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ScrapIrony-2 · 09-11-2011, 02:29 PM

I know that one of the R&Ds(don't know which company) is working on a spray-on solar...when that happens to become efficient, I can tell you what MY rig will look like...m

streamquest · 09-11-2011, 03:11 PM

I'm spending the whole summer polishing my rig. That stuff had better come in ultra high gloss, crystal clear before I'll be using it.

Keyair · 09-11-2011, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamquest

I'm spending the whole summer polishing my rig. That stuff had better come in ultra high gloss, crystal clear before I'll be using it.

Hey, its about time you posted an update on your stunning project!

streamquest · 09-11-2011, 06:43 PM

Hi Key,

I'm not sure that I've reached the status of "stunning" just yet, but thanks for the compliment in advance.

I have a small section of roof to wrap up tomorrow that will pretty much complete the "first cut" which I've done with Nuvite F-10. The next pass will be either F-7 or C, then on to the finish. Unlike prepping for paint, one thing that is unique about the polishing process is that you never really have to stop working the finished product, it just keeps getting better. I'm not sure its a good thing, but this can go on forever!

I still have the window frames to do, and a dozen other things. You know how it goes. I'll try to get a couple of pics posted soon. I'm definitely not in your league when it comes to photo documentation.

Charly.

Keyair · 09-11-2011, 09:09 PM

LOL, Charly,
You have to understand something.....
When I stated "Foruming" with my Alfa Romeo, I was ragged to death with the...
"This Post Is Useless Without Pictures!" Emocion...

So now i never post without them

streamquest · 09-12-2011, 06:30 PM

Alright Key, I found my camera, and here is the story of what I did on my summer vacation......Charly.

crazeevw · 09-12-2011, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamquest

Alright Key, I found my camera, and here is the story of what I did on my summer vacation......Charly.

Charly, TOTALLY AWESOME! Tell us what you used to strip your clearcoat and what type of buffer machine and anything else that would help the rest of us that want to SHINE our Airstream Classics.
Congrats on a job well done.
Derek

Keyair · 09-12-2011, 08:46 PM

You are the MAN, Charly!!
Stunning job!
Hey, what are the 3 holes fwd of the gen compartment?
Furnace vent, old stye and new?

streamquest · 09-12-2011, 09:26 PM

Thanks Crazee.

The 1st photo is where I started.

The clearcoat on the roof was pretty much shot. I began with Removall 220. The red stripe was particularly hard to get rid of, especially the primer beneath it.

The 2nd and 3rd photos are of additional applications of stripper to spots that I may have missed and the cursed red stripe. By this time I was trying some Jasco stripper. This is a much more aggressive product and you don't want to get it on your skin.

The 4th photo shows me with the Spec Engineering aircraft drum polisher in which I invested heavily, and the Ingersol-Rand diesel compressor to power it. This all added up to a pretty fair piece of cash, but is worth it to me. When I've finally had enough of this madness, I should be able to sell the compressor for about what I paid for it, which beats the cost of renting so often. I began my polishing "career" last summer on a 1949 Spartan, and I still have a '48 Curtis Wright, '50 Spartan, '52 Silver Streak, and '72 Airstream Sovereign ahead of me. I started out on the Spartan using rotary buffers and orbital polishers but felt I was getting nowhere fast.

I still have a long way to go on the moho, having only completed the first pass, which is by far the toughest. Since the drum polisher doesn't bear down as hard as an edge wheel, I have been using Nuvite F-10 for maximum cutting power. I estimate that this combination will polish about 20-25 square feet per hour to the point that you see in the previous pics, not including the detail work around the windows, trim, etc. I will follow with F-7 or C, and finish with S. If you had the time, and could stand up to it, I think the whole thing could be done in a few weeks of hard work.

Hope this helps, Charly.

streamquest · 09-12-2011, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keyair

You are the MAN, Charly!!
Stunning job!
Hey, what are the 3 holes fwd of the gen compartment?
Furnace vent, old stye and new?

Thanks Key, and how about all the photos!!! Just trying to learn from the Rivet master himself.

You are correct regarding the holes. Old/New??? Not sure. Whatever came with it in 1990 I believe.

Charly.

streamquest · 09-12-2011, 09:49 PM

Crazee,

As a brief follow up to the above.... When you do the stripping, leave NOTHING behind. Any small spot that you miss will come back to haunt you during the polishing process. CLEARCOAT CAN NOT BE BUFFED OFF, no matter how hard you try. Also, my rig came with some factory decals that must have been made on another planet because they were almost impossible to remove. Good luck with those. I used lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, gasoline, alcohol, Removall, Jasco, nuclear waste, and F-10, until they finally went away. Charly.

