We finallly gave in and went to paint. Our '84 310 diesel is now sporting a new paint finish - no more scratches showing or oxidized aluminum spots! It turns out that Ford has a silver paint for its pickup trucks that is so close to the clearcoated aluminum color and finish that the difference is almost imperceptible. I'll post pictures at the first opportunity (I'll wait for a sunny day to take them).
jking - We are very interested to hear about your project and see pictures. Where did you have the work done? Did you follow the process that Andy (Inland RV) recommended? If not, why? How much did the paint job cost if you don't mind saying.
My wife and I are considering paint too. I saw an oxidized unit that was recently clearcoated by AS in Jackson Center. It certainly looked better than before but it still leaves a lot to be desired in my mind. Our '92 trailer has some blotches & blemishes - I think paint may be the way to go.
Thanks, Lucius
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Lucius and Danielle
AIR#25 WBCCI#16771
'92 - 29' Excella
'96 - GMC C2500 Suburban Got a cooped-up feeling, gotta get out of town, got those Airstream campin' blues...
The bottom of my unit has an Imron Marine Blue paint that has stood up very well indeed. The topside is grey and oxidized to the point of being flat. Time and money need to come together so that I can redo the topsides first.
I'm getting ready to do a third coat of bright white to the roof today.
JKing, as you live on the coast what if any precautions will you take to keep the salt air and sun off your finish?
Are you coming to Hiawassee? Looking forward to seeing your finished job....in picture and in person.
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Glen Coombe AIR #8416
1984 28' Funeral Coach
Golf Professional Sales Rolling Showroom
"I'm not an expert. But I did sleep in an Airstream last night."
I think in the long run, the paint will be less problematic then the clear coats. I too would love to see pics. I've seen one Airstream painted and it looked as if it were a factory finish....you'd have to get about a foot or so from it before you saw that it was painted.
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Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 1991
Photos available but too large to attach here (over 2 MB). I'll send them email to anybody that asks.
We're really really really happy with it. The job was done by a truck/auto body shop that has the area UPS contract - those have aluminum bodies, too. The cost was sizeable but worth it in the long run because it'll last many years longer than acrylic clearcoat.
jking - We are very interested to hear about your project and see pictures. Where did you have the work done? Did you follow the process that Andy (Inland RV) recommended? If not, why? How much did the paint job cost if you don't mind saying.
My wife and I are considering paint too. I saw an oxidized unit that was recently clearcoated by AS in Jackson Center. It certainly looked better than before but it still leaves a lot to be desired in my mind. Our '92 trailer has some blotches & blemishes - I think paint may be the way to go.
Thanks, Lucius
They stripped and sandblasted lightly, then an etching primer, then a chromate primer, then the paint, then the clearcoat. It is the process used in keeping the brown UPS trucks brown. The cost was slightly over $7k.
Photos available but too large to attach here (over 2 MB). I'll send them email to anybody that asks.
We're really really really happy with it. The job was done by a truck/auto body shop that has the area UPS contract - those have aluminum bodies, too. The cost was sizeable but worth it in the long run because it'll last many years longer than acrylic clearcoat.
If you do not have a program to reduce the size of your pictures e mail to me and I will reduce them and return them for posting. I think there are more interested in seeing them then you can e mail to.
If you do not have a program to reduce the size of your pictures e mail to me and I will reduce them and return them for posting. I think there are more interested in seeing them then you can e mail to.
I will do that with gratitude if I can know your email address. Mine is KG4RLJ@ARL.NET (capitals for clarity only).
Jamie
Last edited by Mel; 04-05-2007 at 03:10 PM.
Reason: fixed quote
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AIR #8416
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