
Let me take this. Let me get this.
It may be the last time you'll see the mirror.
Yeah, well, that's all right.
Do you want to keep the brown-on-brown?
ILSE: No.
It it's brown, it's going away.
It goes.
My vision is pale pink and gold.
Tell me how you see it coming down the side of the vehicle.
We're putting our trust in your hands.
I wouldn't want to see a paisley freak-out.
BRET: All right, let's talk about the sexy
butt end of this machine.
This is why the back end of this thing is so amazing --
the lettering of the "Cabana," right?
You don't see something like this every day.
It's all about having that beautiful back end
with that great view.
Let's take it inside.
All right. Welcome inside to the Cabana.
Thank you.
It's on the smaller side,
but, for us, we feel like it's perfect.
Sleeping. The girls are back here. Where are you sleeping?
The obvious spot, which is the very cozy banquette.
Understood. Do you need a place to cook?
I think that a small place to cook is necessary.
That's what I needed to know.
Last but not least, very important,
outside, I'm saying, do you want any kind of canopy?
I think the idea of an awning is really nice.
It's all soaked in right here.
There is a really fine line
between artistic flair and cheesiness,
and I'm hoping I don't cross over.
Hand me those keys.
Come on. Let's do it.
There they are.
All right.
All-in. All right?
It's time for me and the boys to get to work.
As with many of our transformations,
things got to get real ugly before they can look real good.
So we're ripping out 40 years of brown from the old Cabana.
JAKE: There's a spider.
BRET: That is one ugly bug. I'm gonna set this --
Aah!
BODIE: Was that a scream?
You scream like a schoolgirl!
Eee!
After running into that spider, man, be careful.
BRET: I want to give this family something
that takes creativity to a whole new level.
That's probably why the boys freaked out, just a little,
when I revealed my plans earlier.
They want something vibrant that brings life, right?
I wanted Moroccan/Aladdin chic, but not necessarily hippie.
Did you get sick on crayons?
Inside this RV, we'll get rid of all the brown
and lighten it up with white-washed walls.
We'll add eco-friendly, reclaimed
wood floors and cabinets, as well as all-new appliances.
I got a sink for you.
They're getting rid of that thing.
JAKE: I've never seen someone come out of a sink hole.
BRET: But once I showed Jake and Bodie what I had in mind
for the outside of this rig, they really freaked.
Holy chic.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
I liked the henna wrap myself when I looked at it.
I don't want them to walk up and go,
"Oh, my God. What did you do?"
They may say that no matter what.
They may say that. Here's a thought.
What if we did something more like this?
Not covering the whole thing.
BRET: We'll update the exterior of the RV
with a modified henna-tattoo-inspired wrap
and create a one-of-a-kind fold-down lounge.
Drops down. They can all hang out out there.
When they're ready to go, this can be enclosed --
safe, sealed, airtight.
Bodie's got a huge challenge right now
because I want that back to fold down.
I want it to be awesome, but Meeno and Ilse
love the sexiness of the back of this RV, right?
And that's gonna be a huge challenge.
Now, gutting this thing
is all leading up to one big, epic moment --
ripping the read end off this RV.
It's pretty gross, man.
BODIE: Crazy stuff's gonna happen right now.
We're about to pull the whole back of this thing off.
BRET: This is definitely a risk.
Meeno and Ilse looked at me like,
"We'll kill you, Bret Michaels,
if you lose the end cap of this RV."
I've survived a lot of things,
and I don't want to die by the hands of Meeno.
And he'll photograph it.
We don't know what is behind it. We'll find out.
Look at that. [ Laughs ]
This thing was just attached with screws basically.
It had some molding trim that held it on.
It wasn't really attached that well.
So, we got to make sure that we take care of this.
I'm gonna build a cool custom frame for it
to really support it, add new structure to it.
BRET: But removing the end cap is just the beginning.
Bodie still has to figure out how to make the end of the RV
fold down and do double duty as a lounge.
Not once have I ever said this was gonna be easy.
Hello, boys. I'm Sweet Gypsy.
We're gonna fix your van up nice.
You know, we got another little issue of water damage, some rot.
I'll be building a whole new frame.
We're gonna be actually pulling this out in a minute, as well.
JAKE: The gypsy caravan's presenting a little bit
of some issues because of its size.
It's tiny.
Working in RVs is awesome. Plenty of room.
BRET: Jake, no doubt, has got in there
and started putting together the right interior, man.
I got complete faith that we're gonna rock this thing.
BODIE: Right now I'm working on a little surprise for Meeno.