Schools Out · 09-13-2011, 05:29 PM

Saw a 345 today in Door County WI. It was stopped at a park, towing a white pickup. It's a beauty. We think it has MI. plates.

crazeevw · 09-14-2011, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamquest

Crazee,

As a brief follow up to the above.... When you do the stripping, leave NOTHING behind. Any small spot that you miss will come back to haunt you during the polishing process. CLEARCOAT CAN NOT BE BUFFED OFF, no matter how hard you try. Also, my rig came with some factory decals that must have been made on another planet because they were almost impossible to remove. Good luck with those. I used lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, gasoline, alcohol, Removall, Jasco, nuclear waste, and F-10, until they finally went away. Charly.

Totally AWESOME! I got some CitriStrip at the Home Depot yesterday, but ended up underneath the moho today on my day off, instead of working on the skin. Thinking I have a gas leak, following Keys advice, and just going to replace everything. Damn 10% ethanol gasoline has been doing a # on my gasoline lines. Oh well, the joys of Airstream ownership, huh?
Just outside and walked past the 'beast', everytime I get close, I end up with a 'stupid' grin on my face, and say, I can't believe I own an Airstream!
Now, to get my checkbook out and elbow grease ready!
Thanks, Derek

crazeevw · 09-14-2011, 10:06 PM

Hi Charly, almost to sleep and began to think about your polishing job. Where the red stripe was on your 345, was there a aluminum molding top and bottom of the stripe? From the distant shot, it appears that there was one, and of course, now that the rig is all 'shined up', I'm guessing it's been removed. If this is the case, are you installing rivets in the existing holes?
Thanks, Derek

streamquest · 09-15-2011, 11:39 AM

Hi Derek,

You've got a good eye. There was a thin belt-line molding just above the red stripe that covered the seam where the upper and lower skins overlap. I initially removed it to simplify the polishing. It was my intention to re-install it, but I'm starting to like the "smooth" look and may leave it off (yes I will have some holes to fill). Any future polishing or annual maintenance will certainly be easier without it.
At the moment, this moho is more of a design project than anything else. I think enjoy the tinkering more than the traveling.
I also don't have any attached awnings, so I'm going with the minimalist / streamlined / light weight concept. I'd love to get rid of the bulky sideview mirrors and convert to cameras, and even design something to "fair in" the roof top A/C units for improved aerodynamics, and incorporate some solar panels and overhead driving lights. There's no end in sight!

...... and I am familiar with "the silly grin".

Charly.

Mike Leary · 09-15-2011, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamquest

and I am familiar with "the silly grin".

As am I! I walked around Bess (who's sitting on jack stands waiting for parts), looked the work over, gave her a pat on the side and said, "Good Kitty".

streamquest · 09-15-2011, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

As am I! I walked around Bess (who's sitting on jack stands waiting for parts), looked the work over, gave her a pat on the side and said, "Good Kitty".

Mike,

I'm hardly the one to ask the question, but do you think you might be crossing some kind of a line here??? LOL.

Charly.

Mike Leary · 09-15-2011, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamquest

Mike,

I'm hardly the one to ask the question, but do you think you might be crossing some kind of a line here??? LOL.

Charly.

When you've had a coach for twenty years, and she has never let you down in an embarrassing situation, one tends to give the old dear a "pat and a feel".

crazeevw · 09-15-2011, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

When you've had a coach for twenty years, and she has never let you down in an embarrassing situation, one tends to give the old dear a "pat and a feel".

Definitely can understand on the 'pat and a feel'. I've got a 1964 Buick Skylark convertible, that I've owned for the past 27 years. She still looks great, and every now and then, I'll pull the cover off of her, just for a 'pat and a feel', lol......

crazeevw · 09-15-2011, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streamquest

Hi Derek,

You've got a good eye. There was a thin belt-line molding just above the red stripe that covered the seam where the upper and lower skins overlap. I initially removed it to simplify the polishing. It was my intention to re-install it, but I'm starting to like the "smooth" look and may leave it off (yes I will have some holes to fill). Any future polishing or annual maintenance will certainly be easier without it.
At the moment, this moho is more of a design project than anything else. I think enjoy the tinkering more than the traveling.
I also don't have any attached awnings, so I'm going with the minimalist / streamlined / light weight concept. I'd love to get rid of the bulky sideview mirrors and convert to cameras, and even design something to "fair in" the roof top A/C units for improved aerodynamics, and incorporate some solar panels and overhead driving lights. There's no end in sight!

...... and I am familiar with "the silly grin".

Charly.

Hi Charly,

Noticed on the Airstream.com website, that Airstream offers Rivets for sale. Don't know if they're expensive or not, but figure $2.00 for 50 rivets isn't that bad, of course, there's always the shipping to deal with. Like you, I really like the belt-line molding removed. Trying to decide what I'm going to do, once I want to start polishing. My moho was parked close to salty water, here in St Pete, FL, so there's some parts that look like they salt and aluminum didn't like each other much.....