Being that he is a professional photographer,
we thought it'd be cool to kind of give him an area in here
where he can store some of his camera lenses, stuff like that.
There was this empty space
up here in this cockpit header area.
What I want to do is make a little hidden compartment here.
When you walk in, you won't be able to see it at all,
with nice camouflage, and I'm gonna figure out a way
to kind of put a hidden door there
so it can also be like a secure location for him, as well.
BRET: Everyone gather 'round.
Our master of metal will now demonstrate
how to remove the back end of an RV.
And I am sure,
considering how much Meeno and Ilse love the end of this rig,
that he will be very, very careful.
I am using a very technical method known as drop kick.
Hyah! [ Laughs ] This one's going.
BRET: I gave the boys a huge challenge on this gypsy RV.
BODIE: Holy chic.
BRET: Find a way to turn the back end of this rig
into an Aladdin chic outdoor lounge.
And my boy Bodie came up with a precise,
mathematical calculation
to make sure the end of this rig comes off just right.
Hyah!
BODIE: There you have it.
We got the back of this thing knocked off.
It feels really roomy.
What I'm getting ready to do now
is frame out an exact replica of the back of the RV.
I think the biggest challenge
is figuring out how I'm gonna make the frame
so that the back piece slides onto the frame
and it slides in and out, and it actually fits back up
the way it should to create a weatherproof seal.
BRET: The family loves the layout of their RV
but want all of that '70s brown out.
All the wood paneling's been torn out.
But through the whole thing, there was a lot of rot,
buckled panels, split panels.
The biggest problem right now is all the paneling's off the wall
and we don't have new paneling on it.
BRET: So the guys are covering the walls
with white-washed birch.
The same vibe is going on the counters and the cabinets.
It will definitely brighten up the inside of this RV.
Gypsy is starting to look
unbelievably, unbelievably half done.
Give me the L.D. on the RV.
This is the rear of the Gypsy.
The wood and stuff -- this stuff's looking great.
JAKE: Yeah, it brightened it up.
Besides the wood tones and stuff,
what are you thinking inside this area here?
Simple bench seating right here --
something that, you know, when they park it,
they can convert it to a sleeping area, as well.
And they love the way it was set up before,
so why not give it back to them?
I know, with Meeno and Ilse, they were really adamant
about keeping the end cap on this.
Well, we got this all framed up.
They're gonna have a little window still.
They're gonna be able to look through it.
So, when this goes out, this is going out as a pop-out?
This is the mechanism that's gonna slide out
on a gear-driven actuator.
Once it gets to a certain point, it's gonna hinge down.
This is probably the hardest project I've ever done.
Why don't we take up front? Let's see what we got up there.
Our cabinets are skinned, ready to go.
We have a countertop on.
Backsplash -- we're gonna do a hammered copper up there.
It'll go with the copper sink that we're putting in.
Got the ceiling all paneled.
BRET: Love it. Lenses are going up here.
On the floor down here, I would love to do
something really cool on this floor,
something that's really authentic.
I have an idea, and we'll see if it works.
BRET: The Peluce family are true artists
and very eco-conscious.
That's why we're installing solar panels on this RV.
JAKE: Today Steve's bringing us a bunch of goodies
from Camping World for Meeno and Ilse's RV.
All the stuff we're gonna need
to make this thing run on solar power.
The solar panel will basically mount right to the roof.
You can hide it anywhere you want.
You can put it center, front, back.
The inverter we're probably gonna hide somewhere,
put it under a seat.
ADAM: This is perfect for Meeno and Ilse.
Once the solar panels are installed,
they'll never have to run their generator again.
The way this solar system works is it creates energy,
it goes into four batteries, it's stored into the battery.
Then it goes into the inverter,
and the energy is created from D/C to A/C
so that you can plug in TVs, charge your phone,
do all that cool stuff.
The motor home will sit for a while.
You don't travel every day,
so if you have this on your motor home,
it's keeping the batteries nice and charged.
Saving the batteries' lives.
I baby them. I take care of them.
I love batteries.
For a few thousand dollars, you can get this complete kit
and convert your rig to solar energy.
You're easily gonna save that money in gas alone
just over the first couple months.
BRET: Installing solar power in RVs is a huge trend right now.
It's one of the many ways RVers are going green.
Some RVs, like the EarthRoamer,
use bio-diesel fuel and solar combined.
The tiny but cool Cricket is made from composite,
lightweight materials that help really cut down on gas costs.
Now, that's rock 'n' rollin' eco-consciousness.
BODIE: The biggest problem right now
is actually trying to figure out how to make the whole back end
slide out and then tilt down and keep it structurally sound.
I mean, it sounds totally complicated, and actually it is.
Bret gave us a huge design challenge on this one.
BRET: This old Dodge Cabana has a creative, vintage vibe
that we definitely want to keep,
but we also want to take a wee step into the new millennium,
so we outfitted it with top-of-the-line solar panels.
Another way to go green is with recycled wood.
Oh, flooring.
Don't think you're gonna get away from me, there,
old gypsy flooring. I can handle this.
Me gots an idea.
So I'm taking a little trip
to pick up some vintage wood to use for flooring.
I'm here to talk with my buddies Ben and Collin
about some reclaimed wood and something really amazing
that we can do for Meeno and Ilse's RV.
It's a really, really unique build.
This couple is really into authenticity.
I know you guys are great at that.
BEN: We're the ones taking down the structures,
try and get the full history of the structure we're taking down.
And we document it really well.
Reclaimed wood -- it is the only way to go.
It has true authenticity, and that's what they're about.
We have so much to choose from here.
You can come in here and pick a board in this entire floor,
and we can stick to just that color tone.
BRET: This is really what I'm looking for for their floor.
And, then, what do you think for these doors right here?
I think we can mix a good color palette
of stuff that's light with the dark stuff,
and I think it'll be a great contrast.
You can even accent it by making the border the char wood.
That's a brilliant idea.
And it also highlights it.
Now that we've decided what we want to do
and what wood we're picking out, I can't wait to get this back
up at the shop and get rocking on this RV.
These are the reclaimed barn boards
that we went ahead and engineered.
And we laid it onto a piece of tongue-and-groove plywood.
The reason we did that for this specific job
is because it really cuts down on the weight,
as well as this RV is gonna be going around the world,
so the moisture content's gonna be changing all the time.
So it's a much more stable floor.
BRET: But we didn't stop at the floors.
The cabinets are also gonna get new life
with more of that eco-friendly reclaimed wood.
Front half of Gypsy, I'm in love with it. It's perfect.
It's the back half -- this engineering nightmare.
BRET: This lounge has to fold down smooth and easy.
That calls for some heavy-duty machinery.
BODIE: Dude, what do you got?
So, what we got is a Power Gear room slide.
This arm is capable in a pair
of carrying 1,600 pounds of weight.
There's gonna be two.
There will be a duplicate piece that looks exactly like this,
and they'll be synchronized with the drive shaft.
You move your rear cap out,
and then we can actuate it down 90 degrees and flat.
Now all we got to do is make it work inside the coach.
Let's make it happen.
The mechanics of this fold-down lounge is very tough.
[ Imitating machine sounds ]
BODIE: We only have so much room for the actuators,
and there's gonna be a lot of overhang.
BRET: We may have bitten off
a little more than the team can handle,
but that's our style.
I think we're the first to do something like this
'cause I have never seen anything like this.
I've never seen a rear end like this.
[ Laughs ]
BRET: Outdoor living is all a part of the RV experience.
From simple awnings to rooftop putting greens,
people are dreaming big when it comes
to creating outdoor retreats for their RVs,
and this Gypsy is no exception.
Now my work begins.
So, we're at a stage where I got to just haul ***,
get this thing done, get it wrapped.
Jake's second biggest challenge is gonna be helping me
on the outside of this because I had even
a bigger crayon nightmare on the outside.
JAKE: Bret and I concurred that it probably
should be taken down a notch,
so we went with kind of more of an arching wave
that leads towards the back of it,
incorporating the whole kind of henna-tattoo idea.
I think it's a lot better.
I hope Bret likes it when he sees it.
BRET: Updating the cockpit with the latest in GPS technology
geared specifically for RVs will go a long, long way
in helping the Peluce family find their way around the world.
We updated the dinette with an ultra-chic tabletop
that will convert easily
into a sleeping area for Meeno and Ilse.
The mechanics of that fold-down lounge
are truly a feat of engineering.
Now the boys have to turn it into a lounge.
That means a floor and of course the tent.
But we can't forget that this lounge, when closed,
is the fourth wall of the girls' bedroom.
That means inventive thinking.
We have an issue with the window.
We had to make it smaller
because we are making seating around the window.
We got to put our little cushion in the center,
but when they're driving, they can pull the cushion out
and they can still see out the window,
so they got the best of both worlds.
BRET: Recycled-glass counters,
along with a copper backsplash and sink,
take this kitchen from brown and boring to beautiful.
So, Ron and I have most of this thing all set up.
We got a few little finishing touches.
The guys are putting the tent up.
Altogether, we got the rods in place.
Everything's looking really good.
We are really close to completion on this thing.
So, Jake, tell me how this whole area panned out.
So, I filled it with this customizable foam.
Inside that little secret compartment,
I'm giving Meeno a little foam insert here.
So, this way, Meeno can customize this whole thing
with his own personal lenses, and -- boom.
So it's a hidden compartment.
I gave the team a huge challenge on this,
and I think they did an amazing job.
I have my vision.
I hope it's somewhat aligned with that vision.
Considering that I have chopped the entire rear end
off the back of their vehicle that they love,
this is either gonna go really great or really, really bad.
I can't wait to see our RV.
Have you rocked it?
Peluce family, are you ready?
Yes.
Let's rock.
Oh, wow!
[ Laughs ]
We are moments away from the big reveal.
I am so freaking ready to see our RV.
I am hoping that we have captured
all of your awesome spirit,
and I think that we have done it.
Peluce family, are you ready?
Yes.
Bret-ettes, are you ready?
Ready.
Ready.
Let's rock.
[ Cheering ]
Oh, wow!
So cool.
Take it in. Just soak it in for a little bit.
When the curtain dropped, I was just in complete shock.
Now, you remember what this was before, right?
I guarantee you there is nothing else like this on the road.
It is uniquely yours. We know you're eco-friendly.
We have three solar panels up here, right?
Oh, wow!
Yep.
Come on. Let's go up. Let's take a look at this.
I knew that you didn't want hippie.
We were worried there might be peace signs on the outside.
We all want peace. We all love peace if we can get it.
I think with the henna --
It's so cool.
You like it?
It's beyond my imagination.
BRET: I was very relieved
when they finally said, "This exceeds our dreams."
I would never think of this, and that's the beauty of it.
I love it.
Step on inside.
Oh, wow.
BRET: Take it in.
That's so awesome.
Are you kidding?
you got the copper sink, copper backsplash, right?
Wow! That's really cool.
BRET: Recycled-glass countertop.
Oh, yeah. Look at that.
I had never any intention of using the kitchen that was in here.
Now I just want to come and cook beautiful things
in this gorgeous kitchen. It's amazing.
Custom-painted tabletop, and I know you sleep up here,
so the benches, they still fold down.
So this still makes into a bed.
All of this is reclaimed wood. The floor.
The floor is just perfect. Wood is nice.
You sweep it out, you're good to go.
I think the floors are incredible.
Up front, you remember what this was, right?
Yeah.
We've got a GPS made just for RVs
so you know the bridges, you know heights.
Oh, wow!
Now, let me just show you a little area
you might be able to do two or three things with.
We've left this in here with the foam
to be custom-cut to put all of your lenses up here.
Super smart. What do you think, baby?
No, that's genius.
Follow me. I will take you back.
Here we go. Here on the refrigerator,
we've faced this right here with the copper -- same vibe.
Come on in. Everything has its own unique vibe still.
Yeah, it's so cool.
Everything has its own identity.
Before, it was brown on dark brown.
Now it feels so much brighter and happier.
Ensconcing the new upholstery, all this.
I love the upholstery, and I love that wall.
You remember what this was, right?
It's very hard to remember now that I see it like this.
And you've got almost a queen-size bed.
You can put slats that are underneath here.
You lift them up, you slide them across.
Everything just comes back together, and it's really --
You got a beautiful place to be.
Now, I'm curious about this back wall.
Because something's happening there that's different.
This is one of the big layers I'm about to show you,
but I'm gonna have to ask you to step outside
while I give you the ultimate reveal.
Now, you remember what this was before, right?
Are you ready?
Bodie, hit it.
[ Laughs ]
BRET: Come on.
What?
ILSE: Oh, wow!
[ Laughter ]
Yay!
This was part one of the grand finale.
Now, for part two, I had to take them away.
Bodie, Jake, work your magic. You both come with me.
I was not expecting that at all.
My RV just opened up like a can by itself.
And now for the last part of their grand-finale surprise.
Turn.
Oh!
Oh!
BRET: Come on.
I mean, seriously?
Seriously.
It works!
♪ Yeah! ♪
Way beyond everything I could have imagined.
BRET: Hear you got family here.
We do.
Let's bring them on up.
MEENO: Come on, you guys! Come on!
♪ This ain't nothing but a good time ♪
Traveling tent that pops up kind of magically.
I mean, it's really quite perfect.
♪ And it don't get better than this ♪
Now, that there is a gypsy RV.
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.